Los Angeles

Frank Lloyd Wright is said to have quipped, "Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles," a quote that has since been repeated both by those who love and hate L.A. The "City of Angels" is a city of sharp contrasts, home to people who hail from all parts of the globe and an important center of culture, business, media, and international trade. However, it's most famous for being a major center of the world's television, motion picture, and music industry, which forms the base of the city's status and lures visitors for its show business history and celebrity culture. Visitors are also drawn to Los Angeles for its Mediterranean climate and numerous beaches, which gave birth to California's famed surf culture.

California's most populous city and the second most populous city in the United States (after New York City), Los Angeles is spread across a broad basin in Southern California surrounded by vast forested mountain ranges, valleys, the Pacific Ocean, and nearby desert. Los Angeles sits at the heart of a metropolitan area of over 18 million people that spreads across Los Angeles County, Orange County, Ventura County, and the Inland Empire region of San Bernardino County and Riverside County.

For travel purposes, this guide covers the entirety of Los Angeles County, a region of nearly 5,000 square miles in Southern California (roughly the same size as Rhode Island). There are 88 cities (municipalities) in the county; the largest, the city of Los Angeles, spreads throughout the county from the Port of Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley.

The city of Los Angeles is huge, stretching from the suburbs of the San Fernando Valley in the north to the Port of Los Angeles in the south, a distance of almost 50 miles. And that's just the primary city; the sprawling L.A. metropolitan area spreads across portions of five counties and includes numerous smaller cities, some of which are regional centers of their own, like Burbank, Pasadena, Long Beach, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Riverside and San Bernardino. Some of these cities were founded around the end of the nineteenth century and grew alongside Los Angeles, and even today retain distinct identities.

Such is the nature of Los Angeles: because it is so spread out and its individual cities and neighborhoods are so distinct, the city is often thought of less as a cohesive whole than as a collection of disparate communities. Even some of the neighborhoods officially within the city of Los Angeles are so well-known that they are often thought to be distinct from the city, such as Hollywood, Van Nuys, Bel-Air, and Venice Beach, which sit astride officially independent municipalities such as West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills.

Most of the city sits in a broad basin that stretches from Santa Monica along the shoreline across the southern portion of the county and into Orange County. The basin is the most intensely developed part of the region, with a strong grid pattern of streets and freeways that's evident from the air. This basin is framed on the north by the Santa Monica Mountains, which gradually soften into a series of hills as they run east past Hollywood and Downtown L.A. and through East L.A. On the other side of these hills are two heavily developed valleys, the San Fernando Valley to the northwest of Central L.A. and the San Gabriel to the east, which today are filled with suburban neighborhoods. North of the valleys are the steep San Gabriel Mountains, which reach a high enough elevation that their peaks are sometimes coated with snow in the winter. Beyond this lies the Mojave Desert.

Prior to European contact, the Los Angeles basin was occupied by the native Tongva people, a set of hunter-gatherer tribes that were spread across much of Southern California. Portuguese explorer Juan Cabrillo was the first European to visit the region, sailing along the coast in 1542 and claiming the land for the Spanish Empire, but it took over two hundred years for the first Spanish settlement to be established, with the construction of the Mission San Gabriel by Franciscan missionaries in 1771. Ten years later, a group of Spanish settlers known as "Los Pobladores" ("the townspeople") founded a small village, El Pueblo de Los Angeles, at the site of the present-day El Pueblo district near Downtown.

Los Angeles remained a small ranch town for several decades, passing to Mexican and then to American rule in 1847 in the wake of the Mexican–American War. Los Angeles was immediately turned into a boomtown with the completion of railroads to the region, first the Southern Pacific Railroad from the north in 1876 and then the Santa Fe Railroad from the east in 1885, establishing the city as a railroad hub of the west. At the same time, city boosters sought to establish port and industrial facilities to challenge San Francisco's dominance on the west coast. Intense real estate speculation and low railroad fares attracted many "folks" from the Midwest and East Coast with warm winters and good job prospects. The discovery of oil in the basin and the completion of an aqueduct to provide a steady supply of water only accelerated the city's growth.

Filmmakers began arriving in the 1900s, lured by the area's climate and varied scenery, but also to flee Thomas Edison's litigious motion picture company, whose patents weren't enforced in the west. D.W. Griffith was the first to film a motion picture in the city, heralding the arrival of Hollywood. Soon, the vast majority of the world's film industry was concentrated in Los Angeles, making the city known throughout the world. Los Angeles continued to grow, drawing waves of job seekers during the Great Depression, and by the 1940s had the largest streetcar network in the world. World War II turned the city into a major center of wartime manufacturing, with Los Angeles briefly serving as the aviation center of the nation.

After World War II, Los Angeles sprawled out even further into new suburbs, fueled by the construction of new freeways and arterial streets, with the streetcar network giving way before the popularity of the automobile. This turned Los Angeles into the car-centric city it is today, with the infamous traffic jams and air pollution to go with it. As white flight created a very racially segregated inner city, the 1960s saw racial tensions erupt into the Watts Riots, a situation largely repeated in 1992 with the Rodney King riots, while crime and gang violence in the central city rose. Nevertheless, the population of the city continued to grow, drawing a remarkable diversity of immigrants from throughout the Pacific Rim and Latin America.

Since the early 1990s, the city has seen a decrease in crime and renewed investment in urban development and revitalization. Much of the manufacturing industry has moved elsewhere, but the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are now the largest harbor complex in the nation, handling much of the United States' imported goods. After decades of underinvestment, the city's public transit system has seen massive expansion and improvement bolstered by popular support for several countywide ballot measures to fund new construction. America's entertainment industry remains largely headquartered in Los Angeles, and between the warm weather and attractions both new and old, the city continues to draw people from around the world.

Los Angeles is a very diverse city with much of its population being born outside the United States. The city has the third largest Mexican population in the world, behind the Mexican cities of Mexico City and Guadalajara, and is home to about a dozen other large immigrant populations, many with their own little enclaves of restaurants, shops, and places of worship; some prominent examples include Chinatown and Little Tokyo in the Downtown area, Koreatown, the Little Armenia district of East Hollywood, and Iranian, Indian, Pakistani, and Japanese enclaves in West L.A. On the south side of the county, Long Beach has a very diverse population while Carson is noted for its large Samoan population.

The Latino population is spread throughout the city, but is still most heavily concentrated in East L.A. South Central L.A. remains the African-American center of the city, even while experiencing an increase in the Hispanic population. Prominent gay communities can be found in West Hollywood, as well as the Silver Lake neighborhood and the broader Westside area.

The city enjoys a temperate Mediterranean climate most of the year. However, the climate of Southern California is somewhat complex and temperatures can fluctuate wildly depending where you are in the city, since the varied terrain results in a series of microclimates. On the same day, daytime highs can vary by as much as twenty degrees Fahrenheit between coastal locations and cities in the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys. The coast tends to stay a bit cooler, which helps with the summer heat, but as such is also chillier at night. Bring a sweater and pants if you stay for dinner near the coast, even in the summer.

