The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hello,

I'm going to LA (specifically Anaheim) for a conference in April, and I'm hoping to see a few Beach Boys/Brian related sights while I'm there. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Chris

Go to Sunset Strip, go to Hawthorne to see the monument (go in the daytime with a friend), go to venice, Hermosa, and Rodondo beaches, go to Capital Records building, drive down to balboa and the point, go to Huntington Beach and watch the surfers.  Do this in a rented sports car or convertible with a good CD player and the two most recent BB compilations.   Drive up Highway 1 north late at night and see if the ghost of Dennis is still trying to hitch a ride.

asked the same question (and more) a couple of years ago...

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,1346.0.html

maybe this'll give you some idea's...

And once again I will chime in with my opinion that it's that attitude that contributes to many of the USAs social problems.  No offense intended, but the people living in Hawthorne are just people too, you know?

I went to the monument twice, both by myself, both late afternoonish.  It was great.  And I'm just a small white guy.  It was much more relaxing than when I was almost attacked by a mentally unbalanced Czech woman wandering around outside the entrance to Van Cleef and Arpels in Beverly Hills...

When I was in LA 2 years ago, I was told by locals to STAY OUT of the Compton and Hawthorne area.  I ended up going all over the place but I did go with a couple of friends.  Go and have fun.  Just use common sense.
One can get robbed or injured anywhere, anytime, but it doesn't hurt to be vigilant when in a high crime area.

By locals who actually live there, or by Angelenos in general?  Because they're the worst.  It doesn't hurt to be vigilant, no...but self-imposed apartheid bothers me.

By the way, since you're in Anaheim, my old stomping grounds (I grew up there), you should do the Disney thing once.  Downtown Disney is free, and Ralph Brennan's Jazz kitchen serves some pretty good Gumbo and Jambalaya.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I also found the thread that SMiLE-Holland linked to very useful. I wonder what ever happened with this book that was mentioned in the thread from 2 years back?

"I know this won't help for this trip, but BettyJo Productions is currently putting together a book on Beach  Boys locations and sites for fans trying to get around California to see everything. When it's finished we will be sure to post the info. www.bettyjoproductions.com"

Sounded like it would be a great resource for a trip out to California. Maybe I'll contact bettyjoproductions directly to inquire about it.

I will definitely check out the free Disney stuff one night while I'm there, and I'm planning on hitting one beach early in the morning, and another at sunset.

Laguna is a nice beach for a sunset.

and over dramatic girls! heeeyoooo!

I grew up in hawthorne and lived right around the corner where the "hamburger stand"/Foster Freeze was. It got torn down maybe 15 yerars ago, I think. You couldn't ever go there without overhearing someone talking about the Beach Boys. I also went to Hawthorne High and even the last person you'd think would be into the Beach Boys would brag about them being from Hawthorne :)