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The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles
Photo: AP

Tinseltown
Dan Glaister
“A bright, guilty place,” Orson Welles.

What is surprising about LA, Joan Didion once wrote, is how well it works. A mass of freeways, suburbs, malls and minorities, the city's disparate elements somehow mesh together to make some sort of whole. Just what that whole constitutes is possibly what makes LA such a source of fascination and wonder. Nowhere else has LA's sunlight, a desert light reflected off the Pacific Ocean and on to the low-rise spread of endless suburbia. Nowhere else takes such delight in the future, and treats the past as such a disposable commodity. Nowhere else does one modern industry - the movies - so colour the tone of the place. Nowhere else can you be surrounded by so many people and yet have the sense of so much space.

It is perhaps the mix of the unusual and the known that makes LA so appealing. On one hand there are the symbols of the exotic: palm trees, hummingbirds, racoons, dolphins, the nearby desert, the traces of the third world; on the other is the utter familiarity of the city's sights: Sunset Boulevard, Mulholland Drive, downtown, the giant ring doughnut outside a cafe, the freeways criss-crossing the city. We've been here before, many times. It's just not quite how we pictured it.
Best view
Mulholland Drive
Between the 405 and the 101 freeways, Mulholland Drive provides the iconic view of the unending sprawl of the city of tiny lights (OK, that may have been somewhere else). From the ridge of Mulholland, gaze south at the skyscrapers of downtown, the Pacific and LAX in the distance. Look east and you may see the snow on the mountains 50 miles away on the edge of the city. Look down and you may get a glimpse of the Hollywood sign. Look north and you will see the view immortalised in innumerable movies, of the San Fernando valley. All views fog permitting.

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | view

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Best thing to do for free
The Pacific Ocean
The one thing that has succeeded in halting the sprawl of LA: the Pacific Ocean. The beaches in LA - or more correctly in the Westside cities - offer an uninterrupted 7-mile stretch packed with all the cliches: rolling surf, golden sand, guaranteed sunshine (avoid June and July). Take the cycle path from Venice broadwalk, with its body builders and hawkers, to the fringes of Malibu and you'll believe you are Harry O.

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | free
  3. | beach

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Where to watch the world go by
Figtree’s Cafe
Figtree's Cafe on Venice Broadwalk, home to freaks, charlatans, healers, prophets and tourists. Site of Muscle Beach, haven for hippies in the 60s and inspiration for the first skateboarders, Venice beach can feel like a timewarp. But with its mix of the beautiful people of LA's wealthy Westside, the homeless, urban downtowners and out-of-towners visiting for a day at the seaside, Venice offers a cross-section of all human life - much of it surgically enhanced.

Figtree's Cafe; 429 Oceanfront Walk, Venice, CA 90291; Tel: 310- 392-4937

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | cafe
  3. | watch the world go by

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Nighttime hangout
Musso and Frank Grill
Musso and Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard looks like it has seen better days, but then it probably seemed that way when it opened in 1919. A legendary Hollywood hangout (from Welles, Faulkener and Hemingway to Depp and Keith Richards) the bar and restaurant is renowned for its martinis and surly waiters.

Musso and Frank Grill; 6667 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90028; Tel: 323-467-7788

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | bar
  3. | eating

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Cultural highlight
The Getty
The Getty, positioned atop a sheer hillside looking down on Santa Monica and the ocean. From the winding monorail taking visitors from the car park to architect Richard Meier's modern monument to art, the Getty is an adventure, a trip to a world apart stuffed with some of the finest art that money (and the Getty has a lot of it) can buy. Touring exhibitions complement a comprehensive permanent collection (although the Getty does not generally collect contemporary art) but the Getty is an event in itself.

Admission: free; www.getty.edu/

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | free
  3. | culture
  4. | art
  5. | museum

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Bring back
Hollywood sign
The most common piece of tourist tat is a replica of the Hollywood sign. This, of course, also makes it the most desirable. You can work your way up from $1.50 for a fridge magnet to the more desirable Hollywood sign snowstorm.

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | souvenir

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Leave there
LA Lakers memorabilia
The corporate money-making machine that is the Lakers basketball team doesn't need your help to put money in the bank, so resist the temptations of the $70 string vest.

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | tourist tat

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Time for love
Night-time drive on the 101 freeway
A night-time drive on the 101 freeway through the centre of downtown. Exhilarating, glamorous and, in a very LA way, intensely private.

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | romance

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Best-kept secret (till now)
Open houses
Scour the weekend property sections of the LA Times for open houses, when potential buyers are welcome to wander around snooping in other people's closets. A popular mass participation sport in LA, all it takes is a bit of chutzpah, the right clothing and a willingness to discuss interior design (a Eurotrash accent can also help). The rewards are a chance to see around the houses of the rich and, very possibly, famous. And no matter how much you look, you will never properly answer the question of why rich Angelenos need more bathrooms than bedrooms.

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | secret
  3. | free

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The thing to eat
Mexican food
A city of immigrant populations and hybrid cultures, LA doesn't really have its own cuisine. The closest you can get is Mexican: often the cheapest-looking roadside shacks are the ones selling the best, most authentic Mexican food.

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | local speciality

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Green space
Griffith Park
Although LA is notable for its lack of parks and green spaces, it does host the largest municipal park in the US, Griffith Park. Home to the (currently closed) Observatory as well as an equestrian centre, the zoo and a wealth of trails and hiking paths, Griffith Park is an unexpectedly rich escape just a few miles from downtown.

