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10 Tips for Planning a Fun and Easy Road Trip
Check out a Lakers Game While in Los Angeles
One of our favorite things to do when visiting Los Angeles is to go to a basketball game at the Staples Center. In fact we have arranged 3 of our trips to Los Angeles around the Lakers schedule. Now I will admit that we are big basketball fans (at least when we have the time to watch games), so it is a thrill for us to watch the Lakers in action.
However, even if you aren't a Lakers fan, games are so much fun! Where else can you take in a world class team, in a world class stadium (the Staples Center) enjoy some of the biggest sports fans in the USA and go stargazing all at once (OK I really mean look for celebrities). What a great way to spend a night out with the family in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Lakers Huddle at the Beginning of the Game
They really know how to put on a show from the Lakers girls to the opening introduction for the team and the big screen kisses and dancing by the audience, to the world class basketball playing. The audience can even win tacos from Jack in the Box if the Lakers win and they prevent the opposing team from scoring more than 100 points.
It is a lot of fun at the end of the game to join into the chant "We want tacos" to try to encourage the Lakers to win, while playing a good defence! What was funnier, was that we wanted to win the Tacos, but were never going to go to Jack in the box to claim them!
Lakers Game - StarGazing
Celebrities love the Lakers. Games are a place to be seen and to socialize with one another. We have seen regular Laker's game season ticket holders like Jack Nicholson, Penny Marshall, Dyan Cannon and Andy Garcia. We have also seen Zac Efron, George Lopez, Chloe and Kim Kardashian (when Lamar Odom used to play for the Lakers), and their mother Kris Jenner, Patricia Heaton with her boys, Joel Gretsch and Morena Baccarin from the TV series "V", and Jessica Lowndes from 90210.
George Lopez and I think Wesley Snipes enjoying the Game
The first game we went to we were lucky enough to sit beside some season ticket holders that knew the whose who at the games and pointed out all the regulars for us. Some were top TV and movie producers and directors and others were big wigs in the music industry. There were so many "familiar" looking people we weren't sure if we knew them or not. The saying in LA is, if they look familiar, or look like someone then chances are they actually are that person.
We went to the Lakers game against the Phoenix Suns in February of 2012 and saw, Dyan Cannon, Jack Nicholson, Penny Marshal, David Beckham and his 3 boys, and even the Chinese Vice President was in attendance at the game.
Dyan Cannon and Jack Nicholson watching the Lakers game against the Phoenix Suns.
If you arrive at the right time, walk around the ground level of the stands and look for the red carpet and VIP entrance. Not only will you see the the VIP entries, you may get a look at a celebrity or two. If you stand outside, a celebrity may be open to taking a photo or two with you. For big games they will have a red carpet and step and repeat.
Our Experience and Highlights from a Lakers Game
Warren usually gets tickets from the Staples Center Season ticket holders who don't plan on attending certain games, sell their tickets back to the center to sell to others. This is how we purchased our tickets for the last 3 games we attended. We don't see games often, so we like to splurge a bit. You don't have to though to have a blast. Even what would be considered "the nose bleed seats" are good seats.
Us at our second Lakers Game
You can get tickets from a variety of sources, including ticketmaster.com or ticket re sellers like TicketsNow.com.
Well this last time Warren got tickets behind the Lakers bench for a game against the Phoenix Suns. We were excited to see the Lakers play and Steve Nash on the Suns. Steve Nash is a famous Canadian basketball player!
So we got there early (as we always do because it is fun to watch the warm up and get something to eat). We settled in for about and hour and watched the stadium fill up and the players warm up. Then when the game started some people said that we were in their seats. We couldn't believe it and worried maybe there was something wrong with our tickets.
They took a look at our tickets and said, actually you are down there and pointed to the FIRST row behind the bench. Holy crap! We were on the floor and really "in the game". You can see in this highlights video us sitting behind the bench. I am in a striped blue and white top and Warren is to the right of me. You can first see us around second 25.
It really was quite incredible. We could hear the plays being given by coaches, ESPN was in front of us each time the team had a time out, and we really felt apart of the game. These were not great seats for stargazing, unless of course who you wanted to stargaze was the LA Lakers! We could see and feel the players, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest (who is now known as Metta World Peace) Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, not 10 feet from us.
Checking out a Lakers Game really is an excellent California Vacation Idea!
Other California Vacation Ideas
Romantic Vacations in California
Check out some excellent vacation ideas for a romantic California vacation. From Northern California to San Diego, we have some great ideas for you!
