LA is a young city; in the mid-nineteenth century, it was a community of white American immigrants, poor Chinese laborers and wealthy Mexican ranchers, with a population of less than fifty thousand. Only on completion of the transcontinental railroad in the 1880s did it really begin to grow. The old ranches were subdivided, and the enduring symbol of the city became the family-sized suburban house (with swimming pool and two-car garage), set amidst the orange groves in a glorious land of sunshine. The real boom came after World War II with the mushrooming of the aeronautics industry – which, until the recent post-Cold War military cutbacks, accounted for one in four jobs.
The first-time visitor may well find Los Angeles thrilling and threatening in equal proportions; it’s a place that picks you up and sweeps you along whether you want it to or not. Sure, it has its fine-art museums and so on, but what people really come here for is to experience the city that has come to epitomize the American Dream – most obviously in the fantasy worlds of Disneyland and Hollywood, but also in the half-flaunted, half-concealed opulence of Beverly Hills and Malibu.
The City
If LA has a heart, however, it’s downtown, in the center of the basin. It offers a taste of almost everything you’ll find elsewhere around the city, from avant-garde art to the abject dereliction of Skid Row in the Eastside, compressed into an area of small, easily walkable blocks. The area around downtown contains some decaying Victorian suburbs, 1920s Art Deco buildings and the center of LA’s enormous and growing Hispanic population.
A broad corridor runs 25 miles west from downtown to the coast. The first district you come to, Hollywood, has streets caked with movie legend – even if the genuine glamour is long gone. Adjoining West LA is home to the city’s newest money, shown off in Beverly Hills and along the Sunset Strip. Santa Monica and Venice to the west are the quintessential seafront LA of palm trees, white sands and laid-back living, while the coastline itself stretches another twenty miles northwest to glorious, glamorous Malibu, home to the select few who’ve made it.
Suburban Orange County, to the southeast, holds little of interest apart from Disneyland. On the far side of the northern hills lie the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys, distanced from mainstream LA life socially as well as geographically, and the butt of most Angeleno hick jokes.
Festivals
- January
- 1 Tournament of Roses in Pasadena. A parade of floral floats and marching bands along Colorado Boulevard.
- February
- First full moon after 21st Chinese New Year. Three days of dragon-float street parades, based in Chinatown.
- March
- 17 St Patrick’s Day. Related events all over the city, with some bars serving green beer.
- End The Academy Awards are presented at the Shrine Auditorium or Dorothy Chandler Pavilion; legendary citywide parties ensue.
- April
- Early The Blessing of the Animals. A long-established Mexican-originated ceremony thanking animals for their services to humans. Pets are blessed in Olvera Street, followed by a parade.
- May
- 5 Cinco de Mayo. Day-long commemoration of the Mexican victory at the battle of Puebla. With several blocks closed to downtown traffic, the celebration features a spirited parade in Olvera Street and celebrations with Mexican food, drink and music in most LA parks.
- June
- Late Gay Pride. Parade on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. Carnival atmosphere and an all-male drag football cheer team. Other events in various parts of the city.
- July
- Independence Day (4th)The Queen Mary in Long Beach hosts a particularly large fireworks display, as well as colorful entertainment.
- August
- First two weeks Culmination of the South Bay’s International Surf Festival, where globally famed surfers compete amid crowds of tourists and beach volleyball players.
- September
- 4 LA’s birthday. A civic ceremony and assorted street entertainment around El Pueblo de Los Angeles to mark the founding of the original pueblo in 1781.
- Last two weeks LA County Fair in distant Pomona, in the San Gabriel Valley. The country’s biggest; livestock shows, eating contests and fairground rides.
- October
- Second weekend LA Street Scene. Free rock music, fringe theater and comedy on the streets of downtown. Usually running at the same time is the West Hollywood Street Festival, a display of handmade arts and crafts and a general slap on the back for LA’s newest constituent city, founded in 1984.
- Middle Watts Jazz Festival. Two days of free music with the Watts Towers as a backdrop.
- November
- End Hollywood Christmas Parade. The first and best of the many Yuletide events, with a cavalcade of mind-boggling floats.
- December
- 13th Christmas Boat Parade. A flotilla of yachts and powerboats gets decorated in bright holiday lights and cruises around Marina del Rey.
Arrival, information and getting around
By plane
If you’re arriving from elsewhere in the US, or from Mexico, you might just land at one of the other airports in the LA area – at Burbank, Long Beach, Ontario, Newport Beach or Orange County’s John Wayne Airport. MTA buses (tel 213/626-4455 or 1-800/COMMUTE) serve them all – phone on arrival and tell them where you are and where you’re going.
By bus or train
Arriving in LA by train you’ll be greeted with the expansive architecture of Union Station, 800 N Alameda St (tel 213/624-0171), on the north side of downtown.
Information
For general delivery/poste restante, use the main downtown post office at 760 N Main St (Mon–Fri 8am–7pm, Sat 8am–4pm; zip code 90012; tel 1-800/275-8777).
City transportation
Some people are surprised to find sidewalks in LA, let alone pedestrians, but within districts such as downtown, Santa Monica or central Hollywood, walking is the best way to explore.
Public transportation
Car-less Angelenos are still most at ease, however, with buses, most of which are run by the LA County Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA, or “Metro”), still sometimes abbreviated to its old name, the RTD. For information, phone 213/626-4455 or 1-800/COMMUTE (Mon–Fri 7.30am–3.30pm), or call in (Mon–Fri only) at 515 S Flower St (level C of Arco Plaza) or 6249 Hollywood Blvd (Mon–Fri 10am–6pm). Buses on the major arteries between downtown and the coast run roughly every fifteen minutes between 5am and 2am; other routes, and the all-night services along the major thoroughfares, are less frequent. At night, be careful not to get stranded alone downtown waiting for a connection.
The standard single fare is $1.35; transfers cost 25¢ more; express buses, and any others using the freeway, are $1.85 up to $3.85. A monthly pass costs $42, slightly more to include express buses, and a student pass is $30. Smaller DASH buses run five routes around downtown, and a Hollywood service weekdays and Saturdays (25¢ flat fare).
Taxis don’t cruise the streets: among the more reliable companies are the Independent Cab Co (tel 1-800/521-8294), LA Taxi (tel 1-800/200-1085) and United Independent Taxi (tel 1-800/411-0303).
Major LA bus routes (MTA)
- FROM
DOWNTOWN TO:.
- Santa Monica #22, #434 (express).
- Venice #33, #333, #436 (express).
- LAX #42, #439.
- Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale #90, #91.
- Exposition Park #38, #81.
- Huntington Library #79.
- Burbank Studios #96.
- Long Beach #60.
- Disneyland #460 (express).
- San Pedro #445, #446, #447 (all express), transfer to LADOT #142 for Catalina terminal.
- TO
AND FROM DOWNTOWN:.
- Along Hollywood Blvd #1.
- Along Sunset Blvd #2, #3, #302.
- Along Santa Monica Blvd #4, #304.
- Along Melrose Ave #10, #11.
- Along Wilshire Blvd #20, #21, #22, #320 (limited stops, but faster than #20).
Cycling
For more regional information on Los Angeles, go to:
- Airport (Los Angeles International [LAX])
- Anaheim (incl. Disneyland)
- Downtown LA
- Hollywood
- North of LA
- Orange County (Buena Park, La Jolla & Newport Beach)
- Santa Monica Bay
- South Bay
- West LA
For more travel information on Los Angeles, go to:
