If you’re visiting for the holidays and looking for a tour of Los Angeles, Hollywood or any of the surrounding areas, these guided tour companies can show you the sights you want to see, with your schedule and budget in mind — and maybe with a little extra entertainment on the side.

Open-topped van tours circle around the Hollywood area throughout the day, and the colorful vans can be seen every day of the week from central Hollywood to Beverly Hills and beyond. Traditional shuttle-bus tours may venture further away, to areas like Long Beach or Orange County, and small-group walking tours are available for those who want to stay around the sightseer-friendly downtown or Hollywood Boulevard.
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Just observed an extremely bright rainbow over Hollywood, touching down near the Hollywood sign. Think there’s a gold Hummer at the end of it?
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You’re 2 hours from a Thanksgiving deadline on the day of, your friends (or worse, relatives) are already on their way over, and you still don’t have everything done. Sound like you?

No worries. You can still save face, and dish washing time, by utilizing Los Angeles’s last-resort Thanksgiving supply depot. KooKooRoo is your savior.
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Every city has its highest-rated restaurants, arranged in every category according to things like atmosphere, creativity and “panache,” whatever that is. But unless you’re part of the jet-set crowd, none of that really matters when it’s Saturday morning (or afternoon) and you’re waking up with a screaming, aching void in the pit of your stomach. You want breakfast. No frills, no linen tablecloths, no white-gloved servers. Just eggs, pancakes, fried potatoes, bacon, something with avocado, or maybe some kind of burrito creation. And you want it with ketchup and maple syrup.
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In the days after Halloween, everyone is asking everyone, “what did you do?” Regardless of what shenanigans you got yourself into in your sexy nurse/kissing booth costume this year, you might want to mark your calendar to spend next year in the place where class meets crass – the culture-laden party town of Santa Barbara.
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Sushi is to LA as the poolside margarita is to Vegas. Or as the buffalo was to the plains Indian. Ok, maybe it’s not that dramatic, but it’s definitely not wise to stand between a Los Angeleno and yellowtail sashimi.

Like a burrito joint can be judged almost exclusively on its carne asada, sushi places can be summed up fairly easily based on a few things, such as freshness, and creativity in flavors and presentation. Sushi places can also vary widely in overall quality, from the greasy joint that seems to put imitation crab in everything, to the jaw-dropping rooftop establishment that makes you feel a little underdressed (see number one on this list).
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After quite a bit of searching we located a reliable, honest, courteous and generous mechanic in North Hollywood, for anyone who runs into car trouble.

DE Automotive, Inc

Reasons:

• The little guys are almost always more knowledgeable and cheaper than the big guys (Midas, Pep Boys, etc).
• The same guy (Sam) is usually there, meaning you don’t have to explain your problem to six different guys. And he remembers you.
• Sam makes his own rules, so he doesn’t need a manager’s approval to, say, top off your oil free of charge.
• They’re honest, so you pay what they quote the first time.
• They explain the problem in a down-to-earth manner instead of trying to make it sound complicated.
• Ah, they’re just nice guys. We want to help them out.

Take your busted ride there, they’ll do ya proud.

In the landscape of Hollywood fast food, two gleaming ivory towers rise above the debris of MSG-soaked, artificial-smoke flavored, reheated mega-burger chains. In-N-Out, the Irvine-based private burger chain that won Zagat’s Fast-Food Survey in 2008 and 2009, and Fatburger, the Santa Monica-based chain known as “the Last Great Hamburger Stand.”

One is an old-fashioned cult favorite that successfully promotes itself through T-shirts emblazoned with hot rods, the other touts its food quality through snarky slogans aimed at other burger chains, and was once co-owned by Magic Johnson. Which deserves the crown? There are many factors to consider: In-N-Out’s prices still recall its 1948 birth; Fatburger’s patrons are treated to free, unlimited use of the jukebox and a wide array of delicious burger options. What are we going to do about this?
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Las Vegas is without question the brightest oasis in any desert. The city is absolutely worthy of nicknames like Sin City and “adult playground.” In fact, it undeniably deserves to have its name shouted to raised fist by people in bars, as the anticipation of a Vegas trip evokes the same feelings you had when you were a kid going to Disneyland.

But as fun and exciting as this wanton desert community is, there are definitely things about Vegas that irk. Whether it’s because Vegas knows exactly how much we love to go there, or because people can’t help but crap on a party, here are a few common Vegas pitfalls, with some quick advice on avoiding them. Proceed with riot batons raised.
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Here’s a quick and easy guide to taking a fun weekend road trip to Solvang, CA. This is what we did, and it definitely did the trick. Add a few of these things to your Solvang checklist.

PS: If you have your own advice, add it in the comments below!
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