A PBS crew — Family Travel with Colleen Kelly — are shooting two half-hour segments regarding, well, family travel in Los Angeles. Colleen Kelly’s PBS staff has requested a blogger meet-up, using it as an opportunity to talk up local travel for the busy summer season. Gee, I hope they know about Universal Studios Hollywood, it’s pretty obscure. Here’s more about the show:

About Family Travel with Colleen Kelly

Host and Travel Guide Colleen Kelly explores must-see locations & attractions throughout the U.S. and abroad, sharing expert travel tips and insights to create easier family vacations filled with once-in-a-lifetime memories. Airing nationally on Public Television in Spring 2013, each 30-minute episode offers a personalized, “exclusive” behind-the-scenes tour with an upbeat, high-energy delivery and pace that engages viewers from the start.  PBS has a national audience of 220 million.

The Hotel Angeleno is opening its doors to LACOT as a way to help Colleen Kelly and her TV crew meet Los Angeles-are bloggers. There will be cocktails, other drinks, and the assorted small plates passed around. Long-time members of LACOT may remember that we had a meet-up there once before.  We love the location; while it’s not calming to view the construction and mess of the 405 at this time (how long is that rehab going to take, anyway?) the Hotel Angeleno’s location can’t be beat. It’s ridiculously easy to get from the hotel to the Getty Center, Geffen Playhouse, Skirball Cultural Center and UCLA’s Fowler Museum. And you remember I mentioned that tiny, obscure family vacation destination called Universal Studios Hollywood? With the 405 adjacent to the Hotel Angeleno, the theme par is less than 30 minutes away. Check it out, I think it’s gonna be a big deal one day.

Too long, didn’t read? Long story short, the next meet up for the Los Angeles Consortium of Online Travel is May 13 at 7PM, at the Hotel Angeleno. PBS Family Travel host Colleen Kelly and her television crew look forward to meeting us.

Hotel Angeleno

170 N Church Lane, LA, CA 90049

Starline is the largest sightseeing tour company in Los Angeles, and the most well-known. It offers hop on-hop off tours, more discreet white tour buses along with the big red ones, a TMZ-affiliated tour, and tours to the major movie studios and theme parks. However, the chance to possibly see a movie star in his or her natural environment remains the top draw (I wonder if actors and actresses ever feel like creatures at a zoo). This past year, Starline Tours polled its passengers to find which celebrities’ homes they’d most like to see.

Top 10 Most Requested Hollywood Homes for Starline Tours

1.    Katy Perry

2.    Simon Cowell

3.    Ellen Degeneres*

4.    Tom Cruise

5.    David Beckham

6.    Christina Aguilera*

7.    Bruno Mars*

8.    Al Pacino

9.    Elvis Presley*

10.    Lucille Ball

(* new as of 2012)

Starline also runs tours in Malibu, just up the coast from Los Angeles. Malibu’s stars homes are often much more visually inaccessible, but I suppose that the mere idea of the celebrity being home is exciting enough.

Top 10 Most Requested Malibu Homes for Starline Tours

1. Cher

2.  Leonardo Di Caprio

3/4. Bruce Willis/Matthew Perry*

5.  Jeremy Piven

6.  Ozzy & Sharon Osborne

7/8. Adam Sandler/Courtney Cox

9.   Paris Hilton*

10. Stevie Nicks*

(* new as of 2012)

Headsets are provided so that the original Movie Stars’ Homes tour and the Malibu Movie Stars’ Homes tour don’t disrupt the peace. The two-hour tours are $45 for adults, $35 for kids up to age 12.If you book online (www.starlinetours.com) there’s a $5 rebate. While those of us who live here may be somewhat used to seeing actors and actresses shopping at our local supermarket or breaking bread in our favorite restaurants, it’s nice to keep in mind what a weirdly magical experience that actually is. Tourists who want to have a Hollywood Movies vacation while in Los Angeles should consider augmenting their stay with a Starline Tour. Maybe they’ll have their own weirdly magical experience, too.

View of the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show

I’m still excited about the first day — Saturday, January 12, 2013 — so my overall impression may be different after tomorrow. But the line up of speakers today was top-notch, and each did a wonderful job (all while being relatable, so as to not make the audience feel uncomfortable or condescended to).

Pauline Frommer

Pauline Frommer talked about what people need to know before planning their next vacation, and it’s clear she’s a fitting successor to her father, Arthur Frommer.

