In the Footsteps of La La Land: 5 Filming Locations in Los Angeles

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Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) in a scene from LA LA LAND directed by Damien Chazelle, in cinemas December 26. An Entertainment One Films release.

Six Oscars, five BAFTA awards, rave reviews from critics and the love of the audience — we are talking about the incredible romantic musical film La La Land directed by Damien Chazelle. It’s known that in addition to Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, the third main character in the film is Los Angeles, and the name of the film reflects one of the nicknames of the city. Now we offer you to take a walk around Los Angeles with the heroes of the movie and find out more about the attractions that appeared on the screen.

When you arrive in the city, a rental car will be the best way to explore these places, because you won’t need to think which bus to take and where to get out of. The best LA car rental under 25 offers at a cheap price are available on Rental24H.com, where you can also compare different rental companies and choose the best deal. Among the cars, you have a wide selection, including compact, convertibles, full-size cars, economy options, luxury vehicles and 7-seater minivans.

It’s recommended that you book your LA car rental under 25 in advance in order to guarantee getting of your desired car in the right place.

Well, if you have already reserved a vehicle, it’s time to follow in the footsteps of La La Land heroes!

Enjoy the sunset at the Griffith Observatory cafe

The Griffith Observatory overlooks Los Angeles, and it is a great place for photos. This was in early January, just after sunset, with beautiful color in the sky. ISO 100, 28mm, f18, 6sec. I set up the tripod and kept shooting hoping that there would be a gap in the crowds leaving before the light completely disappeared. This is as good as it got.

Do you remember that amazing scene where the characters dance under the starry dome of the observatory? So, this is the Griffith Observatory on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood. This hill offers stunning views of downtown Los Angeles, the Hollywood Sign, mountains and the ocean.

The observatory bears the name of the rich man Griffin Jenkins Griffith who donated his land and a large sum of money for the construction and equipment. Once he looked at the starry sky through the most powerful telescope for the beginning of the 20th century. The sight inspired him so much that he decided to make space closer for ordinary people.

So, in 1935, one of the world’s first public observatories was launched. All performances and exhibitions at the planetarium, as well as parking and the use of telescopes, are free of charge.

Note that the area around the observatory – Griffith Park – is a protected natural park, which is ideal for hiking. A 53-mile chain of hiking trails passes through the area. One of the paths starts right from the observatory parking lot.

Take a funicular ride

The film was also adorned by the Los Angeles funicular, which received the name “Angels flight railway”.

The funicular is on the list of US historical monuments. It’s called the shortest railway in the world, because its length is only 91 meters. However, how many ups and downs this object experienced.

Angels flight railway was launched in 1901 in the Bunker Hill area. It links the Hill Street Market and the Grand Central Hall financial center.

Note that on the funicular there are two wooden cabs, which have their own names – Sinai and Olivet. They move in opposite directions, and have an orange-black color. Given the short distance, passengers travel for just over a minute. However, according to tourists, during this time you can take great selfies and admire the skyscrapers.

Walk the waves and dine at Lighthouse Cafe

Hermosa Beach is a great option for both a passive vacation on the ocean and for fans of surfing, diving, as well as beach sports. There’s fine sand, excellent infrastructure, rescue patrols, and the very pier on which the hero of Ryan Gosling walked. The length of the pier is 300 meters, and vacationers say that walking along it creates the feeling of walking along the waves.

There is also the Lighthouse Cafe jazz club, which also appeared in La La Land. Since 1949, celebrities such as Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Art Blackie and others have performed in this place. Filming in the club took 4 days.

Admire the Details of Watts Towers

17 futuristic towers with the height of 30 meters became a model of Italian-American art, as their creator believed. However, the results of his 33-year-old labor (1921–1954) were not immediately accepted by the townspeople. It’s curious that the builder began to erect steel structures, decorated with everything that came to hand – multi-colored glasses, fragments of tiles, broken dishes, mirrors, shells, found right on site.

Neighbors didn’t like such an incomprehensible structure, thus, after long conflicts the builder was tired at the end and even gave up on everything, moving to another city. However, by this time, fanciful constructions had become a landmark of the city, and city authorities saved the towers from demolition. Now this place is included in the register of historical objects of the United States.

Take a stroll across Colorado Street Bridge

The arched reinforced concrete Colorado Street Bridge was built over the Arroyo Seco River in 1912. It’s located in the town of Pasadena in California. Its length is 447 meters, and its width is 12 meters, including pedestrian paths on both sides – just in the light of the lanterns the heroes of the film walked along it.

At one time, it was recognized as the highest concrete bridge in the world: its maximum height reached 45 meters. The object is included in the US National Register of Historic Places. Keep in mind that this bridge is also known as the bridge of suicides. However, the safety measures taken have reduced such a sad statistic

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