California

[esselle]

Thanks Mike.

[ticktick]

Actually Yeah! But I've got to think of the girls.

PLease don't count me in that quote as one of the girls. It'd be just my luck getting shot looking after you lot lol

[Chris__M]

Agreed about SF and LA - I found San Francisco much more interesting.

But as you are based in LA:

I thoroughly enjoyed a trip to Famous Dave's Barbecue - it is a chain, but the food was good and plentiful, and if there is enough of you, you can go for their Famous Feast: "A full slab of St. Louis-Style Spareribs, a whole Country-Roasted Chicken, 1/2 lb. of either Texas Beef Brisket or Georgia Chopped Pork, Creamy Coleslaw, Famous Fries, Wilbur Beans, four corn-on-the-cob and four corn bread muffins." All served out of a (clean) trash can lid.

They have a couple of places around LA - see map at http://www.famousdaves.com/

One thing I thorougly enjoyed at LA was the trip around Warner Brothers. Forget Universal Studios - it is a glorified theme park. Warner Brothers is a working studio, and the last to have an extensive backlot in LA (backlot = external sets). I did the very expensive deluxe tour, which gets you into the technical areas, but I understand the standard tour is also good. You do need to book in advance to be certain, though.

http://vipstudiotour.warnerbros.com/

A less expensive trip (i.e. free). On a drive down to L.A., my hosts asked if I wanted to visit "Planet Vulcan". Being an old Star Trek fan, I said "sure". We ended up at Vasquez Rocks, which is a 900 acre park, only 40 miles outside LA. It has very striking and varied rock formations all around - if you look one way, it looks like something out of a Western, look in the other direction, you are on an alien planet. Which means it has been used a lot for all sorts of TV shows and Films, such as Blazing Saddles, Army of Darkness, Bonanza, Mission Impossible, and - of course - Star Trek.

As others have mentioned, La Brea Tar Pits are worth a look, and I also enjoyed a trip to the Griffith Observatory, which has a great museum and planetarium. Having said that, I went there because it is *the* observatory in James Dean's "Rebel Without a Cause". Yes, I'm a bit of a film nut!

[Chris__M]

I almost forgot - best BBQ I had in California was Everett & Jones, but - again - that's in Oakland, near SF. However, I thought it worth mentioning, in case you get a chance to head up that way.

[esselle]

Thanks a lot Chris I will definately take a look at those

[mkevenson]

Living in Calif and reading about the drug wars, especially in the western part of the country keeps me away. My daughters husband is a recruiter in the army in Washington state and the army will not let him go to Mexico due to the threat to civilians. This occurs not only in the border towns but also in the resort areas. Unfortunate for the business owners in Mexico because a lot of their income comes from touristas. Many of the towns in So Cal, as well as here in No Calif have such a large Mehicano population that the flavor of the culture and the flavor of the food can be had on this side of the border without dodging bullets.

[British BBQ Society]

Have a look at this, shows BBQ joints all over the states. http://www.nbbqa.org/BBQTrail.aspx