Jean-Michel Cousteau

The amazing Jean-Michel Cousteau, also a son of a famous and groundbreaking father, Jacque Cousteau, wowed the audience with videos of marine life. He discussed the importance of reframing the world’s oceans, rivers, lakes, and even snow as part of one water ecosystem, and how damage to one will inevitably lead to damage of all others. His passion and sincerity was contagious.

It was standing-room only for Peter Greenberg. No surprise; this pro has made a name for himself through years of hard work and ever-growing expertise. He spoke about “the best places for everything and how to get the best experience.”

The last of the big speakers of the day was Richard Wiese, the host of ABC’s travel show Born to Explore. Unfortunately, I missed his presentation — my loss, no kidding — but I was able to hang out with him in the media room, and he’s an incredibly friendly, down to earth man. He must be a terrific guy to travel with. He also, by the way, told me about a fun mobile app that I will share with you. The iLapse app allows iPhone cameras to create time lapse videos (and the user can create how fast or slow the time lapse video is). Only $1.99, and it looks great. Thanks, Richard!

Kelly Carter

Other speakers today included photography expert Ralph Velasco, airberlin representative Sabine Engelbrecht, and Kelly Carter, who discussed how to travel domestically and internationally with dogs, cats, and other pets.

The Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show also has door prizes, “show only” travel specials, and booth giveaways and activities. It’s thrilling to see such a large expo come together so well, and anyone with even the slightest interest in world travel is sure to have an interesting, exciting, and fun day at this show.

We all know how fun twitter parties can be — you don’t have to dress up, you show up when you want and leave when you feel like it. The best element of a good twitter party is that like-minded people get to talk with each other about their passions and interests. Well, twitter parties that have prizes have that added element too, but really: it’s the connection that participating twitter users have that really keeps twitter parties rolling along.

Use hashtag #LATravelShow to follow along, and @TravAdventure and me, @JenniferMiner, to keep track of the most recent questions asked. The prizes are a one night stay at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach, a day pass to the Channel Islands National Park for two, and lift tickets for two people to Mammoth Mountain. Free tickets to the LA Travel & Adventure Show (January 12-13, this very weekend!) are packaged in with each prize, too.

Hope to see you online!

Favorite speakers — come hear Pauline Frommer, Rick Steves, Peter Greenberg, Richard Wiese, Jean-Michel Cousteau and more travel luminaries. Listening to these folk talk about their travel adventures and thoughts on the state of travel will surely be inspiring.

Family Activities Galore — There are more family-friendly activities than ever at the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show. This may be in smart response to how many attendees bring their children with them to the expo; if so, I commend the scheduling genies at Unicomm. Some of the ongoing activities (and contests!) are a rock climbing wall, sponsored by Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite National Park, a zip line sponsored by Redwood Canopy Tours, bubble rollers — which I loved last year – a culinary stage, the Wild Angle Photo Contest in which winners may get  a camera (Canon T4i) or a spot on one of judge Ralph Velasco’s photo tours, and the World Challenge Game in which players have to perform specific tasks at certain exhibitor booths — like a scavenger hunt — to win. The winner of this one receives a 2-night stay at the Ventura Beach Marriott Hotel and a trip to Channel Islands National Park.

The VIP Food & Wine Experience — this one necessitates buying an additional $15 ticket in advance, or $20 at the door. This makes sense, considering the high-end wineries with samples galore, and James “UrWineKing” right there to help you learn how to best appreciate wines…followed by Limoneira Ranch’s Chef Jason Collis, on hand to provide recommended food and wine pairings. Some of the wineries represented are Montefiore from Piedmont, Italy, Terrior Napa Valley from (obviously) Napa Valley, California, and Ombu from San Rafael, Argentina. This interactive wine and food “learning” experience will be Saturday, January 12 from 3:45 to 5:00 PM.

The Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show will run from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, January 12-13, 2013 at the Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA. Tickets are available online for $9 with promotional code “LAPR” or at the door for $12. Children under 16 years old are free. For tickets and more event information. visit LATravelShow.com, email info@LATravelShow.com, or call (203) 878-2577. Hope to see you there.

1. Dave T. from Dave’s Travel Corner — 3-bottle wine set from Canard Vineyard. Three distinct wines  are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The bottle of 2009 Throwback is the Cab, 2009 The Rescuer is the Merlot, and a bottle of 2009 Adam’s Blend is the Cabernet Franc. Retail $195.  Canard Vineyard has been quietly producing small proaction wine for almost 30 years. Boutique vineyard emphasizes quality over quantity. Winner needs to provide delivery address and have someone over 21 be available to sign.

