Page 104 - 2015 Travel Guide to California

TOP CITIES
Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Burbank, Santa
Monica, Malibu, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Venice
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
This is the place for big dreams 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’s 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
Henry Rollins—journalist, punk legend, radio host, spoken
word artist and actor—once remarked, “For me, returning to
Los Angeles annihilates the memories of where I have just
been with an astonishing speed.” 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 mix of the old and new, from cuisines to
culture to ideas. The county has become an epicenter of contemporary
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.
102 2015 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
SARAPORN/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: SONDRA STOCKER/SANTA MONICA CVB