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L.A., I feel, is the most misunderstood city, for which people -- even those who live in the surrounding cities -- have such strong and misplaced preconceptions. The Red Hot Chili Peppers say it best about how I feel about my hometown. Yes, the city might be gritty and can be very cruel, but it is so genuine (in contradiction to all the plastic, glamour and glitz talk -- sure, that probably exists, too, though I have not seen it worse than anywhere else -- which also says something about it being only one facet of the most diverse city I know). It is kind of an urban Mother Nature, along with an amazing nurturing, protective side.
Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
...
Sometimes I feel
Like my only friend
Is the city I live in
The city of angels
Lonely as I am
Together we cry
I drive on her streets
'Cause she's my companion
I walk through her hills
'Cause she knows who I am
She sees my good deeds
And she kisses me windy
...
It's hard to believe
That there's nobody out there
It's hard to believe
That I'm all alone
At least I have her love
The city she loves me
Lonely as I am
Together we cry
General info
General info
I usually say I'm from "L.A. proper" to mean LA city itself -- not L.A. county, which includes many different cities and not the "Greater Los Angeles area" (you'll hear that often to refer to L.A. plus immediate surrounding cities). "Downtown L.A." is not really a city center in the European sense. It's is comprised of the municipal offices, the main business/financial district (ghost town after 6pm), warehouses and bargain stores (electronics, jewelry stores, music stores, florist district, garment district) where prices are often not fixed so you can bargain...and the slums. I think there have been schemes to revamp Downtown L.A. with more upscale shops and apartments. The "city center" in American cities are to be found per neighborhood rather than per L.A. as a city (Silver Lake, Highland Park, Echo Park, West Lake....)
Very walkable/hanging out areas of "the greater L.A. area" include Santa Monica, West L.A., Pasadena and South Pasadena.
Wilshire Blvd. is one of the longest streets in L.A. which ends at the coast (Santa Monica). You can tell which end of town it is by the street number on Wilshire.
Towards zero = Downtown L.A.
around 3000 = mid-Wilshire area (near Koreatown)
around 5000 = West L.A. / La Brea district
above 9000 = near Westwood Village (going towards Santa Monica)
Street addresses in the U.S. often have cardinal references N/S/E/W. If the street goes near Downtown L.A., then a street number close to 0 is somewhere near downtown, and you can often know which direction you are going by the street number.
"350 N. Something St." is more north than "300 N. Something St.", which is more north than "200 S. Something St.". Unlike many European countries, odd numbers are ALWAYS on one side, and even on the other side of the street.
Newspapers and radio stations
Newspapers and radio stations
There's often loads of cultural, internationally-oriented, and music events as well as free health fairs and other public service fairs happening in L.A. Keep your eyes open!
A good place to start is discoveringlosangeles.com.
Also...
Get your free print copy at stands everywhere (in streets and stores) or check it out online.
This is one of my favorite weekly papers -- not just for local events/news and coupons but some suprisingly interesting and cool articles for a free newspaper (even though you have to sift through all the ads)
KCRW 89.9 FM
KCRW 89.9 FM
A college radio station aired from Santa Monica City College and affiliate member of NPR (National Public Radio)
Absolute the best for an amazing range of shows for discovering new music (wonderful range of musical genres, local bands) and provocative discussions (whether about L.A. life, society, politics, philosophy, the arts, music, food....).
My favorite show used to be Morning Becomes Eclectic, which has been running for over 30 years, and which used to be hosted by my favorite DJ Chris Douridas who has his own segment.
Thank goodness you can hear it online, either live or recorded shows or as podcasts.
Favorite places
Favorite places
Brand Music Library
Griffith Observatory and Park
Getty Villa (Malibu)
Reading books and having coffee in the big chain book stores
Sitting on Santa Monica beach
Walking Venice Beach
Fairfax Public Library -- small but amazing collection of books
Shopping
Shopping
Generally, if you want to be able to bargain -- whether it is electronics, household items, musical instruments, jewelry, head towards Downtown L.A. where you see lots of
Music and Books
Music and Books
Used record shops and used bookstores abound in L.A. I say, comb them all! Most of the ones that I frequented are now unfortunately closed....but you'll see plenty advertised in the LA Weekly!
Otherwise, here are two notably big ones that are still open.
