Walking around Fisherman’s Wharf during a trip to San Francisco in 2009, I was scared silly when a homeless man jumped up from behind some bush twigs yelling “arghhhh!” I thought it was just one among several homeless people in the city that came up with a whacky idea to make money. I later found out it was the world famous Bushman!

According to Wikipedia his name is David Johnson and he reportedly “makes $60,000 on a good year.” They claim crowds wait around to watch him in action. The day we went, it was just three of us that were traumatized on our way to book a tour to Alcatraz. Coming from the chilly Northeast USA where the homeless aren’t as much fun, I was kind of pissed of. But I’m happy to be one of the lucky ones to screech at this San Fran fixture.

It may not be as much fun now that you have been warned, but I definitely recommend visiting the guy who will creep up somewhere along the piers.

*According to Wikipedia and the San Francisco Chronicle the bushman’s name is David Johnson. But the photo featured on Wikipedia’s page is not of the same person in the bottom video, so I’m not sure if there is more than one bushman or if the old bushman retired. If anyone has further knowledge, please post it below!

This is a three part series of our trip to Hollywood. Read about the rest of our trip here.

We got to Hollywood on our last day in LA, hoping to soak it up as much as we could with what time we had left. We still hadn’t seen the Hollywood sign, which we were on the lookout for the entire time, so we asked some of the tour companies for help on how to get there.

You’ll notice a lot of tour operators on Hollywood Boulevard offering trips to the stars’ homes and around Hollywood in general. Some of the more well-known companies can be very expensive, but the start-up companies are really cheap and all of them are willing to bargain.

We were never really into going on a homes of the stars tour, but found that the easiest way to get to Mulholland Drive, where people can see the Hollywood sign, without a car. So Ric and I used the haggling skills we learned in SE Asia and reached a deal with Starline Tours for about $30 per person.

Our guide was very knowledgeable of the area. He took us to famous rock n’ roll places the Sunset Boulevard like Whiskey a Go Go. We saw heaps of homes including that of Ringo Star, Courtney Cox and Tom Cruise. We cruised through Beverly Hills.

Whiskey a Go Go has been the birthplace of many rock n' roll bands, including The Doors. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

And of course we got to see the Hollywood Sign. In fact we got to see it a dozen times. Every other minute, including from Hollywood Boulevard, the tour guide would say, “And if you look over there you can see the Hollywood sign.” That left us feeling a bit dumb considering the Hollywood sign was the main reason we booked the tour, but it was a great one, so I’m happy we did it.

Ric and I in front of the Hollywood sign from a lookout point on Mulholland Drive.

After Starline dropped us off at Hollywood Boulevard, Ric and I still had a couple of hours to spare before we had to leave for the airport. I thought what better way to end an amazing three days in Hollywood than with a drink at a famous hideout for the stars, the Roosevelt Hotel.

Opened in 1927, the famed hotel hosted the first Academy Awards in 1929, is supposedly haunted by the spirit of Marilyn Monroe and has accommodated a long list of famous guests, including Clark Gable, Hugh Hefner, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Courtney Love. The hotel’s Spanish-style interior is enough reason to visit.

A lot of Hollywood stars have actually lived at the Roosevelt for long periods of time. They stay at the hotel after messy divorces, rehab and maybe even after their homes burn down, which is the story line that led Entourage character, Vinny Chase to move into the Roosevelt Hotel in the series’ final season.

Ric and I taking the elevator at the Roosevelt Hollywood. Photo by Ric Hackey

Feeling bold after a midday drink at the Roosevelt, I decided Ric and I should go exploring. Our exploration led us to a room on the ground floor that was empty besides about ten director’s chairs with the word “Entourage” written on their backs. We knew the name, we knew the style of writing and we definitely knew the show.

Ric and I are huge TV buffs and Entourage was actually our favorite show, hence why we trekked to Urth Cafe. Missing the 7th season on HBO while spending most of the previous year in Australia, we came across the entire season on disc in Cambodia. We watched it all on a terrible bus journey from Siem Reap to Bangkok, only days before arriving in LA. So you can say at that point we were very excited about the show’s final season.

But at the time we had no idea it would lead the cast to the Roosevelt Hotel.

Before Ric and I had a moment to do anything other than look at each other with wide eyes and even wider smiles, a crew member wearing headphones appeared in front of us to grab the chair.

He looked at me then to my camera and asked, “Do you want to take a photo?”

“Yea,” I replied feeling oddly star-struck.

Then I asked the dumbest question probably ever.

“So what are you guys filming?”

He looked at me, then looked at the chair and replied, “Umm, Entourage.”

Then he left, so we followed him.

On the second floor of the hotel there was a camera crew and what looked like people bowling in the room they were filming in. We watched from across the balcony as first Scott, the new manager, appeared, then Turtle then Eric. While watching the final season months later, we found out they actually were bowling at the Roosevelt during episode six.

Watching Entourage being filmed at the Roosevelt Hotel. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

I couldn’t imagine a more ideal end to our trip to Hollywood. Unfortunately, we would later also get an ideal end to our trip to California when our final mode of public transportation, a Continental flight to Philadelphia was cancelled. No wonder everyone in Hollywood flies private.

