Los Angeles Vacation Travel Guide | Expedia

Los Angeles is situated in Southern California, on the West Coast of the USA.

Home to 18 millionpeople, Los Angeles is a collection of distinct citiesthat rolls out from the dry Santa Monica Mountains to thePacific Ocean.

L.

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's sunshine, her entertainment industryand her openness to newcomers and new ideas has made the city a magnet to dreamers.

Many of those whose dreams become reality, like Walt Disney and John Paul Getty, pouredtheir wealth back into the city, helping make L.

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one of the great culturecapitals of the world.

Downtown Los Angeles is a center of globalbusiness and home to some of the finest examples ofAmerican civic architecture.

It's also the birthplace of the city.

Wander down Olvera Street, one of the oldestsurviving areas in L.

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, to experience the colors and tastes of OldMexico.

Just across the road from Olvera Street isUnion Station, one of the world's great railway stations.

You'll be forgiven if you experience a senseof déjà vu here; Union Station has been featured in almost30 big-budget movies, including Pearl Harbor and Blade Runner.

Stroll south to Little Tokyo, or J-Town asthe locals know it, which is home to Buddhist temples, galleriesand museums.

While you're there, why not try some super-freshsushi? After all, the California Roll was inventedright here! Half a mile to the west is the Walt DisneyMusic Hall.

Looking like pieces of sheet music thrownto the wind, this stainless steel wonder is home to L.

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's Philharmonic Orchestra.

Hail a taxi for the short ride west to theLos Angeles County Museum of Art.

The one-hundred-thousand-piece collectionat LACMA houses works that span the ages, from the classical periods through the edgieststreet art.

Right next door is a very different kind ofgallery.

At the La Brea Tar Pits and George C.

PageMuseum, remains of incredibly preserved mammals, insectsand plants are continually excavated and brought oncemore into the Californian sunshine.

Heading further west, along Wilshire Boulevard, the aroma changes from the smell of tar pits, to $ mon-neeey $ Welcome to Rodeo Drive, in the heart of BeverlyHills.

This is the world's most expensive and exclusivethree blocks of shopping.

But you don't have to be a star to enjoy RodeoDrive; most folks are content to window shop.

But there's more to Beverly Hills than justbling! Only a street or two away awaits a world ofleafy boulevards and incredible homes and gardens.

Head north to Hollywood, the epicenter ofthe world's entertainment industry.

Track down your favorite star on the historicHollywood Walk of Fame, and catch a movie at Grauman's Chinese Theater, the most famous first-run movie theater inthe world.

Take a walk on the wilder side of L.

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, to West Hollywood.

WeHo is a haven for artistsand designers.

As evening falls, boogie on down to SunsetStrip, home to iconic clubs such as The Viper Roomand the Whiskey a Go Go.

♪ Boogie On Down ♪ Griffith Park is the largest and wildest urbanpark in America.

Here, perched high on the slopes of MountHollywood, and offering superb views of L.

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, you'llfind the Griffith Observatory.

Built on land donated by mining magnate GriffithJ.

Griffith, admission to the main building and groundsis still free of charge, according to his wishes.

Universal Studios is the oldest continuallyrunning movie studio in America.

It features a theme park based around itsblockbuster movies and popular TV shows, however the star attraction is the studiotour, which winds its way through acres of soundstages and back lots.

And if you have that sense of déjà vu again, it's no wonder – some of the sets have been featured in dozensof movies and are still in use today.

20 miles southeast of downtown is Knott'sBerry Farm.

Originally a berry farm in the 1930's, thistheme park has grown into a family favorite with child-friendly rides, short queues andoffers a real taste of America’s pioneering heritage.

Just down the road, in Anaheim, is DisneylandPark.

Since its opening in 1955 over 600 millionguests have delighted in seeing Disney’s much-loved charactersbrought to life.

The Port of Los Angeles, the biggest containerport in the USA, sits on San Pedro Bay.

Climb aboard the USS Iowa, a World War IIbattleship which saw service in some of the most dramaticepisodes in world history.

Nearby at the Aquarium of the Pacific, 500marine species sway, swirl and dive through the various marine systems of thevast Pacific, from the sun-drenched coast of Baja to thefrigid waters of the Arctic.

Long Beach was once the birthplace of California'ssurfing scene, but a breakwater has now tamed the wild waves, making the beach an ideal destination forfamilies.

  From Long Beach, hop aboard a ferry, and takea one-hour trip to Catalina Island.

Once the home of otter hunters, smugglersand gold prospectors, these days day-trippers and weekenders arefar more interested in working on their golden tans and escapingthe frantic pace of the mainland.

Heading west from L.

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, Santa Monica is oneof the most popular resort towns in the US.

Santa Monica epitomizes the California lifestyleof sun, sand and the body beautiful! And right ather heart is her iconic pier.

Things get a little funkier just down thecoast at Venice Beach.

Long the center of L.

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's counterculture, Venice is more than just a beach, however.

The main attraction here is the promenade.

So pull on your in-line skates and join thecolorful and sometimes bizarre human parade.

After the craziness of Venice Beach, head5 miles north to the tranquility of the Santa Monica Mountains.

The Getty Center houses the extraordinaryart collection of billionaire John Paul Getty.

Water features prominently throughout thecomplex, encouraging quiet reflection.

Hire a convertible and follow the scenic PacificCoast Highway to Malibu; 21 miles of prime Californian coastline scentedwith salt and coastal sage.

Many of L.

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's stars live in homes that cling to these dramatic hillsides bythe Pacific,   which is the perfect metaphor for L.

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.

A city built on an unshakable optimism anda devotion to creation – both human and natural.

Welcome to the City of Angels�.