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The Best Offbeat Travel Experiences in Los Angeles

  • Attending Movie Screenings in a Cemetery: Pack a picnic basket and head to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for a summer weekend evening of classic cinema projected onto the mortuary wall (but you won't be sitting on top of anyone's final resting place—it's a lawn). Arrive early, because people are just dying to get here. (www.cinespia.org).
  • Auditioning as a Game Show Contestant: You, too, could be the next contestant on The Price Is Right (at CBS Television City) or Wheel of Fortune (at Sony Pictures Studios), among other shows. Fame and fortune are just a phone call away, so set up that audition or those tickets before you arrive in L.A.
  • Comparing French Dips: For more than 100 years, a debate has raged in this town—who made the first French dip sandwich? Philippe the Original claims it was a policeman (or was it a fireman?) at the restaurant who asked for the crusty roll to be dipped in pan drippings, and Cole's credits a customer with sore gums. The historic locations are both Downtown, so it's easy to do a cross-neighborhood taste test.
  • Going to ArcLight Cinemas (Hollywood): "The World's Most Private Public Theater" hosts 21-and-over movie screenings, where you can sip cocktails or draft beer while watching first-run flicks. Seats are reserved in advance, ushers introduce films in person but then keep it quiet, late arrivals are forbidden, and there's even a lounge serving appetizers. The best house in the complex is the famous Cinerama Dome, opened in 1963. There are frequent screening talks featuring the stars themselves.
  • Listening to Entertainment's Wittiest Talent: Make reservations far in advance to see a cavalcade of esteemed pop culture names play at the Largo cabaret: on-the-spot composer Jon Brion, Harry Shearer, Patton Oswalt, Sarah Silverman, Margaret Cho—they all appear regularly, so check the schedule to see who's up next.
  • Visiting Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n' Waffles (Hollywood): Roscoe's is a Hollywood institution where a cross-section of L.A.'s population comes for chicken-and-cheese omelets and sweet-potato pie. The friendly atmosphere and creative combinations make for a fun, adventuresome, and inexpensive dining experience.