Los Angeles Travel Guide
Largest city in California and the second most populous city in the United States is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, Hollywood entertainment industry, and its sprawling metropolis.
Places to See in Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Central business district of Los Angeles covering 5.84 sq mi. divided into districts named for the activities concentrated there now or historically, including the Arts, Civic Center, Fashion, Banking, Theater, Toy, and Jewelry districts
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Hollywood
Neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it
Aquarium of the Pacific
Public aquarium featuring a collection of over 11,000 animals representing over 500 different species sees 1.5 million visitors a year
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook
Public aquarium featuring a collection of over 11,000 animals representing over 500 different species sees 1.5 million visitors a year
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Beverly Hills
City surrounded by the cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood is home to many celebrities, luxury hotels, and the Rodeo Drive shopping district
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California Science Center
Interactive science museum featuring hands-on exhibits, space artifacts, ecosystems displays, and immersive IMAX films designed to inspire learning and exploration.
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Echo Park
Densely populated neighborhood in Central Los Angeles with neighborhood centered on the lake of the same name
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Elysian Park
Expansive urban park featuring rugged hills, scenic viewpoints, picnic areas, and a network of trails that wind through natural landscapes and historic landscaped sections.
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Ernest E. Debs Regional Park
Expansive hillside preserve offering scenic trails, native woodlands, and a tranquil pond surrounded by wildlife and educational facilities.
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Exposition Park
Large urban cultural park featuring museums, sports venues, landscaped gardens, and open recreational spaces designed for education, events, and outdoor activities.
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Gamble House
Iconic American Craftsman home is a National Historic Landmark, a California Historical Landmark, and open to the public for tours and events
Getty Museum
Center well known for its architecture, gardens, pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, sculpture, decorative arts,photographs from all over the world, and views overlooking Los Angeles
Getty Villa
Educational center and museum modeled after 1st-century Italian villa, dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria
The Grove LA
Retail and entertainment complex in Los Angeles, located on parts of the historic Original Farmers Market
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Huntington Library
Collections-based educational and research institution houses an extensive art collection with a focus on 18th- and 19th-century European art and 17th- to mid-20th-century American art
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Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
Expansive urban park offering scenic trails, picnic areas, sports facilities, and panoramic views of Los Angeles.
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Korean Bell of Friendship
Massive bronze bell housed in a stone pavilion in Angel's Gate Park, in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles
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La Brea Tar Pits
Group of tar pits formed in urban Los Angeles where tar has preserved the bones of trapped animals with Museum is dedicated to researching the tar pits and displaying specimens from the animals that died there
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Long Beach
Coastal city offering a blend of urban attractions, waterfront recreation, and cultural landmarks centered around a vibrant harbor.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art / LACMA
Largest art museum in the western United States holds more than 150,000 works spanning the history of art from ancient times to the present
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Melrose Avenue
Shopping, dining and entertainment destination that starts at Santa Monica Boulevard with its most famous section, known as the Melrose District, at the West End through West Hollywood and Hollywood
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Norton Simon Museum
Art museum includes European paintings, sculptures, and tapestries; Asian sculptures, paintings, woodblock prints, and notable Rodin sculptures near its entrance and other sculptures
The Original Farmers Market
Area of food stalls, sit-down eateries, prepared food vendors, and produce markets is a historic Los Angeles landmark and tourist attraction
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Petersen Automotive Museum
One of the world's largest automotive museums, the Petersen Automotive Museum is a nonprofit organization specializing in automobile history and related educational programs
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Queen Mary
Retired British ocean liner that now serves as hotel and museum frequented by travelers looking to learn about its history and get a glimpse into the luxury of the past
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Randy's Donuts
Famous bakery known for its giant rooftop donut and wide variety of handmade donuts served 24/7 through walk-up and drive-thru windows.
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Rodeo Drive
Reknown two-mile-long street in Beverly Hills known for celebrity and premiere luxury shopping destination
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San Gabriel Mountains
Mountain range located between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, and lies in, and is surrounded by, the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests
Santa Monica Beach and Pier
Pier in Santa Monica, California containing a small amusement park, concession stands, and a family amusement park with its solar panelled Ferris wheel
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Sony Pictures Studios
Television and film studio complex houses the division's film studios with lot open to the public for daily studio tours
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Third Street Promenade
Pedestrian mall esplanade, shopping, dining and entertainment complex in the downtown area of Santa Monica considered a premier shopping and dining district
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Universal Studios Hollywood
Film studio and theme park initially created to offer tours of the real Universal Studios sets and is the first of many full-fledged Universal Studios Theme Parks located across the world
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USS Iowa Museum
Maritime museum located at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. The museum's main artifact is the USS Iowa (BB-61), lead ship of the Iowa class of battleships
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Venice Beach and Boardwalk
Labeled as "a cultural hub known for its eccentricities" as well as a "global tourist destination" includes promenade that runs parallel to the beach and Muscle Beach
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Venice Canal Historic District
Historic district noteworthy for possessing man-made wetland canals, built in 1905 by developer Abbot Kinney as part of his Venice of America
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Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
Guided and walkthrough studio tour of Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank in Los Angeles offers visitors the chance to glimpse behind the scenes of one of the oldest film studios in the world
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Wayfarers Chapel
Chapel, also known as "The Glass Church", noted for its unique organic architecture and location on cliffs above the Pacific Ocean
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Will Rogers State Beach
Beach park located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles extending one and three quarters miles along the coast
Overview
Los Angeles (Spanish: Los Ángeles; "The Angels"), is the largest city in California. With an estimated population of nearly four million people, it is the second most populous city in the United States (after New York City) and the third most populous city in North America (after Mexico City and New York City). Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, Hollywood entertainment industry, and its sprawling metropolis.
