"Getting at the Heart of L.A." Top 5 Page for this destination Los Angeles by marinarena

Hmmm... the City of Angels? OK, so this place is not so angelic but what's in a name anyway? The shot of the artistic giant angel was actually taken in Hollywood, which is a part of Los Angeles despite Ho-town's so-called cityhood. Hollywood is officially a community within the city of Los Angeles.

Perhaps, this angelic symbol is a perfect one for L.A.; it's fake, stylized and in an unnatural setting-yet it still stunning! :-)

My "Los Angeles" page will focus on the ever-developing downtown L.A., but some communities and cities west, east, south & north of the center will be covered as well. The West L.A. page will focus on the popular Westwood area, the quiet and prominent Brentwood (including The Getty Center) and business mecca of Century City, as well as smaller portions of the city due west:
West Los Angeles

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Here, you will discover why I say on my homepage that L.A. is continually "pregnant" with communities inside of it. The following four communities are officially part of Los Angeles, though are such distinct communities that they have separate pages. Still, it is OK to call them L.A. since they lie within the city:

Hollywood,

North Hollywood,
Venice

San Pedro

Many cities of Los Angeles COUNTY, that are often considered as part of what is thought to be L.A. (but are NOT), are highlighted on other pages of mine. They include:

Santa Monica, Pasadena, Glendale, Long Beach, West Hollywood, and Beverly Hills.

For info on the L.A. adjacent South Bay area, check out the Torrance page ,
as well as Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.

Some cities that are mentioned on this group of Los Angeles subpages are smaller cities especially from the San Gabriel Valley (another subregion of the county). Both LA and Pasadena pages will highlight the SGV suburbs.

I reiterate: It's hard to know where Los Angeles begins and ends! I'm still learning about this giant metropolis myself. With every trip, I am more puzzled but I'll try to bring new, fresh aspects of the fabulous metro area and greater L.A.

Downtown LA (Los Angeles)

Check List of Fun/Interesting
Well-Known places :

Downtown LA and immediate surrounding areas

For cultural and history buffs, there is Olvera Street & Union Station in downtown or "Central City" (though no one really says the latter), Chinatown and Little Tokyo .

For clubbing, mingling or just "being seen", go to spots like Weiland's Brewery, and hotels, such as Hotel Figueroa and the Standard (if the bouncers deem you worthy to let you in), also in downtown.

For fine accomodation, try the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and historic Millenium Biltmore Hotel.

Closeby downtwown are the underrated communities of Los Feliz (with Griffith park) & Silverlake featured in off the beaten path tips of L.A.

Western communities of L.A.
Go to the Getty and LACMA museums, Farmer's Market/The Grove and the Westwood Village, and get to know the communities of West L.A., Park La Brea, Westwood and more.

(all featured on my West LA pages)
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The Valley!

All right, to add to the confusion of L.A., I really would be remiss to not mention the official & unofficial northern parts of L.A. which together make up the so-ballyhooed "Valley" (or West Valley).

Many outside of L.A. came to know a little something of "the Valley" in the 80s classic movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High" in which "valley girls" (and people in general) were touted.

To get the feel of the Hollywood industry outside of Hollywood, visit these official communities of L.A, where many of the industry and just the regular folk live and gather :

Read about Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Encino and Tarzana in off the beaten path for now. All deserve their own page really, like the L.A. community of Hollywood.
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Los Angeles- Skyline Beauty

(Picture is taken off the Gold Line Metro rails, Union Station area)

You'll see many more tips especially dealing with downtown L.A. because it is really coming into its own and should gather much more attention!

On my L.A. tips:

--I will have a focus on seasonal events which I'll attend myself, as well as year-round activities in my" Things to dos".

--Tolerate the many pizza & Italian "Restaurant tips" as I am on the continuous search for the best pizza in southern California. Other restaurants, like on the Santa Monica page, for example, also tell of great eats in the general LA vicinity.

--There is much to do on an L.A. night of course. See more "Nightlife tips" L.A. county links above (Santa Monica, Hollywood, West Hollywood, etc)

• Pros:mostly great weather year-round, emerging arts & cultural center, fun nightlife, exciting area that NEVER bores, goregous hillside views throughout the area, a very laidback attitude & lifestyle, new excitement in downtown & downtown-adjacent area
• Cons:too much car traffic & pollution; so widespread to appreciate in a short visit, depressing poor areas, increasingly high living costs in some areas, undeveloped & crime-filled parts like in most cities
• In a nutshell:If you can't live it up in L.A, there really is something wrong with YOU :-)