Positioned in the heart of Universal CityWalk Hollywood’s restaurant- and shopping-lined strip in the San Fernando Valley, you can find yourself skydiving in front of the masses. The setting is a tunnel, as opposed to the open skies, so no need to pack a parachute. However, the experience is quite similar.

The wind tunnel reaches wind speeds that exceed typical skydiving air speed (120 mph) though the difference being you’re never at risk of falling thousands of feet to your death.

Countless celebrities are flocking to CityWalk for probably their first time. In a recent GQ article, Robert Downey Jr. wouldn’t have conducted the interview, had the journalist not been willing to meet him at iFLY. It’s just one of those places, in my personal opinion, that keeps you coming back for more. You kind of get addicted to see what your body is capable of doing under extreme wind pressure. The slightest hand movement can turn you 360 degrees, and the way you position your body will either allow you to float high in the tunnel or drop like a pencil through the air.

Click here for pricing, as it varies depending on individual flights and groups.

iFLY Hollywood
Universal Studios City Walk
Hollywood - Universal City, CA 91608
tel: (818) 985-4359

*Located right off Metro’s Red Line at Universal City, take the Universal Studios Hollywood tram up to CityWalk for the most convenient, green, cost-effective form of transit to/from iFLY.

www.iflyhollywood.com

What may seem like a trolley from the graphic displayed on the pdf flyer (seen here), is in actuality a bus. So beware, when waiting at one of the three stops along the route. Also be mindful of the fact that this “trolley” is often times full and might skip a stop if capacity has been reached. This means, get your butt to Union Station or Sunset/Figueroa. The Marion stop is the one that is sometimes skipped. Nonetheless, this transit system is a blessing and everyone who rides the bus agrees.

Shuttle service operates for the remainder of the season starting 90 minutes before game time and concluding 60 minutes after the game ends.

Pickup/drop-off locations:

Union Station Plaza - the loading and unloading point is at the front of the Metropolitan Water Building. A shuttle will leave Union Station approximately every 10 minutes.

Figueroa Street - with a connection to MTA Lines 2, 4, 55, and 60; Metro Limited Lines 302, 304 and 355; Metro Rapid Line 704; and DASH Lincoln Heights/Chinatown service.

Marion Avenue - with a connection to MTA Lines 2 and 4 arriving from the west.

* The shuttles drop passengers off inside Dodger Stadium behind behind Center Field, and run the same route in reverse after the game.

For more information, call 323-224-1507.

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/ballpark/dodger_trolley.jsp

If you’ve never been to the LA Greek Fest on Pico/Normandie near the Byzantino Latino Quarter, you don’t know what you’re missing. The food is fanstastic, the OUZO and Greek beer is abundant and the dancing will get you kicking your heels in celebration. With over 20,000 visitors over the Sep. 5-7 weekend, the Greek Fest is one of the best around. Enjoy authentic Gyro sandwiches, famous Greek Honey donuts, souvlaki dinners and more. I’m so into it, that I’ll be pouring draft beers at the beer booth this year, so come by and say “YIASOU”!

Oh…and don’t be surprised if you see some celebs. Tom Hanks and his wife are honorary MC’s again this year and the Mayor loves to come out and enjoy the Greek tunes.

LA Greek Fest, St. Sophia Cathedral, 1324 South Normandie Ave., Los Angeles — 323.737.2424

The 2009 World Baseball Classic Semi-Final and Final games will be held at Dodger Stadium from March 21-23, 2009.

“It is fitting that Dodger Stadium, the site of many celebrated events, has been selected to host the Semi-Finals and Final of the 2009 World Baseball Classic,” said Bob Dupuy, Major League Baseball’s president and chief operating officer. “Los Angeles is one of the most international cities in the world and the Dodgers have always been on the forefront of baseball’s development as a global game.”

As in 2006, Tokyo Dome and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, will again host first-round games. In 2009, those venues will be joined for the first time by the Rogers Centre in Toronto and Foro Sol Stadium in Mexico City.

2006 was the first time that all Major League players were allowed to represent their native lands in an international baseball tournament. The baseball competition in the Summer Olympics, which is slated for Beijing next month, includes non-25-man roster MLB players only.

Pool A: China, Chinese Taipei, Japan and Korea, beginning on March 5 in Tokyo Dome, where the A’s and Red Sox opened the regular season in the spring.

Pool B: Australia, Cuba, Mexico and South Africa from March 8-12 in Mexico City.

Pool C: Canada, Italy, the U.S. and Venezuela from March 8-12 in Toronto.

