Film production was one of the first industries created with the founding of the first film studio there: Thomas Ince. Two years later, two more studios was built by the names of Metro Goldwyn Mayer (or MGM) and Hal Roach. You might remember a classic about the girl who goes to a random world and has to find out a genius to help her get back, all the while some new friends help save her from a woman with warts. Yes, the Wizard Of Oz was created in Culver City by MGM. Other notable classics include the Thin Man, Gone With The Wind, Grease, Air force One, E.T., and King Kong. Lassie, the Batman, the Andy Griffith Show, Jeopardy!, and the Wheel of Fortune are some shows that were created in Culver City also. In the 90s, Sony took over MGM and established its headquarters there. National Public radio also created their headquarters in Culver City.
If you want to see a movie made by Sony (MGM, unfortunately, is out of style), you might possibly want to go the Pacific Theatre in Downtown Culver City. Perhaps you could go sleep at the famous Culver Hotel in the same room as Ronald Reagan, The Red Skelton, or even the hotel’s owner, John Wayne. Maybe you’re hungry, in which case you could walk across the street to Ugo, Daphne’s Greek Café, Cold Stone, Honey’s Kettle Fried Chicken, or Ford’s Filling Station and sample the delicious food there. Then you could go and look for that magnificent piece of art or that sweater you forgot to pack. After all your positively exhausting shopping and eating, you could go to relax at the one of the landmark theatres; The Kirk Douglas Theatre or the Actor’s Gang with your heart content, stomach full, and your mind joyful.
The most important element in any city, town, or village is the people. On your way here (you are coming after all, aren’t you?) you may suddenly realize, “Oh gosh, the people there could all be crazy, psychopathic, schizophrenic murderers who own machine guns!” To put your mind at rest, there are none in Culver City…that is, not any that I know of. The residents of Culver City are for the most part kind, sociable, and interesting people. Neighborhoods near you could contain kind Old Russian families who bake cookies for everybody at Christmas, the new Chinese family who comes to your park celebrations with free firecrackers, the retired police officer who comes over to give you safety courses, or the average family who doesn’t do anything interesting. Except for the two crazy men (the kind who walk around and talk to fire hydrants) who live on the corner (which is always conveniently located near you) and sit outside all day (talking to fire hydrants and stop signs) while looking down the street (always right at you), the residents can be exciting and fun to be around. But who says the crazy men aren’t exciting? The people are hardworking but always take time to help you if you need it. They will usually always walk around with a smile on their face and a spring in their step. Those who don’t will always great you with a nod. At least, if you aren’t in any alley, prison, or on your corner (the one right in front of the crazy man, for example).
Another thing you might worry about before coming (I hope I haven’t scared you away with the crazy men), is whether or not you should pack shorts or sweats, sweaters or tank tops. One word of advice: Both! The Average temperature (including average highs and lows) can be anywhere from 55-85 degrees. During the winter, one day will be nice and sunny while the next will be cloudy, windy, and possibly even rainy. Since rain has come up, it should be mentioned that Culver City could go months without a single drop of rain (about 0.01inches. Morning dew in other words) and then finally unleash a furious giant with buckets capable of carrying as much as 5 tons of water (in reality, highest average precipitation for those months could be 4.9 inches). Of course you can never trust the news caster. Unless they predict rain tomorrow when it’s been raining for days and the Ballona Creek has risen so high that the bike path is ten feet underwater. But they could still be wrong. It would always be wise for you to prepare for anything (except snow).
Have I already mentioned Ballona Creek? A river runs through Culver City and leads to the beach. And yes, there is a beach nearby, about 5 miles away (if you go down the bike path, which is very adventurous). Marina del Ray also has a harbor and a marsh, which contains very different species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fishes. About 11miles away lay the Hollywood hills; Griffith Park lies in them, with an observatory, hiking trails, horseback riding, a zoo, golf courses and a travel town. About 10 miles away is Santa Monica, with an even better beach than Marina del Ray, the Promenade, and a pier with amusement park and fishing. In both Downtown Culver City and in El Segundo (about 17 minutes away), there are Metro trains which can take you just about anywhere. And, if you ever feel the need to leave (just say, the crazy man on the corner walks by your house five times in 10 minutes) and go to a… happier (for lack of better words) place, LAX is located close by (also very good for getting into Culver City, if you are brave enough to face the city). If you find that you are bored, there are many places available nearby for you to visit.
Now that you have officially finished packing for your journey, I should prepare to see you some time soon, right?
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