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Discover Places to Go and Things to Do
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Los Angeles, CA
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Los Angeles is a bright and eclectic patchwork of neighborhoods and lifestyles. Made up of dozens of communities, there is no one unifying experience that sums up the life and the heartbeat of this city among cities. From the eternal sunshine and Hollywood glitz to the traffic and smog, this City of Angels will forever be many things to many people.
Downtown While not exactly in the center of town geographically, downtown is still a major center of activity. But while the focus is mostly on business, downtown also features many shops, restaurants, bars and even a few museums.
Hollywood The big sign just about says it all. The center of things is, without a doubt, Hollywood Boulevard, location of world-famous tourist spots including  Mann's Chinese Theater , the Hollywood Walk of Fame and countless souvenir shops.
Downtown While not exactly in the center of town geographically, downtown is still a major center of activity. But while the focus is mostly on business, downtown also features many shops, restaurants, bars and even a few museums.
Hollywood The big sign just about says it all. The center of things is, without a doubt, Hollywood Boulevard, location of world-famous tourist spots including Mann's Chinese Theater , the Hollywood Walk of Fame and countless souvenir shops.
The Miracle Mile/ Hancock Park area is another of L.A.'s historical neighborhoods. Here you will find Wilshire Boulevard's Museum Row . The museums are contained within Hancock Park , a small but peaceful oasis in the center of hectic urban activity.
Ritzy West Hollywood is home to one of the city's most famous (or infamous) attractions: the Sunset Strip . Here you'll find most of the city's hippest and hottest clubs, as well as some of the city's finest shopping and hotels. West Hollywood is also the center of the city's gay and lesbian community, and it puts on one of the bawdiest and most exhilarating annual Halloween parades in the state.
Beverly Hills and the Westside This world-famous city with its world-famous zip code is synonymous with wealth, status and celebrity. The understated elegance and grace of the residential neighborhoods are balanced out by Rodeo Drive , which offers some of the finest (and most expensive) shopping in the world.
Santa Monica and Bay Cities Back in the heyday of Route 66, this was the end of the line. Today, this beachfront community offers the best in shopping, dining and entertainment.
The motto of the coastal community of Malibu is "27 miles of scenic beauty," and that about describes it best. The main attraction here is the drive along the Pacific Coast Highway, which takes you past beach after beach on one side of the road and million-dollar hilltop estates on the other. Make sure you have plenty of film and sunscreen. Even at night, the stars just seem brighter.
Venice, just south of Santa Monica, is the city's home to all things eclectic and many things downright bizarre. This small, artsy beach town offers one of the greatest collections of cafes, bars, galleries, antiques and one-of-a-kind shops around. Weekend afternoons on the boardwalk are definitely a memorable experience for any visitor to the city.
San Fernando Valley On the other side of the Hollywood Hills sits "The Valley," as known by locals. It features a seemingly endless sea of suburban cul-de-sacs, strip malls, funky shops and restaurants. Hollywood makes its presence known in the cities of Burbank and Universal City, which are home to Warner Bros. Studio and Universal Studios . There are two things you can always count on in the Valley: the earthquakes always feel stronger, and the temperature is always 10 degrees hotter.
South Central and Compton Although the South Central neighborhood of Crenshaw gained worldwide publicity as the center of the infamous 1992 riots, this area remains one of the city's best-kept secrets. Home to a great number of African-Americans, South Central communities such as Crenshaw and Leimert Park offer wonderful shopping, dining, recreation and live music clubs. It has also long been a place of culture and diversity, as evidenced by the African American Cultural Center and the Museum In Black.
Long Beach and the South Bay Long Beach is a fairly large city in its own right. Aside from a plethora of shopping and dining options, this beach community is perhaps best known for the Queen Mary , a Titanic-esque ocean liner now permanently docked here and open for tours.
The South Bay is made up of smaller beach towns and quiet neighborhoods such as Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach and Palos Verdes Estates.
Orange County As you drive south of L.A., the pastures seem to get greener—quite literally. Orange County is a collection of beautifully manicured suburbs and picturesque beach communities. Some great spots include Anaheim (home of Disneyland ), Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Dana Point.
Pasadena and Points East Pasadena is one of the most prominent communities in the entire state of California. Old Town Pasadena provides one of the greatest clusters of bars, shops, cafes and restaurants in the entire L.A. area. And every New Years' Day, this not-so-sleepy town becomes the focus of the entire world for the annual Tournament of Roses Parade .
