What's the theme park angle, you ask? Well, the kids wanted a snack, so we walked across the street to Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store.
Think the Main Street Ice Cream Parlor, but on Hollywood Boulevard. Take a moment to look down as you enter, so that you don't miss a certain theme park's "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The store's located next to Disney's El Capitan Theater (now showing "Oceans"), but it's a separate facility, offering table service soda, sundaes and sandwiches on one side, and a small selection of Disney souvenirs on the other. (The store does, however, offer a healthy selection of Disney Blu-Ray and DVDs.)
Laurie ordered a junior hot fudge peppermint sundae ($5.95):
And I went for the non-dairy Strawberry Ice ($2.95):
Ultimately, though, we ended up polishing off the kids' chocolate malt ($6.50):
We also ordered a Coke Float ($4.95). A variety of sandwiches are also available, as are cupcakes and a few over-the-top treats, such as a "Mickey's Masterpiece" sundae with eight scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, caramel and marshmallow, served in a Sorcerer's hat ($29.95).
The Soda Fountain's a convenient stop when visiting the tourist sites in Hollywood, located across the street from Grauman's, the Kodak Theater (home of the Academy Awards) and Hollywood and Highland shopping center, and next door to the El Capitan and the Jimmy Kimmel Live theater. Park under Hollywood and Highland ($2 for four hours with validation from any store in the mall - the Disney Soda Fountain, across the street, doesn't count). Or take the LA Metro Red Line, which has a stop right on the corner.
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The El Cap has a fun acoustical thing, if you can get the chance to try it - sit on opposite sides of the theater, in the same row, under the opera boxes; talking in a normal voice, you can hear the person at the other end of the row as if they are sitting right next to you. It may not work with the theater full, and ushers may need to be persuaded to let you try it. If you can, it's a cool effect. The theater itself is always themed inside and out for the movie playing at the time, with some sort of extra display (props...) It is a fun place to see a movie, too, especially with the extras if you can afford it once in a while.
If you are into more late night type content, it isn't too hard to get into Jimmy Kimmel show. There are people outside the theater a few hours before showtime to sort of sign in with.
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There you go: all I know about this place!
Thanks for the report!