Many of Los Angeles’s landmarks double as a tangible histories of the city. From elegant Art Deco and Spanish architecture to gooey bogs of tar, to the ubiquitous Angelyne and everything in between, a cruise around Los Angeles is more educational—and (gas prices permitting) much cheaper—than a day spent at Disneyland.
So go ahead and be a tourist in your own backyard! Go mural sighting in Echo Park and East LA; compare your shoe size with Marilyn Monroe’s at Grauman’s Chinese Theater (Map 3) and have a drink at the historical Pig ’n Whistle (Map 3); spend an afternoon of browsing in the downtown LA Central Library (Map 9) and stroll the surrounding Maguire Gardens before grabbing a bite at Clifton’s Cafeteria (Map 9); or take a train ride in Griffith Park (Map 51), go for a round or two of golf (you’ve got four courses to choose from) and shuttle up to the Observatory to watch the sunset over a twinkling LA skyline.
Historical LA
Grand Central Market (Map 9) in downtown Los Angeles has been operating since 1917 and is still a great place to buy meat, produce, ice cream and your favorite Mexican delicacies. Just across the street is Angel’s Flight (Map 9), a relic from old LA’s ancient trolley system. For you beachcombers out there, do what Angelenos have done for decades and ride the roller coaster at Santa Monica Pier (Map 18) after a day of surf and sand. Just south of Santa Monica, the remaining four Venice Canals (Map 21) (between Venice Boulevard and Sherman Canal Court) give you a sense of Abbot Kinney’s original 1904 Italian vision for this beach community . . . give or take a million-dollar home or two.
Buildings
It’s disgustingly easy to tear down buildings in LA and a good number of the city’s legendary landmarks have long been razed (the Brown Derby, Coconut Grove). But those that do remain are quite extraordinary. Hollywood’s cylindrical Capitol Records Building (Map 3) is evocative of a pile of vinyl on a spindle. Down the street is Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (Map 3), open since 1927, which can rightly claim to be the most famous movie theater in the world, thanks to its cement welcome mat. The Emerald City-like green Wiltern Theater (Map 7), named for the intersection where it sits at Wilshire and Western, is a stunning example of Art Deco architecture. Downtown Los Angeles is home to a bevy of historical landmarks, among them the grand Union Station (Map 9), built in 1939 in the Spanish-mission style, the Bradbury Building (Map 9) (of Blade Runner fame) is Victorian opulence and ingenuity at its finest, and the Eastern Columbia Buildings (Map 9) are dynamic by day and blaze the downtown skyline by night. The Persian-inspired Shrine Auditorium (Map 12), former home of the Oscars, now hosts concerts and lesser award shows. And as a convergence of the holy and the postmodern, there is the impressive strength and serenity of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (Map 9), fascinating regardless of religious affiliation.
Outdoor Spaces
For all its freeways and urban sprawl, Los Angeles is no concrete jungle. There are some terrific places to have a picnic, go for a hike, hear music, cheer for your team, or just laze in the California sunshine. The athletic flock to Pan Pacific Park (Map 2) near the Miracle Mile for softball and basketball; families, hikers, golfers, and horseback riders recreate in rustic Griffith Park (Map 51); golfers and sun worshippers head to the vast Rancho Park (Map 23) in Cheviot Hills; and those seeking a refreshing hike in the hills visit the Hollywood Reservoir (Map 57) or the ever-popular Runyon Canyon (Map 2). And absolutely nothing can match an outdoor summertime concert at the Hollywood Bowl (Map 3) or the Greek Theatre (Map 4)—both boast awesome acoustics and make for a lovely evening of food, wine, and music. Much cherished by Angelenos and a fine example of mid-century modern architecture, Dodger Stadium (Map 5) opened in 1962 and still remains free of an annoying corporate sponsor moniker. An enduring celebration of LA’s Mexican heritage is Olvera Street (Map 9) off Cesar Chavez downtown, where traditional dances and mariachis are the backdrop to some authentic Mexican dining.
Architecture
Always a forward-thinking city, Los Angeles has been attracting the funky and the innovative with its municipal reputation for starting trends. The results are evident in the colorful shapes of the Pacific Design Center (Map 2), housing furniture, art galleries, and design offices. Two famous Frank Lloyd Wright–designed homes near Hollywood—the ailing Ennis-Brown House (Map 4) and the Hollyhock House (Map 4)— offer tours frequently; check to make sure the buildings are not currently under construction. LA’s early 20th century explosion makes it an Art Deco heaven, boasting dozens of striking examples of the movement from the soaring City Hall (Map 9) to the opulent movie palaces that crowd Broadway, particularly the triumphant Orpheum (Map 9). The most recent architectural wonder in Los Angeles is, of course, Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall (Map 9). Resembling a carefully wadded crumple of metal, the building is quite impressive both inside and out. Running a close second to Gehry’s LA opus is the new, expressively modern Caltrans District 7 Headquarters (Map 9) downtown.
Lowbrow Landmarks
Nobody did lowbrow better than the late great drunken saint of Los Angeles: Charles Bukowski. To relive the poetic debauchery, drop a few bucks and bet on the ponies at Hollywood Park (Map 13) near LAX; afterwards, take your winnings to tip the dancers at the seedy (yet historic) Jumbo’s Clown Room (Map 4) in Hollywood, where the performers (like Courtney Love before them) gyrate to Tom Waits and The Clash. Whisky A Go Go (Map 2) is a distinct musical landmark surrounded by the garish cultural wasteland of the Sunset Strip. Once the home of legendary rock bands like The Doors, Love, Van Halen, and X, the Whisky has since lost its luster to a never ending line-up of wanna-be bands. However, it’s still worth a look, for posterity’s sake.
Lame, Bad, & Overrated Landmarks
If Rock Walk (Map 2) doesn’t prove as rockin’ as you had hoped, cross the street and head to El Compadre (Map 2) for a kick-ass flaming margarita to tame those blues. Farther down Sunset you’ll find the Sunset Strip (Map 2). Crowded with hordes of suburban drunk kids, gridlocked traffic, and cops at every corner, the Strip is best done once (before night falls) and left to the tourists thereafter. Many of the tourist traps on Hollywood Boulevard are a waste of traveler’s checks; avoid the Hollywood Wax Museum (Map 3) at all costs, and the new Hollywood & Highland Mall (Map 3) is sterile and soulless. Also overrated are the La Brea Tar Pits (Map 6) – smelly and boring, although the nearby Page Museum and food trucks are worth a look/bite. Skip eating at Pink’s (Map 2)—a hot dog is, after all, only a hot dog and doesn’t justify the wait in line. If you must, start your day (or end your night) with a Chicago Dog right as they open up at 9:30 am.
Underrated Landmarks
The Silent Movie Theatre (Map 2) on Fairfax was silenced for a number of years following the murder of its second owner, Lawrence Austin, in 1997, but now it’s up and running again and definitely worth a visit. Continuing in the macabre vein of the dead and the silent, the oddly festive Hollywood Forever Cemetery (Map 3) is the final resting place of stars both famous (Douglas Fairbanks, Cecil B DeMille, Dee Dee Ramone) and infamous (Bugsy Siegel!). Old films are frequently shown al fresco in the graveyard to a fun, hip crowd—check www.cinespia.org for details. For a little more Hollyweird, check out the Magic Castle (Map 3)—you can book a room here or go for dinner and a show put on by some of the world’s premier smoke-and-mirror masters. Sticking with the weirdly metaphysical, head on over to the Museum of Jurassic Technology (Map 24) on Venice Boulevard for a peek into a cabinet of curiosities that will surely leave you dumbstruck.