If you're in L.A., try this

Whether you are an L.A. resident, a visitor, or have guests in town, I highly suggest the following activity - Attend a taping of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. I recently had an out of town guest who I treated to the sites and sounds of our vast metropolis. There are so many things to do in the L.A. area that the options can be overbearing. A day trip to wine country? Drive to Anaheim to visit Mickey and friends? A stroll accross Grauman's Chinese territory?

No trip to L.A. would be complete without some kind of entertainment industry related outing. For this reason, I often recommend Universal Studios over Disney or the other theme parks because it is so unique and indicative of the environment. The rides aren't roller coaster crazy (thank God), but they are interesting and unique enough to keep everyone entertained. The theme park area also covers more managable ground than larger theme parks which makes it easy to do in one day (given you have the whole day and go in the middle of the week). And of course, the studio tour is priceless. I don't think it's as good as it used to be, but having the right guide can make all the difference. The Psycho house still gives me chills and the new War of the Worlds plane crash site looked eerily realistic in the photos we took.

While at Universal, pick up a couple of free tickets to the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. NBC and Universal go hand in hand (hence NBC/Universal) so you may find other NBC shows, but the Leno doesn't dissapoint.

I've been to Price is Right twice and the hassle to get in with Bob Barker is collosal compared to the limited wait to chat with Jay. Since Price is Right is a game show, there is a lot more paperwork and the process to get in more tedious. From recollection, it took us about 5 hours to get in. This included brief interviews the producers conducted (not anyone can come on down, folks. And by the way, a uniform helps).

Once you're in, the room looks much smaller than it does on TV and the set is, well, as much of a cheap 70's throw-back as you can imagine. Of course, it's still a fun experience. Especially if the old ladies in red hats are in tow (which they often are). But for an out of town guest, or a unique L.A. moment, The Tonight Show over at Burbank is a quicker less painful experience that exceeds expectations.

My friend and I showed up to NBC at about 3pm for a 4:30pm taping. The area was scoured by young blond haired NBC pages who were actually quite helpful. The page program at NBC can act as a first step in the starry-eyed careers of small town hopefuls. They were all so cute. And did I mention blond? It looked like children of the corn came from Burbank. And I thought they came from Malibu.

My friend and I were a little worried at first we may not get in. It looked like people were pulled from behind us and sent to the front of the line. I later determined this was an effort to diversify the first few rows of the theatre. Handsome looking Black couples, a sikh in a head scarf, sorority girls and frat boys were filed to front. Luckily, we didn't need to worry. We settled comfortably further back in the middle.

The theatre for Jay Leno was impressive. And the set looked good too. Although I think it was made so that everyone looked huge. Phil McGraw, who was a guest that day, looked like a giant.

Before the show started, Jay Leno came out and chatted with the audience. He invited young would-be actors onto the set. I was struck by how friendly Jay is. I've heard this before, and it's really true. He still keeps his weekly comedy gig in Hermosa on Sunday nights probably for the same reason.

Something you don't see on TV (and for good reason) is the crass comic who warms up the crowd before the show starts. He had a short set - teased audience members with the promise of Tonight Show gear, and otherwise warmed us up for the show. Now I know why there's a 16 and over rule. This guy was a little on the risque side.

I was most excited about the band. On TV, the band is always cut off when the commercial sets in. On the sound stage, we were treated to great songs (even a fabulous version of a country song I dig). The lead singer is great and the sets were even better than the cover Patty Smith did as the musical guest.

So we were in at 3pm and out at 5:30pm. Nearby North Hollywood has some great restaurants (including the very fun Tokyo Delves) that can serve as an aftershow hangout. And who knows? Maybe you will catch Jay Leno's eye. Probably not - but as far as interesting L.A. fieldtrips go - this one's pretty close to the top.