Burbank is the working heart of Hollywood — not the tourist-facing side, but the place where much of American film and television is actually made. NBC, Disney, Warner Bros. and dozens of smaller production companies are all based here, spread along Olive Avenue and the surrounding blocks. If you care about how the entertainment industry operates day to day, Burbank is more interesting than the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour offers a genuine behind-the-scenes look at a working studio — you walk through actual soundstages and backlots rather than theme park recreations. You will need to book ahead. The Walt Disney Studios campus on Alameda Avenue is closed to the public but worth a look from the street for the Seven Dwarfs holding up the roofline. NBC's studios tape shows including The Tonight Show; free tickets for tapings are available, and a queue forms outside on taping days by early afternoon.
Magnolia Park on Magnolia Boulevard is the best vintage and antiques shopping street in the San Fernando Valley — midcentury furniture, vinyl records, movie memorabilia, and clothing dealers line several blocks. The Chandler Bikeway is a pleasant three-mile separated cycle path through the city's residential heart. Nearby Glendale has the legendary Zankou Chicken — rotisserie chicken with a garlic sauce worth driving across the city for. Griffith Park is just south, with the Griffith Observatory offering panoramic views of Los Angeles and the Hollywood sign.