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Overview

Overview

intro mini:

Is LA a figment of its own imagination?

intro short:

Starlit and moonstruck, LA beguiles scores of curious tourists, hopeful starlets and wannabe rock gods every day. But there's a lot more to it than the siren call of fame and fortune. It's a thriving, multilayered city filled with world-class everything: museums, music, food, architecture, gardens.

At a Glance

Fast Facts

area sqkm: 1215
population: 10100000
timezones: -8 Pacific Time
daylight savings start: first Sunday in April
daylight savings end: last Sunday in October
currency name: US Dollar
currency symbol: US$
electricity voltage: 110V
electricity hz: 60
electrical plugs: elec_3 American-style plug with two parallel flat blades above a circular grounding pin elec_2 Japanese-style plug with two parallel flat blades
mobile network: GSM 1900, CDMA 800
country dialing code:
areacodes:

Downtown 213; Hollywood & Mid-City 323; Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Malibu, Venice 310; Long Beach 562; Pasadena & San Fernando Valley 818; Anaheim & Newport Beach 714

language spokens: Spanish other Native American languages other English essential
when to go:

The peak season in LA is July/August, when every day is sunny and hot; reservations and a fat wallet to match soaring prices are highly recommended. If you prefer smaller crowds and lower prices, the shoulder seasons (March to May and September to November) are a good bet, but remember that June often brings heavy coastal fog. Chances of rain are greatest in winter, but less smog and congestion make up for the occasional sprinkle. The city gets busy around major holidays, especially Thanksgiving.

When to Go

when to go:

The peak season in LA is July/August, when every day is sunny and hot; reservations and a fat wallet to match soaring prices are highly recommended. If you prefer smaller crowds and lower prices, the shoulder seasons (March to May and September to November) are a good bet, but remember that June often brings heavy coastal fog. Chances of rain are greatest in winter, but less smog and congestion make up for the occasional sprinkle. The city gets busy around major holidays, especially Thanksgiving.

Weather

Climate

weather overview:

Los Angeles enjoys a Mediterranean climate and is protected from extremes of temperature and humidity by the mountain ranges to its north and east. August and September are the hottest months, January and February the coolest and wettest. Offshore breezes keep the beach communities cooler in summer and warmer in winter than those further inland, particularly the San Fernando Valley, which is the hottest area in summer and the coldest in winter. The average LA temperature is around 70°F (21°C), though smog-shrouded summer days can get well over 90°F (32°C), while winter temperatures around 55°F (12°C) are not uncommon.

Getting Around

Transport

destination transport topics: getting around overview

Contrary to popular belief, LA does have a fairly comprehensive public transport system. Nearly all communities are served by buses, and a subway and light rail system hits many of the major area attractions, such as Hollywood and Universal Studios. Still, the automobile remains by far the most popular mode of transportation. Before rushing headlong into the bumper-to-bumper melee, consider all of your transport options.

getting around taxi

Unlike New York or Chicago, LA isn't a place you can just thrust your arm out and expect to hail a taxi. Except for those lined up outside airports, train stations, bus stations and major hotels, cabbies respond to phone calls rather than hand waves.

getting around car

LA sprawls over such a huge area that, unless time is no factor or money is extremely tight, you're going to want to spend some time behind the wheel of a car. Despite the sheer volume of traffic, the city isn't hard to navigate if you stick to the major arterials and avoid rush hours. If you want to get down to the nitty-gritty of LA streets, grab a copy of the Thomas Guides map book.

getting around bus

Although LA is definitely built for cars, it is possible to get around on public transport. Main public bus operators include: Metro, which goes most places; Big Blue Bus, which serves the West LA area; Culver City Bus, which does Culver City and the Westside; and DASH, operating within local communities, including Hollywood and Downtown.

getting around walking

Tell an Angeleno, 'I'll just walk' and they're bound to try talking you out of it. Unlike other American cities, LA was built horizontally rather than vertically, and all but a few strips were developed with motorists, rather than pedestrians, in mind. If you hate to see all those sidewalks going to waste, sections of Downtown, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and central Hollywood are walkable - once you've driven or caught a bus there.

getting around underground rail

Metro Rail's Red Line subway runs between Downtown's Union Station and North Hollywood via Hollywood and Universal Studios. The light-rail Blue Line goes from Union Station to Long Beach, Norwalk and Redondo Beach.

