Okay, this is a tough call, as I can only talk about my experiences in California and even with the number of times I have been it is limited (I guess I need to treat LA the way I do NY and embrace it more)
Los Angeles/Anaheim for me has always been more of a stopover than a destination so I can only relate it in those terms, but I have to make amends and next time I get there I have to venture out of my comfort zone and get lost in LA.
So in no particular order My Seven Wonders Of California (2013 version)
1/Disneyland-
okay I am a Disneyphile (or would be if I lived in the US and could get an annual pass :) ) I love the fact that you can be a kid no matter how old you are and I dare anyone to not feel happy after spending a day there!!!!
And who can't resist one of the many Disney food treats!!!!
LA Disney is in Anaheim, roughly a 45minute drive from Los Angeles Airport. It consists of two parks, Disneyland Park and California Adventure Park and Downtown Disney with restaurants and shops that you can spend a lot of time and money in. There are plenty of hotels around the park, of course the Disney themed ones, but there are many other cheaper options to stay at (we stayed at the Howard Johnson and we were more than happy with the rooms, amenities and location, being close to the Parks and many good food establishments. We paid $132 US for a one day Hopper Pass, which was a little more expensive than I thought it would be, but it was worth paying the extra for the Hopper pass as we could go between the two parks which allowed us to get through all of the thrill rides and a few others and to enjoy parades, shows and World of Color.
2/Hollywood Walk of Fame
-don't just look at the sidewalk though (even though it is fun trying to find your favourite stars-or trying to work out how many you do or do not know) as there is a whole lot going on around you. You may get lucky and spot some stars at a premiere (or unlucky if the one star you are looking for is in the spot that they have closed off for the premiere of a new film)
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,500 terrazo and brass stars along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine St. The stars have the names and one of five symbols to represent the part of the industry that the star is involved in,
Classic film camera representing motion pictures
Television receiver representing broadcast television
Phonograph record representing audio recording or music
Radio microphone representing broadcast radio
Comedy/tragedy masks representing theatre/live performance (added in 1984) There are also special stars for other things scattered around and my next time around I want to see if I can find some of those special stars.
The theatres around here, the Dolby, Egyptian and Chinese theatre are used for premieres and award ceremonies and don't be surprised if you see a real life 'star' near one of the theatres.
3/The volunteers at Los Angeles Airport (LAX)
who gave some great(and cheap-only $2) advice as to how to spend our five hour layover. The gentleman was very friendly and made a couple of very tired travellers feel very welcome (in all honesty I wish there were more people like this around-someone who was very proud of their town and was eager to encourage them to visit places that they may not have thought of in the past. (Make sure you ask information people wherever you are-not only is it their job but often it is their passion so they may have some great ideas that you may not have thought of)
I love this place (my second but not last visit-was lucky enough to come here a few years ago when I stayed in San Diego for a week-which I loved......think San Diego is a GREAT city and looking forward to visiting it again.)
The zoo is roughly an hour and a half drive (depending on traffic) from our hotel in Anaheim. Again we chose to take a 'tour' which was just a bus transfer and ticket into the zoo, with a pick up time which was great as we had plenty of time to see what we needed to, and got the commentary of the bus driver along the way. The price for transfer and entry was $83 AU and well worth every penny.
I know not everyone is not a great lover of zoos but I think unfortunately that in this day and age it may be the only way some animals will still be around for us to appreciate, and this zoo is one of the best (along with Melbourne zoo) There are so many animals to see here, and because it is so big we were pleased to find other ways to get around it when our feet were getting sore, with the hop-on, hop-off bus and the cable car.
5/Universal Studios and the Studio Walk.
I like the fact that this is still a working studio (and again you may be lucky enough to see some shooting for a show) but make sure you get there early so you can miss the queues for the thrill rides and the behind the scenes tour.
Make sure you get to the shows so you can see some of the cinema magic. The Studio Walk is fun too, with lots of bright lights, shops and restaurants and is a fun place to wander around. We paid $114 AU for a Universal Studios and Hollywood Night Tour, which was great as we a drop off and pick up which gave us plenty of time to see all that Universal had to offer as well as a walk around the CItywalk before our pick up.
6/All things movie-
for those movie buffs there is always a chance that some streets might be closed off to the public because some new blockbuster is being filmed, or some new film is being premiered, or the Hollywood sign and the movie star tours. When you wander around keep your eyes open for familiar landmarks and street signs that might be in one of your favourite movies or tv shows.
7/Santa Monica pier and beach-
what a great way to spend a few hours-the beach is beautiful and the pier is a fun place to visit,
I imagine in the middle of summer it is chaotic so I was pleased we were there on a warm winter's day instead.
The pier originally opened in 1909 but has had a turbulent history with collapses and the Depression when nearly all the rides vanished, after World War 2 it became a popular entertainment venue, but by the 6os it was considered an eyesore. In the 70s there were threats to demolish the pier, and in 1983 nature did what man had threatened by destroying 1/3 of the pier. This ended up being the best thing as it allowed the restoration project to almost start with a clean slate, and now in 2013 it is a National icon.
These were just my 7 favourite things in California this time around, but I am sure next time there will be something different on it (as I will have more places to explore). And the next time I go to LA I plan on getting off the beaten track at least once and getting lost, and soaking up some of the 'real' LA and not just the tourist hotspots