Inside LA
The Los Angeles Lowdown
LA Experiences
So you can have the best and most authentic experiences of Los Angeles.
Check here for neighborhood guides to LA, with their history and information on attractions and things to do there, as well as ways to experience different sides and elements of the city.
Los Angeles River: LA’s Mighty Waterway
In a city with many famous features and elements, including such mega-stars as the Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica Beach, the Los Angeles River is more like the well-known character actor that you’ve seen in dozens of movies and TV shows, but you can’t remember their name. That’s especially ironic when it comes…
Art Deco Los Angeles: 10 Key Locations
Art Deco is an architectural style that is very much associated with Los Angeles. Since the new style first appeared in the 1920’s, at the Exposition des Arts décoratifs in Paris, through the 1930’s there was a boom in construction in LA, and developers immediately turned to the new style for inspiration. Art Deco seemed…
San Fernando Valley: LA’s Other Half
The San Fernando Valley is, in many ways, underrated. Sure, it has some big attractions, such as Universal Studios, but it’s often derided as a suburban sprawl that’s generally way hotter than the rest of Los Angeles and much less interesting. It’s not seen as having either the cultural might of Hollywood, nor the theme park riches…
Venice: LA’s Seaside Neighborhood
Since it opened 120 years ago this year Venice Los Angeles has always attracted visitors, both from the region and, later, from the wider world. Conceived as a Disneyland – before Disneyland existed or had even been conceived – it was a crucial developmental stage between the early amusement parks, like Coney Island, and the…
Griffith Park: LA’s Greatest Gift
Visitors to Los Angeles may not know Griffith Park by name (although many do), but you would struggle to find anyone in the world not familiar with its best-known landmark, the Hollywood Sign. The park’s 4,300-acres make it five times the size of Central Park in New York (it’s not a competition – but if…
The LA Olympics: 1932, 1984 & 2028
Los Angeles is about to become the third city to host the Summer Olympic Games three times, funnily enough (after London and Paris). Perhaps that’s not surprising considering the city’s unique renown, sports-mad population and ability to put on event of this size and magnitude. Still, LA has been a leader in many ways in…
Charles Chaplin’s Los Angeles: Today
Charles Spencer Chaplin, or ‘Charlie’ for short, is one of the most influential figures in the history of entertainment, as a Hollywood pioneer and, arguably, its greatest superstar. Not only do his films endure the test of time, with six of his movies selected for preservation in the National Film Registry, including The Gold Rush,…
Santa Monica: LA’s Beach Resort
Santa Monica is a city within LA County, but it’s long been considered the beach resort for Los Angeles. However, SaMo is more than just a beach though, it has plenty of interesting things to see and fun things to do, so there are plenty of reasons to spend some time there. Now the city…
How To Guarantee Seeing A Celebrity In LA
Some people have become obsessed by a celebrity and it can be very unhealthy. The news is full of stories of stars who’ve been stalked by overly-fanatical fans, so I’m definitely not encouraging that kind of stuff in How to Guarantee Seeing a Celebrity in LA! The first thing to know about famous people (and…
Los Angeles On A Layover
If you’re booking a flight and the chance presents itself to visit Los Angeles on a layover, or stopover, you probably aren’t going to refuse the opportunity, especially if you’ve never been here before. LA is a place that most people would like to visit, at least once, in their lives. And why not? Forgetting…