🇺🇸 Los Angeles

Overview

Los Angeles is the second-largest city in the United States, with about 3.8 million residents and nearly 13 million across the metro area, spread over 1,300 km² between mountains and the Pacific. It is less a city than a collection of neighbourhoods that happen to share a name — driving forty minutes between them is normal. Founded by Spain in 1781, it has been the centre of the global film industry for over a century, and roughly half the population speaks a language other than English at home.

Landmarks & culture

• The Getty Center — Richard Meier's travertine complex on a hilltop, reached by tram, with European paintings, gardens and a view across the basin to the ocean. Admission is free; you pay only to park.
• Griffith Observatory — Free entry, working telescopes and the classic view of both the Hollywood sign and the city grid stretching to the horizon. Go on a weekday evening; parking is the hard part.
• LACMA & the Broad — LACMA is the largest art museum in the western US, with the Urban Light lamp-post installation outside. The Broad, downtown, shows contemporary work and is free with advance booking.

Things to do

• The beaches, in order — Santa Monica for the pier, Venice for the boardwalk circus, Malibu for cleaner water and cliffs, Manhattan Beach for what locals actually do on a Sunday.
• Hiking in the city — Runyon Canyon for the crowd and the view, Griffith Park's trails for something longer, and the Santa Monica Mountains for genuine wilderness twenty minutes from a freeway.
• Practicalities — You will need a car, or heavy use of ride-hailing. Public transport exists and is improving but does not cover the sprawl. Budget an hour for anything at rush hour, twice on a Friday.

Gastronomy