Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Los Angeles has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- Drive up to twisting Mulholland Drive for exhilarating views over the city; the road runs for 50 miles from Hollywood all the way to the Malibu coast. There are also fine views from the Getty Center (+1 310 440 7300; www.getty.edu) in the foothills of the Santa Monica mountains; it’s one of LA’s finest museums of art, sculpture and photography (closed Mondays).
- Arts and culture
- Along Hollywood Boulevard is the Walk of Fame, where more than 2,000 industry greats from Orson Welles to Lassie are memorialised with marble stars in the pavement. This is also the location of the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, where the autograph patio is dotted with the handprints and footprints of screen legends (plus the odd cigar impression and hoofprint). Another result of the city’s movie wealth is the Walt Disney Concert Hall (www.laphil.org) on Grand Avenue in Downtown; it’s home to the LA Philharmonic but it’s worth a visit just to see Frank Gehry’s fantastic cubist architecture.
- Something for nothing
- With perhaps the planet’s highest concentration of A-listers, Los Angeles is the home of the star safari. These elusive creatures can be hard to track down, but with luck and patience you should enjoy a sighting. Uniquely in LA, you can guide yourself past the homes (or at least the security gates) of the Hollywood elite with the help of a star map while reflecting on the fact that fabulous wealth doesn’t guarantee a tasteful house.
- Shopping
- West Hollywood is the place for boutiques and retail excess, particularly on Rodeo Drive, Beverly Boulevard and Melrose Avenue. If you prefer everything under one enormous roof, the Beverly Center (www.beverlycenter.com) mega-mall on Beverly Boulevard is ideal. The Grove (www.thegrovela.com) on Grove Drive is a boutique shopping mall next to the Farmers Market (with butchers and bakers and peanut-butter makers). The pedestrianised Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica is also good for browsing; Undefeated on Main Street is the best place in for a cool pair of trainers. For something a little more bohemian, head to the independent shops on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice; the best stores include Equator Books (www.equatorbooks.com), Japanese design emporium Tortoise (www.tortoiselife.com), and purveyors of vintage beach lifestyle wares, Surfing Cowboys (www.surfingcowboys.com).
- Daytripper
- Palm Springs started life as the location for early Hollywood Westerns and quickly became LA’s winter playground; in the 1950s and ’60s, anyone who was anyone had a place here. After several decades in the doldrums, the town is once again back in vogue thanks to the efforts of former mayor Sonny Bono and the return to popularity of mid-century modernist design. If you want to tour the city’s Jetsonian architecture, pick up the Palm Springs Modern Committee map from the tourist bureau’s Visitor Center (www.palm-springs.org).
- Best beach
- Venice Beach is LA at its weird and wonderful best. Beyond the sand and the Pacific surf, the Venice boardwalk is a playground for body-builders, tie-dye clad hippies, Baywatch beauties, rollerblading oddballs and chainsaw jugglers. Stroll along the Ocean Front Walk and the Promenade all the way to the fairground on Santa Monica Pier – you won’t regret it.
- Activities
- Going to the cinema here has special significance here, and there are several movie theatres with unique character, including Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, and ArcLight on Sunset Boulevard. LA is a basketball town, and the LA Lakers are the team to watch (www.nba.com/lakers). If you’re keen on surfing, rent a board at ZJ Boarding House (www.zjboardinghouse.com) on Main Street, Santa Monica; beginners might want to try boogie-boards first, or take a few lessons; Learn to Surf LA (www.learntosurfla.com) also provides tuition. During the winter months it’s also possible to go whale watching off the coast of Santa Barbara with Condor Cruises (www.condorcruises.com).
Diary
- Some of these events could only ever happen in LA. Late February The Academy Awards (Oscars) at the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard sends the city into a frenzy. April Farm animals and pets are blessed by the city’s cardinal at the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Monument in Downtown on the Saturday before Easter. Late July Expect punk music, hot rods and Catholic priests at the Blessing of the Cars – yes, cars (www.blessingofthecars.com). Early August The Honda US Open of Surfing takes place at Huntington Beach in Orange County (www.usopenofsurfing.com). December The Hollywood Christmas Parade is on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and brings together celebrities, razzmatazz, marching bands and colourful floats – it’s 100 per cent Hollywood (Christmas is just an excuse).