"Heeeeere's Johnny! "

Or at least here's a park in Burbank has that been named in honor of Johnny Carson, the "Tonight Show" host who helped put "beautiful downtown Burbank" on the map. Located at the corner of Riverside Drive and Bob Hope drive, Johnny Carson Park (formerly "Buena Vista Park") sits right across the street from the NBC Studios, where Johnny taped decades of his "Tonight Show" episodes.

As you can see, there's a nice bronze plaque on the west side of the park bearing a likeness of Johnny's face. (Click on the image to see a larger version of the photo.)

In 1993, new Tonight Show host Jay Leno donated $15,000 to help buy playground equipment for the "Tonight Show Playground" at the park. Jay also spoke at the dedication ceremonies for the new playground (yelling at the kids as they ran to the playground for the first time: "Hey! I paid $15,000 for that equipment! Get off that equipment!")

 Getting there: The park is located right across the street (east of) NBC Studios. To reach the park, from the eastbound Ventura (134) Freeway, just take the Bob Hope Drive exit, then turn left (north) up Bob Hope Drive. The park will be on your right (east) side, just north of the freeway.

From the westbound Ventura Freeway, take the Buena Vista exit, turn left (southwest) on Riverside Drive, then turn right (north) on Bob Hope Drive. The park will be on your right.