Page 118 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

LOS ANGELES COUNTY
A place where dreams come true
B Y J A C Q U E L I N E Y A U
TOP CITIES
Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Burbank, Santa
Monica, Malibu, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Venice,
Redondo Beach, Marina del Rey
INTERNATIONAL GATEWAY
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX),
19 miles (31 km) from downtown LA
DOMESTIC GATEWAYS
Long Beach Airport (LGB), 24 miles (38 km)
from downtown LA; Hollywood Burbank Airport
(BUR), 16 miles (26 km) from downtown LA
TOURISM WEBSITES
discoverlosangeles.com
visitwesthollywood.com
lovebeverlyhills.com
downtownla.com
visitpasadena.com
visitredondo.com
visitmarinadelrey.com
santamonica.com
POPULATION
10.17 million
LOS
ANGELES
COUNTY
“There is something to be said for having even unrealistic
dreams,” says celebrated Whiplash and La La Land
writer/director Damien Chazelle. “Even if the dreams
don’t come true—that to me is what’s beautiful about Los Angeles. It’s
full of these people who have moved there to chase these dreams. A
lot of those people are told by people around them that they’re crazy,
or that they’re living in la la land.”
The City of Angels is the land of reinvention. Los Angeles County
attracts seekers, dreamers, hustlers and wannabe actors/screen-
writers/directors. Most come from somewhere else and are looking
for a better life. 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 Los Angeles as palm trees swaying in warm breezes, endless
beaches and bikini-clad women. But LA is far more complex. It’s a mix
of old and new, from cuisine to culture to ideas. The creativity and
diversity of the region are reflected in the more than 100 museums
focused on the odd to the divine, the vibrant global street art and the
constant evolution of the food scene.
116 2019 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
ONEINCHPUNCH/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: MATT MARRIOTT/DISCOVER LA