Downtown

El Pueblo de Los Angeles (and Olvera Street)
The birthplace of Los Angeles, just north of the financial district with its huge skyscrapers, is now a state historic park. In 1781, Father Junipero Serra (founder of many of California’s Spanish missions) and Don Felipe de Neve (governor of California) journeyed north from Mexico and established a pueblo here on the site of a former Indian village. Its name, El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula (The Town of Our Lady Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula), outweighed its size and it was soon shortened to Los Angeles. The 27 historic adobe buildings date from the early 19th century and pay tribute to the city’s Spanish heritage. They include the Avila Adobe, the city’s oldest home; the Old Plaza Church and the Sepulveda House, which now serves as the El Pueblo Visitor Information Center. The heart of the district is Olvera Street, a lively place with strolling mariachi bands, stalls selling Mexican handicrafts and good Mexican restaurants, some still run by the original families.

North Alameda and Spring Streets
Tel: (213) 628 1274.
Website: www.cityofla.org/ELP/hisnfo.htm
Opening hours: (Summer) daily 1000-2000, (Nov-Mar) daily 1000-1900. The visitor centre is open daily 0900-1600.
Free admission.

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
Housed in a striking red sandstone building designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, this celebrated art museum showcases the work of leading modern artists. The permanent collection features the likes of Piet Mondrian and Mark Rothko, while temporary exhibitions highlight contemporary themes and artists of international renown. Pyramid skylights enhance the bright galleries, while the courtyard boasts an attractive fountain. MOCA has a secondary site, located close by and accessible by free shuttle, called Geffen Contemporary, which hosts changing exhibitions in an old warehouse. MOCA’s newest third venue is at the Pacific Design Centre in West Hollywood, which focuses on contemporary architecture and design.

California Plaza, 250 South Grand Avenue
Opening hours: Mon, Fri 1100-1700, Tues, Wed closed, Thurs 1100-2000, Sat, Sun 1100-1800.
Admission charge, free Thurs 1700-2000.

Geffen Contemporary
152 North Central Avenue
Please note: temporarily closed; due to re-open March 2007.

Pacific Design Centre
8687 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood
Tel: (213) 626 6222.
Website: www.moca-la.org
Opening hours: Tues, Wed, Fri 1100-1700, Thurs 1100-2000, Sat-Sun 1100-1800.
Admission charge.

Southwest Museum
Los Angeles’ first museum (established in 1907) contains one of the foremost collections of Native American art and artefacts in the nation. Enlightening exhibits on tribal life are well presented and there are fine examples of traditional kachina dolls (handcrafted by Hopi Indians), native dress and ceremonial costumes, musical instruments, ceramics, weapons, everyday objects and a large display of basketry. The museum lies just north of Downtown, on a hillside beyond Dodger Stadium.

234 Museum Drive
Tel: (323) 221 2164.
Website: www.southwestmuseum.org
Opening hours: Sat-Sun 1200-1700.
Free admission.

Walt Disney Concert Hall
The stainless steel ribbon-like exterior of the LA Philharmonic’s home shimmers and sparkles in the sunlight. It took 16 years to construct this US$270m metal masterpiece, and architect Frank Gehry has outdone himself. The sleek, 2,265-seat building is said to have one of the world’s most highly developed acoustical systems. Most noteworthy is its huge organ containing 6,134 pipes ranging from pencil-size to as large as 9.5m (32ft) high.

111 South Grand Avenue
Tel: (323) 850 2000.
Website: http://wdch.laphil.com
Opening hours for self-guided tours: Non-matinee days 1000-1400; matinee days 1000-1100.
Admission charge.

