Los Angeles or City of Los Angeles (the City of Angels), is often known by its initials, LA. It is the second largest city in the United States after that New York and the most populous city in the state of California.
Located in Southern California, Los Angeles is known for its year-round mild climate, ethnic diversity, large metropolis, and being the most important center of the American entertainment industry.
The city is located in a large coastal basin surrounded on three sides by mountains that reach and exceed 3 meters.
Los Angeles offers so much to see and, beyond the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, it is a melting pot of creative people and eclectic cultures, a city worth exploring in all its facets.
Lin City of Angels it is often associated with beaches, an almost perfect climate, famous people and places and good-looking people, but also the legendary tangle of highways and smog.
In reality, the best of Los Angeles it is found in its many quality museums, vibrant ethnic communities, and cutting-edge culture.
Any trip to Los Angeles should include some time for shopping, the pastime that reigns supreme at Beverly Hills. In addition, you cannot miss a visit to Disneyland and the other amusement parks and film studios located in the city and around the metropolis.
What to see in Los Angeles
Hollywood
L’Hollywood Boulevard it is the most famous street in the city. With its stars on the Walk of Fame, museums (Guinness World Records, Madame Tussauds of Hollywood, etc ...), cinemas, gigantic shopping malls or the TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Boulevard is a must when visiting Los Angeles!
Located at the end of the famous Hollywood Boulevard, the Dolby Theater (formerly Kodak Theater) is now famous for hosting the prestigious Oscars ceremony every year.
Venice Beach
This stretch of golden sand and the Venice Beach Boardwalk they are always crowded with people walking, cycling, skating and jogging. Eclectic shops and street performers of all kinds line the boardwalk.
Lo Skate Park, also just off the beach, is frequented by some of the best skateboarders in the area and there are a number of creative art installations nearby.
A Muscle Beachaptly named, people pump their muscles in the hot California sun.
Santa Monica beach and pier
Santa Monica is a unique, chic and laid-back destination, with a population that ranges from surfers, skateboarders, yoga devotees to techies and business people. The beautiful stretch of golden sand along the coast and the famous Santa Monica pier, with its iconic Ferris wheel, they are what most tourists come to enjoy.
"State Beach", as it is known, has an average of 340 days of sunshine a year and has done since background to the famous television series "Baywatch".
Santa Monica is easily explored on foot or by bicycle. The 26-mile scenic bike path, which runs parallel to the Pacific Ocean, is the longest bike path in the world.
On the Santa Monica Pier you will find one of the most famous road signs in all of America: the sign of the end or the beginning (depending on where you start the route) of the legendary Route 66. Other areas to visit are Third Street Promenade and Main Street.
Griffith Park e Griffith Observatory
Griffith Park, at 4.210 acres, is the largest urban park in the country. It features over 50 miles of hiking and biking trails and numerous waterfalls and lagoons. A variety of attractions are also found here, including the Zoo, Los Angeles Botanical Garden, the Hollywood sign and, of course, the observatory.
Griffith Observatory it is located on the south face of Mount Lee, which also features the Hollywood sign, and offers stunning views of the city of Los Angeles. The observatory houses fascinating exhibits and features a top-notch planetarium.
The main attraction of the place is the Zeiss telescope, used to observe the moon and planets. You can use the telescopes for free every night (the park is open until 22pm). There are also telescopes used for looking at the sun.
Rodeo Drive
È the shopping street par excellence. Many people dream of shopping, like Julia Roberts, on Rodeo Drive, but few can afford to shop from the range of high-end designers based on this street. So admiring the shop windows is the order of the day.
Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip è one of the most particular and characteristic attractions of the city of Los Angeles. This is the 2-kilometer stretch of Sunset Boulevard that runs through West Hollywood.
Sunset Strip is probably the best known part of Sunset Boulevard, with boutiques, restaurants, nightclubs and clubs. Its main feature is the huge colorful billboards, in typical American style.
Beverly Hills and Bel Air
The city of Beverly Hills it is part of the "Golden Triangle" of Los Angeles, which includes Bel Air e Holmby hills, and is twinned with Cannes, France. It would be wrong to think that Beverly Hills boils down to Rodeo Drive, although it is clearly its main thoroughfare, as the city offers other small places to visit.
