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Murder-Mystery Bus Tour: The Real Black Dahlia
Esotouric Bus-Biltmore Hotel (Los Angeles, CA)
Rated 3.1 by 19 members who went.
The Black Dahlia murder is the most compelling unsolved crime Los Angeles has ever known. What Jack the Ripper is to London, the Torso Killer to Cleveland, the Black Dahlia is to L.A. Esotouric's most popular Crime Bus tour begins in the lobby of the historic Biltmore Hotel and traces beautiful murder victim Elizabeth Short's path across postwar Los Angeles to her mysterious 1947 death.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
* Additional fees apply.
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11 Member Reviews
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jp
Member since 2007
3 Reviews
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Fascinating - I didn't really know anything about the murder other than it was gruesome. This tour explored more than the actual crime and offered a glimpse of Los Angeles city life in the mid 40's for the down and out. So little is known about Beth Short's life that it makes the story even more intriguing. The tour included a handy brochure that outlined the events and main characters. The tour leaders were very knowledgable about the era and the subject; the bus was very comfortable.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2007
1 Reviews
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The historical narrative of the tour guides was outstanding. I felt as though I was part of an historical play watching events in the life of Beth Short play out. The contrast of the affluence of the Biltmore Hotel contrasted with the destitution of the visit to the old Greyhound Bus termnal where shorts few but valued memories and treasures fit into a small suitcase. Her story was a tragic one and the tour guides succeeded allowing us to participate in the life of Beth Short for 4 brief hours.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2005
1 Reviews
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As a somewhat expert on the subject myself, having read and devoured every book I could get my hands on, I rate this tour very highly. They had the facts down and accomplished their goal of presenting who Elizabeth Short was and what her life and times were like in 1946-47 Los Angeles. Going into the Greyhound Bus Terminal Building where she left her worldly posessions before meeting her gruesome fate was a highlight for me that really brought the story to life.
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Marsha
Member since 2005
14 Reviews
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If you're a Black Dahlia obsessive, you'll love this tour. Filled with little known information presented in an interesting manner.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2007
3 Reviews
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Tour guides were knowledgeable not just about her life but also provided insight and historical context about downtown LA. In addition, tour guides gave information about other murders that occurred within the same time period. Strongly suggest bringing lunch/snack and water. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes as it requires walking and on-boarding/off-boarding bus. This was a fun event for a Saturday afternoon! Also, bring cash to tip the great bus driver!
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evie
Member since 2005
2 Reviews
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well run. interesting, different and fun. comfortable bus. video screens added greatly to the experience as there wasn't really that much to see. seeing the Biltmore was almost in itself worth it!.
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Gina D.
Member since 2008
5 Reviews
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An interesting afternoon. The people who run the tours are obviously very much into the subject matter, which always makes an activity like this more fun.
I was surprised to find myself more than a little saddened as the bus made its way around the downtown and over to Leimert Park, where Elizabeth Short's body was found. It's one thing to read about the case, but viewing her haunts on a trip such as this gave a different perspective to the short life of the tragic young woman. It turned out to be a more moving experience than I anticipated.
If you are a devotee of the case, you might as well check it out.
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Paul Ivy
Member since 2004
5 Reviews
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You go on a bus (air conditioned thank God) and drive around LA while they tell you about the last days of Elizabeth Short's life before she was killed by the mad doctor and his Austrian girlfriend.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2005
5 Reviews
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The tour was somewhat interesting, but I was disappointed. It was easy to hear on the bus b/c the speakers had microphones, but it was very difficult to hear when we were not on the bus b/c the speakers had no microphones, and in some cases there was outdoor noise, making it even harder to hear. They should have had portable mikes. The only indoor facility we saw was the Biltmore, which is beautiful, and always worth seeing. But we were asked to get off the bus and stand on the porch of a house, for something to do, I suppose, but we had just as good of a view from the bus, and we didn't get to go inside the house. Overall, I would give the event a "C." Go if you have nothing better to do, otherwise, read the book.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2008
1 Reviews
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I booked this tour as something fun and different to do in LA. It certainly was that! The Biltmore is a beautiful Art Deco building and nice to visit in of itself. In preparation for this tour, we did some research on the Black Dahlia case and found that much of what we read was very different than what was shared. This actually supports our conclusion that there are many theories out there, some more far fetched than others. I appreciated that the tour guides wore vintage clothes, it gave a nice touch. They were all friendly and certainly seemed to know their subject matter. Only comment/suggestion to them would be to have better flow of which one is sharing the information. They seemed a bit out of sinc and interrupted or corrected each other at times. It made for a bit of a disjointed presentation at times. It's too bad there isn't another "pit stop" location other than Krispy Kreme, maybe something that goes back to that era. The bus was comfortable and the video screens added greatly to the experience; unfortunately the one near our seat was not working. Overall, we had an enjoyable day (great weather was a bonus)and I will consider taking another one of these quirky and unusual tours.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2008
2 Reviews
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I think the idea of the tour was better than the actual tour itself. I most enjoyed seeing the locations, which I don't think I would have sought out otherwise. The "witty" banter between the tour guides was a big turn off-- especially when only one of them had the microphone so you couldn't hear the other half of the inside joke. It was alienating, and I think while the people towards the front of the bus may have enjoyed it more, it lost its appeal from the back where we were sitting.
