When you think of Los Angeles, you may think of sunshine, palm trees, and celebrities.  Well, there is definitely plenty of that.  Growing up in Southern California, I went to Los Angeles quite a bit.  Whenever we would have relatives visit from out of state, L.A. and Hollywood was on their must-see list.  Known as the “City of Angels” it is one of the few cities where you can go skiing in the morning and watch the sunset over the beach in the evening.  Not only does it have a Mediterranean climate, which attracts many visitors all year round, it also has many attractions and professional sport teams.  Los Angeles is home to numerous professional sports teams. This sprawling Southern California city is also the center of the nation’s film and television industry.

If you are not from Southern California and would like to take a vacation to Los Angeles, here are some highlights of the city.

• Hike the Hollywood sign – Perched atop Mount Lee, sits a symbol of Hollywood glamour that measures 450 feet in length with Mammoth white letters, each standing 45 feet high. You will find stunning views of the Hollywood sign while hiking through the rolling chaparral of the Santa Monica Mountains.  Griffith Park offers hikers amazing close access with the Sign, which is off-limits to human hands.
• Griffith Observatory – This sits on Mount Hollywood and overlooks the Los Angeles basin. Much more than just a pretty photo-op though.  The observatory hosts fascinating exhibitions and features a top-notch planetarium.  This is Southern California’s gateway to the cosmos!  You can look through telescopes, explore exhibits, see live shows in the planetarium and enjoy spectacular views of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Sign.
• Hollywood Walk of Fame – A trip to Los Angeles would not be complete without finding your favorite stars on this boulevard where the stars of Hollywood are immortalized with bronze star-plaques. There are more than 2,600 stars, which include actors, musicians, directors, producers, musical and theatrical groups, fictional characters, and others embedded in the sidewalks.
• Venice Beach – If you are looking to spend the day at the beach, Venice, with its bohemian spirit, is not to be missed. The boardwalk is lined with street performers and vendors.  You can see everything from break-dancing, broken glass walking, mimes, jugglers, and everything in between.  You can have your fortune read, get a temporary tattoo, or have your name written on a grain of sand.  There is also the famous Muscle Beach which is an outdoor gym.
• Universal Studios – If you like to go behind the scenes of a real working movie studio, Universal Studios is for you. On the tram tour, you will encounter the smoldering wreckage of the Boeing 747 from Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, see Jaws in the water, come face to face with King Kong 360 3-D, and see the legendary Bates Motel from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho just to name a few.  This is the largest and busiest motion picture and TV studio in the world.  There are also many rides at Universal Studios such as Jurassic Park, Transformers, and the Flight of the Hippogriff in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Of course, this is just a few ideas of what to do in Los Angeles.  Other attractions include Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, The Getty Center, and the celebrity open-air bus tour.  If you do plan a trip to Los Angeles, make sure to bring plenty of Penless Postcards. With all the sights to see, you will have lots of fun pics and videos to attach to the postcard and send to friends and family.