Summers are warm, occasionally hot, and bring the infamous dirty smog, though the air quality has significantly improved over the years. In August and September, the hottest months, average daytime highs in Downtown Los Angeles are 83°F (28°C) and nighttime lows average 63°F (17°C). Winters are mild and bring much of the annual rainfall; between December and March average daytime highs are 68°F (20°C) and nighttime lows are 49°F (9°C). Spring is a mix of gloomy rainy days and warm sunny days; like the rest of Southern California, L.A. experiences the "May Gray" and "June Gloom" marine effect, which results in frequent fog and overcast skies along the coast, so don't expect sunny beach weather if you visit during these months. Fall is typically warm and dry, with frequent wildfires. Ocean temperatures along the L.A. coast vary from an average of 58°F (14°C) in January to 68°F (20°C) in August.

Santa Ana winds can occur at any time of the year, although they most commonly occur in the fall and winter. These winds are a reversal of the usual climate conditions, when hot, dry air blows from the desert to the coast. Milder Santa Ana winds can result in excellent dry air conditions, but powerful ones can last days on end, significantly raising temperatures, creating tremendous fire danger, and in general making life miserable.

Los Angeles is intimately tied to the history of the movies, given its place as the de facto headquarters of the film industry for almost a century now. As such, L.A. has served as a prominent backdrop in virtually every genre of film, from gritty noir and psychological thrillers to light-hearted romantic comedies and action-packed blockbusters. Whittling down the countless number of movies set in L.A. to a manageable list of the very best is a difficult task, and one rife with debate, but there are a few that consistently stand out for their place in L.A. mythos or for capturing some essential essence of the city that lies beyond the studio gates.

• Los Angeles Plays Itself (Thom Andersen, 2003). If you want to understand this city's relationship with the film industry and Hollywood's outlook on its adopted city, this documentary is a good place to start. Andersen's withering commentary underlines the tension that exists between locals and their city's most famous industry, set to a visual smorgasbord of clips from other movies that illustrate what Hollywood captures—and more importantly, what it fails to capture.
• Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950). Perhaps the definitive Hollywood movie about Hollywood, Billy Wilder's iconic classic follows a down-on-his-luck screenwriter who gets sucked into the delusions of a silent film star long past her prime.
• Kiss Me Deadly (Robert Aldrich, 1955). A noir classic, this grim tale involves a thuggish private eye who takes a twisting journey through L.A. after his fateful decision to pick up a hitchhiker. Marvelous cinematography of the city abounds, from nightclubs and dark winding roads to the soon-to-be-demolished tenements of Bunker Hill.
• Rebel Without a Cause (Nicholas Ray, 1955). In James Dean's most celebrated performance, an angst-ridden teenager passes from one now-iconic Los Angeles set-piece to the next, including a tragic game of chicken at a Palos Verdes cliff and a wild climax outside the Griffith Observatory.
• Far from the glamour of Hollywood, there's a set of fairly obscure but beloved neo-realist films noted for capturing a side of L.A. rarely seen, offering an intimate portrayal of life in the city's margins and a glimpse into the city's past. The Exiles (Kent MacKenzie, 1961) follows a group of young Native Americans living and partying in Downtown, with gorgeous cinematography of many places now lost to time. Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett, 1978) is a wandering yet strikingly warm and tender view of the African American communities of 1970s Watts, while Bless Their Little Hearts (Billy Woodberry, 1984) is a poignant yet bleak look at a Watts working class family struggling to make ends meet.
• Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974). This neo-noir flick has probably done more to shape Los Angeles' image of its past than the actual history its loosely based on. A seemingly routine case of proving adultery draws a rakish private detective into a vast conspiracy over stolen water, shady land deals, and lives ruined to cover up the sins of city leaders.
• Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982). While Ridley Scott's dystopian Los Angeles bears little resemblance to the real thing, no discussion of L.A.'s depiction in film is complete without mentioning it. Critical opinion of this sci-fi noir is decidedly mixed, but many local landmarks make appearances as striking ruins, from Union Station to Los Feliz's Ennis House to Downtown's Bradbury Building.
• Boyz n the Hood (John Singleton, 1991). Released just one year prior to the Rodney King riots, this somber coming-of-age film is emblematic of the hood genre, depicting teenage life in South Central and the desperate struggle to escape the ghetto.
• The Player (Robert Altman, 1992). Robert Altman's comeback film is a loving and humorous—if slightly dark—satire of Hollywood, rife with inane studio executives, obsessive screenwriters, and too many celebrity cameos to count.
• Speed (Jan de Bont, 1994). Many of the biggest action blockbusters of the time are set in L.A. (Die Hard, Terminator, Lethal Weapon, etc.), but few so lovingly show off Los Angeles as this goofy, relentless, and fun action flick about a bus that will explode if it drives too slow.
• L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson, 1997). An acclaimed neo-noir flick set in the 1950s, this cynical film juxtaposes Hollywood's glamorous image with its sordid underworld of corrupt cops, organized crime, prostitution, and media scandals, with certain real-world figures and events cropping up in the film's margins.
• Quentin Tarantino's highly influential first three films, Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), and Jackie Brown (1997), are all set in L.A. and make fantastic use of the decidedly non-glamorous side of the city, from its hole-in-the-wall diners and run-down apartments to its sun-baked streets and seedy pawn shops. Tarantino's film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), is a fictionalized version of the L.A. of 1969.
• The Big Lebowski (Joel and Ethan Coen, 1998). A cult favorite, the Coen Brothers' madcap adventure bounces between the weird and wacky characters that make up L.A.'s fringe culture: slackers, nihilists, fascist cops, radical artists, porn kings, and the worlds that they inhabit. Fans of the Coen Brothers should also check out their 1991 flick Barton Fink, a surreal period piece about a New York playwright who moves to Hollywood.

• Los Angeles Visitor Information Center, 6801 Hollywood Blvd (in the Hollywood and Highland Center; Metro: Hollywood/Highland, +1-323-467-6412.

Los Angeles Visitor Information Center, 6801 Hollywood Blvd (in the Hollywood and Highland Center; Metro: Hollywood/Highland, +1-323-467-6412.

Entertainment is what has earned L.A. its fame, so it's no surprise that many come for the sights of Hollywood, where you will find such landmarks to film as Grauman's Chinese Theater and the Hollywood Walk of Fame or gaze up at the Hollywood Sign perched on the hill.

However, while the entertainment industry is still headquartered in Hollywood, most of the major studios have moved elsewhere, particularly San Fernando Valley; Universal City is home to Universal Studios and its associated theme park, CBS has set up shop in Studio City, while nearby Burbank is home to the Warner Brothers Studios and the Walt Disney Studios, among others. On the Westside, Sony Pictures occupies the historic MGM Studios in Culver City, the headquarters of 20th Century Fox sit in Century City, and many television shows are still taped in CBS Television City in Fairfax. Paramount Pictures is the last movie studio left in Hollywood, with its famed double-arched gate facing Melrose Avenue. Many studios offer tours, and at some you might even be lucky enough to attend a television show taping; check the individual pages for details.

Besides the studios, there are many sights that attract movie buffs and are worth checking out for those interested in the history of film. Hollywood has plenty of museums and classic cinemas related to the Golden Age of Hollywood, while Hollywood, Downtown, Northwest L.A., Wilshire, and Beverly Hills are chock-full of iconic filming locations in a city that's full of them. There are also a few cemeteries noted for being the final resting places of many celebrities and influential writers and directors, particularly the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, the Westwood Village Memorial Park in Westwood, and the massive Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, where you're guaranteed to run into the famous of yesteryear.

