Oh there is so much fun and good eating and drinking to be done! For a truly Californian experience, have lunch or dinner at Inn of the Seventh Ray in Topanga Canyon. The setting is beautiful and the menu is ordered according to harmonic resonance. I’m not kidding.

I second the votes for the Museum of Jurassic Technology, the Getty, the Getty Villa, Olvera Street, MOCA, the studio tours, Little Tokyo, Venice beach.

If you are really into walking, I’d go all the way from the Venice Pier to the Santa Monica Pier (and back again) or vice versa. There’s free parking on the side streets off of Washington Blvd near the Venice Pier and in Santa Monica there are public parking structures that offer the first 2 hours free.

If you are interested in comedy or improv, the Groundlings are a lot of fun.

Also, for theatrical events and more at super cheap prices, check out Goldstar Events. You have to be a member, but it’s free to join! Goldstar is a great way to get tickets to shows in the North Hollywood Arts District and Theater Row (on Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood) for like $5 or 10.

My favorite place to get chocolate milkshakes is in the basement coffee shop of the Beverly Hills Hotel. Don’t bother with valet parking; there’s plenty of free street parking on the side streets off of Sunset Blvd. Swank location, but milkshakes aren’t pricey and the coffee shop doesn’t have a dress code. Plus it’s a great place to hear Industry gossip.

As for authentic Mexican, LA has some great Oaxacan places known for their mole. Try Guelaguetza or Monte Alban, both on the Westside. For great Yucatecan food, try Chichen Itza in MacArthur Park. For a great pan-Latin meal, try Mama’s Hot Tamales also in MacArthur Park. Also, be on the look out for Salvadoran places: pupusas = heaven.

If shopping is your thing, forget the big malls or Melrose and instead check out the little boutiques on Main Street in Santa Monica or on La Brea between Wilshire and 3rd or on Beverly and 3rd east of La Cienega. Abbot Kinney in Venice is another great shopping street.

If art is your thing, Bergamont Station in Santa Monica has tons of little galleries and be sure to check out Culver City, too.

Oh, and if you must try Pinkberry, the one in Westwood is near a UCLA institution called Didi Reese where you can get two cookies and a scoop of ice cream for $1.25. The line is usually long, but hey, you can’t beat the prices.

In Boston, where I live, check out the parks, Boston Common and the Public Garden. Check out the Fens – a string of parks near Fenway park. Walk around Davis Square and Harvard Square. Go shopping Charles Street in Beacon Hill. Walk around Beacon Hill. Walk the hills of Charlestown, see the Bunker Hill Monument.

Pretty much anything in Boston they steer tourists towards is a good idea, just don’t leave the area, no matter how pretty New England is. It’s a great walker-friendly city, and you should take advantage of it.

And whatever you do – don’t go to CHEERS! This is imperative. I cannot tell you enough.

Since someone mentioned Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Library, why not also hit up Nixon’s in Yorba Linda?

TWO Presidential Libraries!

I saw several fun sights in LA, mostly of the stop and photo variety. I found a building shaped like the front grill of a pink cadillac in Tarzana, Randy’s donuts (with the huge donut on the roof), a drive-thru donut place where you drive through the donut hole, and the TV McDonald’s where all the McD’s commercials are filmed.

Find this and more on roadsideamerica.com — my favorite site for strange and wacky sights.

No trip to L.A. is complete without a visit to In-N-Out Burger. The most excellent, inexpensive meal to be found.

For a truly great meal in L.A., I recommend the Californa Canteen on Cahuenga. (Universal City area) It’s a smallish European-style bistro with excellent food, a really good wine list, great atmosphere, and the most adorable French waiter who has been there every time I’ve eaten there. And the prices are also VERY reasonable.