Law enforcement history can be an interesting subject for senior travelers, and the LAPD Museum is an excellent destination. The city first had a paid police force in 1869 of six officers when there were 100,000 residents.

Today, for LA’s population of nearly 4 million, there are about 10,000 officers on the force, supported by 3,000 civilian employees. In your visit to LA, consider three places to explore the history of LAPD and learn about it's current operations:

If you have your own car or rent one in the city, you can do many of the colorful day trips from Las Vegas on your own. Some of the most attractive and their distances from the Vegas Strip include:

Red Rock Recreation Area - 20 miles
Lake Mead - 30 miles
Hoover Dam - 30 miles
Valley of Fire State Park - 60 miles
Laughlin - 60 miles
Death Valley - 121 miles
Zion National Park - 160 miles
Grand Canyon - 180 miles

Most destinations require driving through dry, uninhabited desert areas. Cars with air conditioning are recommended. Drivers should be prepared with adequate gas tank fill-up, as well as a cold box with one or two day's supply of food and drink per person. Well-charged smartphones, with emergency numbers and detailed cyber maps are a must.

If you're a classic movie history buff, consider a nostalgic pilgrimage to actual sites where they were filmed. Here are five that bring back memories whenever we see them again on late, late TV, or when revisiting the locations in person.

Some Like It Hot (1959): The Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon movie was set in 1920s Miami Beach. However, it was actually shot at the luxurious Del Coronado Hotel on an island off the coast from San Diego, California. Still beautiful, the oceanside resort is worth a visit for any nostalgic senior traveler.

North By Northwest (1959): Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint escape from bad guys in thrilling scenes on Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. To survive, they climb all over the enormous carved stone faces of Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt.

1. The busy lady working in the thin-walled next room was just voted Hooker of the Month.
2. The only bathroom is down the stairs, outside and has a crescent moon emblem on the door.
3. The toilet tissue is a Sears-Roebuck catalog....from 1937.
4. The bugs on the bed march around until they spell out WELCOME.
5. The bed sheets have COUNTY MORGUE printed on them.
6. The NO SMOKING ROOM sign has cigarette butt burns all over it.
7. The chocolate mint on the pillow is moving.
8. The honor bar sells locally-brewed white lightning booze and recycled condoms.