Lonely Planet Pocket Los Angeles , livre ebook

Contents

QuickStart Guide

Welcome to Los Angeles
Top Sights
Local Life
Day Planner
Need to Know
Los Angeles Neighborhoods

Explore

Hollywood
Griffith Park, Silver Lake & Los Feliz
Cruising Echo Park
West Hollywood & Beverly Hills
Getty Center
Miracle Mile & Mid-City
Gallery Hopping in Culver City
Santa Monica
Malibu
Venice
Manhattan Beach, Beyond the Sand
Downtown
Exposition Park
Pasadena
Burbank & Universal City
Disneyland & Disney California Adventure

Best

The Best of Los Angeles
The Venice Stroll
The Downtown Hustle
Food
Drinking
Live Music
Gay & Lesbian
Shopping
For Kids
Outdoor Adventure
Beaches
Celebrity-Spotting
Museums
Tours

Survival Guide

Survival Guide
Before You Go
Arriving in Los Angeles
Getting Around
Essential Information
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to Los Angeles
Dreams are serious business in LA. Home to Hollywood, this is a city where fantastical thoughts are encouraged; a place gleefully wrapped in endless layers of modern mythology; an electrifying whirlpool of creativity: edgy art spaces, cult-status rock venues, acclaimed concert halls and thought-provoking stages, all fueling a city addicted to the weird, the wonderful and the downright scandalous.

Hollywood Boulevard | SEAN PAVONE/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
1
Los Angeles Top Sights

Hollywood Boulevard & the Hollywood Walk of Fame
More stars than the night sky.

SEAN PAVONE/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Los Angeles Top Sights
Griffith Observatory & Hollywood Sign
Two iconic sights dominate the Hollywood Hills ridgeline.

HOLLYWOOD TM © 2017 HCC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; IMAGE: NITO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Los Angeles Top Sights
Getty Center
Stellar art, cutting-edge architecture and captivating gardens.

KEN WOLTER/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Los Angeles Top Sights
Santa Monica Pier & Beach
An absolutely unmissable landmark.

MARK_AND_ANNA_WILSON/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Los Angeles Top Sights
Venice Boardwalk
Where Venice Beach lets her freak flag fly.

LAYLAND MASUDA/GETTY IMAGES ©


Los Angeles Top Sights
The Broad
A must-visit for contemporary-art fans.

PAPER CAT/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Los Angeles Top Sights
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Where brilliant music meets virtuoso architecture.

CHIRAJUTI/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Los Angeles Top Sights
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
A vortex of art, jazz, film and culture not to be missed.

ALEX MILLAUER/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
l
Los Angeles Local Life

Insider tips to help you find the real Los Angeles LA is more a neighborhood quilt than a traditional metropolis, so in your haste to explore LA’s best-known barrios, don’t forget to sample the out-of-the-way corners, too. Hidden treasures await.

Cruising Echo Park
y Echo Park Lake
y Short Stop

MICHAEL BOGNER/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Gallery Hopping in Culver City
y Art Galleries
y Cutting-Edge Architecture

Berlin Wall section on Wilshire Boulevard, from the Wende Museum | RICHARD CUMMINS/GETTY IMAGES ©

Other great places to experience the city like a local:
Farmers Markets in Hollywood and Santa Monica
Clifton's Republic
Amoeba Music
Grand Central Market
Griffith Park
Last Bookstore
Hollywood Bowl
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Manhattan Beach, Beyond the Sand
y Beach Living
y Gastropubs

STEPHEN SAKS/GETTY IMAGES ©

Shopping the Fashion District
y Sample Sales
y People-watching

LHB PHOTO/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Pasadena
y Outdoor activities
y Small-town charm

TREKANDSHOOT/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
R
Los Angeles Day Planner

Day One
M Start your LA adventure by walking all over your favorite stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and pressing up against famous handprints outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre . If movie props, costumes and history intrigue, hit the Hollywood Museum and lunch at Musso & Frank Grill .
R Up your chances of spotting actual celebs by hitting fashion-forward boutiques on Melrose Ave . If your idols are more Kandinsky than Kardashian, snub the shops for the superlative Los Angeles County Museum of Art .
N After dinner at Pump , saunter over to Bar Marmont for dirty martinis. Alternatively split your sides with late-night comedy at the Laugh Factory or party with WeHo's pretty boys and their fans at perennially popular The Abbey .


Day Two
M Time to hit rapidly evolving Downtown LA. Start with the LA's roots at El Pueblo de Los Angeles and catch up with the present at the stunning new Broad art museum.
R Following lunch at Grand Central Market , stroll down Broadway, a street dotted with beautiful heritage buildings including the Bradbury Building , to the Grammy Museum . Alternatively, explore the hip-and-creative Arts District, home to of-the-moment gallery Hauser & Wirth .
N Dine at Otium , then catch the LA Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall , watch basketball at the Staples Center or enjoy jazz at the Blue Whale . If cocktails beckon, escape to Clifton's Republic .


