Where To Go In Los Angeles

Los Angeles offers up an array of places to visit. Head down to the world-famous beach in Santa Monica to catch some waves, or people watch at the notoriously weird Venice Beach where you’ll find bronzed men pumping iron at “Muscle Beach.”

Hollywood offers up the walk of fame while Burbank is where you’ll find most of the entertainment industry’s filming lots. And, of course, you can always tour the fancy neighborhoods in Beverly Hills and Hollywood looking for celebrities.

Where Is Los Angeles?

The city limits of Los Angeles are just shy of the Pacific Ocean in the Southwest United States. It takes about two and a half hours to drive to the Mexico border from downtown Los Angeles which sits 134 miles to the south past San Diego. Approximately 3.976 million people live in the city of Los Angeles.

But Los Angeles is much larger than its city limits. Every city within LA County’s borders is colloquially known as “Los Angeles.” This includes the heat of the Pasadena desert, the filming lots of Hollywood and the surfing waves of Malibu. Even “The Valley,” a collection of northwest LA County cities separated by mountains from downtown, is known as Los Angeles.

However, there are some exceptions. You won’t catch anyone considering the cities of far north LA County to be part of Los Angeles. These include the desert towns of Palmdale and Lancaster. And Long Beach, the port city in southern Los Angeles County, is considered its own distinct city.

What State Is Los Angeles In?

Los Angeles is the biggest and most populous city in the state of California. Nearly 40,000,000 people make their homes in the Golden State making it the most populous state in America. Nearly one in eight United States citizens lives in California which is America’s third-largest state by square mileage. Only Alaska and Texas have more land than the state of California. The state is so big that it contains the fifth largest economy in the world.

What County Is Los Angeles Ca In?

Los Angeles is the seat of Los Angeles County. LA County includes the cities of Malibu, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Santa Clarita, Lancaster, Palmdale, Pomona, Compton, Torrance and Long Beach. It also contains a series of cities along the coast referred to as the “Beach Cities” which include Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.

What To Visit In Los Angeles

Griffith Park towers above Los Angeles and offers up beautiful walking trails. The Griffith Observatory, which sits inside Griffith Park, is beautiful and always free. Another great educational opportunity awaits at the La Brea Tar Pits where you can learn about ancient Los Angeles.

What To See In Los Angeles Area

There are three distinct visual landmarks that tourists love in LA. The first is the world-famous Hollywood sign which towers over northern Los Angeles. You can hike to the sign which sits in the Hollywood Hills.

Hollywood’s walk of fame is another tourist draw. Famous actors’ names are imprinted on the sidewalk down Hollywood Boulevard just north of downtown Los Angeles. Hollywood Boulevard is also where you’ll find Grauman’s Chinese Theater.

And the Santa Monica Pier draws tourists by the thousands. The antique wooden pier hosts a roller coaster and Ferris wheel as well as vendor stalls. It’s especially beautiful at night. And a stroll through downtown Santa Monica is nice any time of day.

How To Travel In Los Angeles

Flying is the easiest way to get to Los Angeles, and you have your pick of airports. Los Angeles International (LAX) is the largest airport serving Los Angeles County. The airport sits right on the Pacific Coast in between the towns of El Segundo and Playa Del Rey. The airport marks the northern boundary of a collection of cities known as “The South Bay.” These cities include El Segundo, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach. These cities make up the southern curve of LA’s half-moon bay.

Long Beach and the South Bay are also serviced by Long Beach Airport. The airport is small, mainly outdoors and much more manageable than the hectic LAX. Burbank Airport serves the cities north of downtown Los Angeles such as Pasadena and the San Fernando Valley.

You can also drive to Los Angeles. After all, LA County is a web of notorious interstates. Los Angeles is world-famous for its traffic and eight-lane highways, so some may find it intimidating to drive in LA.

Amtrak runs trains into Los Angeles from points north and south. You can board a train to downtown LA from other California cities like San Francisco and San Diego.

What Is There To Do In Los Angeles?

Tanning on the beach, surfing, bike riding, and hiking are abundant in the metropolitan sprawl that makes up Los Angeles. You’ll find world-class restaurants in downtown LA, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Hollywood and the surrounding areas. And there are great little pockets of nightlife in Hermosa Beach, Venice, Santa Monica, Hollywood, and Silverlake.

LA offers up a myriad of sporting events. The NBA’s Lakers and Clippers share the state-of-the-art Staples Center in downtown LA. Major League Baseball’s Dodgers play their home games in the world-famous Dodger Stadium. And the NFL’s Rams and Chargers will share a brand new facility being built in Inglewood.

Los Angeles is also famous for its stand-up comedy, TV soundstages and live music. Joints like the Comedy Store host famous comedians regularly. You can attend a live taping of many TV shows at soundstages in Burbank. And venues like the Greek Theater and Hollywood Bowl put on outdoor concerts to take advantage of LA’s incredible year-round weather.