7 Days in L.A. tour Web site launched

America's second largest city just got easier to navigate, with today's launch of 7 Days in L.A., a one-stop web site calendar featuring the city's most interesting guided bus, car, bike and walking tours.

Why 7 Days in L.A? Because this city is too big and too complicated to understand without a native guide, and because you're smart enough to know that a one-size-fits-all experience is the wrong size for you.

7 Days in L.A. isn't a tour operator, but a consortium of the region's best independent tour operators. Whatever your interest -- from architecture to true crime, film locations to graveyards, gay history to iconic L.A. literature -- you'll find the perfect excursion on the 7 Days in L.A. community calendar, and all the information needed to book a high quality tour to suit any budget.

Sign up for the weekly newsletter to receive coming event announcements and special offers, exclusively for 7 Days in L.A. subscribers. Like the web site says, "Give us few hours, or your whole week, and we'll change the way you think about Los Angeles forever."

7 Days in L.A. is the brain child of Kim Cooper and Richard Schave, the husband and wife behind Esotouric bus adventures, the cultural tourism company known for eclectic offerings like "The Real Black Dahlia," "Pasadena Confidential" and "Charles Bukowski's L.A." Because Esotouric only offers tours on weekends, Kim and Richard regularly recommend select L.A. tour companies to customers inquiring about weekday excursions or companies on a similar wavelength and these folks often return the courtesy. 7 Days in L.A. is a real world extension of that spirit of cooperation and mutual support that makes L.A.'s independent tour guide community so special.

Participating tour companies and solo guides include: Architecture Tours L.A., Crimebo the Clown's Downtown Art Walk Gallery Tour, Dearly Departed Tours, The Dorothy Parker Society, Esotouric Bus Adventures, The Felix in Hollywood Tour Company, Hollywood Forever Cemetery Tour, Hollywood MovieTours, L.A. Gang Tours, L.A. River Tours, Out & About - Hollywood's 1st & Only Gay Bus Tour, Take My Mother* Please (*or any other VIP), Terry Bolo -The Hollywood Gal, Tizzle Bike Tours and Urban Photo Adventures.

Esotouric's Kim Cooper says, "I'm thrilled to announce 7 Days in L.A. because L.A.'s independent tour guides are not competitors, we're peers and friends. Now when somebody asks me what to do in L.A. in the middle of the week, I can just point them to this website, where they're sure to find several top quality tours to choose from."

Jenny Price of L.A. River Tours says "This is such a tough city to understand-- and it's so MIS-understood that I'm excited to assemble this cadre of folks who can show visitors and Angelenos alike the real Los Angeles."

"I think these bigger tour companies are like McDonald's, but we're like Musso and Frank," notes Karie Bible of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Tour, "What we offer is something unique and specialized for the more discerning tourist."

Jim Anzide of Out & About Tours agrees: "7 Days in L.A. is exactly what's needed for the discerning traveler. It offers a rare collection of seldom heard and less frequently told stories that are truly the lifeblood of this city. Each specialty tour is a perfectly crafted hidden gem."

And Scott Michaels of Dearly Departed Tours points out that you don't have to be a tourist to discover the real Los Angeles: "Locals who wish to become better acquainted with their own city don't have to go any further to plan a month of Sundays."

"In Sightseeing, like in Real Estate, 'Location, Location, Location' isimportant," notes Philip Mershon of the Felix in Hollywood Tour Company. "What sets the 7 Days in L.A. group apart is that we are also firm believers in 'Research, Research, Research'! It's what makes the difference for a really satisfying experience."

And Anne Block of Take My Mother* Please (*or any other VIP) raves, "Finally, a unique mix of tour offerings for visitors to Los Angeles -- and local devotees, too! -- in an easy to access calendar format. Our merry coalition of expert guides represents many facets of the city we love, so rich in beauty, history, and oddity."

And Scott Michaels of Dearly Departed Tours adds, "I think people will welcome these unique perspectives of Los Angeles ­ and each is truly unique. There's no competition here. We are just people who love Los Angeles and are eager to share what we' ve learned from it."

For more info on 7 Days In L.A., visit http://www.7DaysinLA.com