Venice Beach, Los Angeles

Perhaps nowhere else in the world belongs to the world like Los Angeles. Of course this is cultivated by L.A.'s position as the epicenter of the world movie and television industry. It seems that almost the whole universe is intimate with Los Angeles - as the products of its most notable industry are beamed into hundreds of millions of homes every single day, and that at any given time Hollywood films are being shown in hundreds of thousands of movie theaters. Internet users are also inundated with images of and gossip about Hollywood's famous celebrities from their movies to their personal lives, as is print media - in hundreds of different languages.

This domination of world media makes L.A. a much sought-after destination with people from everywhere. Many visit L.A. and love the place so much, they return as soon as they can - permanently. For most though, L.A. is the destination for that dream vacation. There is so much to do here one definitely has to set priorities. For some the ultimate goal is 'star' gazing in Beverly Hills or walking around the famous streets of Hollywood. For others swimming and surfing in the warm California sun on one of the area's many beaches is a fantasy fulfilled. Of course for families Disneyland, Universal Studios and Knott's Berry Farm - are the culmination of a dream for both the young and the young at heart. In addition to these popular standards, there are also countless things to see and do in L.A. that cater to all possible tastes - museums, art galleries, events and happenings. Whatever the cultural or artistic scene - it will have some presence in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is difficult to define. It seems to consist of a large number of communities that run into each other without any distinct boundaries except for the "Welcome To" signs. The Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Los Angeles-Long Beach, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura Counties. As well as the actual city of L.A., this area also contains large cities such as Riverside, Pasadena, Long Beach, Santa Ana, and Anaheim to name but a few. Generally this metropolitan region is known as the Los Angeles area with a combined population of over 16 million.

HISTORY AND ECONOMY

When considering the impact that it has from a global perspective, it is hard to believe that Los Angeles as a city has been around for little more than two hundred years, and for the first hundred was a very insignificant backwater with a sparse population. The original inhabitants of the area were the Gabrielena and the Chumash Indians, traces of their settlement go back to 6000 BC. The Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola visited a Native American village called Yangna in 1769. The Spanish then built the Mission San Gabriel in 1771, and most of the Indian population moved here (hence the name Gabrielena). In 1781 a farming settlement was founded and this was known as El Pueblo Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula, or Los Angeles for short, and in more recent times has been further abbreviated to L.A. The area or territory was known as Alte California and was administered by the Spanish, and then after independence from Spain in 1821 became part of Mexico. Los Angeles served off and on as the administrative center for the territory and by the early 1840s was the largest settlement in Alta California even though its population was less than one thousand. In the beginning cattle was the major agricultural focus, and Mexico traded local hides and tallow with the United States. Fruit (especially citrus) was also cultivated. The land was divided up into large ranches owned by wealthy Mexicans. Poor farm laborers (a lot of them Chinese) made up the rest of the population. Later Americans and Europeans started to migrate to the area. In 1848 Mexico ceded Alta California to the U.S.A. and in 1850 it became the State of California when it was admitted to the Union. Despite the California Gold Rush, the population of Los Angeles was still less than 6,000 by 1870.

Only with the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1876, and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in 1885, did the population start to grow - very rapidly. In 1887 to escape the increasing rowdiness of a somewhat lascivious L.A., a temperance colony was set up eight miles away over a rough country road and named Hollywood. By 1890 the number of people living in the L.A. area was more than 50,000. By 1900 this had more than doubled. The former ranches were subdivided and the suburbs grew, and the large urban sprawl that is today's L.A. began. Initially it was somewhat idyllic, a beautiful suburban home set amongst orange groves, under clear blue and sunny skies, is still the popular image of life in L.A. even if the reality is somewhat different.

The period from 1900 to 1930 was very interesting, as the industries that have made Los Angeles what it is today began to be established. In 1911 the first film studio was opened in Hollywood. From this date on the blossoming movie industry moved from the East Coast almost overnight. This was because of prohibitive patent laws enforced by the owners of the first movie theaters in the east, and because of the wide range of natural locations and the fine climate that California could offer. The other major industry that came to the area was aircraft production. In World War 1, Donald Douglas and Lockheed both established aircraft factories, and this grew into the massive aerospace industry, which is still very significant, despite regular cuts to the U.S. defense budget.