(Hollywood/West L.A., Sunset Blvd)
The iconic independent record store -- used and new CDs, vinyls, cassettes, DVDs, books on music, memorabilia. It is humongous and the largest of the Amoeba stores, opened in 1990! The original store is the one on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley (which is also going strong, though much smaller).
It is open every day until 11p.m. -- wonderful place to wander around and listen to music. You can bring in your CDs/DVDs to trade/sell. There are listening stations for old merchandise. They also host live in-store performances and broadcast radio shows. A music-lover's playground!
(Downtown L.A., 5th & Spring St.)
A multilevel gallery-style (in architecture and in the art sense) used bookstore (also LPs) housed in the entirety of an old grandiose building which used to be a bank (with vaulted safes). It's not just a place to hangout on comfy sofas and in many of its nooks and crannies for book lovers and for those who just a refuge among books and art. They also host literary, musical and theatrical events . And it houses an art collective (and it shows in its interior deco of art installations made with books). It has a cult following and remains strong despite the shift to eReaders, big bookstore chains and online shopping.
"Welcome to The Last Bookstore", a short documentary about the Last Bookstore owner Josh Spencer:
Shopping strips (for strolling)
Shopping strips (for strolling)
(Downtown L.A., bordering Chinatown, aross from the beautiful Union Station for trains and buses)
A Mexican marketplace to give you a flavor or original old (pueblo) L.A., admire Mexican leather goods and folk crafts, have some Mexican candies or Mexican food...There are events, celebrations on Mexican holidays, and mariachi bands. A little touristy but still nice.
(Downtown Santa Monica)
Pedestrianized shopping area just a few blocks from the beach and Santa Monica Pier (the beach is on Ocean Ave, then one block inland is 1st St., then 2nd St.). It used to be a great area for underground music, specialized book stores and night entertainment (lots of buskers and performance street artists). Now it's becoming extremely commercialized with a lot of chain stores...but can still be a nice stroll. And if the shops you want aren't there, there's a shopping center at one end of the street.
Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive
(Beverly Hills, off Wilshire Blvd.)
Made famous as where Julia Robert's character in Pretty Woman tried to do shopping (link also lists the other L.A. filming locations for the movie).
High-end designer labels only. Good place to meet the rich and famous.
(south of Wilshire Blvd, between La Brea and Fairfax Ave)
This used to be the place for the underground music scene, used CD stores, vintage clothing, funky-ness and creative scene (read more about amidst the grittiness it was where the cool people hung out), but now it's a smattering of funky but trendy boutiques (or read this article). My favorite used music store, which used to be flooded by demo CDs from local DJs and musicians, thus died an untimely death.
Still an interesting strip teaming with oodles of je-ne-sais-quoi to stroll down, grab a coffee, maybe do lunch, smoke a hookah.
Food
Food
Groceries
Groceries
Honestly....skip the supermarket chains and go to the ghettos and ethnic communities to shop at the Armenian, Asian, Latino or Russian or what other food markets (I grew up on these four) -- way cheaper, usually, and fruits at the Latino markets, for instance, can be much riper! Otherwise...there is a huge difference when a food item is on sale, which is also indicative of what is in season -- so go for sales!
There are also many outdoor weekly markets, which you can find........
(Downtown L.A.)
The iconic farmer's market for California (aka high) quality produce at farmer's prices where you'll see restaurateurs shop for their menus, but it's also a very happening place to lunch at one or two or four of the many food stalls serving up foods from everywhere, or have your coffee served by hipsters behind the bar and drink it sitting sandwiched between more.
Yes, there really was a trader named Joe who opened the first store in Pasadena in 1967 (and it still bustling!). It has become a chain cult market for the food lover/explorer interested in frugal gourmet. They are environmentally friendly and almost all their creations (and produce) are self-branded and locally sourced. Joe Coulombe's original concept was to recreate foods abroad for the domestic market. Yes, in 1979 the German thrift supermarket Aldi Nord bought Trader Joe's (the other brother split off with Aldi Sud when the brothers couldn't play nice with each other -- the Aldi's in Germany and in the U.S. are run by Aldi Sud), but Trader Joe's still runs independently from Aldi Nord.
