I WANNA SEE STARS! LOTS OF SPOTS TO CHECK OUT WHEN CONVENTION DULLS DOWN.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

Snapshots of Los Angeles: The famous schnozz of Jimmy Durante imprinted in cement at Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. In the background are outlines of Betty Grable's legs.

Snapshot: Rippling hunks at the Muscle Beach body-building pit in Venice Beach. Background bikini thongs are worn by Babewatch wannabes.

Snapshot: An embrace of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston at Spago in Beverly Hills. Background is you - out of focus in your $300 Gucci shades.

Forget the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty and other nationally recognized historic sights. For out-of-towners jumping into - and out of - the Democratic National Convention this week, L.A.'s glitz and celebrity are the got-to-get scrapbook savers.

``I like movies - I like movie stars,'' said Voula Tsiboukas, 23, visiting from Greece, where 2,500 years of marble ruins are the main draw for tourists. Here, Tsiboukas just had to see Universal Studios Hollywood.

``I want to see something you don't have in my country,'' she said.

``It's probably one of the most famous attractions in L.A.,'' chimed in Agatha Paxos, 26, of Cypress, Calif. ``This is the big deal.''

For visitors from the Cold Coast and elsewhere, trips to Tinseltown and other star hot spots are de rigeur.

For most, the the closest brush with celebrity will be on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, minutes from downtown via the Metro Red Line subway. There, tourists can traipse over more than 2,000 marble-and-bronze commemorative stars inlaid near the curbs of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street.

``Our landmarks aren't that old compared to back East,'' said Leron Gubler, head of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

``They're certainly not where the Declaration of Independence was signed. But they are certainly fascinating to tourists.''

Walk and gawk over the plaque of Joanne Woodward, given the first star in 1960, in addition to big-screen icons such as Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe and Big Bird.

Or stroll over to the Hollywood Entertainment Museum, where Star Trekkies can ponder sets from the USS Enterprise and ``Cheers.''

``We have a temporary exhibit of film posters with political themes especially put up for the Democratic convention,'' said Sativa Maureen Reid, a museum administrator.

The exhibit includes posters for ``All the President's Men,'' ``The Candidate'' and ``The Phenix City Story.''

Nearby is the spectacular Mann's Chinese Theater, circa 1927, where 150 screen legends have left their mark in cement; the El Capitan Theater, circa 1926; the Egyptian Theater, circa 1922, which each day shows a documentary about the history of Hollywood; and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, circa 1927, where ghosts of the late Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift are rumored to stalk the halls.

``People associate L.A. with the entertainment industry,'' said John Duel of the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau. ``They won't be satisfied without seeing Hollywood.

``They want to see the stars.''

Visitors with a darker vision of star-sightings should visit Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, where Errol Flynn, Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart rest in peace. Or they can visit the Hollywood Forever cemetery on Santa Monica Boulevard, which guards the remains of Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Tyrone Power and Cecil B. DeMille.

There's also the newly opened Museum of Death, and the notorious Los Angeles County coroner's gift shop.

And for those with randier tastes, there's the Frederick's of Hollywood Lingerie Museum and store, in addition to other sex boutiques on Hollywood Boulevard.

``There's some wonderful shopping to be had, 'cause it's not all about politics,'' Frederick's museum curator Amanda Diaz said. ``There's always time for romance.''

At Frederick's, compare the loft of Natalie Wood's bra worn in ``Bob, Carol, Ted and Alice,'' with bustiers worn on the set by Greta Garbo, Judy Garland and the cast of ``Beverly Hills 90210.'' There are also boxers worn by Robert Redford, and a Tom Hanks pair from ``Forest Gump.''

Whether it's a day trip to Venice Beach, the Santa Monica Pier, a drive down Sunset Boulevard to the Pacific, or a tour of the Getty Museum or Huntington Library, there's plenty to see and do in Los Angeles.

But for a peek at real stars, insiders suggest Hollywood's Les Deux Cafe, Cafe des Artistes and Pinot Hollywood.

Or anywhere in Beverly Hills.

``If you aren't looking, you may see them,'' Gubler cautioned. ``But stars usually don't walk along the boulevard.''

The chamber is sending greeters to Hollywood Boulevard and the subway stations to welcome DNC visitors. Self-guided tour maps are available.

Self-guided tours are also possible in Beverly Hills, where the former estates of George Burns, Lucille Ball, Jimmy Stewart, Elvis Presley and other stars can sometimes be glimpsed from the street.

There's the ``pink palace'' where Jayne Mansfield painted everything pink and heart-shape. Or the 123-room chateau of TV producer Aaron Spelling, of ``Beverly Hills 90210'' fame.

One can also linger at the intersection where Errol Flynn allegedly raped a 17-year-old wearing nothing but his shoes and socks.

Then there's the site of the estate where Satanist Charles Manson and his followers murdered actress Sharon Tate, pregnant with a child from husband/director Roman Polanski. Or the house where ``Superman'' George Reeves died in an apparent suicide in 1959. Or where two brothers, Lyle and Eric Menendez, blew away their parents 30 years later, then went on a shopping spree.

The Bundy Street Brentwood condo where Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson were knifed to death six years ago is a definite draw. Seven blocks away lies the ghost of O.J. Simpson's torn-down mansion.

A tour of the stars would not be complete without some drop-in screening at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills, or a visit to the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum at the edge of Griffith Park.

Many, however, prefer to visit the studios themselves: including Paramount Studios in Hollywood; Warner Bros., NBC and Walt Disney studios in Burbank; and Universal Studios Hollywood and DreamWorks SKG in Universal City.

``Why the studios?'' asked Kristi Bothelio of Manteca, north of Modesto, on a trip to Universal Studios with her husband and 2-year-old son. ``I want to be where famous people have been before.

``I want to be where I've seen on TV.''

CAPTION(S):

6 photos, map

Photo: (1 -- color) Muscle Beach, Venice

(2 -- color) The Mann Chinese Theatre

(3 -- color) The Getty Center

(4 -- color) The Hollywood Forever Cemetery

(5 -- color) Universal Studios

(6 -- color) Hollywood Walk of Fame 

Staff photos by David Sprague

Map: (color) (Los Angeles tour sites)

Jorge Irribarren/Staff Artist