By 1920 the population was over a million, and in the decade that followed Hollywood and Los Angeles became known the world over because of the movies. This attracted hundreds of thousands of more people to the area not just from North America but the whole world, and by 1930 Los Angeles numbered over two million inhabitants. This was also the era of the depression when many fled to California in hope of a better life, which at first they did not necessarily find. World War II brought more industry and waves of new migrants to the area.

Since the war L.A. has become a major financial and manufacturing center, and the entertainment industry has expanded with the advent of television. The recording industry is also centered in the area, and since the 80s many multi media companies are also based here. Tourism is of vast importance, largely due to L.A.'s position as glamour capital of the world. In fact tourism far exceeds movies and television as an income earner. The economy here is so large, that to put things in perspective, if Metro Los Angeles were a nation, it would rate fourteenth in the world in terms of Gross National Product. The population still keeps growing, and modern L.A. is a melange of every conceivable race and ethnic group.

Today L.A. is a polluted and over crowded mega-metropolis of dozens of different communities. Despite the toll of bush fires and earth quakes, great racial and social disparities, the city goes on and on. Regardless of any negative impressions, the star of Los Angeles still shines brightly, and remains one of the world's most intriguing cities that demands to be visited by any serious traveler. Los Angeles will always be a magnet for all those seeking the fulfillment of their California dreams.

CLIMATE

L.A. Surfer

The climate in Los Angeles really consists of just two seasons. Summer is hot and dry, but the coast areas are usually quite pleasant due to the moderating influence of the Pacific Ocean. In July the average high is only 75 Fahrenheit. Inland in the valleys the air is more polluted and temperatures are higher. It does get very hot indeed on occasion, especially in late summer and fall when the Santa Ana winds blow down from the desert mountains to the east. This is bush fire season. Winter is hardly cold, except perhaps in contrast to the summer, the average high in January is still 64 Fahrenheit. The winter is usually when rainfall (although minimal) occurs, and with the sudden change in the air from dry to damp, it does seem colder than it actually is. However this does not occur too frequently, and for the most part winter is pleasantly moderate. Smog, caused in most part by the excessive use of automobiles (one for every two residents), is a year round problem, but is far less common on the coastline.

TRANSPORTATION

	Sunrise on a L.A. Freeway

The Los Angeles International Airport is linked from nearly all points in North America and around the globe. For many visitors from Asia and the Pacific LAX, (the airport's three letter code has become its popular name) is the first stopping-off point on a visit to North America. A shuttle from LAX to your hotel or a private residence will cost around $25. There is also a shuttle from the airport to the LAX Transit Center where you can pick up a transit bus. The Los Angeles area also has several other airports which are served from many parts of the U.S.A. at Ontario, Long Beach, Burbank and Orange County. To encourage use of these smaller airports, a MTA Transit bus will pick you up on arrival if you call ahead.

Los Angeles residents are addicted to the car, nearly all the infrastructure is geared to this and so if you don't drive to L.A. in your own vehicle it is a necessity to rent a vehicle to see the area effectively. The Freeway system is legendary, and not nearly as difficult to drive as visitors think it will be. The best advice is to plan your route ahead, and to write down exit and interchange names and numbers. Allow plenty of time to reach anywhere, as traffic snarl-ups are routine, and avoid driving in rush hours. Interstate highways also link Los Angeles to the rest of North America and many visitors bring their own vehicles. Locals are usually tolerant and courteous to visitors with out of state license plates. Long distance bus routes reach L.A. from all over California and also from across North America. Because of the ongoing pollution problem from car exhaust fumes and the traffic congestion, the authorities are trying very hard to develop an effective transit system to rival that of San Francisco to the north. This will take many years, but public transportation in the area has certainly improved in recent years. There are now three light rail lines linking various places from downtown Los Angeles. There is also Metrolink, a commuter rail service that links six cities in the region, as well as an ever expanding bus system run by MTA, including the mini DASH buses that run weekdays in downtown L.A.