Find out what we did in Hollywood on days one and two.

This is a three part series of our trip to Hollywood. Read about the rest of our trip here.

I think it’s imperative to go on at least one studio tour while visiting LA. Unfortunately, a lot of them are not very easy to come by. Paramount is probably the most well-known tour. For awhile I only heard that you had to know somebody or book very early to tour their studio, but now it might be a bit easier.

If you can’t find a way to make it into the coveted Paramount Studios or another grand place like that, visit Universal Studios where not only are you guaranteed a great studio tour, but also some great rides.

Universal Studios is the last place I thought I would end up in Hollywood, considering theme parks are always expensive and we were on a pretty tight budget at that point, but I just couldn’t say no to Ric and the film lover in me.

In a typical Italian town featured in film. Photo by Richard Hackey

It was expensive, $77 per person general admission and an extra $20 each in food and drink by the end of the day.

It was worth it.

We had an amazing day. We visited Jurrasic Park on a ride, we ended up at Moe’s Tavern and we went on the Universal Studios Tour, which took us to the old sets for Jaws, War of the Worlds and even Wysteria Lane, where Desperate Housewives is still being filmed.

Ric channeling Barney Gumble in front of Moe's Tavern. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

We never waited more than a half hour for a ride and for some rides we didn’t wait at all. Another great thing about Universal is that it’s located at the top of a hill, giving its patrons some great views of LA.

The boat used in the 2005 version of King Kong. It looks really large on camera, but is only small in person. We saw it on the Universal Studios Tour. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

A day at Universal left us exhausted and poor, so we headed back to our hotel for the day with only half a day left in LA.

Universal Studios is located in Universal City, about a 15-minute drive from Hollywood depending on traffic. The area has its own metro stop called Universal City, from there Universal Studios is only a short walk, but it’s uphill, so take the free shuttle they offer at the bottom of the hill. 

Read about days one and three in Hollywood.

This is a three part series of our trip to Hollywood. Read about the rest of our trip here. 

Making it to Hollywood isn’t easy, especially from Orange County.

We set off on our journey around 6 a.m. Orange Country is only about an hour drive from LA, but bus and train departures are very spread apart. If we wanted to make it LA by noon we’d have to leave Laguna Hills in the wee-hours of the morning.

From where we were in Laguna Hills, It took two buses to get to Santa Ana train station. From there, it was just one short train ride to Union Station in downtown LA. All the services were clean and relatively cheap, under $15 per person for the entire journey. However, the taxi from Union Station to our hotel blew any money we saved taking public transit to the city, over $30. For any California travel, I recommend renting a car. It’s easier and cheaper in the long run.

We were keen to get to Hollywood as fast as possible, so we dropped of our things at Cecil Hotel and speed-walked to the metro. The journey to Hollywood was really easy, only a few stops from downtown LA to Hollywood/Vine, where all the attractions are situated. Base fare on the metro costs $1.50 and a one-day pass costs $5.

Hollywood Boulevard is exactly how I imagined it. The classy architecture of old-time Hollywood, mixed with the cheesiness of today. Millions of golden Oscar awards for sale, musicians trying to make it big by passing out there CDs to tourists and of course spider man, and just about every other character you can imagine, posing for money.

Ric pulling a Robbie Fowler at Charlie Sheen's star. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Some highlights from Hollywood Boulevard include: keeping your head down and pointing out stars, just taking in all the weirdness in front of the Chinese Theater, ending up on the red carpet of a film opening by accident (Kung Fu Panda 2 opened while we were there) and stopping at the Kodak Theater to feel Oscar-worthy.

Kodak Theater is home to the Academy Awards Show. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

A lot of films premier at the Chinese Theater. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Clint Eastwood's handprints in front of the Chinese Theater. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

We worked up quite an appetite walking around Hollywood Boulevard. Considering the cheesiness of the area, we figured any restaurant there would be over-priced and not very good, so we set off for the Melrose Avenue, in hopes of eating at Urth Caffe, a place frequented by Vinny Chase and the boys in Entourage.

Unfortunately, my awful perception of distance and a disproportionate map  gave us the terrible idea to walk to Melrose Avenue from Hollywood Boulevard. It wasn’t until about an hour into the walk that we realized what a terrible idea it was and decided to catch a bus, the only idea that might of been worse than walking. We waited at least an hour for a bus that would only take us on a ten-minute drive to our final destination.

Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

While sitting at the bus stop located at a traffic light on Melrose, more than once drivers would stop and laugh at us. I can’t help but think they thought to themselves, “Look at those idiot tourists waiting for a bus!” Can’t stress enough the importance of having a car in LA.

We finally made it to Urth Caffe around 4 p.m., starving. It’s a really cute cafe, full of people who look quite Hollywood and important. The food and coffee is pretty good. It’s a bit overpriced, but I think that’s to be expected in Hollywood. The only problem with the cafe is its popularity. The place was packed the entire time we were there, made it quite difficult to find a seat.

Ric waiting for food at Urth Cafe. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

With food in our bellies, we were ready to take on the the public transportation system one last time for the day. Just our luck, the bus that would take us straight back to Hollywood/Vine had stopped running for the day.

Read about days two and three in Hollywood.