Heard over the years...that if you drive around up there....looking at all the cool homes, trying to spot "stars"etc....that, if you stop.....the cops will have a "friendly" Mark Furhman sort of chat with you.....is this true?


What would you recommend? Thank you!

Rubbish. This has never happened to me and I tour the area between Sunset and Santa Monica religiously when I have out-of-town visitors. Even Holmby Park (the area where the Playboy mansion is) is accessible.

I even throw eggs at the houses and nothing happens... OK, just kidding there

Street vendors sell star maps on Sunset and some companies offer guided tours of the area in less-than-extravagant pickup trucks without incident.

The only thing to watch out for are the "no cruising zones" - these are areas clearly marked by signs where it is unlawful to drive back and forth more than X times. Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood is a prime example.

Sure you can drive around but you won't see too much-- many of the biggest houses have walls around them and gates...At the popular playboy mansion you will see absolutely nothing--It has a solid tall stucco wall all around it and solid gates, so there is nothing to see.....this applys mostly in Holmby Hills and Bel Air. Between gated communities and private security guards they have the place pretty well protected...don't get too clever, they are used to bullshit and don't care for it..

Well, lets be honest here, and qualify things.

Beverly Hills is something like 1% black. Most of the people who live there are wealthy and non-black.

In Los Angeles, most of the black populated communities are riddled with crime and gang problems.

It then is only logical and reasonable that, if a car full of blacks is seen cruising around Beverly Hills, and stopping and parking, it may very well arouse suspicion.

It is law enforcement's responsibility to protect and serve their communities. If a community is suspicious of certain activity, law enforcement has an obligation to make sure everything checks out OK.