Griffith Park Observatory gives the best views of LA. Photo / Getty Images
Griffith Park Observatory gives the best views of LA. Photo / Getty Images
There's more to this fabled metropolis than film and fortune, says Christopher Beanland.
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The English architectural critic and writer Reyner Banham said Los Angeles "makes nonsense of history and breaks all the rules". There is nowhere like this sprawling, sleazy, exciting and sometimes frustrating town, where the caris king and distances between sights are eye-watering (a rush-hour trip from Venice to downtown can take almost two hours).
LA has soul. It's a city like a country, with millions of new immigrants and dreamers from around the world trying to make it in the movies or in life. Celluloid is the lifeblood of LA: a visit to Warner Bros Studios is essential. But LA wants to diversify, too: there are new sports stadiums and the forthcoming Olympics in 2028.
Its downtown is changing - art, culture, retail and gastronomy are thriving, The Broad and the Walt Disney Concert Hall are big architecture draws. LA will make you woozy - from the heat, the hangovers and the tantalising possibility of fame and fortune that seems to lurk around every corner.
Level is an aparthotel located Downtown: channel your inner Patrick Bateman at these minimalist loft-living condos beloved of star basketball and baseball players; doubles from NZ$415. Another Downtown hotel hit is Indigo, with its kitschy interiors, very comfy beds and compellingly hypnotic views of the 110 Freeway's endless traffic; doubles from $296.
Walt Disney Concert Hall is one of the big architectural draws to downtown LA. Photo / Getty Images
Start with a taste of glamour in Hollywood, at the Chinese Theatre, where many premieres take place. Music is almost as big as movies: so check out the iconic Capitol Records Building, which looks like a stack of spinning vinyl. Spot the stars on the Walk of Fame along Hollywood Boulevard, then head up through the bucolic Griffith Park to the Griffith Observatory for city views on one side and the Hollywood sign on the other. Many films were shot here.
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Exposition Park has many surprises, including the impressive Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 1923. It is serving as the home of the LA Rams American football team until they move to a new stadium in Inglewood next year (which will also host the 2022 Superbowl).
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LA's Downtown Arts District features buckets of murals and street art on buildings, lamp posts and walls. There are shops, bars and galleries, such as the Swiss art chain Hauser & Wirth. Their courtyard features dozens of empty tents installed by artist David Hammons, which mull on homelessness (until Aug 11) - Skid Row is a block away.
Venice Beach, LA. Photo / Getty Images
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Venice's independent boutiques, delis and cafes along Abbot Kinney Boulevard were popularised in the recent Netflix series Flaked.
Rooftop bars such as Spire 73 (10) and 71 Above offer panoramic views across this sprawling city from the tops of its skyscrapers while you sip negronis. Then there's the surreal haunted house vibe of the exclusive No Vacancy (001 323 465 1902). A long line is worth it for the surprise you get on entry (we won't spoil that) and the proliferation of celebrities.
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Guerrilla Tacos, which gets a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide (the new edition was published on June 3), is more than a cut above the other taco joints, serving lobster quesadillas, oysters and sea urchin tacos. The potato taquitos are incredible and the divey vibe is fun and friendly as befits its location in the Arts District. Tacos from US$5.
Auburn opened in March on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood and with its French/Nordic cuisine and very Copenhagen-esque minimal interiors, is certainly zeitgeisty. Six-course tasting menu (dinner) $105. Meanwhile, the homely Italian fare at Rossoblu (14) is delicious. A dining room in the Fashion District makes this perfect for an enjoyable dinner where main courses average $25.
Off the map
Down south in the lesser-visited suburb of Watts lies an intriguing oddity: the Watts Towers are an unholy art brut confection cobbled together between 1921 and 1954 by borderline barmy Simon Rodia, who slung up the skyscraping steel and mortar sculptures without any artistic training (wattstowers.us). You can cruise on through Compton, home of LA's flourishing rap scene and finish at the Westchester In N Out, which is at the end of LAX's runways and mixes plane-spotting with the best burgers in town (order a Double Double, animal-style fries, and root beer).