Things to Do

Highlights

eat:

This cross-roads culture tosses just about everything in the melting pot.

Los Angeles is the culinary capital of the US West Coast. Some would even argue that it represents the cutting edge of cuisine in the western hemisphere. Why? Because it's willing to experiment, and it stands at a global crossroads that attracts a cosmopolitan mix of people, foods and cuisines.

night:

Stay up all night and watch the stars come out.

LA's nightlife is more than just drunken starlets tousling with paparazzi. A week's worth of nocturnal adventures in LA could see you bouncing from It-crowd clubs to designer bars to hair-metal temples to comedy clubs to ground-breaking theatre.

see:

Stargazing in LA - anywhere else it'd be called 'stalking'.

LA has so many celeb tours and shows to attend you could forget to do anything else. However, there is culture aplenty, including blockbuster museums and the mindbending Walt Disney Concert Hall. In summer, a night of music at the Hollywood Bowl is a treat for ears and soul.

shop:

Are you a mall rat or a vintage kitty-cat?

Although 'Gapification' (the proliferation of retail chains like the Gap, Banana Republic, Pottery Barn and others) is widespread and malls abound, countless offbeat shops in LA's many distinct neighbourhoods will reward those with a knack for browsing and a flair for the unusual.

Event Calendar

key events: New Year's Day 1 Jan Rose Bowl 1 Jan Tournament of Roses Parade 1 Jan Martin Luther King Jr Day third Mon in Jan Super Bowl late Jan African American History Month Feb Presidents' Day third Mon in Feb Mardi Gras Feb/Mar St Patrick's Day mid-Mar Academy Awards Mar Easter Mar/Apr Kentucky Derby May Cinco de Mayo 5 May Memorial Day last Mon in May Gay and Lesbian Pride Celebration Jun Independence Day 4 Jul Summer Pops Festival Jul-Sep International Surf Festival Aug Los Angeles County Fair Sep Labor Day first Mon in Sep Columbus Day second Mon in Oct Halloween 31 Oct Hollywood Christmas Parade Nov AFI-LA International Film Festival Nov Doo Dah Parade Nov - Sat after Thanksgiving Veterans' Day 11 Nov Thanksgiving fourth Thu in Nov Las Posadas 16-24 Dec Christmas Day 25 Dec

Activities

activities: team sports Prefer sitting on your butt and watching other people exert themselves? The LA Dodgers baseball team are the focus of sporting fanaticism in summer; they play from April to October at Dodger Stadium, just north of Downtown. basketball To check out the legendary LA Lakers, head to the Staples Center, next to the Convention Center in Downtown, during the winter months. For something a little more homespun, UCLA's college basketball team, the Bruins, is one of the best in the country and well worth a look. surfing In Malibu, Surfrider Beach is a surfing favourite. To the North, Zuma is the largest and sandiest of LA's county-owned beaches, with rough surf and plenty of oily hardbodies. Manhattan Beach in the south is jam-packed on summer days with swimmers, volleyball players and the American-as-apple-pie local residents - it's arguably the nearest thing you'll find to the 'California Dream'. hiking Urban hiking is your best bet but to experience the great outdoors LA's surrounding mountains are good day-hike destinations. Try the rugged Santa Monica Mountains, especially Topanga State Park or Malibu State Park, both inland from Malibu, or Griffith Park, north of Hollywood. downhill The main area for downhill skiing is Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino National Forest, 180km (110mi) northeast of LA. The season lasts roughly from mid-December until March or April and, contrary to the cliché, the skiing is generally only good in the morning. Groomed runs and moguls are excellent, but don't expect much powder. The best part about Big Bear is the weather - sunshine 90% of the time and T-shirt temperatures in spring. swimming (outdoor) The most popular and populated swimming beaches are Santa Monica, Venice and Manhattan but, with miles and miles of wide sandy shores to enjoy, even they rarely get packed with people. Zuma Beach is one of LA's most beautiful, and the swimming, body-surfing and people-watching here is excellent. Immediately south of Zuma, Westward Beach is good for families. cycling One of the best bike trails in LA is the South Bay Bicycle Trail, a flat 35km (22mi) paved path that follows the beach south from Santa Monica to Torrance Beach. The newly expanded LA River Bikeway runs alongside a surprisingly wild and pleasant stretch of the river from Atwater Village to Burbank.

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