In 1910, Hollywood merged into Los Angeles, with 10 movie companies already operating in the city at the time. By 1921, more than 80 percent of the world's film industry was concentrated in LA. The money generated by the industry kept the city insulated from much of the economic loss suffered by the rest of the country during the Great Depression. By 1930, the population surpassed one million.
The city is surrounded by high mountains. Immediately to the north lie the San Gabriel Mountains, which is a popular recreation area for Angelenos. Its high point is Mount San Antonio, locally known as Mount Baldy, which reaches 10,064 feet. Further afield, the highest point in the Greater Los Angeles area is San Gorgonio Mountain, with a height of 11,503 feet.
Landmarks
Important landmarks in Los Angeles include the Hollywood Sign, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Capitol Records Building, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Angels Flight, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Dolby Theatre, Griffith Observatory, Getty Center, Getty Villa, Stahl House, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, L.A. Live, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Venice Canal Historic District and boardwalk, Theme Building, Bradbury Building, U.S. Bank Tower, Wilshire Grand Center, Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles City Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Battleship USS Iowa, Watts Towers, Staples Center, Dodger Stadium, and Olvera Street.
Los Angeles is often billed as the "Creative Capital of the World" because one in every six of its residents works in a creative industry and there are more artists, writers, filmmakers, actors, dancers and musicians living and working in Los Angeles than any other city at any other time in history.
Movies and the performing arts
The city's Hollywood neighborhood has become recognized as the center of the motion picture industry and the Los Angeles area is also associated as being the center of the television industry. The city is home to major film studios as well as major record labels. Los Angeles plays host to the annual Academy Awards, the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Grammy Awards as well as many other entertainment industry awards shows. Los Angeles is the site of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, the oldest film school in the United States.
The performing arts play a major role in Los Angeles's cultural identity. The Walt Disney Concert Hall, centerpiece of the Music Center, is home to the prestigious Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Museums and galleries
There are 841 museums and art galleries in Los Angeles County, more museums per capita than any other city in the U.S. Some of the notable museums are the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (the largest art museum in the Western United States), the Getty Center (part of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the world's wealthiest art institution), the Petersen Automotive Museum, the Huntington Library, the Natural History Museum, the Battleship Iowa, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. A significant number of art galleries are on Gallery Row, and tens of thousands attend the monthly Downtown Art Walk there.
Los Angeles is often characterized by the presence of low-rise buildings. Outside of a few centers such as Downtown, Warner Center, Century City, Koreatown, Miracle Mile, Hollywood, and Westwood, skyscrapers and high-rise buildings are not common.
The Texas Transportation Institute, which publishes an annual Urban Mobility Report, ranked Los Angeles road traffic as the most congested in the United States in 2005 as measured by annual delay per traveler. The average traveler in Los Angeles experienced 72 hours of traffic delay per year according to the study.
The main rail station in the city is Union Station just north of Downtown.
Drivers in Los Angeles suffer from one of the worst rush hour periods in the world, according to an annual traffic index by navigation system maker, TomTom. LA drivers spend an additional 92 hours in traffic each year. During the peak rush hour, there is 80% congestion, according to the index.
Environmental issues
Owing to geography, heavy reliance on motor vehicles, and the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex, Los Angeles suffers from air pollution in the form of smog.
The smog season lasts from approximately May to October. While other large cities rely on rain to clear smog, Los Angeles gets only 15 inches of rain each year: pollution accumulates over many consecutive days. Smog is expected to continue to drop in the coming years because of aggressive steps to reduce it, which include electric and hybrid cars, improvements in mass transit, and other measures.
Los Angeles is subject to earthquakes because of its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire. The geologic instability has produced numerous faults, which cause approximately 10,000 earthquakes annually in Southern California, though most of them are too small to be felt. The strike-slip San Andreas Fault system, which sits at the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, passes through the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The segment of the fault passing through Southern California experiences a major earthquake roughly every 110 to 140 years, and seismologists have warned about the next "big one", as the last major earthquake was the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Los Angeles", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
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