Day Three
M Roll things out with a brilliant Warner Bros Studio Tour , snooping around back-lot sets and technical departments and eyeing up some of Hollywood's most famous movie props. If you prefer your studio tours with a side of theme-park rides, opt for nearby Universal Studios Hollywood .
R Work off your lunch from Bob’s Big Boy by hiking Griffith Park up to the Griffith Observatory in time to watch the sun sink over the city.
N After a day surrounded by tourists, hang with the locals. If it's Wednesday, you'll have reserved tickets to watch jazz-playing Jeff Goldblum jam and banter with the crowd at Rockwell . Catch the dulcet tones of cult-status duo Marty and Elayne at the Dresden .


Day Four
M The Getty Center offers a spectacular synergy of art, architecture, landscaping and views. If you'd rather window shop and people watch, hit Rodeo Dr and Nate 'n Al for lunch.
R Switch worlds with a trip to ever-cool-and-eclectic Venice. Stroll, pedal or Rollerblade along the Venice Boardwalk , take in its street art and hunt down unique fashion, accessories and art along Abbot Kinney Blvd . It's here that you'll find Salt & Straw , one of the city's best (and most experimental) ice-cream artisans.
N Just like Route 66, wrap up your own trip in oceanside Santa Monica. Catch another perfect SoCal sunset from Santa Monica Pier before dinner at Cassia , then toast your trip at rooftop bar Onyx .
Need to Know


Currency
US Dollar ($)

Language
English, with Spanish in wide use

Money
ATMs are widely available and credit cards are accepted in all hotels and most restaurants.

Cell Phones
International cell (mobile) phones will work with roaming. Some unlocked GSM phones will work with local SIMs.

Time
Pacific Standard Time (PST; UTC/GMT minus eight hours) Nov to mid-Mar; Pacific Daylight Savings Time (PDT; UTC/GMT minus seven hours) mid-Mar to Oct.

Plugs & Adaptors
LA area outlets demand the North American 20A/120V grounded plug.

Tipping
Tipping is considered mandatory for sit-down, full-service meals. The minimum tip should be 15-20%. Tip bartenders, too ($1 per drink will suffice).

1 Before You Go

Your Daily Budget
Budget: Less than $150
A Dorm bed: $35–50
A Takeout meal: $6–15
A Free concerts and events
A Metro day pass: $7
Midrange: $150–300
A Hotel double room: $200
A Two-course dinner and glass of wine: $40
A Live music concert: $50
Top end: More than $300
A Three-star beach or Downtown hotel: from $300
A Dinner at a destination restaurant: from $75, excluding drinks

Useful Websites
A Discover Los Angeles ( www.discoverlosangeles.com ) Reputable range of options from the official LA website.
A Hotel Tonight ( www.hoteltonight.com ) Cali-based hotel search app offering discount last-minute bookings.
A Cabbi ( www.cabbi.com ) Lists a small, high-quality selection of B&Bs in the LA area.
A Lonely Planet ( www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/los-angeles/hotels ) Expert author reviews, user feedback, booking engine.

Advance Planning
Three months before Book accommodation and rental car, especially if visiting during busy festival or holiday periods.
One month before Reserve tickets to major performing arts and sporting events. Register for tickets to a live TV-show taping.
Two weeks before Reserve tickets to the Broad art museum, the Frederick R Weisman Art Foundation and any LA Conservancy walking tour. Also reserve a table at top restaurants, particularly if dining on a Friday or Saturday evening.

2 Arriving in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is more spread out than most major cities. Although vibrant downtown is rather compact, the rest of LA is not. In fact, the city is a quilt with several self-contained neighborhoods knitted together and transport details within and between them vary.

From Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Destination Best Transport Hollywood, Silver Lake Metro bus 42, Metro Red Line Downtown Metro Red Line, FlyAway Union Station West Hollywood, Mid-City FlyAway Westwood, Metro 20/720, Metro 4 Santa Monica BBB 3 Venice BBB 3, CC 1 Culver City FlyAway Westwood, BBB 12 Burbank, Universal City FlyAway Union Station, Metrolink

3 Getting Around
Although car culture still rules LA, more and more Angelenos are relying on ever-evolving public transit options that link up and overlap throughout the region.

m Metro & Metrolink
The Metro subway and light rail system is ever-expanding and links downtown LA with Hollywood, Koreatown, Pasadena, Long Beach, LAX, Culver City and Santa Monica. It also connects with Metrolink light rail service to Burbank and Orange County.

J Bus
The best bus services are offered by LA’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA; % 323-466-3876; www.metro.net ; fares from $1.75), which has a handy trip planner on its website, and Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus .

P Taxi & Ride Hailing
Taxis are quite expensive and should only be used between nearby destinations. Less e