Los Angeles is part of the Amtrak network and can be reached by train from the length of the Pacific Coast, as well as by transcontinental trains that reach there by several cross-country routes. Many overseas visitors travel right across the country by bus or train to reach Los Angeles as part of their U.S. vacation.

FEATURED ATTRACTIONS

Hollywood View with Capitol Records Building

There is no doubt that Hollywood is responsible for the Los Angeles area's position as the world's movie and television capital, and that this industry has attracted millions of people to the area, and contributed to its phenomenal growth. Even though the movie studios have long ago moved further away, Hollywood is still credited with producing an everlasting succession of commercially (if not always critically) successful movies. "Hollywood" is the generic title for the products of the L.A. entertainment industry. The town of Hollywood itself is overlooked by the renowned Hollywood sign -set up high on a hill at the end of Beachwood Drive. The sign consists of letters 50 foot high and used to read 'Hollywoodland' until the 'land' was removed in 1949. Today it is protected from vandals and would-be suicide by high tech infrared cameras with radar-activated zoom lenses. Millions of people from the world over still make the pilgrimage to Hollywood - for nearly all it is the fulfillment of a long-held fantasy. Like most fantasies though, the reality is very different; many of the former movie palaces are now porn theaters. Fortunately the decline of Hollywood that began in the 1960s seems finally to be in remission. Though the streets at night are still a little risky, during the day it is certainly possible to sense the nostalgia that pervades the atmosphere here.

Many of the old landmarks still stand and they will not disappoint anyone who has seen any of the great Hollywood movies. First stop for many is the intersection of Hollywood and Vine, this was supposedly the spot were many future stars were 'discovered.' Close to here is the famous landmark Capitol Records Building, which resembles a stack of 45 records on a turntable but it is claimed this was not intentional. Many big name recording artists of the 50s and 60s were on the Capitol label and there is a large mural depicting some of these. Further along Hollywood Boulevard is Hollywood's most famous and popular attraction - the Mann's Chinese Theatre. The d�cor of the theatre is pseudo-Chinese style but impressive nevertheless. The interior is also notable and you can still see current movies here. Of course the real attractions here are the movie stars' foot and handprints set in cement. Ostensibly this tradition was started when actress Norma Talmadge accidentally stepped on the wet concrete of the construction site. Ever since then Hollywood's famous from Mary Pickford to Mel Gibson have set their prints here, comedian Jimmy Durante even set his notorious nose for posterity. The Hollywood Walk of Fame, with the names of so many show business and movie notables set in the sidewalk never fails to thrill the celebrity conscious. Another Hollywood 'must see' is the Hollywood Forever Memorial Gardens - here you can see, amongst others, the mausoleum of Rudolph Valentino and the somewhat excessive shrine of Douglas Fairbanks Senior. The cemetery is still taking on new clientele, but the contemporary graves are for people of much more humble means than the Hollywood elite of the past.

	Rodeo Drive Sign, Beverly Hills

West of Hollywood the far more opulent neighborhood of Beverly Hills is much more in keeping with the dreams of visitors. It really is full of movie stars' mansions with lavish gardens and a pool or two. Quite understandably these over-indulgent homes are not very accessible, nonetheless it is fun to tour the tree-lined streets that these palaces are on for a few hours. To do this you can take one of many guided tours that are available, most leave from Mann's Chinese Theatre. The advantage of the tour is that you get to hear the many movie star related anecdotes your tour guide will share with his customers. Many people still prefer to drive around the area under their own steam and for this purpose one of the ubiquitous 'Star Home Maps' that are available all over town will be of great assistance. Also worth seeing in Beverly Hills is one of the most famous shopping streets in the world, Rodeo Drive immortalized in the movie 'Pretty Woman.' Nearly all the world famous fashion designers have stores here, as do all the creators of designer fashion accessories. Visitors should also take a glance at the Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows one of the places to stay since 1912 and still very exclusive. If you are prepared to spend a lot of money and dress appropriately you can even enjoy an aperitif or two in the eminent Polo Lounge - you never know who you might run into.