Of course, many also come in the hopes of seeing living celebrities. While your chances of running into one in Hollywood are rather low, you may get lucky in the glamorous neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and Malibu, which are home to many celebrity mansions and whose fancy restaurants are sometimes frequented by movie stars. Awards season brings a lot of celebrity-spotting as well, with most of the famous awards shows hosted in Los Angeles: the Academy Awards take place in Hollywood, typically in late February; the Grammy Awards have settled into the Staples Center in Downtown each February; the Golden Globes take place in Beverly Hills each January; and the late summer Primetime Emmys have spent the last several years at the Microsoft Theater in Downtown.

Los Angeles, as a general rule, hasn't been too careful about retaining its historical artifacts, and that's ignoring the fact that much of the city was only built in the last half-century or so. However, there are some historical attractions for those interested in learning about L.A.'s past:

El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument in Downtown is the site of the original Spanish settlement where Los Angeles was founded in the 1780s. Today it's preserved as a historic district with some of the city's oldest buildings as well as a number of Mexican restaurants and shops along touristy Olvera Street. Two other important sites from Los Angeles' Spanish era are located along the El Camino Real in Los Angeles County: the Mission San Gabriel, which predates the Pueblo de Los Angeles, and the Mission San Fernando in the northern portion of the San Fernando Valley.

Downtown's Historic Core still has many splendid examples of late 19th and early 20th century architecture, including many old movie palaces and the noteworthy Victorian-style Bradbury Building along Broadway. Just north of the Historic Core is the grand 1920s City Hall building, while just a little further on, across from the El Pueblo area, is the 1930s Mission Revival-style Union Station, the main railway hub for the city. East L.A. has the Heritage Square living history museum, showcasing life in L.A. around the turn of the 20th century.

Heading west from Downtown, the Miracle Mile district along Wilshire has a lot of mid-20th century commercial architecture, including some superb examples of Art Deco and Streamline architecture. Another great Art Deco structure is the Griffith Observatory atop Griffith Park, famed for its many appearances in film and its sweeping view of the city. And of course, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Culver City have numerous theaters, studios, and other examples of architecture dating from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Of Los Angeles' museums, the Getty Center in West L.A. is the most renowned, regularly hailed as one of the finest art museums in the country. Located above the city on the Santa Monica mountains, it has a spectacular view of the L.A. basin and the Pacific Ocean, with an extensive European art collection inside. The old museum, the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, is also worth a visit for its collection of artifacts from ancient Greece and Rome. Admission to both is free (although the Villa requires tickets to be reserved in advance) and you can visit both in the same day (Wednesday through Sunday only) and pay the parking fee only once, but don't expect to have any time left over for other activities.

Another splendid institution is the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), which has its main building on Grand Avenue in Downtown with branches in Little Tokyo and West Hollywood. Across the street from the MOCA is The Broad, a contemporary art museum housed in a striking building. The massive campus of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Wilshire features a particularly varied collection of works from around the world, with strong collections of Asian, Latin American, and American art, as well as a new contemporary art museum on its campus.

Exposition Park holds two of LA's best science museums, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Science Center, both of which have an extensive range of exhibits. The Natural History Museum is the largest of its kind on the West Coast, while the Science Center is reputed for its aircraft collection, which includes the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Another excellent museum is the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits in Wilshire, which preserves the famous tar pits and showcases numerous fossils that have been excavated from the tar. Long Beach has the spectacular Aquarium of the Pacific, one of the largest aquariums in the country, right across the harbor from the historic Queen Mary ocean liner. On the other side of the port from Long Beach is San Pedro, which holds several maritime museums.

Los Angeles also has many excellent historical and cultural museums. The Autry Museum in Griffith Park has numerous exhibits on the history of the American West, with plenty of cowboy artifacts and memorabilia from Hollywood westerns. Exposition Park is home to the California African-American Museum while Little Tokyo holds the Japanese American National Museum. In West L.A. you'll find the Museum of Tolerance, which has a strong focus on the history of the Holocaust, and the Skirball Cultural Center in the hills near the Getty Center, with exhibits devoted to Jewish history and culture. Culver City has the Wende Museum, with a collection of Cold War artifacts from Soviet-era Eastern Europe. Culver City is also home to the quirky Museum of Jurassic Technology, an artistic blending of fact and fiction that tends to defy proper explanation but still delights visitors.

Griffith Park in Northwest LA is an absolutely massive park (indeed, it is five times larger than New York's Central Park) that sprawls across the hills near the Hollywood Sign and is a great place for hikes or picnics, with excellent views of the city. Amidst the rugged terrain of the park are numerous hiking trails and tucked-away sights, as well as major draws like the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the American West, the iconic and historic Griffith Observatory, and plenty of recreational activities. Also in Northwest LA are Echo Park and MacArthur Park, both of which are popular neighborhood parks with picturesque lakes and excellent views of the downtown skyline, and Barnsdall Art Park, which sits atop a hill overlooking East Hollywood and holds a community art complex centered around a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house. Exposition Park in South Central LA is a pleasant green space, with a beautiful rose garden and several cultural institutions including the Natural History Museum, the California Science Center, and several venues from the 1984 Olympics including the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Pan Pacific Park in Wilshire is another popular neighborhood park.

Above Hollywood and West LA is winding Mulholland Drive, a famous road that hugs the ridgeline of the Hollywood Hills and has been the setting for countless movies and first kisses, with spectacular views over the city and the Hollywood Sign, not to mention all the celebrity mansions that line the road. Another excellent hilltop view can be found at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook above Culver City in the middle of the Westside, which offers marvelous views over the basin and the Pacific Ocean.

If coastal scenery is what you seek, Malibu is a must-see for its fantastic ocean views and mansions perched atop the ocean cliffs, hugging the coastline beneath the Santa Monica Mountains, which itself makes for a pleasant retreat from the city with its miles of scenic roadways and hiking trails. Further south, Palos Verdes is an oasis of ocean cliffs, Eucalyptus trees, and walking trails at the very southwestern corner of the basin, with a historic lighthouse with views of distant Santa Catalina Island, a popular destination for tourists and locals seeking to escape the city.

Further afield, the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys hold a few lovely botanical gardens open to visitors, most notably the large and extensive Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, the private Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge, the Japanese Garden in Van Nuys, and the botanical gardens of the stately Huntington Library in San Marino. Above the valley, the Angeles National Forest covers the steep and rugged San Gabriel Mountains, with its many scenic roads and recreational opportunities.

The Westside is home to the most famous beaches of LA: Venice Beach, with its colorful Boardwalk and Muscle Beach, and the adjacent town of Santa Monica, with its popular pier and amusement park. Both communities share an expansive stretch of sandy beach which gets very crowded in the summer and which have plenty of amusements and facilities available, as well as a very festive scene in Venice that's fantastic for people watching. Just south of Venice is the less-crowded Dockweiler State Beach in the aptly-named town of Playa del Rey (Spanish for beach of the king). Further north, where the coastline meets the Santa Monica Mountains, are scenic beaches in Pacific Palisades and Malibu; Pacific Palisades' Will Rogers State Beach is expansive and quite popular, while Malibu's narrower Surfrider Beach is famed for its surf breaks.

