A deafening roar erupts as Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Shohei Ohtani flings his bat across the pitch and darts towards first base.
More than 50,000 voices scream in excitement, the volume rising as he flies across the diamond, scoring a home run just minutes into the game. Cheers echo throughout the open-air stadium as a little boy in front of me waves his foam finger in the air, resplendent in the Dodgers’ navy and white.
It’s hard not to get caught up in the frenzy at Elysian Park, the area of Los Angeles that’s home to the Dodger Stadium, even though 10 minutes ago I had zero knowledge of baseball – let alone Ohtani, the most expensive signing in Major League Baseball history (700 million dollars in exchange for 10 years of both his exceptional batting and pitching skills).
But with a “Dodgers Dog” (a simple hotdog in a bun) in one hand and a cold drink in the other, I gleefully join in with the rousing chorus of "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" as the sun sets on this balmy evening in LA.
It’s not hard to see why the Californian city, famous for its palm-tree lined boulevards, golden coastline and glittering entertainment industry nestled within its hills and canyons, is already a certified dream destination for many holidaymakers.
With its warm temperatures, blue skies and wholesome family fun at its sporting events, it’s a far cry from the football terraces back home.
Sunny LA is set to host eight Fifa World Cup matches this year, including five from the group stages, two from the round of 32, and one quarter-final, taking place between June 11 and July 19 at the SoFi Stadium in LA’s Inglewood district.
The gargantuan, 3.1 million sq ft sporting venue is situated in the newly-developed Hollywood Park, a 300-acre event destination, just a 12-minute drive from LAX airport, and a 20-minute drive south west from downtown LA.
I head out on a guided tour of the indoor-outdoor stadium – set to be renamed Los Angeles Stadium for the duration of the World Cup tournament – which opened in September 2020 for the NFL with a capacity for 70,000 fans. Modern, clean lines, and native plants, including sycamores, oaks and snapdragons, are sympathetic to Californian aesthetic.
At the time of the tour, Fifa was starting on preparations for the tournament, and I’m told that the grass for the pitch is being imported to LA from Washington in refrigerated trucks, to then be installed, irrigated and grown on site.
The pitches will also be transformed into Olympic-sized competition and warm-up swimming pools when the stadium hosts the Games in 2027 and Paralympics in 2028 – and will also host both opening ceremonies.
Ready to see some live-action sporting, it turns out I don’t need to wait until June, nor do I need to leave Hollywood Park to catch a game. Just across the road is Cosm, an “immersive fan experience” which broadcasts live sporting events via a huge dome-style screen.
More than a glorified sports bar, I opt to watch the Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Timberwolves NBA game, and order a platter of nachos and a margarita to be brought to the comfortable armchair I’ve settled into.
The VR visuals and 12k resolution technology ensures audiences feel as though they are courtside, with multi-camera angles zoning in on the action. Despite the cinematic viewing experience, the experience feels appropriately game-day, with chattering and cheering in abundance.
This pioneering media experience feels very Los Angeles, a place that’s anchored to the epicentre of media magic. An endless list of major TV, film, animation and production companies, such as Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Amazon/MGM and Netflix call the city home.
I switch from front row viewing to behind-the-scenes access with a private guided tour of Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, located in north LA. It’s only an eight-minute drive from my hotel, The Garland – a peaceful, 70s-themed resort, which feels like an oasis tucked away from the hustle and bustle, available on British Airways Holidays.
Upon arrival at Warner Bros, I climb into my own private buggy and am whizzed out into the studio’s backlot, which houses the exterior film sets. A realistic mini town, with shops, courthouses and houses lining the streets, it seems nondescript at first, until a mini screen in my buggy broadcasts clips from famous scenes that were filmed on site.
Small screws allow for production teams to add street furniture, and fibreglass partitions are constructed and painted to create new facades, from signage to full brick walls. Post-production and CGI adds the finishing touches, which means each set is distinct.
As we roll through the fully-operational production area, from the saw mill to costume design, the sun on my skin and a light breeze in my hair, my tour guide explains that many filmmakers purchased former ranches in Los Angeles to build their studios on, due to the city’s temperate climate, hill shelter from poorer weather, and 263 days of sunshine per year – perfect conditions for outdoor filming.
The studio is also home to 29 soundstages, and I take a sneak peek inside an operational one. A large set dominates the unit, with tiered audience seats adjacent. I’m told that shooting in front of a live audience is imperative for many TV shows, as audience response is heavily taken into account. If a joke doesn’t land, filming is paused and the script gets rewritten in real time. Repeats of this process is common, which means shooting can often roll on into the early hours.
Wrapped up in the movie magic, I head over to Tinseltown to check into the Dream Hollywood hotel for the remainder of my trip. It’s a central base for exploration, located between Hollywood and Vine, and Sunset Boulevard, residing under the shadow of the Capitol Records building.
Driving past the endless line of stars on the Walk of Fame, I head up into the secluded Hollywood Hills area, passing magnificent celebrity villas hidden by huge gates, before arriving at Mulholland Drive, a long road which looks over the former Hollywoodland housing development, which was built in the 1920s for major players from the film industry boom.
Here, a guide leads me on a gentle hike up to the Hollywood sign, while telling me the history of the area. Shocking stories and deep lore add to the mysterious undertone of this glittering city, a magnet for dreamers and risk-takers with high hopes of conquering fame and stardom.
As we reach the scrubland under the sparkling white letters, looking across a city full of promise, it feels as though anything is possible in Los Angeles.
