A lot of visitors to LA hope to spot a celeb on their Los Angeles trip, but you won’t see one on Hollywood Boulevard, or Sunset.
I have 4 secret spots I almost always see celebs, but you’ve got to keep an eagle eye out, movie stars look very different in person. If you spot someone who kinda looks like someone in any of my 4 star sighting locations, chances are its them!
Here are my secret locations for star sighting in Los Angeles.
#1 Whole Foods on Olive Ave in Burbank. This is the closest supermarket to Disney, Warner Brothers and Universal Studios. Here you might spot a TV personality, and a whole lot of minor celebs food shopping…yes, the stars, they’re just like us! This Whole Foods has a large bar area, so grab a snack, sidle up, wait and watch. Best times are mid to late afternoon weekdays, when taping ends.
#2 The Glen Centre just off Mulholland and Beverly Glen is a small shopping center with and excellent Jazz Club owned by Herb Alpert, Vibrato, and a Starbucks with outdoor seating perfect for stalking, …I mean star spotting! Here you’ll spot old school, gated community stars, producers, directors etc. Seth MacFarlane regularly plays piano at Vibrato!
#3 The Palisades, the ubiquitous Rick Caruso, Vegas style shopping center in Palisades village. Most tourists go to The Grove, but the Palisades version you’re more likely to spot stars like Jennifer Garner and her kids. Grab a coffee and stake it out.
#4 Malibu Country Mart, while you might be able to afford a coffee here, if you’re like me, you probably won’t be able to afford much else, but it’s fun to pretend. This is the kinda place where if you hang around long enough you’ll spot an A-lister, and even if you don’t, its Malibu. The real star of the California show is the glorious coastline.
What these movie star sighting locations all have in common is proximity to the stars work/homes, and are public places to hang out for a few hours. If you’re set on seeing a celebrity on your Los Angeles trip, be prepared to hang around a while.
Of course on our Los Angeles bike tours we often come across film shoots in downtown L.A. DTLA stands in for many different cities, and eras. Most of the time we just see the film set crews, but guests have spotted Lady Gaga, Al Pacino, Rob Reiner, Aaron Paul, out on Handlebar Bike Tours.
Pro-tip if you ever come across a location film set: look for the small shuttle vans with backed out windows, pulled close to the set. That’s where they sequester movie stars who pop out to film a scene, then jump back in. If you see the shuttle, cameras, and a flurry of activity, they’re about to shoot a scene!