They are certainly the richest and most protected areas of LA and this is where many stars reside. However, besides the beautiful gardens and manicured streets you won't have much of a chance to see their huge villas. Each villa is protected by huge hedges or palisades that hide and protect the privacy of VIPs.
Getty Center
On a hill in the Santa Monica Mountains, the Richard Meier-designed Getty Center is a huge complex measuring 0,75 square miles and spanning 110 acres. The uniquely designed building and beautiful gardens provide the perfect setting for the city's premier museum.
Although it does not match the rich collections of Old World galleries, it has some impressive works covering a vast historical period. Among them are several paintings by Rubens and impressionists such as Monet, Renoir, Cézanne and Van Gogh. And don't forget to take a look at Miró and Moore in the beautiful sculpture garden.
LACMA
The collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or LACMA, are housed in a vast 20-acre complex. The huge complex consists of a series of separate buildings that have been acquired and renovated over the years.
The Museum prides itself on being the largest art museum in the western United Statesi, with nearly 130.000 works ranging from antiquity to modern times.
Of particular note are the outstanding collections of Asian, Latin American (with paintings by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera or José Orozco) and Islamic art. The focal point is the BP Grand Entrance, which includes the stunning installation of Urban light by Chris Burden.
What to do in Los Angeles
Disneyland
Disney's first amusement park ed one of the most famous theme parks in the world. Disneyland is technically in Orange County, but it is still a top destination for visitors to Los Angeles.
Walt Disney he wanted to create a place where parents and children could do things together and Disneyland offers many possibilities for doing so. Most of the rides are quieter, and in the summer you will also find daily shows, parades and fireworks.
Next to Disneyland there is Disney california adventure, the second Disney park created in Anaheim. The park offers a growing collection of attractions based on animated films.
Universal Studios Hollywood
- Universal Studios Hollywood they are an amazing movie and TV theme park is one of the most popular attractions in the Los Angeles area. The park has a variety of jaw-dropping attractions based on film themes.
This theme park is one working film studio where you can do a guided tour of the studios and explore the backstage of some of Universal Pictures' most popular films.
However the main attractions his rides remain: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, The Walking Dead, The Simpsons and Transformers are some of the most famous.
Warner Bros. Studios Tour Hollywood
I Warner Bros. Studios Tour Hollywood is one of the main attractions of Los Angeles. If you visit the city do not miss the opportunity to take this wonderful tour of one of the most important film studios in Hollywood and California.
Mulholland Drive
To get a great view of Los Angeles, drive on Mulholland Drive, a stunning scenic drive. Mulholland Drive stretches for 38km, from 101 to Col de Cahuenga, zigzagging between the Hollywood and Santa Monica Hills. Originally designed to connect the sea to the mountains, Mulholland is now more used by tourists than by mountain dwellers.
OUE Skyspace
Enjoy the view of LA from OUE Skyspace. Opened in June 2016, OUE Skyspace LA is California's tallest open-air observation deck and a must-see destination for 360-degree views of Los Angeles.
It is located nearly 310 meters above the city in the iconic US Bank Tower in downtown Los Angeles. The highlight of OUE Skyspace LA is Skyslide, one glass slide attached to the outside of the US Bank Tower, through which visitors can glide from the 70th to 69th floors of the US Bank Tower and see Los Angeles in a way few will ever experience.
Downtown Los Angeles
Visit Downtown Los Angeles, a neighborhood for pleasant strolls. You can enter the beautiful Grand central market, visit The village, the historic area of Los Angeles, and most importantly, see the beautiful Art Deco station, the Union Station.
Best time to visit Los Angeles
You can visit Los Angeles all year round. LA is the city of endless summers, and it is always a wonderful place to immerse yourself in the true climate of the United States
The climate
December and January are the coldest months, with an average temperature of 20 ° C. August is the hottest month with an average temperature of 29 ° C.
Getting around in Los Angeles
LA is often known for its car culture, but there are a variety of other ways to explore the city without having to get behind the wheel. Public transportation is quite cheap, around $ 1,5 per ride for all public transportation, from trains to subways and buses.
Advice
From January to April the room rates in the hotels and hotels in the city are lower. So it's a great time to take advantage of the cheap prices, and visit this beautiful and iconographic city, with a mild climate practically all year round.
Find out also where to sleep in Los Angeles ...
