Lark Gould - Los Angeles Off the Beaten Path®

Lark Ellen Gould is an award-winning journalist living in Los Angeles, whose recent travel industry expertise comes out of an eight-year tenure as western regional bureau chief at Travel Agent Magazine. As a freelancer she has covered famine and war in Africa, economic development in the United Arab Emirates, and social issues in India and Nepal for international newspapers and magazines. She continues today as Pacific-Asia editor for Recommend Magazine. When not on a plane she can be found testing sidewalk dives around L.A. looking for the best chili dog combos with and without fries.

los angeles

Help Us Keep This Guide Up to Date

Every effort has been made by the author and editors to make this guide as accurate and useful as possible. However, many changes can occur after a guide is publishedestablishments close, phone numbers change, hiking trails are rerouted, facilities come under new management, etc.

We would love to hear from you concerning your experiences with this guide and how you feel it could be improved and be kept up to date. While we may not be able to respond to all comments and suggestions, well take them to heart, and well make certain to share them with the author. Please send your comments and suggestions to the following address:

The Globe Pequot Press

Reader Response/Editorial Department

P.O. Box 480

Guilford, CT 06437

Or you may e-mail us at: editorial@GlobePequot.com

Thanks for your input, and happy travels!

The prices, rates, and hours listed in this guidebook were confirmed at press time. We recommend, however, that you call establishments to obtain current information before traveling.

Copyright 2004, 2005 by The Globe Pequot Press

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or by the publisher. Requests for permission should be made in writing to The Globe Pequot Press, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, Connecticut 06437.

Insiders Guide and Off the Beaten Path are registered trademarks of The Globe Pequot Press.

Text design by Linda Loiewski

Maps created by Equator Graphics The Globe Pequot Press

Illustrations by Carole Drong

Illustrations rendered from photographs provided by the following: pp. 10, 19, 42, 135, 152 courtesy LA Inc., The Convention and Visitors Bureau; pp. 70, 75 courtesy West Hollywood Convention & Visitors Bureau; p. 85 courtesy Beverly Hills Convention and Visitors Bureau; p. 104 courtesy Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce; p. 121 courtesy Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau; p. 138 courtesy Long Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau; pp. 167, 172 courtesy Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau

Spot photography throughout Peter Griffith/Masterfile

ISSN 1546-6418

ISBN 0-7627-3523-6

Manufactured in the United States of America

Second Edition/First Printing

To Bubby for all her wise choices and enduring strength

This book would not have been possible without the help of Carol Martinez, a true guardian angel, and the ongoing support I received from the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureaunow LAInc. In addition, the tips and insights from my friend and colleague Amy Reiley proved invaluable to this endeavor, as did the patient support of my parents, Norman and Elaine Gould. Finally I wish to thank Bill Becker, my writing and life partner, who provided such competent research and editorial assistance on this project.

Its the reel thing, Los Angeles is. It may look like a movie set, but the handful of regions and thousands of neighborhoods that comprise the worlds twelfth largest city are chock-full of color, history, and culture. What began as a pueblo in 1781 recast itself in the centuries to follow into a sunny mecca for dream seekers, whether following fortunes in real estate, agriculture, financial empire building, or entertainment. It all boomed here at the edge of the United States. And the explosion continues.

Today the City of Angels spreads its influence over 467 square miles, down 80 miles of coastline, across immense valleys to the foothills of five mountain ranges. At night the city shimmers in a mesmerizing grid of lights cut by thick rivers of red and white along ever-moving freeways. Los Angeles is a city of light, of spotlights, neon, and low, tropical shadows that keep it forever in its golden years when movies were monumental.

Its past is its present with preservation and detailed restorations of such icons as the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Egyptian Theater, the Max Factor building, the Bradbury building, Angels Flight, Manns Chinese Theatre, Farmers Market, the Hollywood Roosevelt, and the Biltmore Hotel. Los Angeles is alive with history, mystery, and hauntings. Neighborhoods near and far reflect the citys 1930s and 1940s salad days with odd architectural diffusions ranging from Gothic to ornate Art Deco, Mission Revival, and postWorld War II chic. Kitsch got its start amid the wide car-filled boulevards with cafes topped by giant plaster hot dogs or doughnuts. Everything had to have an element of entertainment attached, something to get noticed.

And it still does. Check out the confluence of La Brea and Melrose Avenues, marked by the giant rooftop chili dog at Pinks, then grab your dripping piece of L.A. manna and head west on Melrose where each cheesy boutique outdoes the next in an unwritten competition of kitschy facades and interiors. Run down Robertson Boulevards presentation of designer showrooms, galleries, and famous eateries. Steal an hour or two to discover Beverly Hills and find out what the stars are wearing from among Paris and Milans latest entrees, then head for Its a Wrap in Burbank for the latest in star-worn and studio wardrobe releases. Cruise down Sunset Boulevard and up to the heights of Doheny Avenue for a film noir look at the lights of L.A. Set aside a day for the beach with a walk or roll down the boardwalk at Venice to the century-old canals that gave the neighborhood its name. Los Angeles is a series of neighborhoods and enclaves, one after another, each offering its own character, personality, history, and fascination to those willing to explore.

For the readers of this book, a Candy Land of off-color kitsch, wild and hidden artistic masterworks, savory secret sauces sampled in secluded gardens, and addictive dishes from a world of undiscovered ethnic cuisine awaits in the chapters to come. Los Angeles was built on dreams, visions, and fantasies found today, neighborhood to neighborhood, cafe to cafe, heaped with love and sweat by a century of talented and tenacious fortune seekers. And its you wholl reap the benefits, seeing the city with fresh eyes and interest with this book as a compass.

While I may take you down some well-trodden paths to attractions you likely know well, Ill also show you what the travelogues and commercials omit. You can shop at Nordstrom or Bloomingdales, but Ill show you where the one-of-a-kind clothing stores lie as well as the dumping spots for designers and stars once-worn gowns. You might dine at Spago, but Ill show you where celebrities go to get the best blue-plate special or cinema magnates head for their clam chowder fix. You may choose to tread the Hollywood Walk of Fame or browse Rodeo Drive, but Ill show you the hidden cracks and crannies, the history and the humor wedged into the walls as well. Whether you have a day or a week, Off the Beaten Path will bring you a magical Los Angeles you might otherwise miss, one worthy of a crowded postcard or mark in your peak experiences profile. Anything else is just facade.