Hollywood

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Built by showman Sid Grauman in 1927, this is the most famous of the flamboyant picture palaces along this stretch of Hollywood Boulevard. As part of the development of the area (see Hollywood and Highland below), the theatre has been extensively renovated; the inside has been opulently restored, while the exotic oriental façade is resplendent in its pastel greens, crowned by a red pagoda roof. The ticket booth has been moved from the forecourt - which remains the main attraction here. It is where the hand and footprints of Hollywood celebrities are embedded into the cement. This signature parade started quite by accident when, at the grand opening, actress Constance Talmadge tripped and stepped in wet cement. Among the more unusual signatures are Jimmy Durante’s nose and the hoof prints of Roy Roger’s horse Trigger. All kinds of characters hang out at Grauman’s; people, just looking to make a couple of bucks, dress like famous characters such as Michael Jackson, Sponge Bob Square Pants, Spiderman, Elmo and Marilyn Monroe. VIP backstage tours take about 35 minutes and include a short film. The cinema still shows first-run movies, another way to see its lavish interior. Other art deco theatres nearby that are worth a look are Pacific El Capitan, The Egyptian and Pantages.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame passes outside the front of the Chinese Theatre. This trail of bronze stars embedded in the paving stones runs 5.5km (3.5 miles) along Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea and Gower Streets and along Vine Street between Yucca Street and Sunset Boulevard. It honours artists in the film, television and music industries and the first star imbedded in the pavement in 1960 was one for Joanne Woodward. Today, they number well over 2,000.

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
6925 Hollywood Boulevard
Tel: (323) 464 8111 or 463 9576 for tour times.
Website: www.manntheatres.com/chinese
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours (forecourt).
Free admission (forecourt); charge for tours.

Hollywood Walk of Fame
Website: www.hollywoodchamber.net

Hollywood and Highland
Built around the Chinese Theatre, as part of a US$615m plan to revitalise Hollywood Boulevard, this massive retail and entertainment complex, which opened in 2001, is known as Hollywood and Highland because of its location above the Hollywood and Highland subway station. The open-air, five-storey complex includes shops, restaurants, nightclubs, theatres, cinemas, a hotel, a ballroom and the Hollywood Motion Picture Collection. It is also home to the Kodak Theater, often known as the Academy Awards Theater as it has become the permanent venue for the Oscars ceremony. The complex’s observation tower showcases a panoramic view of the famous Hollywood sign.

6801 Hollywood Boulevard
Tel: (323) 467 6412.
Website: www.hollywoodandhighland.com
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-2200, Sun 1000-1900.
Free admission, charge for attractions.

Hollywood History Museum
The Max Factor Building has been restored to its original 1935 state and now houses the Hollywood History Museum. The museum features a wide array of exhibits, including costumes and props used in Hollywood films; photographs, posters, scripts, awards and more. Displays begin with the Silent Era and work their way through Hollywood’s Golden Era, to state-of-the-art technology and the future of the industry. Particularly impressive are the special events at the museum, where the presentations on Hollywood history are given by those who actually helped to forge that history. The site will also feature Mel’s Drive-In (the retro diner that is an example of pure Americana) made famous in the George Lucas film American Graffiti.

Max Factor Building
1660 North Highland Avenue
Tel: (323) 464 7776.
Website: www.thehollywoodmuseum.com
Opening hours: Thurs-Sun 1000-1700.
Admission charge.

Universal Studios Hollywood
Part film and TV studio, part theme park, Universal Studios is one of the most popular attractions in Los Angeles. A behind-the-scenes tram tour of film sets has a simulated flash flood and collapsing bridge, as well as surprise attacks by the shark from Jaws and by King Kong. Revenge of the Mummy, a roller coaster thrill ride, and Van Helsing: Fortress Dracula, which attempts to make the movie come to life, are the park’s newest offerings. The studio treats guests to working TV and movie sets including Crossing Jordon and CSI:Crime Scene Investigation. With stunt shows, musical entertainment and a variety of thrill rides, such as the new Simpsons ride, it is a lively day of Hollywood at its best.

100 Universal City Plaza
Tel: 1 800 8648 37725/UNIVERSAL.
Website: www.universalstudios.com
Opening hours: Vary from month to month; between 1000-1800 and 0800-2200.
Admission charge.

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
This classic 12-storey 305-room hotel celebrated its 75th diamond anniversary in 2002. The oldest continuously operating hotel in Hollywood, the Roosevelt Hotel is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places and is a Hollywood Historic Site. It was founded by a syndicate of Hollywood luminaries in 1927 and was actually the birthplace of the Academy Awards, as the first Oscars ceremony took place here on 19 May 1929. Recently restored to its Spanish colonial splendour, it is one of the key attractions on Hollywood Boulevard.