East L.A., as evidenced by its name, forms the eastern edge of the city and is home to a large part of L.A.'s Latino population. Perhaps nowhere else in the city is L.A.'s cultural diversity better represented than here.
LAX and Inglewood LAX is one of the largest airports in the United States, when it comes to the sheer number of people passing through its hallways. The airport is the main feature of the otherwise-sleepy, suburban neighborhood of Westchester. This pocket of quiet, tree-lined streets and neighborhood schools and churches is a refreshing oasis in an often-frenetic city.
Inglewood, home to many of L.A.'s African-American population, features a wide variety of restaurants, music and sports venues. Here you will find Hollywood Park Racetrack and the The Forum arena, an entertainment hotspot. Inglewood also hosts the annual Hollywood Black Film Festival , which pays homage to African-American filmmakers - past, present and future.
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By Editor's Choice
6 days
Frommer's calls Los Angeles the most fun city in the US! Los Angeles & Disneyland are Top US Destinations...and this trip is in our Top 10 Family Summer Trips! So pack up the car (including lots of beach gear) and head south for the summer. The entire family will enjoy exploring places like the Magic Castle, the Santa Monica Pier, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, & Disneyland, not to mention at least 3 beaches!
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By EricChurch23
13 days
Immerse yourself in Los Angeles and Hollywood in this two-week vacation where you'll explore museums, galleries, theaters, day spas, parks and more! Includes all the must-see places like Mann's Chinese Theatre and Universal Studios.
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128 people reviewed Los Angeles (1-20 out of 128)
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Top
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at 3:10PM May 21, 2009
Fun city but wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Definitely worth seeing once in a lifetime though.
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at 2:38AM May 29, 2008
it's so different from any other city in California!
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at 4:17AM May 28, 2008
one of my fave cities to go to definatly have not been for a few yrs but do want to go back loved it so much i live there if icould
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at 6:20PM June 13, 2008
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at 10:55AM May 29, 2008
Lots of buildings & lots of traffic but still an exciting place.
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at 6:34AM May 29, 2008
Living the high life!
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at 11:04PM May 28, 2008
Only there a couple of nights, very disappointed. Seemed to me a very dis-jointed city, just weird.
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at 2:10AM May 6, 2009
It was the best vacation I've had in a very long time. And I got to share it with someone very special to me. The beach was great. The weather was fantastic, and I came back home with a beautiful glowing tan.
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at 2:20PM March 8, 2009
So many things to do.
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at 6:33AM January 19, 2009
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at 10:40PM January 3, 2009
bad traffic, bad air, bad parking; good food, good friends, good shows
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at 6:42AM October 8, 2008
I LOVED Los angels (been there twice), we hired out a Limo that took us to the the Hollywood sigh and through Bel Air WOW.. Went to see the floor of star....... The shopping is OUT OF THIS WORLD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO JOKE Loving it, laguna beach is really nice too
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at 12:50PM August 6, 2008
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at 9:30PM July 11, 2008
My fiance and I went on a 2 day road trip to L.A. We left Thursday after work, and drove from Oakley Ca. We drove all night and checked into a hotel at 2am, about 20 minutes from Universal Studios. We slept until about 8am and began our day. We got McDonald's for breakfast, and unfortunately we got lost on our way to Universal. We drove around for about 2 hours before we found it!! But,since we were late getting there, and the park was due to close in about 4 hours, the front of the line passes were on sale! Instead of being over $100, they were only $79. It was such a great deal, we got on every ride, and took the Universal Tour, stopped at a Pub and still had an hour to spare. If you can move at a quicker pace, and aren't waiting on anyone who may motate at a slower pace, I recommend getting there between 1:30 and 2:30 to get the dicounted front of the line passes.
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at 4:40PM July 7, 2008
Wonderful week-end get-away. Nice weather.
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at 4:37PM May 29, 2008
Felt that we needed to visit once. Don't plan on going back.
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at 4:21PM May 29, 2008
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at 11:12AM May 29, 2008
beautiful pllace..reminded me of miami
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at 5:46AM May 29, 2008
Love It you either like LA or you hate it!
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at 4:29PM May 28, 2008
For such a famous place LA is surprisingly hum drum. Check out the hollywood bowl. You can find some really quaint and cheap hotels in the blocks behind Hollywood Blvd. Visit some of the movie studios - that's what LA is about, isn't it?
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