South Bay is home to a number of beaches that are also very popular, in particular the Beach Cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach, with piers and expansive stretches of sand lined with expensive houses. Hermosa is famed for its festive atmosphere, regularly holding volleyball tournaments and surfing competitions, and all three are popular with families and beach-goers. Also good but less crowded is Torrance Beach further south, which is noted for great surfing, and the very scenic stretch of coastline in Palos Verdes, which holds many rocky coves and tidepools that make for fun exploration.

Off the coast and enormously popular for people taking a day trip out of L.A. are the picturesque beaches of Catalina Island. Additionally, the Beach Cities of nearby Orange County are very popular with locals. For those who are more into boats than sand, Marina del Rey is located just south of Venice and is the world's largest man-made small-craft harbor, offering plenty of mooring as well as motorized and non-motorized rentals.

Los Angeles has great opportunities for seeing live pro sports. The Major League Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the most famous teams in baseball and a game at Dodger Stadium in Elysian Park, in the hills north of downtown, is an absolute treat for baseball fans. However, LA's most successful sports franchise has been and remains the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA, undoubtedly one of the greatest basketball teams in history. They play in the Staples Center in Downtown along with the less-famous Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA, who have risen from perennial losers to a competitive force. Also playing in the Staples Center are the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League and the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. The city has two Major League Soccer teams—the LA Galaxy, which plays at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, and Los Angeles FC, which started play in 2018 at Banc of California Stadium in Exposition Park.

The National Football League now has two teams in the L.A. area, both having returned to the area after having spent decades elsewhere. The Los Angeles Rams, which called L.A. home from 1946 to 1994 before moving to St. Louis, returned to L.A. in 2016. They are playing in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park until their new stadium in Inglewood opens in 2020. The Los Angeles Chargers, which started their life in the old American Football League in 1960, moved to San Diego the next year and didn't return until 2017. The Chargers are playing at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson before sharing the new Inglewood stadium with the Rams when it opens. For the second-largest city in the country, Los Angeles long showed an inexplicable inability to hold down a NFL franchise; during the Rams' stint in St. Louis, Los Angeles football fans made do with the local college teams: the USC Trojans football team plays in the Coliseum, while the UCLA Bruins play in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, which also hosts the annual famous college bowl game the stadium is named after.

In addition, Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels and the National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks play in nearby Anaheim in Orange County.

Major college sports in L.A. aren't limited to USC and UCLA, although those schools have by far the highest profiles since they're the only two NCAA Division I schools in the area that play football. The immediate L.A. area boasts seven other Division I programs. The city of Los Angeles boasts the Cal State Northridge Matadors in the San Fernando Valley district of Northridge and the Loyola Marymount Lions in Westchester, while Los Angeles County also boasts the Pepperdine Waves in Malibu and the Long Beach State 49ers. Orange County is home to the Cal State Fullerton Titans and UC Irvine Anteaters, while the Inland Empire city of Riverside is home to the UC Riverside Highlanders and the California Baptist Lancers, the latter of which joined Division I in 2018.

Most recently, the USA Sevens, the country's annual event in the World Rugby Sevens Series for men's national teams in rugby sevens, will return to its former site of Dignity Health Sports Park in February/March 2020. Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union played on a full-sized field, but with seven players per side instead of 15, and halves of 7 minutes instead of 40. The short duration of each game allows a complete tournament to be held over a single weekend. The tournament features 16 teams, including the U.S., and strongly encourages a festival atmosphere.

No matter what music you're into, Los Angeles will feature artists to your taste, be it rock venues on Sunset Blvd, jazz clubs in Hollywood, or classical music in Downtown, just to scratch the surface. From the ambiance of the famous Hollywood Bowl to the spectacle of seeing a concert with 90,000 of your closest friends in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, L.A. has many venues that are worth exploring.

Downtown Los Angeles holds several major entertainment venues. The 7,100 seat Microsoft Theater has become L.A.'s premiere venue for rock concerts and awards shows, while the nearby Staples Center, though primarily a sports venue, also hosts a large number of big-name concerts with its 19,000 seat capacity. Near the Civic Center, the Los Angeles Music Center consists of four music halls, most notably the Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Master Chorale, and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, home to the Los Angeles Opera.

Griffith Park holds the Greek Theatre, an outdoor amphitheater modeled after a Greek temple that hosts many concerts. Nearby Hollywood has two major concert venues in the Hollywood Palladium and the Fonda Theatre, the latter of which is reputed for its indie band scene and both of which regularly host big-name acts. A little further south, Wilshire has a couple of classic rock concert venues at the El Rey Theatre and The Wiltern. West Hollywood is home to some legendary rock nightclubs along the Sunset Strip, like Troubadour, Whisky a Go Go, and The Viper Room. Next to the USC campus and near Exposition Park in South Central L.A. is the Shrine Auditorium, a large enclosed amphitheater that holds over 6,000 people and regularly hosts large concerts and stage shows. In Inglewood, The Forum regularly hosts concerts as well as the occasional sports event.

Los Angeles also has an abundance of records stores scattered around the city, and though vinyl has disappeared from the shelves of most regular record stores, there are still plenty of stores that sell new and used vinyl. Amoeba Music in Hollywood is without a doubt the best in the city. An exploration of underground music could begin at The Smell in Downtown or listen to KXLU 88.9 FM Monday-Friday for details on numerous shows.

Los Angeles is a major center for stand-up and improvisational comedy, rivaling New York City given its proximity to the Hollywood industry and innovative scene; L.A. has become the undisputed center for comedy podcasts. There are many excellent comedy venues in town, but a few consistently rise to the top. The Comedy Store is a legendary venue in West Hollywood on the Sunset Strip that gave rise to many of the biggest names in the 1970s and still hosts the occasional nationally recognized comic. Also on the Sunset Strip is the Laugh Factory, which consistently features plenty of big-name comics. Elsewhere in West Hollywood you'll find the Largo at the Coronet, a very popular venue that emphasizes the intersection between comedy and live music and regularly hosts podcast shows. Another renowned spot is the Upright Citizens Brigade in Hollywood, which has cultivated some of the best comics in the industry today and dominates L.A.'s improv and experimental comedy scene. Another pair of great improv venues are the Improv and The Groundlings, two popular clubs on Melrose Avenue in Fairfax.

Venues for stage productions abound in L.A., with the largest concentration being in Downtown. Along Broadway within Downtown's Historic Core, the Theater District is full of old movie palaces that have been converted to performance spaces and concert halls. In Civic Center, the Ahmanson Theatre of the Los Angeles Music Center is the city's main venue for plays, while the Music Center's Mark Taper Forum is a prominent venue for experimental theater. The historic Pantages Theatre in Hollywood is the place to see Broadway musicals in town. Near the Hollywood Bowl is the Ford Theatre, a historic outdoor amphitheater that puts on community theater productions. Out in Westwood, the UCLA-affiliated Geffen Playhouse is noted for their original productions.

Befitting its size, Los Angeles plays host to many major events throughout the year, from large conventions and spectacular holiday celebrations to more low-key neighborhood festivals. Whenever you come, you can be assured that something will be happening. What follows is just a sampling of the biggest annual events that take place in L.A.

Every January 1st, the New Year is rung in with the Tournament of Roses Parade, a massively popular parade in Pasadena with dozens of marching bands and elaborate floats before the famed Rose Bowl football game. Chinese New Year celebrations are held throughout the city in early February, with the biggest taking place in Chinatown with a dragon parade, live music, food, and firecrackers. March brings the L.A. Marathon, a massive event in which thousands of runners make their way from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica. The popular Fiesta Broadway event takes place in Downtown on the last Sunday of April and is billed as the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the world, with lots of Mexican food, music, and pinatas.