7000 Hollywood Boulevard
Tel: (323) 466 7000 or 1 800 950 7667.
Website: www.hollywoodroosevelt.com
Opening hours: All day.
Free admission.

The Westside

Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits
Smack in the middle of LA, the La Brea Tar Pits are a fascinating survival from prehistoric times. They have yielded more than four million fossils (one of the largest caches in the world) from the Pleistocene Era, dating back 40,000 years. Inside the museum are the skeletons of long-extinct animals, such as the imperial mammoth, giant sloth, sabre-toothed tiger and dire wolf. All became trapped and preserved in the thick black tar, or ‘brea’, that seeped up through the ground. Visitors can watch palaeontologists cleaning and cataloguing fossils and see excavations from viewing stations beside the tar pits.

5801 Wilshire Boulevard
Tel: (323) 934 7243/PAGE.
Website: www.tarpits.org
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0930-1700, Sat and Sun 1000-1700.
Admission charge, free the first Tuesday of each month.

Petersen Car Museum
Expect to see some pretty fancy cars, including the hand-made Bugatti; but the real objective of this museum is to underscore the automobile’s influence on LA culture. A streetscape, with a surface changing from dirt to gravel to tar, follows the history of the city. Architecture and cars along the ‘street’ change with the time period and culminate with the first drive-up strip mall. Don’t miss the Hollywood Gallery that features cars used in films and owned by celebrities; the Hot Wheels Hall of Fame with real cars patterned after the toy ones; plus interactive exhibits for the whole family.

6060 Wilshire Drive (at Fairfax)
Tel: (323) 930 2277/CARS.
Website: www.petersen.org
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800.
Admission charge.

Craft and Folk Art Museum
This little gem of a museum is often mistakenly overlooked; the changing exhibits (six to eight per year) in its two galleries feature arts and crafts from around the world. The mission is to shed life on the culture from which these handmade items come. For example, there was a recent exhibit of Palestinian embroidery. An added bonus is the gift shop - it offers unique crafts from the visiting exhibits.

5814 Wilshire Boulevard
Tel: (323) 937 4230.
Website: www.cafam.org
Opening hours: Mon, Wed, Fri 1100-1700, Thurs 1000-1900, Sat-Sun 1200-1800.
Admission charge, free first Wednesday of the month.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Housed in five main buildings, most of which are clustered around a courtyard, this outstanding collection of art and artefacts (over 150,000 of them) forms one of the leading art museums in the United States. In the enormous Ahmanson Building, art, sculpture and decorative arts from Asia, Europe and the Americas are on display. Highlights of the collection include the Indian and Southeast Asian art collection, regarded as the finest in the West; the Western Art galleries and pre-Columbian artefacts from Latin America. There is a special Japanese Pavilion designed by Frank Lloyd Wright; the striking, modern Robert O Anderson Building, and the Bing Theater. The museum is currently undergoing a huge expansion which is scheduled to be completed in 2007.

5905 Wilshire Boulevard
Tel: (323) 857 6000.
Website: www.lacma.org
Opening hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs 1200-2000, Fri 1200-2100, Sat and Sun 1100-2000. Admission charge; free after 1700.

UCLA Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center
The main collection at this museum is an impressive display of Old Masters, Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings, which were acquired by the late industrialist Armand Hammer. This collection is shown on a rotating basis and includes works by Constable, Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Monet, as well as a room full of lithographs by Daumier. Run by UCLA, the museum also displays exhibitions from the Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, which cover graphic art from the Renaissance to the present day. There is also a distinguished outdoor Sculpture Garden, as well as special exhibitions and programmes.

10899 Wilshire Boulevard
Tel: (310) 443 7000.
Website: www.hammer.ucla.edu
Opening hours: Tues-Sat 1100-1900 (until 2100 on Thurs), Sun 1100-1700.
Admission charge, free Thursday.