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | park

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Best ride
The Gold Line
Not great ones for public transport, Angelenos nevertheless have one of the cleanest, most efficient metro rail services in the Gold Line, running on smart German-built trains from the majesty of Union Street station through the backyards of some of the city's historic Latino areas before it emerges in the middle of the freeway and comes to a halt in Pasadena. In Pasadena there is nothing to do other than turn around and head back to Union Street.

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | ride
  3. | transport

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Keep the kids happy
La Brea Tar Pits
Take them to La Brea Tar Pits; the biggest source of ice-age specimens in the world is located in the middle of the most developed part of Los Angeles, the Wilshire corridor. In Hancock Park, tar pits bubble away as fake mammoths bobble up and down on the surface. Inside the charming George C Page museum children and adults can watch sabre tooth tigers fighting with sloths, see paleontologists at work and discover for themselves just how sticky tar can be.

www.tarpits.org/

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | family
  3. | nature

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Escape the crowds
The canyons
There might be a traffic jam to get there, but once you are in the Santa Monica mountains north of LA, you will feel that you are in some lost land. Topanga Canyon is the best-known of the canyons but a string of ravines and canyons offer abundant flora and wildlife (including mountain lions, coyotes and golden eagles), and tracks and trails for hiking. All this less half an hour drive from the city.

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | escape

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The film to see before I go
Los Angeles Plays Itself
LA is the movies, defined by and seen through its place in films like no other city. Los Angeles Plays Itself, a documentary by Thom Andersen explores the city in the movies, using clips from more than 70 films, from Blade Runner to Laurel and Hardy.

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | film
  3. | film location

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... and the novel to read
Hollywood by Charles Bukowski
The outsider's insider, poet Bukowski brings the full force of his muscular prose to bear on the vain vagaries of Hollywood as he tells the semi-autobiographical tale of the efforts to turn a screenplay he is writing into a film. But more than a portrait of Hollywood, Bukowski also offers an insight into life in the pre-gentrified Venice, a world of nighttime terrors. A very funny book.

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | book

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Where to eat (budget)
Pink's Hot Dogs
An LA institution open to the early morning. If you can withstand the heat and the queue, a monster chilli dog awaits.

Pink's Hot Dogs; 709 N La Brea Avenue; Los Angeles, California 90038; Tel: 323-931-4223; www.pinkshollywood.com/

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | eating
  3. | budget

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Where to eat (moderate)
Swingers
A diner that serves alcohol and stays open late into the night? Sounds too good to be true. But on top of the quality food - solid breakfast fare and a standard array of Cali-Mex-Pacific Rim offerings - Swingers has a happening juke box and funky 70s decor. Dig those Warhol cows, cowboy!

Swingers; Lincoln Boulevard 802, Broadway,Santa Monica, California 90401; Tel: 310-393-9793; www.swingersdiner.com/

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | eating
  3. | budget

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Where to eat (posh)
Spago
Wolfgang Puck's first restaurant, and now something of a Los Angeles cliche, it still passes the test for glitz, glamour and the unlikely culinary combinations demanded by visitors to LA.

Spago; 176 N Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, California 90210; Tel: 310-385-0880; www.wolfgangpuck.com/

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | eating
  3. | posh

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Where to stay (budget)
Beverly Laurel Motor Hotel
Not unrelated to the original branch of Swinger's diner, the Beverly Laurel has a good location - which, of course, is everything in LA - funky rooms, a decidedly retro feel and offers good value.

Beverly Laurel Motor Hotel; 8018 Beverly Boulevard,

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | budget
  3. | accommodation

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Where to stay (moderate)
Best Western Marina Pacific
The upper end of the Best Western budget hotel chain, the Marina Pacific is right on the beach at Venice, offering a bird's eye view of the comings and going on the Broadwalk. Walking distance to many good restaurants, it also offers a base for wandering around Venice (a rare pleasure in LA) and exploring neighbouring Santa Monica. Many rooms have a kitchenette. Prices range from $110-$200 for a double room depending on season.

1697 Pacific Avenue, Venice Beach, California 90291;

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | accommodation

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Where to stay (posh)
Shutters
A majestic wooden framed complex of white buildings on the beachfront at Santa Monica, offers a haven from the heat and hustle of the city. A rooftop pool and Jacuzzi, log fires burning (needlessly) in the opulent lobby, views of the Pacific, and a breakfast to die for in the restaurant make this the perfect stop for those who have money and enjoy the quiet life. But don't be put off: it is child friendly too. Rooms start at $325. Prices vary according to season.

Shutters on the Beach; 1 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, California 90405; Tel: 310-458-0030; www.shuttersonthebeach.com/

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | posh
  3. | accommodation

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Find out what's on
LA Weekly
LA Weekly, which despite a comprehensively baffling listings section and the best efforts of its designers to make it unreadable, is nevertheless indispensable.

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | events

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Get there from the airport
Airport transfer: Taxi
Taxis can be collected from the lower level of the main terminals. Providing that you use an authorised cab bearing the official airport seal, prices to key destinations should be fixed and on clear display. Alternatively, a free train service runs to the Aviation Station on the green line of the metro light rail network.

www.los-angeles-lax.com

  1. Los Angeles
  2. | transport

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Most popular tips about Los Angeles

The Pacific Ocean

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Mulholland Drive

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John Paul Getty Museum

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Night-time drive on the 101 freeway

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The canyons

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La Brea Tar Pits

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Venice beach

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Mexican food

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