Memorial Day weekend marks the start of summer, and is marked by a tribute at the Battleship USS Iowa in San Pedro. Summer brings many of the city's biggest cultural festivals, such as Film Independent's Los Angeles Film Festival in June, West Hollywood's massive celebration of LGBT culture during Pride Week, and Little Tokyo's Nisei Week Japanese Festival in mid-August. Summer also sees many major conventions and expositions, including the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June and Anime Expo in July, both of which are held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Downtown. The Fourth of July is celebrated with lots of events across the city, most notably a spectacular fireworks show set to live music at the Hollywood Bowl.

In the fall, the Los Angeles County Fair takes place every September with concerts, carnival rides and agricultural exhibits in Pomona out in the San Gabriel Valley. Halloween brings lots of horror-themed events across the city, most notably the wildly popular West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval. After Thanksgiving, the holiday season kicks off with the Hollywood Christmas Parade, with plenty of elaborate floats, classic cars, and celebrity appearances. Other popular events during the holiday season include the Marina del Rey Holiday Boat Parade and a popular Christmas Eve music show in Downtown at the L.A. County Holiday Celebration.

Los Angeles has a well-known diversity of unique shopping destinations. Shopping malls will dominate your shopping experience in L.A. and even non-shopping visitors are likely to encounter them; for example, the Hollywood and Highland mall is a popular meeting point in Hollywood for those gazing at the Walk of Fame and Mann's Chinese Theater, The Grove is a major destination in Fairfax next to the historic Farmer's Market, and West Hollywood's Beverly Center is a massive eight-story shopping complex with a nice view of the city from its food court patio.

Lacking any significant public square, Los Angeles funnels its civic life onto its streets. Among the most popular shopping streets is Larchmont Blvd, which caters to the wealthy elite of Hancock Park with one-of-a-kind boutiques. Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood one-ups Larchmont Blvd with celebrity presence. And then there's the fabled Rodeo Drive of Beverly Hills (uses the Spanish pronunciation: Roh-DAY-oh), famed for its high-end fashion stores.

In Downtown, the chaos of Broadway is a far cry from the comforts of manicured shopping centers, with merchandise geared towards the region's Latino population. Here, beneath the street's opulent early-20th century movie palaces, you can find a lot of brand name merchandise at discounted prices; forty dollars will probably get you a brand new wardrobe. Nearby is the gritty flea market of Santee Alley, chock full of knock-off designer labels and pirated DVD's and CD's. For a similar experience, try Alvarado Blvd between Wilshire and 6th in Westlake, where you can gain an insight into how most of working-class Los Angeles shops. Big deals can be found on a wide range of counterfeit goods, but don't stay too long after dark when the neighborhood gets sketchy. Make sure to check out the Art Deco buildings that exist in between the makeshift warehouses as well as the Alvarado Terrace Park, surrounded by early-20th century mansions.

Downtown is also a destination for some specialized retail destinations. Want flowers? Why there's a Flower District in Downtown! Jewelry? Fashion? Seafood? Toys? Yep, there are entire districts in Downtown dedicated to these particular products. You can buy art in Gallery Row up and down Main Street or see artists at work in the Arts District. All of these are located south and east of the towering Financial District, existing alongside the notorious Skid Row.

The Los Angeles area is one of the best places in the country for food - you can find just about anything you can imagine somewhere within its loose borders. From traditional American diner culture (try Mel's Drive-In in West Hollywood) to the new wave of organic cafes, to inexpensive taco trucks, and swanky eateries with breath-taking food, there are no shortage of options.

Los Angeles abounds with inexpensive, authentic food that represents the culinary traditions of L.A.'s many immigrant communities. You have to be willing to do a little legwork, go to neighborhoods you might not otherwise go to and often deal with charmless fluorescent-lit storefronts in strip malls, but your reward is hype-free, authentic cuisine from around the world served up at bargain prices. The late and dearly missed food critic Jonathan Gold found and reviewed these gems starting in the 1980s, mostly for the free LA Weekly before he moved to the food section of the LA Times, and most of his reviews are still relevant today.

The newest arrival on the L.A. food scene is the gourmet food truck. These are not your average taco trucks and construction-site catering operations (although those exist too), but purveyors of creative and surprisingly high-quality food. Food trucks, particularly taco trucks, can be found in most parts of the city. A few noteworthy food trucks are "Grill Em All," run by 2 metalheads doing outstanding gourmet hamburgers, "Nom Nom," doing Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, "Kogi," doing Korean-inspired tacos and burritos, and "Manila Machine," doing Filipino food. Many trucks also have their own websites and post their daily schedules and locations on Twitter.

On the opposite spectrum from food trucks, those seeking high-end dining have some of the country's finest restaurants to choose from. While the Michelin guide stopped reviewing Los Angeles in 2010, Beverly Hills had several eateries that were rated by Michelin, including Wolfgang Puck's first restaurant, Spago. While there are numerous destinations for an upscale meal throughout the LA area, Santa Monica is notable as the only city besides Beverly Hills that can lay claim to multiple Michelin starred restaurants.

Coverage of regional food from other parts of the U.S. is spotty. Migration into the city has been disproportionately from Texas and Oklahoma, the South, Midwest and greater New York City and food representing these areas is easy enough to find. Food representing New England and other parts of the East Coast, the Pacific Northwest, and the Intermountain-Rocky Mountain regions can be elusive, along with many ethnic cuisines with central- and east-European origins. However L.A. is the birthplace of the drive-thru and numerous fast food chains clog the roadsides. The In-N-Out Burger chain is far above average for hamburgers, french fries and milkshakes. Another famous Los Angeles establishment is Original Tommy's, which specializes in chili burgers.

The cultural diversity of Los Angeles is an evident influence on the local vegetarian food restaurant industry. You can find strictly vegan and vegetarian dining, be it American, Mexican, Chinese, Ethiopian, and Thai among others. Other dietary restrictions are catered to as well. For example Genghis Cohen in West Hollywood serves Jewish Chinese food and kosher Mexican or Italian is not hard to find along predominantly Jewish parts of Pico Boulevard.

There are several different supermarket chains of varying quality - for something different (and cheap) try Trader Joe's, a reputable grocery store with multiple locations (the original is in Pasadena), selling many organic products with no preservatives. They normally give out great samples to the public and sell their acclaimed Charles Shaw wine, also known as "Two Buck Chuck." Whole Foods is another market with multiple locations and a favorite among the health conscious -- but also a little pricey. Their salad bar is fully stocked, they have huge fresh burritos, sushi, hot dishes ready to go, and a comprehensive selections of pre-made, delicious salads.

LA visitors and locals alike have the opportunity to indulge in a selection of specially priced three-course menus from a wide variety of LA's best restaurants during dineLA Restaurant Week.

Hotel bars are generally considered by Angelenos to be the nicest places to have drinks. Some of the more popular upscale ones include Chateau Marmont, Skybar at The Mondrian, and Tower Bar at the Sunset Tower on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, and The Rooftop Bar at The Standard in Downtown LA. Hollywood and the Sunset Strip are generally considered the nightlife centers of LA, though neighborhoods such as Silver Lake, Los Feliz, and Echo Park in Northwest LA are home to the dive bars and cafes favored by trendy hipsters. Downtown has recaptured some of its former glory with a selection of popular nightlife destinations such as The Golden Gopher, The Edison and the bars/clubs at LA Live. Hollywood's Cahuenga Corridor (Cahuenga between Selma and Hollywood Boulevard) boasts several popular bars in a row, making bar-hopping a possibility in a city where it's not the norm.

