World Country Guide

Los Angeles

Encircled by four mountain ranges, the city of Los Angeles is oddly isolated, prompting early chroniclers to describe it as ‘an island on the land’. To appreciate the city it should be thought of as five distinct regions: Downtown, Hollywood, The Valleys, Westside and The Beaches.
The city of Santa Monica, with its beautiful beaches and small town atmosphere, has long been a hideaway for Hollywood stars. The city of Los Angeles was originally christened by wandering Spanish missionaries in 1781 as ‘El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula’ (‘The Town of Our Lady Queen of the Angels by the Porciuncula’), and shortened a few years later to Los Angeles. Most residents simply refer to it by its initials, LA. It has also been called, at varying times, ‘The City of Angels’, ‘The New Eden’, ‘The New Jerusalem’, ‘The New Babylon’, and ‘Lotus Land’, as over the decades it grew from a cowtown to a boomtown, then an oiltown to Tinseltown. It was not accidental that the automobile culture and the film and aerospace industries took root in the area, or that almost every conceivable – and a few inconceivable – fads, fashions and styles have at some time or other sprouted in the city’s consenting climate and spirit. Basking in a sunny, semitropical climate, and blessed with a diversity of cultures, Los Angeles mixes and matches different settings and scenes with a singular style. The city offers a dizzying array of attractions, from world-famous amusements to a wealth of museums, pop and high culture, Hollywood stars, ethnic enclaves and every cuisine imaginable. The latest hot fashions can be found in bargain centres and boutiques catering for every whim and budget. And one can always simply go native and bike, blade or ‘veg’ out.
LA is full of renowned museums including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, with its comprehensive collection of Western, as well as Asian and Near Eastern art, and its striking Japanese Pavilion; the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), which has three venues (California Plaza, Pacific Design Center and the Geffen Contemporary) with free entry on Thursdays; and the Wells Fargo Museum, featuring 130 years of Western history. Music and dance, classic, contemporary, native, hot and cool, rock, rap, blues and jazz can all be heard in a variety of venues across the city. Jazz fans in particular should head for 5th Street Dick’s in the up-and-coming Crenshaw District. As one might expect, LA has a wealth of cinemas showing every conceivable production – foreign, revivals, experimental and classic, as well as the most current films. Comedy clubs, magic shows, blues bars, juice bars, coffee house recitals and poetry readings are among the many diversions on offer when darkness falls in LA. The club scene is very fickle; a must-go night filled with this season’s stars can go bust within weeks. The result is a fluid nightlife, so visitors should check out the local listings magazines for an up-to-date guide.
LA’s dynamic urban core has undergone a major facelift recently and the construction of new buildings and facilities has reinforced the area’s claim to be the Pacific’s premier business centre. Downtown attractions include the Museum of Neon Art (MONA), which displays an art collection in electric media and neon signs, and the restored Angel’s Flight, originally a funicular railway dating from 1901, which met with disaster in 2001, after an accident left one passenger dead and seven wounded. Modern art buffs will want to visit MOCA at the Geffen Contemporary. One of the world’s largest newspapers, the Los Angeles Times, is across the street and offers behind-the-scenes tours of the media empire. For the more academically inclined, the Los Angeles Central Library, one of the nation’s most respected research and resource centres, is also its third-largest public library, following a period of significant expansion. The El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park preserves a number of historically important buildings from the Spanish and Mexican eras. Downtown LA is a cornucopia of cultures; Chinatown, Little Tokyo, and the Latino-influenced Olvera Street and Broadway are examples of local communities. Befitting its climate and context, and individualistic spirit, the area has a particularly rich and varied architecture and design heritage. It is where the American Arts and Crafts movement flourished; the Spanish Colonial, Mexican and Mission Revival styles were rediscovered; where the Art Deco style, followed by the Moderne and the machine-like Modern styles took root; and where Frank Lloyd Wright experimented with new materials, forms and theories. There are whimsical, way-out designs, most of which can be seen from the street, along with a variety of public art. Among other things, LA has also been called ‘The Mural Capital of the World’; the many examples of this art form are thanks to the city’s temperate climate, and ethnic and neighbourhood pride.