Pool D: Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Panama and Puerto Rico March 7-11 in Puerto Rico.

Bracketology: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/news/wbc_09/brackets.jsp

Heart-of-Hollywood Hike
Trail: Runyon Canyon Loop
Distance: About 3 miles round-trip

By no means is this hike a wilderness experience, so if you’re looking for solitude, you might want to try other trails. On the other hand, this is a great hike for people-watching, and it gives beginning hikers a chance to check out the Hollywood Hills and the amazing views at the trail summit, known as Cloud’s Rest. Whether you’re wearing the latest hiking gear or just sandals and sun hats, this is a fun hike highlighted by million dollar mansions and priceless views of the Hollywood sign, the Sunset Strip and the rest of the LA Basin.

Getting There: From Hollywood Boulevard, head north on Fuller Avenue. Park at the end of Fuller and enter the well-marked park. Take the trail to the right and complete the loop counterclockwise.

Though most days are strenuous working for the City of Los Angeles’ official marketing firm, some days I wish I could clone — like yesterday.

Woke up knowing it was going to be a busy day. Arrived at work and took care of a few media requests to showcase my native town. Then, took off for the X Games Press Center at Home Depot. Met up with their media team and provided them with LA material to offer their journalists info on what’s new in and around the city. Threw out some noteworthy stats about future developments at the other X Games venue (STAPLES Center), then drove off to Mecca (Dodger Stadium) for a press conference.

The Dodgers announced the Semi-Final and Final games of the 2009 World Baseball Classic will be played in LA.

To me, the World Baseball Classic is my World Cup. Having played ball all my life and traveled the world watching other countries cling to a TV for fútbol, I personally feel the World Baseball Classic will soon be our version of true sport. In which, the fan bleeds passion.

Back to the Press Conference…

A few of us were getting updates on our phones, include Mr. Torre (seen below). Who knows what he was texting? But what are the chances he brokered the deal for Manny Ramirez on the day of the WBC conference? After all, the Dodgers made the announcement at the tail-end of the conference. I know the chances of this are slim to none, but it still makes for a good anecdotal photo.

Instead of the usual fireworks extravaganza, why not check out Posh’s hubby on the pitch as the Galaxy take on the New England Revolution. A patriotic match for the ages. Think about it…a British sport on American soil with a Brit leading the charge for the Americans facing a militia from Massachusetts. Let’s hope our man Beckham doesn’t change his name to Benedict.

For $100, you and three others can see the fastest game in town (until Baron Davis goes toe to toe with Kobe). Fireworks will light up the night sky and cervezas will be had.

A real hidden gem of LA County are the two golf courses at the Pacific Palms Resort in Industry Hills, CA. About 25 minutes east of Downtown, the “Babe” and “Ike” are beautiful rolling courses with plenty of challenge to them as well. Worth checking out!

Who said girls can’t kick ass? The LA Derby Dolls match up in Downtown’s Toy District this weekend. Ticket will sell out to folks like Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page, so be sure to get one ASAP.

Click here for tickets.

Click here to learn more about the LA Derby Dolls.

There’s no doubt that the Los Angeles Lakers have had a renaissance this season. Following the Pau Gasol trade, the LA Lakers became red hot, earning them a place in the Western Conference Finals. To reach the NBA Finals, the story will inevitably revolve around Kobe Bryant, the league’s MVP, and whether or not his entourage can knock down the reigning champions, the San Antonio Spurs.

Starting Wednesday, May 21, the battle for the “Best of the West” title opens up at STAPLES Center in Downtown. For LA visitors, there are few better ways to experience Los Angeles than catching the much-anticipated series. Don’t be surprised if you hear talk of Kobe and the Lakers in the coming weeks. Lunch counters, bars and clubs — wherever you are, the talk of the town will be the Lakers.

There’s a clear reason: it’s a classic battle between the Lakers and the Spurs. With intense matchups between Bryant and Bruce Bowen, Pau Gasol and Tim Duncan — as well as a talented supporting cast — the two teams have always brought the will to win.

But it’s the Lakers that have the decorated franchise history of Magic and Kareem — and Phil Jackson’s nine championship rings. The winning tradition runs deep with these perennial contenders for the NBA’s most coveted hardware, the Larry O’Brien championship trophy. Tune in at a popular LA restaurant or bar to see if they’ll add one more to the collection.

Check out the Western Conference Finals schedule at www.nba.com/lakers.

Related Links
24 Hours in Downtown LA
Los Angeles Sports Bars

-Keith Lin