Hi there, it's Ernest from Trip Astute. In this video, we're sharing a very
unique and interesting tour that we took in our home city of Los Angeles, known as
the Museum of Neon Art Night Cruise.
(light chiming music)
The Museum of Neon Art is a non-profit art
museum that opened in 1981. It's mission is to create awareness for neon sign
preservation and restoration in Los Angeles. It's original location was in
Downtown LA, but it now resides in Glendale, just north of the city. The
museum has been running its Neon Cruise since 1985. It's basically a tour of LA
on top of a double-decker bus, and is really marketed for locals or Angelenos,
as we like to call them. Our guide, Eric, was very informative and definitely
opened our eyes to many of LA's landmarks and quirky buildings in the
city. To be honest, I was skeptical of the tour, but I absolutely loved it. There's
so many things that I learned, and I felt like I saw Los Angeles from a completely
different perspective. So, let me run through some of the highlights from the
tour. Number 1: The neon signs. There are so many cool neon signs to see, many of
which I've seen over the years but not appreciated. We started the tour looping
around downtown Los Angeles, passing through the fashion district. This area
is very up-and-coming and is quickly modernizing with many new developments
popping up each year. Although, you don't have to look very far to find
architectural history and landmarks that still exist within the area. The New
Rosslyn Hotel, which isn't so new anymore since it opened its doors back in 1914,
was one of the first signs we approached. This hotel is also known as the "Million
Dollar Hotel" after its construction price, and was one of the most luxurious
hotels of its day. As the sun slowly set, the neon signs became brighter and our
tour made its way to Hollywood. I personally knew very little about the
art and craftsmanship of a neon sign, so the tour really gave me a much stronger
appreciation for them. Number 2 was Chinatown. We passed through the dueling
gold Dragons of Chinatown as we approached our first stop on the
tour. We were interested to hear that the current location is actually known as
"New Chinatown." During the early 1930s, LA's first Chinatown was forced to
relocate from its original location to make way for Union Station. It's now a
popular spot for tourists and locals, offering a range of restaurants, bars, and
shops. There's even an impressive statue of
Bruce Lee, as well as a lot of street art and museums along the district. Number 3:
LA history. The tour was jam-packed with the rich history of LA. One of the things
that really stuck out to me was that the 2nd Street tunnel is lined with glossy
white glazed tiles and has been featured in many famous movies such as Blade
Runner, The Terminator, and Kill Bill. We've
driven through this tunnel many times and have never noticed the detail in the
tiles. Another interesting fact was that the Hollywood sign used to be lit up
with thousands of light bulbs which would flash to give more attention to
the sign. Again, I never knew these things, even though I see these landmarks all
the time. Number 4: Koreatown. The second stop was Koreatown where the bus dropped us
off at Chapman Market. This was the location of the city's first drive-in
grocery store. It's now a marketplace with various restaurants and even a
nightclub. I'm ashamed to admit that I've spent most of my life in LA and I never
even knew this area existed. I'm definitely going back for dinner.
Number 5: LA's theater district. As we headed back through downtown, we passed
through LA theater district which has the highest concentration of theaters in
the world. The district includes 12 movie theaters, all built between 1910 and 1931.
The Museum of Modern Art restored the Los Angeles and Palace Theater signs and
they were glowing brightly as our tour came to an end. As you can tell, I
absolutely loved this tour. It's a very unique experience and perfect for the LA
local. The tour is $55 per person, which may sound a little pricey.
However, it's completely worth the money. The three and a half hour tour is
jam-packed with incredible sights, awesome neon signs, and really
interesting facts about LA. If you're interested in the neon cruise, here are
some of our top tips. Number 1: Reserve your booking in
advance. The cruise usually meets at 7 p.m. in downtown LA and returns to the
same location around 10:30 p.m. The organizers sent us an informative email
a couple of weeks before which told us everything we needed to know about the
tour. Tour dates run from May through September, and they also run special
holiday cruises which look like a lot of fun.
Number 2: Arrive early and allow extra time for parking. While there are parking
lots nearby, you want to make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to find
parking in the area. Downtown parking lots can range in price, so I definitely
recommend exploring the area for the best deal. We cut it a little short and
probably paid more than we needed to. Also, if you're near a metro station, you
can always take the red or purple line to Pershing Square and just walk over.
Number 3: Bring a jacket. Even in the summer months, LA can get a little cold
in the evening, especially when you're on top of a double-decker bus. We recommend
that you bring a light jacket to make sure you're comfortable throughout the
tour. Number 4: Bring your camera. There are so many great photo opportunities
along the way. Be sure to pack your camera so you can capture some of the
amazing shots. Number 5: Grab dinner before or after in Downtown LA. The
drop-off point was just a few blocks away from Pershing Square, so there's a ton
of restaurants and bars to get dinner and drinks before and after the tour. Our
personal favorite is Bar Ama, which serves delicious Mexican plates. We'll
leave a link in the video description below. We've also posted the links for
the Museum of Neon Art website in the video description. They also have a
museum based in Glendale, Los Angeles, where you can check out rotating neon
exhibits. Ticket sales from the museum and the neon cruise tour go toward
preserving the historic signs in or around the city, so we felt like we were
contributing to an awesome cause by taking the tour. Have you guys been on
the neon cruise? If so, please share your experience below and if you have any
questions, let us know. If you enjoyed this video or found it useful, please hit
the "like" button and consider subscribing. Also, visit our website and subscribe to
our newsletter for travel articles, updates, and
giveaways. Until next time, travel safe and travel smart.