Cute cute cute!

2. and 3. Heather George from 30x30x30 — Two packs of four tickets to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Retail each package: $103.80. Besides the marine displays and the bat ray touch tanks, there is also a new penguin habitat at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Watching the adorable Magellanic Penguins waddle around is fun; the crawl-through display lets visitors get closer to the little dudes (and dudettes) than possible at other penguin exhibits.

4. Susan Lomax from the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau — A Los Angeles Arts & Culture Package includes 2 tickets to MOCA, 2 tickets to the Getty Villa, 2 tickets to the Natural History Museum, and 2 tickets to Madame Tussauds Hollywood. Retail $88.  MOCA, i.e. the Museum of Contemporary Art, has a growing permanent collection including ThePanza Collection, with abstract expressionism and pop art by Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and more. Piet Mondrian, Jackson Pollack, Jean-Michel Basquiat and other contemporary artists are also featured. The Getty Villa is a stunning, super-luxurious house transformed into a gorgeous museum full of artifacts, art and antiquities from ancient Rome, Greece,and Etruria. The Natural History Museum recently opened its new dinosaur exhibit, which is really great, and of course Madam Tussaud’s has been unsettling visitors with its uncanny valley waxworks of famous folk for years.

See some of you there!

LACOT’s Passport with Purpose Launch Party                                                              December 3, 2012 7:00 – 9:00 PM                                                                                         Border Grill Downtown LA                                                                                                         445 S. Figueroa Street                                                                                                                   Los Angeles, CA                                                                                                                           (213) 486-5171

What is Passports with Purpose, you ask? Well, it’s only my most favorite travel-blogger created nonprofit raffle-style fundraiser organization! Okay, okay. Passports with Purpose is also the only travel-blogger created nonprofit raffle style fundraiser organization I know. Details. But listen: Passports with Purpose really is dear to my heart (and several of yours, I’m sure). it was created to both build a sense of community among travel bloggers and to raise awareness and money to support people and places travelers visit. Hmm. If this sounds familiar to members of the Los Angeles Consortium of Online Travel, it should. That feeling of community, and highlighting local nonprofits, has been LACOT’s mission since we started. But Passports with Purpose is like LACOT on steroids: last year, Passports with Puppose raised $90,000 to build two libraries in Zambia through a partnership with Room to Read. Amazing!

Ceviche Tostaditas at Border Grill

Come hear Pam talk about all the good Passports with Purpose has planned for this year’s raffle-style fundraiser (hint: water) on December 3, at the Border Grill in downtown Los Angeles, 7-9PM.  Border Grill does good as well as preparing good — great! — fresh Mexican fare. You’ll be hearing about Border Grill’s sustainable ingredients philosophy and more. I know there are lots of Mexican joints to choose from here in Los Angeles, but Border Grill truly is superior. Its commitment to using locally sourced ingredients is commendable, and the entrees are DELICIOUS. This isn’t some greasy-pile-of-nachos Cal-Mex place, take it from me. And come taste for yourself!

This is Los Angeles; most of you will want to know about parking. Border Grill is at the corner of 5th and Figueroa at the base of the Union Bank Building. Self parking only, and to park in the Union Bank parking garage, turn left off Figueroa right after to pass Border Grill. Make sure to get validated! It’s only $5 with Border Grill Downtown LA validation.

LACOT’s Passport with Purpose Launch Party                                                              December 3, 2012 7:00 – 9:00 PM                                                                                         Border Grill Downtown LA                                                                                                         445 S. Figueroa Street                                                                                                                   Los Angeles, CA                                                                                                                           (213) 486-5171

Just after sunset on the rooftop of the Hotel Wilshire

The fire pit on the rooftop is in a semi-private recessed area

The Roof on Wilshire surprised me with its layout, the architects and designers did great jobs maximizing both footpaths and and seating arrangements, and maximized the views’ effects on a night up on the roof of the Hotel Wilshire. With the location in busy Fairfax (a business district near some of Los Angeles’ famous museums), the panoramic views and sparking lights of the city were lovely to gaze at. Holding a glass of wine, sampling some of The Roof on Wilshire’s delicious small bites, and relaxing with friends is one of the best ways to spend a weekday evening, don’t you think? It’s certainly more memorable than another night in front of the television, that’s for certain.

