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City Guide - Los Angeles - Sightseeing | ||
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Sightseeing The sights of Los Angeles are spread throughout five counties but, outside of rush hours, the freeways are quick and convenient and it is easy to get around. Downtown LA comprises the financial district with skyscrapers that seem the more extraordinary because the rest of the city is so flat. It is also home to as Chinatown, Little Tokyo, the Hispanic centre around Olvera Street, the historic district where the city was founded, with landmarks from the city's early twentieth-century heyday, as well as cultural institutions like Museum of Contemporary Art and the Performing Arts Center. East of downtown, the city of Pasadena, in the San Gabriel Valley, has a historic centre and two outstanding museums. To the west of downtown is Hollywood, although the actual sign is up in the hills, cannot be visited and indeed can only just be seen from Hollywood Boulevard. The streets are much less glamorous than its reputation and the Hollywood Walk of Fame is surrounded by a lot of tack, but the area still has a string of small museums, the famous Mann's Chinese Theater, some other notable slightly rundown Art Deco buildings, and, on its northern edge, Universal Studios. The Westside encompasses trendy West Hollywood, chic Beverly Hills, Miracle Mile, Century City, Westwood Village and Brentwood, each with their own atmosphere and attractions. West Hollywood is the home of glitzy Sunset Boulevard, with its enormous hand-painted billboards on the sides of buildings, while Rodeo Drive is Beverly Hills' most famous street. Stretching along the Pacific coast are the Beach Cities, including Santa Monica and Venice Beach, as well as Malibu to the north and Long Beach, which lies south of downtown on San Pedro Bay. Southeast of downtown is Orange County, home of Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm theme parks. To the north is the sprawling San Fernando Valley, a largely residential area with several film and TV studios. Griffith Park, in the hills near the Hollywood sign, is a fantastic place for a panorama of the whole city from the Observatory. Tourist Information There are two walk-in Visitor Information Centers in the city: Downtown Los Angeles Visitor Information Center 685 South Figueroa Street, between Wilshire Boulevard and Seventh Street Tel: (213) 689 8822 or (800) 228 2452. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1700, Sat 0830-1700. Hollywood Visitor Information Center Janes House Square, 6541 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood Tel: (213) 689 8822 or (800) 228 2452. Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1700. The following organisations also provide information on-line or by telephone/fax: Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau Tel: (213) 624 7300 or (800) 228 2452. Fax: (213) 624 9746. Website: www.lacvb.com Beverly Hills Visitors Bureau Tel: (310) 248 1015. Website: www.beverlyhillscvb.com West Hollywood Convention and Visitors Bureau Tel: (310) 289 2525 or (800) 368 6020. Website: www.visitwesthollywood.com Passes The CityPass (website: www.citypass.com) allows free admission to six attractions - Universal Studios Hollywood, American Cinemathèque at the Egyptian Theatre, Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Hollywood Entertainment Museum, Museum of Television and Radio, Petersen Automotive Museum - as well as a trip by Starline Tours. It costs US$59 and is good for 30 days from the first use. |