La La Land is sure to sweep you off your feet this holiday season! Directed by Damien Chazelle this love letter to Los Angeles follows Sebastian and Mia, two creative lovers who fall in love in the ‘City of Stars’ and musically follows their journey together as they work to make their dreams come true.
That’s it LA recently toured Los Angeles through the eyes of the film’s main characters by taking the Discover La La Land tour hosted by Discover LA and Lionsgate. The tour was themed after the film which visits a couple of Los Angeles’ iconic locations. Robert Foulkes, the film’s location supervisor was on hand to share anecdotes about the shoot.
The Griffith Park Observatory
An integral set piece to the film is the Griffith Observatory where Mia and Sebastian fall in love waltzing among the stars projected inside this landmark location. The practical moments leading up to the dance number were shot outside and inside the Observatory. Sebastian’s car is the second car to be allowed to drive right up to the door, shared Foulkes, the first being James Dean for ‘Rebel without a Cause’.
We got to walk around the pendulum that Mia and Seb strolled along. I went with my fiancé so it was movie-geek romantic to get to do that with him. We were also able to take pictures on the hill that Foulkes built a bench on for some of the film’s key dramatic moments while actual skywriters wrote ‘La La Land – City of Stars’ above us. It was like living in the movie about falling in love in LA!
Sitting in the tour bus with my fiancee was fun and we got to be on top of the double-decker overlooking the city as we made our way to the next location.
Angels Flight
Angel’s Flight is no longer operational but it is used in the film for the big kiss between Mia and Sebastian. So while we couldn’t get in the actual trolley, we were able to pose right below and share our own smooch. We really wish they’d get the Trolley up and running again. After the film comes out, it’s gonna be a popular spot for sure.
Grand Central Market
For lunch we were able to eat inside the Grand Central Market right across from Angel’s Flight. The Market was a location featured in the film where the two leads shared a bite to eat. We had a great selection of the multi-cultural food fare offered including pupusas, Mediterranean skewers and southern sweet tea. My significant other is a Texan and the sweet tea passed the authentic test with him. It was just right! And I of course loved the pork, bean and cheese pupusas!! A visit to Grand Central Market will put a smile on any foodie’s face.
We jumped back on our tour bus where we got to enjoy live jazz rode shotgun inside our ride which fully immersed us in the romantic aura of the film. It was nice to see the beauty of our city and creative struggles that the ‘fools who dream’ in this town share in the movie as well as on this special opportunity.
Plan your own magical La La Land tour by visiting DiscoverLA.com to learn about the other destinations that are featured in the film including Watts Towers and The Smokehouse. Be a tourist in your own town while walking in Sebastian and Mia’s footsteps.
La La Land is rated PG-13 and is in theaters now!
