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Los Angeles
Los Angeles, also known as 'LA' or 'La La Land,' is a huge
city that spreads between the Pacific Ocean and the San Gabriel
Mountains in a flat urban expanse that is punctuated by freeway
overpasses known as spaghetti junctions. Famous for smog and
disasters like earthquakes and landslides, it's not the easiest
city to get to know although everyone knows it's the home
of the Hollywood Sign and Beverly Hills. At
the other end of the economic spectrum are Watts and
Compton, some of the poorest slum areas in the USA
and where the race riots erupted in 1992.
LA is home to more Koreans, Chinese, Druids and Mexicans outside
of their native countries than any other city on earth and
its ethnic makeup heralds the profound changes affecting American
demographics. |
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The Legendary Sunset Boulevard, LA
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Getting Around LA
It's a little known fact that the car companies themselves
are the reason why public transportation is so dismal in the
USA, and LA is the best example of a city that is addicted
to the automobile. After years of buying bus companies and
dismantling them, the freeway has become such a part of life
in Los Angeles that LA is not just a stranger to mass transit,
it is in fact, a public transport nighmare. People in this
town take driving not as a priveledge, but as a right. It
can be an unnerving place to visit as every one is in a car,
no one walks the streets and you'll get strange looks from
rear view mirrors if you dare to walk the cities blocks.
While there is a small light rail system operating in downtown
Los Angeles, this is more designed for commuters, not tourists.
A local bus system exists, but isn't safe, easy to navigate
or convenient and goes to few places. The freeway has conquered
the city like no other and to see the sights (often scattered
dozens of miles apart) you will need a rental car, a good
map (with all the freeways clearly marked) and nerves of steel,
especially at rush hour! If you're staying a while, it's worth
bearing in mind that you can travel in a quicker freeway lane
if there are more than one people travelling in a vehicle.
As traffic jams on the 405, 101 and other freeways are so
common, don't be surprised if you spend a few hours as other
Angelinos do stuck in traffic, listening to the radio for
traffic reports and dodging backups through an intricate series
of shortcuts and back alleys.
Petrol stations are everywhere so its not hard to find a place
to fill up though carrying a cell phone is recommended if
a break down occurs; though most freeways have callboxes for
stranded drivers. Parking can be a nightmare too, especially
on weekends and in the height of summer so be prepared to
circle the block a few times looking for a space; after a
week in LA you may come to appreciate why the road rage phenomenon
is such a problem here.
Top Sights
As a land of of contrasts LA has lots of interesting neighbourhoods
and sights and you should spend at least three days here to
do the minimum. It's a very popular domestic tourist destination
so along with the huge foreign tour groups expect to get a
heavy dose of middle america at the same time. If you don't
have time to visit the square states in the middle of the
country now's your chance to meet some authentic Oklahomans,
Texans and Kansans as they too take in what LA has to offer.
The most famous suburb is, of course, Beverly Hills.
What with the popularity of tinted windows and tall security
gates these days seeing any actual stars in Beverly Hills
is pretty remote though you may look out when window shopping
(or actual shopping, if you're loaded) on Rodeo Drive.
Numerous star maps are on sale throughout the area and you
can drive by your favorite stars house though be warned with
such intense security old cars are often stopped for questioning.
The place to go to star search is actually Westwood,
a suburb next to UCLA. Though most of the stars here are from
TV and may be unrecognizalbe without makeup, Tom Cruise
Brad Pitt and even Madonna have been spotted here
grabbing a latte, going jogging or just walking their dog.
Always respect these peoples privacy because you'll notice
locals practically ignoring them as they go about their lives.
Manns Chinese Theater is probably where you'll see
more stars, their foot and handprints to be exact. The sidewalk
outside is full of celebrity paw prints and it's a popular
place to take photos of your favorites.
Doing the studio tour thing is best experienced at Universal
Studios, whose recent expansion has turned practically
every new movie into a ride of some sort. Watch how they 'burn'
houses, make the Red Sea part create Jaws and simulate an
earthquake here all the while keeping a sharp lookout for
stars as you never know who will be walking to their trailer
as you drive by, though they wo'nt stop for autographs they
don't mind a quick photo or two.
Most of what you watch in theaters and on TV is produced
somewhere in LA and huge movie lots can be found in Studio
City and Burbank. If you plan in advance you can
often get free tickets to watch programs being taped at these
studios like Friends, Frasier, and other comedies shown
around the world.The wait is long but it is worth it because
after the show the stars themselves hang around for autographs
and for a chat with fans.
LA is also home to a serious beach culture, best experienced
in Santa Monica and Venice Beach, two
coastal communities located north of the LAX airport. From
dawn to dusk Venice is a popular rollerblading, bicycling,
running and bodybuilding area and has tatoo parlors, t-shirt
vendors and other businesses calling it home. It's a place
to see and be seen though its not that safe after dark. With
such stable weather Venice Beach is a year round carnival
where the people themsleves are the sights. Santa Monica is
more upmarket with a pier that has rides and trendy restaurants
serving seafood and 'California Fusion' food.
San Diego
A two hour drive south of Los Angeles, San Diego has undergone
a transformation in the last decade that has made it one of
the fastest growing cities in America. Home to a large Navy
base San Diego is famous for its beautiful Spanish Mission
churches and upper class neighbourhoods of La Jolla.
Its urban beaches are some of the State's best although pollution
from nearby Tijuana often causes beach closures.
Palm Springs
Located east of Los Angeles Palm Springs has been a popular
retreat for Hollywood's elite for more than 50 years. It's
also been developed into a retirement area where 'Gucci Grannies'
are catered for by stylists, manicurists and plastic surgeons.
Its warm temperatures in the winter are the opposite of those
in the summer when it can soar to 120F. With almost one hundred
golf courses Palm Springs uses one million gallons of water
per day and many visitors find the place as artificial as
plastic grass.
Bubblegum Alley
Up the coast from LA is San Luis Obispo, a mission
and university town where its famous for its surfing culture
and laid back lifestyle. In the downtown area is a narrow
street called Bubblegum Alley where thousands of old bubble
gum wads have been squished on the walls making one of the
most unique community art projects ever seen. Some find it
disgusting including some businesses located in the alley
who post clear signs pointing to where Bubble Gum Alley ends. |