Bars close at 2AM with most last calls at 1:30 or 1:45. It is worth noting that some bars and almost all clubs charge cover and some may have VIP lists that are relatively easy to get on. Look up promoters and ask them to add you to their list. This is the easiest way to get into many of the popular Hollywood clubs.

Internet cafes are spread around town and most easily found in heavily touristed spots such as Hollywood Blvd and Melrose Ave. For most travelers, stopping by a local coffee shop such as Starbucks or The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf should suffice. Most will either have free service for customers or require a nominal fee for usage. Many less expensive hotels and motels also offer complimentary internet access, often usable in the lobby before you check in.

There is also a growing trend for local fast food establishments and some restaurants to provide complimentary Wi-Fi.

For emergencies in Los Angeles County, dial 911 toll-free from any phone including payphones. Dialing 911 from a cellphone will place you in contact with the California Highway Patrol.

Most tourist destinations within the Los Angeles area tend to be fairly safe, including Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Westwood, and West L.A. However, walking at night in some areas of the city (and some suburban cities as well) should be conducted with caution; and depending on the area, in groups. If traveling by car there is little threat of being harassed day or night, provided you avoid driving around neighborhoods with blatant signs of gang activity as mentioned below.

Certain areas in or near downtown, such as Skid Row (which is where the Greyhound station is located), Pico-Union, Westlake, Boyle Heights, South Central, Compton, Inglewood, Harbor Gateway, and Wilmington can be dangerous regardless of the time of day and should be avoided altogether when walking if possible. If traveling in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, the neighborhoods of Pacoima, Panorama City, Van Nuys, North Hills, and Canoga Park are also best avoided on foot.

Though cities such as Detroit, St. Louis, and Atlanta have higher reported crime rates per capita than Los Angeles, these numbers can be deceiving. L.A. statistics are skewed because safe neighborhoods such as Bel Air, Pacific Palisades and Westwood help balance the numbers from the very dangerous neighborhoods. If the South Central area of Los Angeles were counted as its own city, it would have the highest crime and murder rate of any city in America. Neighboring Compton, which is an independent city, ranks as the fourth most dangerous city in America. Luckily for Los Angeles, Compton's statistics are not counted as part of L.A.'s crime data, but the cities border each other. As a general rule, you should exercise great caution if walking in the area roughly bounded by Interstate 10 on the north, Interstate 710 on the east, Artesia Blvd/Highway 91 on the south, and La Cienega Boulevard on the west. East LA also has a higher crime rate than other areas and has gang problems as well.

Los Angeles (City and County) is considered to be the gang capital of America. Gangs generally confine themselves to certain areas and should be of little concern to the typical traveler, who is unlikely to venture into such areas. Gangs will usually identify their territory with graffiti markings. While most visitors to L.A. will not visit neighborhoods where gang violence is a concern, common-sense precautions apply should you become lost and end up in a bad neighborhood: remain on high-visibility roads or freeways, avoid confrontations with groups of young men, and should a confrontation arise flee immediately. If a person who appears to be a gang member asks you where you are from, prepare to flee or to defend yourself, as that is a common gang challenge. Use common sense on freeways to avoid incidents of road rage, which accounts for ten or so deaths per year.

Most homeless individuals are harmless; they will likely only ask you for money and if you refuse, will simply go on to the next person. They are most heavily concentrated in Hollywood, Skid Row, and Venice Beach. Avoid walking along Skid Row near Downtown at any time of day or night.

Minor earthquakes happen occasionally but they're almost always harmless. In the unlikely event of a major earthquake: If you're outside, try to find an open space clear of anything that might fall on you, such as trees, power lines, street lights or buildings. If you're inside, try to shield yourself under a table or desk from falling debris; your biggest threat comes from breaking windows and falling objects such as ceiling tiles and bookshelves, so try to reduce your exposure to these threats. If you can't find a table or similar protection, at the very least cover your head and neck with your arms. You are more likely to be injured if you try to run or stand during a quake, so drop to your hands and knees and crawl if you need to move. If you're driving, stop your car and move out of traffic, and stay in your car in a place clear of trees, power lines, street lights, and over- or underpasses. Since the 1950s, buildings have become progressively stronger with stricter building code regulations and research, and most buildings built after 1978 are in no danger of collapsing in the unlikely event of a major earthquake during your visit.

Los Angeles has a notorious reputation for air pollution problems. However, air quality in the city has improved dramatically, and Los Angeles has even fallen from its Number One position on lists of the worst air in the United States due to aggressive cleanup efforts on behalf of the state and regional air quality authorities. Generally, smog is worst during summer months and is worse further inland where it is away from the ocean breezes and gets trapped by the surrounding mountains. "Smog Alert" days are at an all-time low, but air pollution can still become a problem if a wildfire is burning in surrounding hills. For more information, visit the AQMD (Air Quality Management District) website for air quality information in the region.

Los Angeles' primary newspaper is the Los Angeles Times, and another daily newspaper is the Los Angeles Daily News. The free LA Weekly comes out on Thursdays and is a good source for concerts, movies, and other local information. A few local areas may have their own free neighborhood papers as well.

• 24 Hour Fitness and LA Fitness (which now includes Ballys) have many locations throughout the area and are big here. If you have a regular membership with either of them from back home your membership is good here. Some memberships are only good for one location and will cost extra to use a gym/club other than your home location. Ask before leaving home. Day passes range from $10-20. Bring a lock and towel.

24 Hour Fitness and LA Fitness (which now includes Ballys) have many locations throughout the area and are big here. If you have a regular membership with either of them from back home your membership is good here. Some memberships are only good for one location and will cost extra to use a gym/club other than your home location. Ask before leaving home. Day passes range from $10-20. Bring a lock and towel.

Los Angeles is home to many people of different nationalities and language backgrounds. Therefore, many countries have established full service consulates (Consulates Generals) in Los Angeles to provide consular services for their nationals living in (southern) California and in the adjacent states in the southwestern part of the U.S. (or the entire west coast) as well as visa services for others seeking to visit their respective countries (if required). The Honorary Consulates are there for commercial and business purposes and offer limited or no consular services except in emergency situations. Most of the consulates are located along Wilshire Blvd in/around the Wilshire neighborhood and West Los Angeles, between downtown and Santa Monica. They can also be in other parts of town too:

• Argentina Argentina, 5055 Wilshire Blvd Ste 210, +1-323-954-9155.
• Armenia Armenia, 346 N Central Ave, Glendale, +1-818-265-5900.
• Australia Australia, 2029 Century Park E, Century Plaza Towers 31F, +1-310-229-2300.
• Austria Austria, 11859 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 501, +1-310-444-9310.
• Bangladesh Bangladesh, 4201 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 605, +1-323-932-0100.
• Belgium Belgium, 6100 Wilshire Blvd Ste 1200, +1-323-857-1244.
• Bolivia Bolivia, 3701 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1065, +1-213-388-0475.
• Brazil Brazil, 8484 Wilshire Blvd Ste 711/730, Beverly Hills, +1-323-651-2664.
• Cambodia Cambodia (Honorary), 3448 E Anaheim St, Long Beach, +1 562 494-3000. M-f 10:00-17:00.
• Canada Canada, 550 S Hope St 9F, +1-213-346-2700.
• Chile Chile, 6100 Wilshire Blvd Ste 1240, +1-323-933-3697.
• China China, 443 Shatto Pl, +1-213-807-8088.
• Colombia Colombia, 8383 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 420, Beverly Hills, +1-323-653-4299.
• Costa Rica Costa Rica, 1605 W Olympic Blvd, +1-213-380-7915.
• Denmark Denmark (Honorary), 5849 Uplander Way, Culver City, +1-310-645-0540.
• Dominican Republic Dominican Republic, 500 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, +1-818-504-6605.
• Ecuador Ecuador, 8484 Wilshire Blvd Ste 540, Beverly Hills, +1-323-658-6020.
• El Salvador El Salvador, 3450 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 250, +1-213-234-9200.
• Finland Finland, 1801 Century Park East, Suite 2100, +1-310-203 9903. M-Th 8:30AM-5PM, F 8:30AM-2PM.
• France France, 10390 Santa Monica Blvd, Ste 115 & 410, +1-310-235-3200.
• Germany Germany, 6222 Wilshire Blvd Ste 500, +1-323-930-2703.
• Greece Greece, 12424 Wilshire Blvd Ste 800, +1-310-826-5555.
• Guatemala Guatemala, 1975 Riverside Dr, +1-213-365-9251, +1-213-365-9252. M-F 08:00-15:00, Sa 08:00-11:45. Guatemala maintains additional consulates in San Francisco, San Bernardino and Tijuana.
• Honduras Honduras, 3550 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 320, +1-213-995-6409.
• Indonesia Indonesia, 3457 Wilshire Blvd, 4th floor, +1-213-383-5126.
• Ireland Ireland (Honorary), 751 Seadrift Dr, Huntington Park (40 mi S of L.A. off I-405, +1-714-658-9832.
• Iraq Iraq, 4500 Wilshire Blvd, +1-213-797-6060. M-F 08:30-15:30.
• Israel Israel, 11766 Wilshire Blvd Ste 1600, +1-323-852-5500. M-F 09:00-12:00, By appointment only.
• Italy Italy, 12400 Wilshire Blvd Ste 300, +1-310-820-0622.
• Japan Japan, 350 S Grand Ave Ste 1700, +1-213-617-6700.
• South Korea Korea, Republic of, 3423 Wilshire Blvd, +1-213-385-9300, +1-213-700-1147 (emergencies). M-F 09:00-17:30 (Civil Services close at 16:00).
• Kenya Kenya, 4801 Wilshire Blvd, Park Mile Plaza, Mezzanine Floor, +1-323-939-2408.
• Mexico Mexico, 2401 W 6th St, +1-213-351-6800. Mexico maintains additional consulates in Calexico, Fresno, Las Vegas, Oxnard, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Santa Ana.
• the Netherlands Netherlands (Honorary).
• New Zealand New Zealand, 2425 Olympic Blvd, Suite 600E, Santa Monica, +1-310-566-6555.
• Norway Norway (Honorary), 11766 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 270, +1-310-444-7750.
• Pakistan Pakistan, 10700 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 211, +1-310-441-5114, +1-323-470-2000 (emergencies). M-F 09:00-13:00 & 14:00-17:00.
• Panama Panama, 111 W Ocean Blvd, Suite #1570, Long Beach, +1 562 612-4677, +1 562 612-4678. M-F 09:30-15:00. The URL is linked to the Panamanian Embassy in Washington DC as the local consulate does NOT have a website of its own.
• the Philippines Philippines, 3600 Wilshire Blvd Ste 500, +1-213-639-0980.
• Portugal Portugal (Honorary), 1801 Avenue of the Stars Ste 400, +1-310-277-1491.
• Qatar Qatar, 150 S Rodeo Dr, Suite #250, Beverly Hills, +1-310-246-0005. M-F 09:00-16:00.
• Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, 2045 Sawtelle Blvd, +1-310-479-6000.
• South Africa South Africa, 6300 Wilshire Blvd Ste 600, +1-323-651-0902.
• Spain Spain, 5055 Wilshire Blvd Ste 860, +1-323-938-0158, +1-323-938-0166.
• Sweden Sweden, 10940 Wilshire Blvd Suite 700, +1-310-445-4008.
• Switzerland Switzerland, 11766 Wilshire Blvd Ste 1400, +1-310-575-1145.
• Taiwan Taiwan (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office), 3731 Wilshire Blvd Suite 700, +1-213-389-1215, +1-213-923-3591 (emergencies 急難救助). M-F 09:00-16:30.
• United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1250, +1-310-551-6534. M-F 09:00-16:00, visits by appointment only.
• the United Kingdom United Kingdom, 11766 Wilshire Blvd Ste 1200, Century City, +1-310-481-0031.

Some of the countries maintain a consulate in both San Francisco and Los Angeles while others have a consulate in one city or the other.

Argentina Argentina, 5055 Wilshire Blvd Ste 210, +1-323-954-9155.

Armenia Armenia, 346 N Central Ave, Glendale, +1-818-265-5900.

Australia Australia, 2029 Century Park E, Century Plaza Towers 31F, +1-310-229-2300.

Austria Austria, 11859 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 501, +1-310-444-9310.

Bangladesh Bangladesh, 4201 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 605, +1-323-932-0100.

Belgium Belgium, 6100 Wilshire Blvd Ste 1200, +1-323-857-1244.

Bolivia Bolivia, 3701 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1065, +1-213-388-0475.

Brazil Brazil, 8484 Wilshire Blvd Ste 711/730, Beverly Hills, +1-323-651-2664.

Cambodia Cambodia (Honorary), 3448 E Anaheim St, Long Beach, +1 562 494-3000. M-f 10:00-17:00.

Canada Canada, 550 S Hope St 9F, +1-213-346-2700.

Chile Chile, 6100 Wilshire Blvd Ste 1240, +1-323-933-3697.

China China, 443 Shatto Pl, +1-213-807-8088.

Colombia Colombia, 8383 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 420, Beverly Hills, +1-323-653-4299.

Costa Rica Costa Rica, 1605 W Olympic Blvd, +1-213-380-7915.

Denmark Denmark (Honorary), 5849 Uplander Way, Culver City, +1-310-645-0540.

Dominican Republic Dominican Republic, 500 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, +1-818-504-6605.

Ecuador Ecuador, 8484 Wilshire Blvd Ste 540, Beverly Hills, +1-323-658-6020.

El Salvador El Salvador, 3450 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 250, +1-213-234-9200.

Finland Finland, 1801 Century Park East, Suite 2100, +1-310-203 9903. M-Th 8:30AM-5PM, F 8:30AM-2PM.

France France, 10390 Santa Monica Blvd, Ste 115 & 410, +1-310-235-3200.

Germany Germany, 6222 Wilshire Blvd Ste 500, +1-323-930-2703.

Greece Greece, 12424 Wilshire Blvd Ste 800, +1-310-826-5555.

Guatemala Guatemala, 1975 Riverside Dr, +1-213-365-9251, +1-213-365-9252. M-F 08:00-15:00, Sa 08:00-11:45. Guatemala maintains additional consulates in San Francisco, San Bernardino and Tijuana.