Getty Center
From the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, the marble terraces of the Getty Center afford spectacular panoramic views of the city, the mountains and the ocean. The unique buildings, designed by architect Richard Meier, employ simple forms, such as squares and circles. They contain not only J Paul Getty’s painting collection (interesting but hardly top rank), but a centre for the study of archaeology, culture, art history and humanities. The changing exhibitions vary from Byzantine art to American photographers. The galleries display sculpture, photographs, drawings, furniture and more than 100 illuminated manuscripts. Lectures, concerts and educational programmes are also held here. The Getty Center is surrounded by beautiful gardens with rare and native plants and trees. The handheld electronic Getty Guide, a self-guided audio tour, is worth the small charge. Visitors should plan to stay for a whole day.

1200 Getty Center Drive
Tel: (310) 440 7300.
Website: www.getty.edu
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800 (until 2100 Fri and Sat).
Free admission, charge for on-site parking (reservation essential).

Getty Villa
Replaced by the Getty Center in 1974, this beautiful structure (modelled after Italy’s Villa del Papiri) was originally built to house Getty’s personal collection. The 21.4-hectare (64-acre) facility has recently re-opened as an antiquities museum with a focus on arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome and Etruria. Laid out like a private home, each room is a themed gallery. For example, one room is dedicated to the theatre with Dionysus and the head of Bacchus and another to the Iliad and the Odyssey. There is also an interactive kids’ room with materials to reproduce works of art. It is worth the visit just to admire the grounds.

1200 Getty Center Drive
Tel: (310) 440 7370.
Website: www.getty.edu
Opening hours: Thurs-Mon 1000-1700.
Free admission but advance, timed tickets are required. They are available by telephone or can be reserved online up to three months in advance and a limited number of same-day are offered daily at the Getty Center. Parking is charged.

Museum of Tolerance
Given a ‘passport’ of a Holocaust child, the visitor embarks on a moving journey from the Jewish ghettos to Hitler’s death camps. At the end of the hour-long timed tour, the child’s ultimate fate is revealed. Though the main focus is on the Holocaust, the museum contains high-tech, interactive exhibits that explore racism and bigotry in America through events such as the LA riots of 1992, while the Tolerancenter focuses on major intolerance issues in daily life. Upstairs are archives and a multimedia learning centre. Allow at least two hours to experience this thought-provoking museum.

9786 West Pico Boulevard
Tel: (310) 553 8403 or 1 800 900 9036.
Website: www.museumoftolerance.com
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 1000-1830, Fri 1000-1700, Sun 1000-1700. Last admission two hours before closing time.
Admission charge.

Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens
In one visit, it is virtually impossible to fit everything on this lavish estate. The former home of railroad tycoon Henry E Huntington is filled with French porcelain, tapestries, American paintings and a remarkable collection of British and French art from the 18th and 19th centuries. Famous highlights are Gainsborough’s Blue Boy and Lawrence’s Pinkie. Among the four million items in the Library are rare books and manuscripts: a Gutenberg Bible, an early 15th-century manuscript of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and early editions of Shakespeare. Visitors should save some time to stroll in the beautiful Botanical Gardens, whose 81 hectares (200 acres) include a Japanese garden, desert garden and rose garden. An authentic Chinese garden (currently under construction) is expected to open fully in Autumn 2008.

1151 Oxford Road, San Marino
Tel: (626) 405 2100.
Website: www.huntington.org
Opening hours: Tues-Fri 1200-1630, Sat and Sun 1030-1630.
Admission charge.

Norton Simon Museum
This renowned collection of European art ranges from the Renaissance to the 20th century. There are works by Rembrandt, Picasso, the Impressionists, a collection of Degas’ sculptures, as well as leading works by Rodin. The sculptures from southeast Asia and India, spanning 2000 years, are breathtaking.

411 West Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena
Tel: (626) 449 6840.
Website: www.nortonsimon.org
Opening hours: Daily except Tues 1200-1800 (until 2100 Fri).
Admission charge.

Mission San Fernando, Rey de España
Named after St Ferdinand, King of Spain (1217-1252), this mission was founded in 1797. Much of the original structure remains except for the Old Mission Church, which was reconstructed after the 1971 earthquake. Self-guided tours include the church (visited by Pope John Paul in 1987) the museum, workshops, convent and gardens. Towards the rear is the Bob Hope Memorial Garden where the world famous entertainer is buried.