On that note, I was also surprised to see that the tour was so large. I was expecting maybe 20 people, but there were at least two or three times as many and it made squeezing into the locations very uncomfortable and difficult to hear what was being said. The tour bus itself was somewhat comfortable. The multimedia presentations on the bus were well thought out and added much to the tour. However, there was a very strange smell in the back of the bus, sort of like a hair salon, and some of the air conditioning vents were broken and blowing full-blast-- not comfortable at all.
Finally, I am by no means a Black Dahlia expert, but I believe that without solid evidence, a theory is just a theory. The tour guides seemed to be self-proclaimed experts, dismissing one theory over another without due explanation to the group. Seemed more like favoritism because they liked the theory's author, more than anything else. I also think that the title of the tour was not as accurate as it could have been. "The Black Dahlia and 1940's Los Angeles" may have been more appropriate, as I left feeling like I learned much more about vintage LA than I did about the actual Dahlia mystery.
I don't regret going on the tour, but I am not sure that I would do it again. Also, it felt a little strange to have a big ol' donut party at Krispy Kreme after such a morbid tour. Maybe that's just me.
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Top Useful Tips
Tips are provided by Goldstar members and Esotouric Bus Adventures. Goldstar is not responsible for their content or accuracy.
Parking And Transportation
- Park in Pershing Square. $6.60/Entire day.
- Metro Red Line - Pershing Square
- Olive & 5th, $5/day
Food And Drinks
- Bring a water
- Bring your own lunch/snacks and water.
Other
- Bring cash as the bus tour ends with a stop at Krispy Kreme. Not mandatory to purchase.
More Details About The Real Black Dahlia Crime Bus Tour
More Information
What is it about murder victim Elizabeth Short ("the Black Dahlia") that keeps her the object of obsessive fascination by writers, musicians, artists, filmmakers, cops and readers more than 60 years after she was slain?
The Real Black Dahlia Crime Bus Tour seeks to answer this question by intimately exploring the last weeks of Elizabeth Short's life, asking not "Who killed her?" but "Who was she?" The tour goes from the human hustle of Main Street to the serene lobby of the Biltmore (the second-to-last place she was seen alive) to the newspaper offices and the Greyhound station where she checked her bags, and concludes at the site where her bisected body was found in Leimert Park and with a little-known suspect who lived nearby.
From the few personal possessions she left behind to the friends who scarcely knew her, from the mass hysteria of the investigation with its fruitless leads, wacko suspects and false confessions, the tour reveals all that's known about this enigmatic black-haired girl who reinvented herself at whim, and shows how she came to be the unfortunate symbol of her time and place.
Esotouric's 1947project has quickly built a reputation for the most eclectic and well-researched crime history tours in the Southland, with its popular Real Black Dahlia, Pasadena Confidential and Blood & Dumplings tours, personalized tours hosted by author James Ellroy, and feature stories on Globe Trekker, The Los Angeles Times, Pasadena Weekly (cover story), L.A. Alternative Press (cover story), BBC News, Pasadena Star-News, KNX News Radio and a "Best of L.A." nod from Los Angeles Magazine.
Passengers on this eye-opening and informative tour will leave with a new understanding of the Black Dahlia murder mystery and life in 1940s Los Angeles. It is highly recommended for natives and newcomers, crime and history buffs and anyone who likes to seek out the unexpected.