Just south of Downtown is Exposition Park, site of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Sports Arena. At the park, visitors can see the Natural History Museum, the California African American Museum, the California Science Center and stroll through the campus of the University of Southern California.
Los Angeles is the unabashed film and entertainment capital of the western world; more films are made here, more television shows taped here and more stars and would-be stars live here than anywhere else in the USA. The famous Hollywood sign, nestling in the hills above the city, stands as a constant reminder of the presence of the film industry. The streets and beaches are often used as locations, though most of it happens behind the well-guarded gates of the various studios scattered across the city. Still, in the opulent enclaves that cater to so-called ‘industry types’ – Beverly Hills and Santa Monica (see below) – an occasional celebrity can be glimpsed on the streets or in the shops.
For an insider’s view of the industry, NBC, Warner Bros and Universal Studios Hollywood all offer tours. The Universal tour is the most popular artificial attraction in America after the Disney theme parks, with the new Shrek 4-D" experience now open. The Hollywood Bowl Museum features changing exhibits on performing arts in Los Angeles, while The Hollywood Entertainment Museum honours the film industry. In the Griffith Park area, one of the largest urban parks in the country, one can visit the outstanding Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park Observatory, Travel Town and the Autry Museum of Western Heritage. Other area attractions include Hollywood Boulevard, with its ‘walk of fame’ etched in the pavement.
West Hollywood hosts more post-Oscar parties than any other city, and over 70 per cent of all filming in West Hollywood is on the Sunset Strip. Major films shot in the area include Get Shorty, Casper, Heat and Leaving Las Vegas. West Hollywood is best known for its sophisticated shopping and exciting and varied nightlife. The city is home to illustrious clubs, mostly found along the Sunset Strip, which are frequented by the rich and famous. ‘The Creative City’ features over 30 art galleries. Both the Le Montrose Suite Hotel and the Wyndham Bel Age Hotel house original international art collections that are worth millions.
LA’s West Side is famed for its arty, trend-setting style. This is where the stars live and play. The West Side includes some of the city’s most prestigious addresses, including Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood, Brentwood and Bel Air. Maps of the homes of celebrities are available on street corners for individual exploration, and scheduled tours are also offered. Beverly Hills is home to the most famous shopping district in the world and is also home to the LA branch of the Museum of Television and Radio, which allows visitors to gain access to 75 years of programming history. Another museum attraction is the Skirball Cultural Center, located near the Getty Center and featuring original fragments of Ellis Island benches as well as a reconstruction of an archaeological dig. Car fans will flock to the Petersen Automotive Museum, which celebrates the history of the motor car with the largest car collection in the country. Theatre also thrives in this area: top Broadway musicals such as Sunset Boulevard draw crowds to the Schubert Theatre in Century City. The Groundling Theatre on Melrose Avenue premieres comedy revues. The UCLA Center for the Performing Arts shows big-name talent. And for film previews and special screenings, the theatres in Westwood, which are frequented by students from the nearby University of California campus, are a popular testing ground for the industry. Blues fans will want to pay a visit to the House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard to catch daily live performances of established, as well as up-and-coming blues artists. Another attraction is the Museum of Tolerance, featuring high-tech interactive exhibits that tell the history of racism and prejudice as well as the story of the Holocaust.
The first of the fabled Southern Californian beach towns, Santa Monica entices visitors with its coastline, palm-lined cliffs and small town atmosphere. Just 13km (8 miles) from Los Angeles International Airport, Santa Monica offers a respite from the big city bustle. It has for decades been a favourite hideaway for Hollywood as well, with Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks Sr, Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford calling it home. Today, Meryl Streep, Michelle Pfeiffer and Ted Danson are just a few of the celebrities who live in Santa Monica. The thriving arts scene and cutting-edge cuisine add an air of European sophistication to this seaside community. A pedestrian-orientated city, Santa Monica’s many attractions, hotels, restaurants and shops are within easy walking distance of one another and the beach. Primary beaches include Santa Monica State Beach and Will Rogers State Beach.
