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Los Angeles | |
Sightseeing |
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Los Angeles,
Sightseeing Sightseeing Overview: Downtown LA comprises the financial district with skyscrapers that seem the more surprising because the rest of the city is so flat. It is also home to lively local communities with markets (there’s a fabled covered market for local produce) and shops. Here are Chinatown, Little Tokyo, the Hispanic centre around Olvera Street, the historic district where the city was founded, with landmarks from the city’s early 20th‐century heyday, as well as cultural institutions like the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Performing Arts Center. The LA Philharmonic’s dramatic new Walt Disney Concert Hall, whose construction took 16 years and cost $274 million, finally opened in October 2003, and it is one of the most striking recent additions to the city's cultural and architectural landscape. The 2,265‐seat venue is said to be one of the most accoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world, and its exterior, clad in stainless steel panels, is reminiscent of Frank Gehry's other masterpiece, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. 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 Hollywood sign is located high above Hollywood Boulevard up in the hills near Griffith Park. Although the famous sign is situated on a steep incline, which means that it cannot be visited, the extensive Griffith Park is great for a wander and fantastic panoramas of the whole city. It contains the famous 1935 Art Deco Griffith Observatory (passes trendy, fashionable and primarily gay West Hollywood, rich and handsome Beverly Hills, Miracle Mile, Century City, Westwood Village (where UCLA is sitauted) and Brentwood. Each has its own atmosphere and attractions. West Hollywood has a glitzy stretch of 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 wide San Fernando Valley, a largely residential area with several film and TV studios. Tourist Information: 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 walk‐in centre has shut, however, a new facility will open at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue towards the end of 2002. The organisations below also provide information online or by telephone/fax. Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau Tel: (213) 624 7300 or (800) 228 2452. Fax: (213) 624 9746. Beverly Hills Visitors Bureau Tel: (310) 248 1015. West Hollywood Convention and Visitors Bureau Tel: (310) 289 2525 or (800) 368 6020. Passes The CityPass () 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 (a saving of around 50% on the total cost of all the attractions) and is good for 30 days from the first use. It can be purchased online or from the first attraction visited. |