Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [55]
A series of seminal events caused LA’s population to swell to two million by 1930: the collapse of the northern-California gold rush in the 1850s, the arrival of the railroad in the 1870s, the birth of the citrus industry in the late 1800s, the discovery of oil in 1892, the launch of the harbor in San Pedro in 1907 and the opening of the LA aqueduct in 1913.
During WWI, the Lockheed brothers and Donald Douglas established aircraft manufacturing plants in LA. Two decades later, the aviation industry – helped along by billions of federal dollars for military contracts – was among the industries that contributed to a real-estate boom and sparked suburban sprawl. Another, of course, was the film industry, which took root here as early as 1908.
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ORIENTATION
Los Angeles may be vast and amorphous, but the areas of interest to visitors are actually fairly well defined so it’s easy to concentrate on particular areas. About 15 miles inland, Downtown LA finds itself fully in the grip of gentrification and combines high-brow culture with global-village pizzazz, a growing loft scene and an up-and-coming arts district. Pasadena, to the northeast, is a Euro-flavored mansion- and museum-packed enclave, while boho-chic Silver Lake and Los Feliz lie to the northwest. The latter borders the large urban playground of Griffith Park, home of the Hollywood Sign. Hip-again Hollywood itself is a bit further west of Griffith Park, but most TV and movie studios are actually north of the park in Burbank and Studio City in the San Fernando Valley.
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FAST FACTS
Population LA County 10.3 million (2007)
Population city of LA 4.2 million (2007)
Average temps Jan 47/66°F, July 62/82°F
LA to Disneyland 26 miles
LA to San Diego 120 miles
LA to Palm Springs 110 miles
LA to Santa Barbara 95 miles
LA to Las Vegas 270 miles
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Urban designer chic, raucous nightlife and lesbigays rule West Hollywood, an oddly shaped independent city that segues seamlessly into Mid-City where Museum Row is the main draw. Further west are ritzy Beverly Hills, Westwood with UCLA, estate-rich Bel-Air, burgeoning Culver City with the Sony Pictures, and upscale Brentwood with the hilltop Getty Center.
Santa Monica is the most tourist-friendly of the beach towns with fun beaches, shopping and dining. Others include swish-but-low-key Malibu, funky Venice, the purebred South Bay trio of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach, and finally, hopping Long Beach.
Getting around is easiest by car, although public transport is usually adequate within specific neighborhoods. For information on traveling to and from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Click here.
Maps
Supermarkets, gas stations, tourist offices and convenience stores all sell maps, but the best are those published by the American Automobile Association (AAA; 800-874-7532; www.aaa.com), which has numerous branches around town, including one in West LA (off Map; 310-914-8500; 1900 S Sepulveda Blvd; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri) and another in Mid-City (Map; 323-525-0018; 5500 Wilshire Blvd; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri). AAA’s Central & Western Area map is the single most useful map. Maps cost about $4 each but are free to members of AAA and its foreign affiliates.
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INFORMATION
Bookstores
Acres of Books (Map; 562-437-6980; 240 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach) Labyrinthine and rather maddeningly crammed, this is definitely the ‘mother’ of all used bookstores.
Bodhi Tree (Map; 310-659-1733; 8585 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood) Celebrity-heavy dispensary of used and new metaphysical tomes, spiritual music and aura-enhancing incense. Psychic readings, too.
Book Soup (Map; 310-659-3110; 8818 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood) Bibliophile’s indie gem packed with entertainment, travel, queer studies and eclectic fiction, plus appearances by big-name authors.
Distant Lands (Map; 626-449-3220; 56 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena) Treasure chest of travel books, guides