Los Angeles

Los Angeles (LA)

Los Angeles is a sprawled metropolis, that stretches approx. 1'200 square kilometers along the Californian Pacific coast. The population is over 13 million. The official city limits range from the San Gabriel Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Many popular tourist spots are situated very close to downtown Los Angeles: Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Venice Beach and Pasadena. Two big universities are also close by.
LA has, just like San Diego, a south Californian climate with lots of sunshine and warm weather. With more than 300 days of sunshine per year, one bad day here and there doesn't seem to bother anyone. In winter the temperature tends to be around 20 degrees Celsius.
A classical visit to Los Angeles has to include a stop at Venice Beach, where roller skaters, bike riders, weight lifters, and street artists can all be seen doing their thing! Here at the front, you will find kilometers of sandy beaches that stretch up to Malibu and even further north. With a bit of luck you might just catch THAT wave, that surfers wait hours for at Newport Beach or at Will Rogers Beach Park.
Above the San Fernando Valley, on Mulholland Drive, you can enjoy a breath taking view over the city and its beaches. On Ventura Boulevard you might find a bargain in one of the many boutiques and shops, or you might be fortunate enough to bump into a famous actor or actress.
Note the annual festivals such as the 'Firecracker Run' in February, the 'Surf Festival' in August or the 'Hollywood's Halloween Carnival' in November.

Los Angeles – The city of the Angel
Los Angeles, abbreviated L.A., is situated in the state of California, the sunny state of America. It is the second biggest city in the USA, New York being the biggest, and has almost 4 million inhabitants. Los Angeles – the city of the Angel. This was taken from the original name of the city: 'El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles', translated from spanish, this means: 'The village of the King of the Angels'. Los Angeles is an abbreviation for the original name 'the Angel'.

Hollywood
Many places of interest in Los Angeles are situated rather far apart, and they tend to be related to the film industry. Allow a lot of time for travelling in your schedule, if you have to take the bus and/or the train. The quickest way is with a car, or with a tour bus, unless you travel in the rush hour. It is important to note that it is forbidden to drive in certain parts of the city, for instance on Sunset Boulevard (with the lovely palmtrees), well known from the TV series in the 90's 'Beverly Hills'. Walkways are very rare, apart from the famous 'Walk of Fame' in Hollywood. Here you will find a whole mile with names of many actors and actresses embedded in copper 'Stars' on the pavement. It is easy to forget the time while you are searching for your favourite actor or actress. You can't miss the Kodak Theater, where the Academy Awards (Oscars) take place every year. On the opposite side of the road, is the Roosevelt Hotel, in which the most popular American Präsidenten of the 60's, John F. Kennedy, supposedly had an affair with Marilyn Monroe. The very first Oscar presentation in 1929 also took place in this hotel.

Other interesting sights not to be missed in this massive 'Film metropolis', include the big Hill engraved with Hollywood, the gigantic view over the city, and the Universal Filmstudios. You will need to plan a whole day for the Filmstudios, because there is so much to see and do. You can even set yourself up in a scene from Wisteria Lane out of the series 'Desperate Housewives', watch as a massive wave gathers strength and nears the shore, or witness a big Tanker exploding.

Rodeo Drive is just as famous due to its debut in films and on television. It is the most exclusive shopping mile in L.A. Here you will find lots of shops with luxury items, many of which you can only enter if you are a regular guest, and many of which only open if you have made an official appointment (and they will open in the middle of the night for you, if it has to be). Of course you will not find the prices of the items in the shop on display in the shop window.

Art and Culture
Modern buildings and skyscrapers dominate the skyline of Los Angeles. If you were hoping to encounter an old building during the city tour, then you will have to spend a lot of time searching. Occasionally you may see an old library in between post modern skyscrapers downtown close to the Pershing Plaza, or the small Old Town with the foundation cross opposite the Union Station. These points of interest remind one of the beginning of a relatively young city.

Art fanatics should not forget the Getty Center situated high above Beverly Hills: with exhibitions displaying a range of objects such as paintings from many eras including Van Gogh's 'Bell Lilies' or Barock Bronze figures. Special exhibitions seem to attract the most visitors.

Go with the flow
If you would like to escape the city hustle and bustle, then a trip to Disneyland or a stroll on the beach at Santa Monica is just the right solution. Venice Beach is very popular with the young and the old, where the lay back lifestyle and lots of colourful activity meet. Apart from an unbelievable number of shops and restaurants, you will find many sport fanatics such as surfers, bike riders, joggers, skaters and dancers. At the end of the beach you will even find an open air Fitnessstudio.

The ideal way to end a day in Los Angeles is on the beach watching the sun go down, or at a concert in the 'House of Blues'. Then you can begin to plan the next: a visit to the 'Walt Disney Concert Hall', the home of the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra, or maybe a visit to the Hollywood Cemetery, where you will find many famous Hollywoodstars resting in peace. However you decide to plan your day – there is a lot to see.