The Santa Monica Museum of Art is a design marvel by famed architect Frank O Gehry. The museum displays the work of contemporary and modern artists. In nearby Malibu, the famed J Paul Getty Museum, an exact replica of a Roman country villa, houses one of the world’s largest and most valued art collections. Shopping is another popular pastime. The city has four different shopping areas, each with its own distinct character. Montana Avenue, Main Street, Santa Monica Place and Third Street Promenade feature speciality shops, restaurants and exclusive boutiques. In the evening, Third Street Promenade is transformed into a lively entertainment centre. Street performers fill the pavements and restaurants push dining tables aside to create dance floors. Home to a lively British population, Santa Monica also sports a dash of Old-World camaraderie with some of the best pubs and tea rooms outside Great Britain. Santa Monica’s most famous landmark is the pier. Having undergone a phased US$45 million restoration, the West Coast’s oldest pleasure pier, built in 1908 during the height of the city’s popularity as a seaside resort, is now home to Pacific Park. The park features a 55ft roller coaster and a giant Ferris wheel as well as many other rides. The old pier’s carousel, with hand-crafted gilt and painted horses, offers rides each day. Additional features here include the newly renovated Boat House, pubs, restaurants, shops and a fresh fish market.
The 61,000-hectare Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, on the city’s northern border, offers camping, hiking, backpacking, horseriding, picnicking and birdwatching. Will Rogers State Historic Park, the 75-hectare ranch of the late humorist, features stables, polo matches at the weekends and tours of the cowboy/ philosopher’s ranch house.
The Beaches area of Los Angeles is a great place to hang out. One can bask in the sun in a quiet cove in Malibu, or bike or rollerblade along a path from Santa Monica, past the street performers of Venice Beach, the day sailors of Marina del Rey, the volleyball players on Manhattan Beach, and the surfers and fishermen off Hermosa and Redondo. This 35km- (22 mile-) oceanfront stretch celebrates the Southern Californian lifestyle, with a diversity of accessible, sandy beaches and picturesque views. Among the more popular spots to catch a wave and check out the local sun-tanning scene are Will Rogers Beach State Park, the Santa Monica and Venice piers and Newport Beach. For a classic Los Angeles experience, a visit to Venice Beach, where the body-beautiful skate by and street performers attract crowds every day, is a must. Also a part of Venice is Muscle Beach, where local hunks flex their pecs for bystanders.
The beach areas offer other diversions besides the fleshly variety. In the canyons of Malibu, for example, is Barbara Streisand’s estate which houses her Center for Conservancy Studies. Visitors can enjoy the houses and landscaped meadows and orchards to be found here. At Bergamot Station, there is a 5.5 acre complex with a dozen galleries offering art-lovers a one-stop shopping experience.
Once known as the notorious hang-out of the Valley Girls, The Valleys comprise three distinct areas, with plentiful shopping and several major annual events. Mulholland Drive, situated in the hills above the San Fernando Valley, offers panoramic views of the area below. Ventura Boulevard is a major shopping thoroughfare that attracts celebrities to its speciality shops and restaurants. Just north, in Santa Clarita Valley, is Six Flags Magic Mountain, a huge amusement park featuring thrilling rides and six roller-coasters. Adjacent to this is the Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, a themed waterpark featuring tube slides, speed slides and a wave pool. Burbank is the home of NBC Studios, where visitors can see the taping of famous TV shows.
Just east of the San Fernando Valley is the San Gabriel Valley, where Pasadena is the site of the world’s most famous New Year’s Day event, the Tournament of Roses Parade. Cultural attractions in the city include the Norton Simon Museum of Art, the Huntington Library and Gardens and Los Angeles Arboretum. Nearby Santa Anita is home to one of the most beautiful racetracks in the world and, high above in the Angeles National Forest, is Mount Wilson, with a small observatory and museum.
Many cities in the world may claim to cater for all needs or tastes, but LA goes one step further. Food ranges from mainstream, such as Italian or Mexican, to the more quirky, such as Nigerian and Uzbek. Residents and visitors alike believe that LA is much improved by the new Asian influences, which are reflected not only in the wide choice of cuisine on offer, but also in the city’s ethnic diversity. Variety is not only available in content, but also in price. LA can boast some of the most expensive restaurants in the world, including Valentino in Santa Monica, Rex II Ristorante in downtown LA and Matsuhisa and Spago in West Hollywood. However, even on a more modest budget, many choices are on offer, such as at La Serenata de Garibaldi in Boyle Heights. It is even possible for a couple to eat out for less than US$20. Rosalind’s Ethiopian Restaurant, La Parilla and the Bombay Caf are reputed to be amongst the best. Santa Monica also has some top-class places to dine out, and with nearly 400 restaurants, cafes and pubs, the city boasts one restaurant for every 217 residents.
Broadway hits can be seen at theatres in the Music Center complex, 135 N. Grand Avenue; one of the three largest performing arts centers in the USA. The Walt Disney Concert Hall was opened in October 2003 and is the new home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The complex’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is home to the film industry’s annual Academy Awards and the Civic Light Opera. The world-famous Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Avenue, stages summer concerts. The Universal Amphitheater in the grounds of Universal Studios presents major pop and rock concerts. Other top venues include the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theater (both part of the Music Center complex), the Schubert Theater, and the outdoor Greek Theater in Griffith Park.
It is no surprise that LA is known for its nightlife, with appearances by top-rate acts and a chance to rub shoulders with the stars. The most exciting and varied nightlife can be found in West Hollywood, where the clubs feature rock, jazz, comedy, pop and R&B. Since the 1920s, the Sunset Strip has been a centre for nightlife, home to some of the world’s most illustrious clubs such as The Roxy, Whisky A Go-Go, The Viper Room and The Comedy Store. Gay and lesbian nightlife thrives in Santa Monica Boulevard with clubs such as Axis, Revolver, Rage and Mickys. The San Fernando Valley is also lively after dark, and many hotels present star entertainment.
Smart shops, boutiques and department stores are found in downtown Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. In West Hollywood, Sunset Plaza is lined with speciality shops, while Melrose showcases the hottest new designer trends. Good value gifts, jewellery and handicrafts are sold in Little Tokyo and Olvera Street. Serious shoppers can explore the Fashion District and the Jewellery District downtown, where quality merchandise is sold at discount prices.
Horse racing is held at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia (October and December to April); and thoroughbred racing (mid-April to late July) and night harness racing (August to early December) at Hollywood Park, Inglewood. The area also has professional baseball (August to December), professional basketball and ice hockey.
Getting around in the ‘land of the car’ may be easier than most visitors think. Transport in Southern California is made simple from any of the four major airports: Los Angeles International Airport, John Wayne/Orange County Airport, Ontario Airport and Long Beach Airport. For more detailed information, see Travel in the main California section, or visit the website of Los Angeles World Airports (website: www.lawa.org).
The following is a selection of special events occurring in Los Angeles in 2005:
Jan 16 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards. Feb Black History Month. Feb 12-13 Chinese New Year Parade and Carnival. Feb 27 77th Annual Academy Awards (invitation only), Hollywood. Mar 26 Blessing of the Animals (fiesta and animal parade), Olvera Street, Los Angeles. May 5 Cinco de Mayo Celebration (Mexican Festival). Jun 9-12 San Fernando Valley Fair, Burbank. Jun 19 Juneteenth Festival (commemorating the end of slavery). Jul Verizon Music Festival, Los Angeles. Jul 4 Independence Day Celebrations. Sep 4 Los Angeles Birthday Celebrations, Olvera Street, Los Angeles. Sep 9-Oct 2 Los Angeles County Fair, Pomona. Sep 15-18 Annual Route 66 Rendezvous. Nov 27 Hollywood Christmas Parade. Dec Annual Whittier Christmas Parade, Uptown Whittier.
Los Angeles’ climate is generally sunny and warm with gentle ocean breezes in the summer. The humidity is low and there is very little rain.