Not surprisingly, many of today's reality TV locations are in Los Angeles — Kat Von D’s tattoo shop, American Idol’s finales at Kodak Theatre and NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE, and Lauren Conrad’s favorite sites around the city. For visitors, LA provides the opportunity to live it up like their favorite reality TV stars and check out the hippest Los Angeles restaurants, boutique shops and exclusive nightclubs. Here's what to keep an eye out for.
Kris Kardashian and her daughters — Khloe, Kim and Kourtney — have drawn in fans from the hit show, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." The family runs the boutiques DASH and Smooch, and it's not uncommon to see the bombshells running the stores with their characterstic flair. Pick up souvenirs, or do some serious designer shopping to style your wardrobe after this famous family.
These days, many visitors want to know where they can find the
LA Ink tattoo shop.
LA Ink is a series on TLC offering a glimpse into the LA tattoo scene through the eyes of tattoo artist
Kat Von D. At the LA Ink shop, which operates under the name
High Voltage Tattoo, there’s never a lull. Fans of the show pop in regularly, entering the store just to see where the show takes place and to find something to buy. If it’s not a tattoo, it’s merchandise. Calendars and T-shirts fly off the racks, and photos are a must for visitors; there’s always something recognizable from the show in the background.
Photo by Miranda Penn Turin
Cast members of MTV's
The Hills, many of them stars in their own right, have been seen at some of the hottest haunts in the city. If they’re not shopping on the show, they’re definitely scouring the racks while on hiatus at
Los Angeles shopping areas such as Melrose Avenue and Downtown LA’s
Fashion District. In fact, Lauren Conrad — the star of the show — was recently quoted as saying, “during the day, my favorite thing to do is shop.”
For
American Idol fans, the most coveted ticket in town is the pass to be in the studio audience when a show is taped at CBS Television City. To get a shot at being there, you have to join the waiting list, but you can always check out the locations where some of the show’s biggest episodes have been taped, such as the
Orpheum Theatre in Downtown. For several seasons, the finale took place at the
Kodak Theatre in the
Hollywood & Highland Center. This year, the finale moved to
NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE in Downtown across from
STAPLES Center.
Hilton's hit show follows her and her new friends around Los Angeles to some of the hottest A-list haunts such as
LAX nightclub, but fans often visit her favorite LA hotspots to see what it's like to walk in the footsteps of LA's infamous socialite.
Kitson boutique is a popular stop, as is
Intuition, where she went to pick up baby clothes for her friend Nicole Richie's bundle of joy.
High Voltage Tattoo, Los Angeles
