 Very few cities can compete with Los Angeles for sheer excitement, diversity, quality and quantity of entertainment offerings. Hollywood is a great place to start your LA visit and walking or sight-seeing tours are a wonderful way to see and experience the area. Always a mecca for aspiring models, actors, and musicians, Hollywood is home to the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame, which honors those who have made an impact in film, music, or theatre. Here, film and music enthusiasts can also visit the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater and place their hands in the handprints of their favorite celebrities. Visitors may want to join one of the many area tours to get a glimpse of the homes of the rich and famous.
Set in a 120-acre park, the Hollywood Bowl is one of LA’s most famouse cultural landmarks. Since its opening in 1922, it has been the venue for some of the best entertainment in history, including every musical genre as well as theater, ballet and opera productions. Currently the home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the bowl is worth a visit, even if to just stroll through the park, which is open year-round. And no Hollywood trip is complete without a stop at Amoeba Records, the world-famous independent music chain, right off Sunset Strip.
Los Angeles also offers such famous attractions as the beautiful Getty Museum, which hosts some of the world’s finest art and artifact exhibits; Universal Studios Hollywood, where visitors witness the wonders of movie special effects; and California's most popular theme parks such as Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm and Magic Mountain.
The beaches are also famous attractions in LA. Just a thirty minute drive from Downtown LA, the Santa Monica Pier is within walking distance of the Third Street Promenade, which is filled with restaurants, interesting stores, outdoor cafes and an amazing assortment of live street entertainments. Famous for the eclectic people, unique shops and tattoo parlors, Venice Beach Boardwalk, is just south of Santa Monica. Stroll past the famous Muscle Beach, where California’s Governer once worked out with other bodybuilders and or, for a more relaxing beach experience, take the short drive down to the trendy Zuma beach in Malibu, the Pacific Palisades or Manhattan Beach, where the “locals” hang out.
Important landmarks in Los Angeles include Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Disney Concert Hall, Kodak Theater, Griffith Observatory, Getty Center, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Mann's Chinese Theater, Hollywood sign, Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles City Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Staples Center and La Placita Olvera, the birthplace of Los Angeles.
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