On the other side of the Los Angeles area from Beverly Hills - but as with everywhere else very easy to reach because of the freeway system - is the City of Anaheim. There is only one thing worth seeing here, but it is doubtless the area's most popular and universally loved attraction - Disneyland. When Walt Disney built this place in orange groves he anticipated that the area would soon become heavily populated in as part of the continuous expansion of Los Angeles. He was right of course. Many people save for years to take their family to this icon of amusement parks, the first of its kind and for many the perennial favorite. Admission is expensive, best value is to buy a pass that enables you to visit for more than one day over a certain time period. The number of days you pay for is up to you. Certainly one day at Disneyland is rarely enough, especially if it is your first visit. There are so many things to experience, everything is scrupulously clean and well maintained. The park is divided up into various lands such as Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Frontierland and Adventureland. Amongst the most popular rides are the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and Space Mountain. The new Indiana Jones Adventure is computer generated and Disney claims that no two rides are ever the same. All the rides are wonderful, and everyone has their favorite. Just when you think you have 'done' Disneyland, another ride is introduced or a 'land' updated, making a return visit necessary.

In peak times line ups for the many rides are long, so just relax and visit with the people next to you in the line and enjoy the California sunshine. The line up is always worth it, the rides are all awesome. Also remember that you are not allowed to bring your own food, so you must eat Disney's own version of fast, or more formal restaurant food. Certainly for younger members of the family Disneyland will be the highlight of a Los Angeles vacation.

In the ocean front City of Long Beach is a very interesting sight - perhaps the most famous and prestigious ocean liner of all time the Queen Mary. For many years she was the fastest liner in the world. When the liner was withdrawn from Cunard Line service in 1967, the City of Long Beach purchased her and, too large to sail through the Panama Canal, the ship made a historic voyage around the Cape Horn to Long Beach where she has remained ever since. Although gutted of her working parts, the liner still looks very much as if she is still capable of sailing away to far away ports. As well as a tourist museum of the glory days of Trans-Atlantic liner travel, the Queen Mary also serves as a hotel, with many of the former staterooms serving as guestrooms. These same cabins were home to many celebrities, royalty and politicians on the four-day journey from Southampton to New York. The art-deco interiors are splendid, and it is possible to take a self-guided tour through much of the ship and see her original fittings. Guided tours are also available and are more comprehensive. It will not be difficult to imagine that you are actually sailing aboard this great example of marine engineering, especially as you walk around her sweeping decks. The Queen Mary also hosts special events, with this glorious liner being a particularly favorite venue for weddings.

Los Angeles even has the perfect getaway for visitors who need a change of pace, after a few frenetic days taking in all the numerous sights. This getaway is an island paradise 22 miles off the coast. Catalina Island is a sharp contrast to the hustle of the big city. Catalina can be reached by ferry, helicopter, private yacht or aircraft. The ferries leave from San Pedro, Long Beach and Newport Beach and run frequently. The crossing takes about one and a half hours and nowadays modern catamarans are used which certainly negate the effects of the often rough waters. With some exceptions no motor vehicles are allowed on Catalina; locals walk, cycle or drive electric powered vehicles like golf cars. Catalina is a privately owned conservation area, and its species include the Catalina shrew that has only ever been officially sighted twice. The architecture here seems to have a unique style of its own, but everything is fairly unobtrusive. Even though it is so different here, it shares a common theme with the mainland in that it is still fantasy-like and surreal. There are hotels, but space is limited as a night or two here is very popular with locals and visitors alike, so advance reservations are a must.

The island has only one town Avalon - a little reminiscent of the Mediterranean. Its landmark is the snazzy art-deco Avalon Casino built by William Wrigley (of chewing gum fame) in the 1920s, there is an adjoining museum. Otherwise Avalon is an interesting mix of restaurants, boutiques and small hotels, the whole town can be seen in a relatively short time. It is very pleasant to take a leisurely stroll around the town and then spend time on the beach before taking the ferry back to the mainland, or for the lucky ones, going back to the hotel. It is also possible to rent a bike or an electric vehicle, or even an underwater trip in a semi-submersible. A very worthwhile trip is a jeep tour of the island. This will enable visitors to see the island's beautiful vegetation and if lucky some wildlife. Guides on this tour are experts on the plants and wildlife of the island.