Hollywood Tours - help please!

[homebythesea]

We are going to be staying near Long Beach and want to do a Hollywood Tour (usual stuff - Hollywood sign, Chinese Theatre, Rodeo Drive etc) but I can't work out what is the best way to do it:

1 - we drive into the city and try and navigate ourselves. This gives me the slight heeby jeebies and think it may be stressful
2 - we do a bus tour after driving into the City - but which one???
3 - we pick up a bus tour in Long Beach / Anaheim and let someone else do the driving - my favoured option
4 - we take the Metro from Long Beach (and try not to tell the DC's it goes through some of the more - ahem - colourful suburbs of LA) - any experience of the Metro anyone??

Any views welcome ladies!

I would drive in myself; we go to LA on Sunday and plan to do "Hollywood" on one day. Walk of Fame, Chinese Theatre, Kodak theatre and Hollywood and Highland for the sign. We will also visit the Guiness World of Records (for my son!) and eat at Eds Diner (where they filmed American Graffiti).

Beverly Hills is fairly close by - Rodeo Drive etc.

I have been to LA a number of times before but we find it fairly easy to navigate.

I have used the Long beach section of the metro and it is fine to use during the daytime. You would need to change from this Blue Line onto the Red Line to go to Hollywood Blvd.

Would not drive into LA if you are unfamiliar with the general area (also it can be problematic re parking and charges can be high).

Alternatively Gray Line (to name but one company) do a Hollywood tour from Anaheim (not sure if they will pick up from Long Beach though).

We're going tomorrow (as in Thursday -still Wednesday night here!) But can't really help as we're being chauffered around by friends who live here!

If I get any useful insights, I'll be back...

Thanks ladies! Did some research about the Metro and it's the favourite option- it even goes as far as Universal Studios which suits us fine and I think on the whole it will be less stressful than getting lost / finding parking etc etc!

We drove up from Huntington Beach and parked with ease in a multi-storey behind the Chinese Theatre.

The bus tours leave from right outside.

Just don't underestimate how massive LA is. A good map or SatNav is vital.
I reckon broadsheetbabe's idea is good - drive up (and we used that same unnderground multistorey, where if you go up in the lift you can get a good shot of the Hollywood sign), then get a tour bus. You'll get all the info then.

Unfortunately for us, Graumann's Theatre was all closed off due to the 'Sparkle' premiere, so we didn't get to see the hand/footprints.