Page 100 - 2018 Travel Guide to California

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LA’S MURALS provide a keen sense
of its UNDERGROUND ART SCENE as
creativity bursts off to cover once-
blank walls through the city. LA
Weekly calls Los Angeles a “city of
1,000 murals,” saying its “urban
sprawl creates the perfect canvas.”
The Weekly highlights 20 of the
city’s most groundbreaking murals,
which range from celebrations of
Latino culture to interpretations of
film heroes: laweekly.com/arts/20-of-
las-most-iconic-murals-7927290.
For a comprehensive view of the
cities murals:
muralconservancy.org/murals.
Perhaps the best way to see some of
the city’s most daring murals is
with LA ART TOURS:
laarttours.com/graffititour.
98 2018 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
The Nation’s Largest County
As the most populous county in the nation,
with more than 10 million residents, Los
Angeles County comprises 88 cities with
more than 100 languages spoken within its
4,084 square miles. Geographically, the
county is larger than the states of Rhode
Island and Delaware—combined.
The entertainment industry is an integral
part of the local economy, annually con-
tributing $47 billion to the region. For
decades, the name Hollywood has been syn-
onymous with the movie business, but today
most studios have moved into neighboring
suburbs such as Burbank and Culver City.
Some of the better-known areas in LA
County aren’t even cities but rather districts
or neighborhoods within Los Angeles, such
as Hollywood, Silver Lake and Venice. In
contrast, Beverly Hills, home to the most
expensive residences in the world, and
West Hollywood, a welcoming oasis to a
diverse community of gays, Russians and
musicians, are cities but completely sur-
rounded by the city of Los Angeles.
Seventy miles of beaches run along Los
Angeles County’s southwest border.
Malibu, an exclusive seaside community,
has some of the most alluring stretches of
sand in the area. To the north, hikers and
mountain climbers explore trails in the
Santa Monica Mountains. To the east, the
San Gabriel Mountains rise up to more
than 10,000 feet above sea level.
City & Town
Los Angeles, the second most populous
city in the nation at nearly 4 million
people, dominates the county. Writer
Dorothy Parker once quipped, “Los
Angeles is 72 suburbs in search of a city.”
Now, LA’s more than 100 neighborhoods
form a rich cultural stew. Meander around
Chinatown, Little Tokyo, the Art and
Fashion Districts, the Latino enclaves
around Echo Park, Hollywood’s Laurel
Canyon, Little Armenia, Thai Town, or
Melrose District where hipsters shop.
When in LA, do as the celebs do and
start the day by stretching at Bryan Kest’s
Power Yoga studio in Santa Monica. Go
shopping at cool indie shops featuring
local labels and fashionable imports along
Venice’s Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Need an
outfit for an awards show? Head over to
Decades on Melrose Avenue, a couture
vintage store where many stylists choose
red-carpet gowns for their star clients.
Hungry? Eat at The Griddle Cafe, a
Sunset Boulevard institution known for
its gigantic pancakes and the steady flow
of celebrities lunching there. Or chow
down on a chili dog at Pink’s famous
corner stand at Melrose and La Brea
avenues. Watch a Lakers or Clippers pro
basketball game at the Staples Center to
see stars, both on the court and in the
stands. End the day sipping a cocktail at
Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood,
where celebrities meet their agents and
studio execs.
Hollywood
Conceived originally as an outdoor bill-
board promoting a housing development
called Hollywoodland in 1923, the Holly-
wood sign sits on the south side of Mount
Lee in Griffith Park—long a symbol that
this is a place where dreams can come true.
The first movie studio, the Nestor
Motion Picture Company, opened in 1911
in Hollywood on the northwest corner of
GABRIELE MALTINTI/SHUTTERSTOCK; SEAN PAVONE/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: DISCOVER LA