Page 96 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

TOP CITIES
Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Burbank, Santa
Monica, Malibu, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Venice
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
A place for big dreams, art and reinvention
INTERNATIONAL GATEWAY
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX),
19 miles (31 km) from downtown LA
B Y J A C Q U E L I N E Y A U
DOMESTIC GATEWAYS
Long Beach Airport (LGB), 24 miles (38 km)
from downtown LA; Burbank Bob Hope Airport
(BUR), 16 miles (26 km) from downtown LA
TOURISM WEBSITES
experiencela.com
discoverlosangeles.com
lamag.com
visitwesthollywood.com
lovebeverlyhills.com
downtownla.com
POPULATION
9.96 million
Marilyn Monroe once remarked, “People cut themselves off
from their ties of the old life when they come to Los
Angeles. They are looking for a place where they can be
free, where they can do things they couldn’t do anywhere else.” As the
land of reinvention, Los Angeles County attracts seekers, dreamers,
hustlers and wannabe actors/screenwriters/directors. Most come from
somewhere else and are looking for something better. A persistent
optimism and self-expressiveness permeate the air.
Thanks to the Beach Boys harmonizing about California girls, beach
party movies of the ’60s and TV shows like Baywatch, many people
think of LA as palm trees, endless beaches and bikini-clad women. But
LA is far more complex. It’s a mashup of the old and new, from cuisines
to culture to ideas. The county has become an epicenter of contempo-
rary art as LA philanthropists pour money into new museums and
galleries, and it’s home to a vibrant global street art community.
LOS
ANGELES
COUNTY
The Nation’s Largest County
As the most populous county in the nation, with almost 10 million res-
idents, Los Angeles County comprises 88 cities with more than 100
languages spoken within its 4,752 square miles. The county is larger
than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware.
94 2014 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
KONSTANTIN SUTYAGIN/STOCKER.COM; OPPOSITE: SANTA MONICA CVB/SONDRA STOCKER