Honduras Honduras, 3550 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 320, +1-213-995-6409.

Indonesia Indonesia, 3457 Wilshire Blvd, 4th floor, +1-213-383-5126.

Ireland Ireland (Honorary), 751 Seadrift Dr, Huntington Park (40 mi S of L.A. off I-405, +1-714-658-9832.

Iraq Iraq, 4500 Wilshire Blvd, +1-213-797-6060. M-F 08:30-15:30.

Israel Israel, 11766 Wilshire Blvd Ste 1600, +1-323-852-5500. M-F 09:00-12:00, By appointment only.

Italy Italy, 12400 Wilshire Blvd Ste 300, +1-310-820-0622.

Japan Japan, 350 S Grand Ave Ste 1700, +1-213-617-6700.

South Korea Korea, Republic of, 3423 Wilshire Blvd, +1-213-385-9300, +1-213-700-1147 (emergencies). M-F 09:00-17:30 (Civil Services close at 16:00).

Kenya Kenya, 4801 Wilshire Blvd, Park Mile Plaza, Mezzanine Floor, +1-323-939-2408.

Mexico Mexico, 2401 W 6th St, +1-213-351-6800. Mexico maintains additional consulates in Calexico, Fresno, Las Vegas, Oxnard, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Santa Ana.

the Netherlands Netherlands (Honorary).

New Zealand New Zealand, 2425 Olympic Blvd, Suite 600E, Santa Monica, +1-310-566-6555.

Norway Norway (Honorary), 11766 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 270, +1-310-444-7750.

Pakistan Pakistan, 10700 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 211, +1-310-441-5114, +1-323-470-2000 (emergencies). M-F 09:00-13:00 & 14:00-17:00.

Panama Panama, 111 W Ocean Blvd, Suite #1570, Long Beach, +1 562 612-4677, +1 562 612-4678. M-F 09:30-15:00. The URL is linked to the Panamanian Embassy in Washington DC as the local consulate does NOT have a website of its own.

the Philippines Philippines, 3600 Wilshire Blvd Ste 500, +1-213-639-0980.

Portugal Portugal (Honorary), 1801 Avenue of the Stars Ste 400, +1-310-277-1491.

Qatar Qatar, 150 S Rodeo Dr, Suite #250, Beverly Hills, +1-310-246-0005. M-F 09:00-16:00.

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, 2045 Sawtelle Blvd, +1-310-479-6000.

South Africa South Africa, 6300 Wilshire Blvd Ste 600, +1-323-651-0902.

Spain Spain, 5055 Wilshire Blvd Ste 860, +1-323-938-0158, +1-323-938-0166.

Sweden Sweden, 10940 Wilshire Blvd Suite 700, +1-310-445-4008.

Switzerland Switzerland, 11766 Wilshire Blvd Ste 1400, +1-310-575-1145.

Taiwan Taiwan (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office), 3731 Wilshire Blvd Suite 700, +1-213-389-1215, +1-213-923-3591 (emergencies 急難救助). M-F 09:00-16:30.

United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1250, +1-310-551-6534. M-F 09:00-16:00, visits by appointment only.

the United Kingdom United Kingdom, 11766 Wilshire Blvd Ste 1200, Century City, +1-310-481-0031.

California

• Orange County — many upscale communities, some along the ocean, southeast of Los Angeles. Home to Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm among other attractions.
• Palm Springs — Desert playground of the rich and famous.
• Joshua Tree National Park — Two different deserts meet in this park, which is filled with a vast array of rock formations and desert plant life, especially in the spring or after rainfall when the desert flowers are in bloom.
• Santa Barbara — A quiet seaside resort town a 1 1/2 hour drive north of Los Angeles.
• San Diego — A sunny oceanfront city with many attractions such as Sea World, the San Diego Zoo and the museums of Balboa Park, approximately a 2-hour drive south of Los Angeles (depending on traffic).
• You can also drive further up the coast to Monterey, San Francisco, and ultimately up to Seattle and Vancouver on Highway 1 and Highway 101.
• Lake Tahoe is home to world-class skiing, restaurants, casinos, and shopping. It is approximately a 7.5 hour drive north on Interstate 5 and Interstate 80/US 50, or on US 395.
• The National Parks of Kings Canyon, Yosemite, and Sequoia are between a 2 1/2 hour and 4 hour drive away north on Route 99.

Beyond

• Las Vegas — a major metropolitan area in the Mojave Desert, approximately a 4 1/2 hour drive northeast of Los Angeles. It is known for its entertainment, casinos, shopping, and restaurants. The I-15 North freeway in adjoining Riverside and San Bernardino Counties goes directly to Vegas.
• Baja California — whether it's to experience the high energy of Tijuana, the beach town of Rosarito, or the fabulous local wine in the port city of Ensenada, the joys of Mexico are only a 2 1/2 hour drive away.
• Phoenix is home to MLB Spring Training, Camelback Mountain, nice hotels, and a booming metropolitan area. It is about a 6 hour drive on Interstate 10 east of Palm Springs.
• The rest of Arizona has a lot to offer, including the Grand Canyon and Sedona.

[[Orange County (California)|Orange County]] — many upscale communities, some along the ocean, southeast of Los Angeles. Home to [[Disneyland]] and [[Knott's Berry Farm]] among other attractions.

[[Palm Springs]] — Desert playground of the rich and famous.

[[Joshua Tree National Park]] — Two different deserts meet in this park, which is filled with a vast array of rock formations and desert plant life, especially in the spring or after rainfall when the desert flowers are in bloom.

[[Santa Barbara]] — A quiet seaside resort town a 1 1/2 hour drive north of Los Angeles.

[[San Diego]] — A sunny oceanfront city with many attractions such as Sea World, the San Diego Zoo and the museums of Balboa Park, approximately a 2-hour drive south of Los Angeles (depending on traffic).

You can also drive further up the coast to [[Monterey (California)|Monterey]], [[San Francisco]], and ultimately up to [[Seattle]] and [[Vancouver]] on Highway 1 and Highway 101.

[[Lake Tahoe]] is home to world-class skiing, restaurants, casinos, and shopping. It is approximately a 7.5 hour drive north on Interstate 5 and Interstate 80/US 50, or on US 395.

The National Parks of [[Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks|Kings Canyon]], [[Yosemite National Park|Yosemite]], and Sequoia are between a 2 1/2 hour and 4 hour drive away north on Route 99.

[[Las Vegas]] — a major metropolitan area in the Mojave Desert, approximately a 4 1/2 hour drive northeast of Los Angeles. It is known for its entertainment, casinos, shopping, and restaurants. The I-15 North freeway in adjoining Riverside and San Bernardino Counties goes directly to Vegas.

[[Baja California]] — whether it's to experience the high energy of [[Tijuana]], the beach town of [[Playas de Rosarito|Rosarito]], or the fabulous local wine in the port city of [[Ensenada]], the joys of Mexico are only a 2 1/2 hour drive away.

[[Phoenix]] is home to MLB Spring Training, Camelback Mountain, nice hotels, and a booming metropolitan area. It is about a 6 hour drive on Interstate 10 east of Palm Springs.

The rest of [[Arizona]] has a lot to offer, including the [[Grand Canyon]] and [[Sedona]].