15151 San Fernando Mission Boulevard, Mission Hills
Tel: (818) 361 0186.
Website: www.californiamissions.com/cahistory/sanfernando.html
Admission charged.

Beach Cities

Santa Monica
Long and wide, Santa Monica Boulevard, if followed to its western end, comes out on Santa Monica itself. It sits at the crossroads of Pacific Coast Highway (Route One) and California I-10. With its village feel, its cafés, shops and restaurants, it is one of the more people-friendly areas of Los Angeles - it has the only pedestrianised street in the city, for example. The place is famed for its 5.5km (2.5-mile) beach and its famous landmark, the Santa Monica Pier, juts out into the Pacific from a wide sandy beach. It is one of the most nostalgic spots in LA. The original fishing pier was built in 1909 and another one for strolling was added in 1921, but by the 1970s both were in a shabby state. In the 1980s, a restoration programme rejuvenated the pier. Besides the original arcades (now Playland Arcade) and the carousel dating from 1916, there is now an aquarium, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, and Pacific Park, an amusement park with rides, a Ferris wheel, a small rollercoaster and a tower ride which rises to 12m (40ft). During the summer, there is dancing and live music on Thursday nights. A good time to go is towards the end of the day as the sunsets can be fabulous, especially at the very western end of Sunset Boulevard (obviously enough).

Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau
1920 Main Street Suite B
Tel: (310) 319 6263 or 1 800 544 5319.
Website: www.santamonica.com

Colorado and Ocean Avenues
Tel: (310) 458 8900.
Website: www.santamonicapier.org
Free admission.

Playland Arcade
Tel: (310) 451 5133.
Website: www.playlandarcade.com
Opening hours: Sun-Thurs 1000-2400, Fri and Sat 1000-0200. Changes seasonally.
Free admission.

Santa Monica Pier Aquarium
Tel: (310) 393 6149.
Website: www.healthebay.org
Opening hours: Currently closed for renovations. Will reopen in November 2006. Tues-Fri 1400-1700, Sat and Sun 1230-1700.
Admission charge.

Pacific Park
380 Santa Monica PierTel: (310) 260 8744.
Website: www.pacpark.com
Opening hours: Summer (late May-early Sept) Sun-Thurs 1100-2300, Fri and Sat 1100-2430; winter/spring Mon-Fri; Ferris wheel only 1200-1800; all rides open Fri 1800-2400, Sat 1100-2400, Sun 1100-2100. (Hours are also dependent on weather conditions.)
Free admission, charge for rides.

Venice Beach
Further south along the coast is the slightly more bohemian Venice Beach. Its Boardwalk, a path alongside the beach, is one of the liveliest places to view LA joie de vivre. Buskers, mime artists, painters, cyclists, palm readers and rollerbladers all mingle here, chilling out, hustling, cruising the sands, wearing colourful attire and often very little at all. There are shops, stalls and cafés for people-watching. The notorious Muscle Beach, which relocated here after the Santa Monica Pier closed in 1959, is where male and female weight lifters pec-flex in the sun - it is the place for ogling.

Marine Street to the Venice Pier
Tel: (310) 392 4687, ext 6.
Website: www.westland.net/venice

Marina del Rey
To the south of Venice, 40km (25 miles) from Los Angeles, are the beaches, water sports, bike and walking trails, shopping and restaurants that comprise the heart of this seaside resort town. Most activities centre on its huge man-made marina, the nation’s largest. The marina is a haven for more than 5,300 pleasure boats, so if you want to sail, fish, whale watch or cruise, this is the place.

4701 Admiralty Way
Tel: (310) 305 9545.
Website: www.visitthemarina.com

Pasadena
Except for New Year’s Day, when all eyes turn to the Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl football game, Pasadena is a quiet place. Nestled at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, its tree-lined streets and open-air shopping districts, like Paseo Colorado, Salt Lake Avenue, quaint Old Pasadena and the Norton Simon Museum, make it a lovely place for a stroll.

171 South Los Robles Avenue
Tel: (626) 795 9311 or 1 800 307 7977.
Website: www.pasadenacal.com

© 2006 Columbus Travel Publishing Ltd. Disclaimer

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