Hearing the story behind the new Hotel Wilshire

This is no mere poolside food, these dishes and small plates at The Roof on Wilshire. Its celebrity chef, Eric Greenspan, was the Food Network’s Iron Chef in 2010, and his ability to mix and match familiar and new flavors is impressive. His culinary skills are a mark of real talent; I can’t get beyond the ol’ salt and pepper, usually, myself.

Burrata and locally sourced, fresh basil and tomatoes - so good!

You've never had cheeseburger sliders like these before.

The Hotel Wilshire is a pretty new hotel, but it is already selling out on weekdays; there was obviously a need for a fantastic hotel in this neighborhood of Los Angeles. The hotel’s boutique size, great layout, and, clearly, great restaurant make it a special place for business travelers to stay while working for a few days in Los Angeles. I can see the hotel becoming popular with leisure travelers who want to spend their LA vacation shopping and museum-hopping, as well.

Melanie W., Travis B., and Jodi E. at the LACOT meetup

Thank you, Hotel Wilshire! LACOT had so much fun, and your location, terrific restaurants and fresh look make it easy to recommend to out-of-towners looking for a modern and fun place to stay during a trip to Los Angeles.

The Farmer’s Daughter Hotel is a pretty special place to stay — it’s right on Fairfax in Los Angeles, but countrified to the max. Imagine being in West Hollywood, which Angelenos know is a really, really fun neighborhood, and also being near Beverly Hills — which EVERYONE knows is fancy. Imagine being in the midst of all that cosmopolitan shopping and dining ambience, but staying at a hotel that is completely reminiscent of the south its laid-back hospitality.  Here’s a video the people at Farmer’s Daughter in Los Angeles put together. I liked it a lot, and hope you do, too.

Now, I’ve never stayed at the Farmer’s Daughter hotel in Los Angeles, but the Adirondack chairs, boutique hotel atmosphere, outdoor pool and patio sure look inviting. Tart restaurant, in the hotel, is a comfort food haven with indoor and outdoor dining options. If a stay at the Farmer’s Daughter is as fun as this video, I’d feel comfortable recommending it to out of state visitors who want a little down home relaxation during their vacation in Los Angeles.

LACOT members Kayte Deioma, Michelle Yam and Dave Thompson

I sweated as I climbed with fellow LACOT members Michelle Yam and Kayte Deioma – we enjoyed stellar views of Griffith Observatory below us, much of the LA basin and downtown as we hiked.

Upon reaching the summit we were soon serenaded by Amazing Grace and other tunes being played on a bagpipe. We watched the sun slowly sink to the west – a perfect way to end another summer in southern California.

Endeavor Over Griffith Park in Los Angeles

The next day Endeavor buzzed much of Los Angeles – my aunt and uncle were in town from Alaska so we headed back to Griffith Observatory and fortunately arrived just before the big “rush.” I was surprised to see Mr. LaBonge frantically directing traffic near the main parking lot below Griffith Observatory – now that is dedication!

The anticipation of seeing Endeavor fly through at an elevation of around 2000 feet had seemingly brought much of Los Angeles directly to Griffith Observatory. The energy was captivating. I remember special events like this from my childhood (the 1984 Olympics, as an example); it is the type of event that children who came to watch, will especially remember for a long time.

Endeavor Flying Overhead in Los Angeles

Massive crowds flooded the parking lot, all side streets were packed with vehicles, the overflow grass lots were full and traffic was amazingly backed up both ways for a number of miles on Los Feliz Blvd. Westbound on Los Feliz – the traffic was backed all the way across the 5 into Glendale!

The crowds were several deep around the edges of the actual observatory – people had fashioned homemade “Endeavor” paper planes – and souvenir Endeavors were “flying” around the edges of the observatory on string. It is rare and unique events such as this that truly galvanize people – events that bring a city together regardless of where you live, your age or your job. The elation of watching something as unique as the Endeavor fly overhead makes one proud to be an American.

Los Angeles Flag

The Endeavor landed at the Los Angeles Airport (LAX) later in the day; my friend was on the plane that landed right before the Endeavor. The pilot of the plane he was on pulled over and all the passengers were able to watch this historic event.

Those of you in Los Angeles who were  not able to catch a glimpse of the Endeavor: on October 12^th and 13^th it will roll slowly for 12 miles from LAX to the California Science Center in Exposition Park. It will be on permanent display there beginning October 30th. What a terrific monument to human endeavor.

David Thompson is a member of LACOT – for more travel tales, visit his site: www.davestravelcorner.com