Finding peace in a busy city

Michael Jackson's memorial service will find people jostling for space in Los Angeles.

While music fans all over the world are still reeling from the shock of Michael Jackson’s untimely demise, Los Angeles is busy preparing for his memorial service, which will take place on July 7, 2009, at LA’s Staples Center, the biggest indoor stadium in the city.

So, if you were — and still are — a genuine Jackson fan and wish to be a part of the memorial service, here’s what you could do in LA.

Authorities in the US have already declared that there is going to be a massive influx of people from all over the globe to bid adieu to Jackson. While getting accommodation in LA is next to impossible, you can try the neighbouring towns of Solvang and Buellton where a lot of bed-and-breakfast places and small hotels are offering accommodation for the memorial service.

Ironically, Jackson’s death has greatly helped the tourism sector, and there’s already a special StarLine tour on offer in LA. In an open bus, this tour covers, over a full day, the points of historical interest in Jackson’s life. So, from recording studios where he created his music to studios where he edited some of the enthralling videos for his singles, this tour should be on the wish-list of all his fans.

Needless to say, many tourists visiting LA for the holidays after Jackson’s memorial service will definitely include a pilgrimage to his Neverland ranch, where the singer — if reports are to be believed — will eventually be buried. Tourism experts, in fact, are already estimating an annual inflow of 1 million visitors to Neverland from now on.

Once in Neverland, you might want to visit the nearby rustic wine country of the Santa Ynez Valley, a favourite among tourists, with its innumerable art galleries, wine-tasting rooms, antique stores and breathtaking resorts, not to mention the amazing landscape of vineyards. Try hiking and bicycling in this valley, too.

For the record, seven-time Tour de France winner, cyclist Lance Armstrong, who has been fighting cancer for a very long time, comes here to train once a year.

But if all you want to do is just remember the icons of yesteryears on your LA trip, visit the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and Forest Lawn Memorial Park, the places where some of the most iconic names in the history of Hollywood have their final resting place.

Who knows, maybe you’ll find solace in bustling LA.