Here is where you pick up imported French cheeses, wacky health conscious foods, specialty foods, just plain funky foods not seen elsewhere and probably the only place in the U.S. you can find a bottle of wine for $3 -- wholesome local ingredients direct from suppliers at wholesome prices in an old-fashioned atmosphere -- think wild west General Store meets Tiki bar where the mascot is a pink plastic lobster, and imagine all the staff in Hawaiian shirts. I miss this place royally! Their weekly special ads are printed as the Fearless Flyer, which is a delightful read.
(West L.A., Wilshire Blvd & Fairfax Ave)
The "original" Farmer's Market used to be literally a farmer's market where you can sample great foods. It used to be dairy ranch in 1880, and following the Depression Era turned into a farmer's market in 1934 with local farmer's brought their fresh produce to the public. You can still get groceries and specialty foods here, but it has also developed into a small pedestrianized shopping area, complete with it's own mini train to take you from one end to the other.
Specialties
Specialties
(Westwood Village, 926 Broxton Avenue)
Make-your-own ice cream sandwiches for $1 with fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies they bake behind the counter -- do not miss!!!!!
(Mid-Wilshire/West L.A., 709 N. La Brea Blvd, near Melrose Place)
for a bit of 1930s Americana -- serving from the same location since 1939. Voted #1 every year. Try the chilli hot dogs (or whatever -- they've hamburgers, too. Menu online)
(west of mid-Wilshire, 624 S. La Brea Ave...also other locations)
The iconic L.A. bakery, founded by Nancy Silverton in 1989. Gourmet food stores in Dublin, IRL fly bread from this place daily!!!!
neighborhoods for restaurants
neighborhoods for restaurants
L.A. has to be a food-lover's haven (we have lots of dedicated food guides, like Eater LA). We usually basically go to the respective ethnic district to try foods from that part of the world....though sometimes it doesn't really matter if you are in the right ethnic district (just check the clientele) though it might be easier to find the range of restaurants for a particular cuisine in each district. It'll probably be easier to pick up a free copy of L.A. Weekly (and ignore the full-page plastic surgery ads), which should give you an idea of restaurants and events in L.A., but read this overview of the ethnic neighborhoods in L.A. or this more comprehensive guide with maps locations. Basically, you have
Koreatown (Los Angeles, mid-Wilshire area, N of Wilshire around Olympic Blvd and Western Ave around mid-Wilshire area)
Chinatown (near Downtown L.A.)
The place should be really called Little Saigon for the bigger Vietnamese community, or ex-Little Italy (you can still see remnants of the first Italian communities which used to be there)
closest to L.A. for dimsums and Chinese bakeries
Monterey Park / Alhambra (east of L.A.)
for excellent Chinese (mostly Taiwanese), Vietnamese and Hawaiian food
Olvera Street (near Chinatown/downtown L.A.)
for Mexican food...but actually head into the middle of Downtown L.A....
Downtown L.A.
for Central American food, including Mexican, at extremely low prices
Little Ethiopia (Fairfax Ave, N of Wilshire)
Little Tokyo (downtown L.A.)
Armenian district (near Hollywood)
Persian restaurants (cluster of them in west L.A. as well as right outside of Westwood Village, on Westwood Blvd, S of Wilshire)
Eastern-European Jewish food (Fairfax Ave, between 3rd St & Melrose Pl)
e.g. Canter's deli on Fairfax is one of the oldest delis!
Thai district (around midWilshire, N of Beverly somewhere)
....but basically most Thai restaurants in L.A. are pretty good....just avoid the fastfood type ones
Philippino community is big in L.A., too.
very meat-dominant and hearty dishes
Santa Monica is renowned for the density of its exceptional award-winning restaurants
Chain food stores not to miss
Chain food stores not to miss
ALSO don't miss these chain food stores (yes, chains!), if you see them:
for THE best smoothies in proper sizes...one of the shops I miss the most
make your own ice cream sundaes or ice cream flavours...
Excellent espresso!!!!!! I have to love this place because I worked here; this chain cafe was originally owned by a Dutch coffee and tea connoiseur named Peet and was subsequently bought by the original owner/founder of Starbuck's who didn't like how Starbuck's was evolving into a megachain and thus comprising in quality
Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods
Nearby(ish)
Nearby(ish)
* highly recommended: death valley national park
* Santa Barbara (north of L.A.) -- nice artsy beach town to relax in, and SURF!
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