Time Out Guides Staff - Time Out Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a city that many people think they know but few really do. Seen on screen over the decades, the plucky, built-from-nothing cow town has evolved into a 21st-century mix of glamor and grit, plastic boobs and deep tans. Right? Well, yes and no.

Its not that LA is misunderstood because many of the clichs are true its more that most people dont get a chance to see it all, or even to scratch the surface. Beyond the permanent sunshine, dazzling teeth and the frozen foreheads is a real city 89 cities, to be precise. And therein lies the issue: there really isnt such a thing as Los Angeles. To get to grips with the whole of the sprawl, even on a surface level, takes weeks, months, arguably years. Gertrude Stein may have said Theres no there there of Oakland, but she could just as easily have been talking about Los Angeles.

Right now, though, just getting by is the priority of the average Angeleno (if there even is such a thing). This city was hit hard by the recession. The home foreclosure level and unemployment rate went through the roof and hasnt really budged. The sight of homeless people panhandling motorists in the shadow of the upscale Beverly Center is a common one these days. For some, the American Dream has become the American Nightmare.

But what does this mean for the visitor? If its your first time, you wont know any different. Those dazzling teeth are still there (the economys tanking but youve still got to look the part). If youve been before, chances are youll notice a few new things: first of all, higher prices (while its possible to have a perfectly good time without a rock stars bank account, LA has never really been a budget city).

Youll also see that Downtown is changing, with new museums and even talk of a new NFL stadium. There has also been a marked improvement in the areas food and drink options. Indeed, the restaurant scene in the whole of LA is evolving so quickly that its hard to keep track. At least one shiny new mall has sprung up. Yet, somehow, a city built on excess is learning to reign itself in, offering extended happy hours here and dining deals there.

LA may have whisper it toned itself down in the face of an economic meltdown, but the qualities that make it one of the most exciting, fascinating cities in the world will never go away. To use a clich, its business as usual in the City of Angels. Lesley McCave,Editor