Los Angeles
Loud,
brash and glitzy, these are words long associated with the city of big
money, big stars and big movie kudos. Make sure you have a beachside
lunch in Santa Monica, go shopping in Beverly Hills, visit the Getty
Center and stroll the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
To those in the know, LA is a collection of satisfyingly small towns,
each with its own character. Here, is an insider's guide to the main
areas.
BEL
AIR, BRENTWOOD AND WESTWOOD
For a taste of how LA's affluent live, spend a day nosing around these
three west-side enclaves.
BURBANK AND STUDIO CITY
Home to Buena Vista, Disney, NBC, Universal and Warner Bros studios
DOWNTOWN
Once a ghosttown, Downtown is fast becoming a core of urban chic.
EAST LA
This is home to one of the country's oldest Hispanic communities, and
spending time here is a lot like going south of the border.
HOLLYWOOD
Hollywood's hippie shops and leather-clad street bums once upstaged
its old-time glamour.
MALIBU
Malibu can be unforgiving: fires burn, mud slides and traffic on the
Pacific Coast Highway can be all stop and no go.
SANTA MONICA AND VENICE
Liberal enough to be dubbed the People's Republic of Santa Monica, this
coastal community, with its pier and permanent amusement park, retains
an air of affluence
SOUTH LA
Known as the Harlem of the West, this area has famously been the backdrop
for riots and gang violence !!
Plenty
to see !
