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Royal Couple To Visit Southern California

STEVE INSKEEP, host:

William and Catherine, the duke and duchess of Cambridge, are traveling. A BBC headline proclaims royals try out cowboy hats in Canada.

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

And now they're coming here to Southern California where William plans to play polo. They royal couple will meet celebrities, veterans and children on skid row.

NPR's Mandalit del Barco has a few other suggestions.

MANDALIT DEL BARCO: Hey, Will and Kate, why not just ditch the official itinerary and come with me to Hollywood Boulevard like most tourists to L.A. do? Here along the walk of fame you can spot your favorite movie stars' stars on the sidewalk, or you might take your picture with Spiderman, Cat Woman, Darth Vader, or Michael Jackson.

Mr. MITCHELL SHONBERNER (Michael Jackson Impersonator): Yes.

DEL BARCO: Also known as...

Mr. SHONBERNER: Mitchell Shonberner.

DEL BARCO: Where do you think the royal couple should go when they're here in L.A.?

Mr. SHONBERNER: I'd say here in Hollywood. Hollywood Boulevard is the only place we can actually see the stars. They'd probably blend in with the rest of us impersonators.

DEL BARCO: Hey, Batman...

Unidentified Man: I don't do interviews.

DEL BARCO: Got to keep it on the down low. And who do we have here?

Mr. JAY PATRICK (Comedian): I'm Jay Patrick. I'm a comedian.

DEL BARCO: So Will and Kate are coming to L.A. this weekend. Where do you think they should go?

Mr. PATRICK: They should just go to a karaoke bar to show people you're relatable, that they ain't afraid to make a fool out of theirselves even they can't sing. Nobody gonna believe it.

DEL BARCO: What song would you like them to sing?

Mr. PATRICK: Well, she should do, "I Want to Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston, and he should do Jay-Z, "I Love Girls Girls Girls," or Eddie Murphy and Rick James' song, "I Like to Party All the Time."

(Soundbite of laughter)

Mr. PATRICK: Come on, that would be one hell of a party, come on. That's the American dream.

DEL BARCO: Okay. Maybe you don't want to talk to a comedian hawking his CD, or the toothless Michael Jackson wannabe, or you don't want the guy in a Shrek costume to give you the finger like he did to me.

L.A. police are warning the paparazzi to behave this weekend, and they'll close done some streets to the anticipated onslaught of looky loos. So why not duck the crowds and head towards a beach to join up with British ex-pats?

At the Ye Olde Kings Head British pub in Santa Monica, you can find...

Mr. PHIL HESSELGRAVE: Phil Hesselgrave.

Mr. REGGIE CRAY: Reggie Cray.

Mr. BERNIE GOFF: Bernie - Bernie Goff.

DEL BARCO: So do you have any advice for William and Catherine?

Mr. GOLF: Stay out of this place.

DEL BARCO: What do you mean?

Mr. GOLF: He'll drink. We're gonna get him drunk if he comes in here.

DEL BARCO: William? You're going to get him drunk?

Mr. GOLF: Yeah. We're getting him drunk.

Unidentified Man: What else is there to do in L.A.? It's vapid.

DEL BARCO: At the British shop next door, Dublin immigrant Orla Mulhurn has more practical advice.

Ms. ORLA MULHURN: I'd say go to the beach because it's hard to get a nice sunny day back in England or Ireland.

DEL BARCO: Bring a lot of sunblock.

Ms. MULHURN: Yes, bring a lot of sunblock. That English skin won't cut the mustard over here.

DEL BARCO: William and Catherine, why not check out Pinks Hot Dog Stand where they've name a wiener in your honor, or visit the cool street art show at the Modern Art Museum downtown. One of your British subjects, the artist known as Banksy, is bankrolling free Monday admissions all summer. Maybe you can convince him to finally talk to NPR.

Perhaps you can meet some real-life gang members who are turning their lives around. You don't even have to go anywhere too scary to find them. Just the second floor of City Hall at the new Homeboy Diner.

Ms. GUADALUPE MONTELLANO: My name is Guadalupe Montellano, but everybody calls me Pita(ph). I joined into a gang when I was 11 years old. I started using drugs when I was 11. I went to prison when I was 19. I got my second strike at 20, so it was a rough life, you know?

DEL BARCO: At 31, Montellano now works full time at the diner. She says she's excited the duke and duchess will be in her hometown.

Ms. MONTELLANO: I would like to meet them in person. I just want to like give them a hug and tell them welcome, you know, to our neighborhood and, you know, not to be scared, you know, we're not that bad. And I want to tell them congratulations, you know. I just hope I can find a prince too.

DEL BARCO: So Will and Kate, I know you won't have too much time for sightseeing in Los Angeles this weekend, but just in case, these are a few cheeky suggestions from Mandalit del Barco, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

As an arts correspondent based at NPR West, Mandalit del Barco reports and produces stories about film, television, music, visual arts, dance and other topics. Over the years, she has also covered everything from street gangs to Hollywood, police and prisons, marijuana, immigration, race relations, natural disasters, Latino arts and urban street culture (including hip hop dance, music, and art). Every year, she covers the Oscars and the Grammy awards for NPR, as well as the Sundance Film Festival and other events. Her news reports, feature stories and photos, filed from Los Angeles and abroad, can be heard on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, Alt.latino, and npr.org.