Introducing Los Angeles:
This sprawling Metropolis of over 11 million people, criss- crossed by aerial highways and dominated by the automobile, started life as a tiny Spanish mission within the Viceroyalty of New Spain called: El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula. Founded in 1781 by the Governor of Las Californias: Felipe de Neves, under the authority of Charles III, King of Spain. The mission only had 44 settlers at the time of its founding and you can still visit the original site today in Olvera Street, where some of the oldest adobe structures still survive. The town’s name was shortened to Los Angeles over time and in 1821 it reverted to Mexican rule after it gained its independence from Spain. Los Angeles became part of the United States in 1848 at the end of the Mexican-American war as part of the Mexican Session agreed in the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Los Angeles became a municipality and California received statehood in 1850. The Railroads arrived in 1876 and oil was discovered in 1892, by the early 1920’s Los Angeles was producing one-quarter of the world’s petroleum and the population had boomed and was still growing, boosted by the completion of the Los Angeles aqueduct (featured in the Movie Chinatown) and the new industries of Aviation and Motion Pictures. By 1932 the Population of Los Angeles had surpassed one million and it hosted the Summer Olympic Games.
The Post War years brought great prosperity to the city and the beginning of urban sprawl. A Mecca of entertainment since the early 1920’s, Los Angeles symbolized what was glamorous about the Movie Industry and the term Hollywood, named after a district within Los Angeles, became a synonym, the world over, with glamour and success. In 1969 Los Angeles pioneered the internet, with the first ARPNET transmission from UCLA to Menlo Park. During the 1980’s, Los Angeles became the focus, first of the Punk Rock scene and later of the Glam Rock scene, with bands like Guns & Roses and Motley Crue. The early 1990’s brought hard core political rap (known as gangster rap), earthquakes, drive by shootings and racial riots, all products of inner city blight and the collapse of the aerospace industry at the end of the cold war. But by the end of the decade the city was going through a renaissance of gentrification, fueled by waves of immigrants from Asia and Latin America, who moved into previously run down areas of Los Angeles, revitalizing the city’s new and existing districts like Koreatown, Hollywood, Echo Park and Downtown Los Angeles.
By the mid 00’s, Los Angeles boasted a world class classical music hall, a Museum of Modern art, a Theatre and Hotel Complex at Hollywood & Highland and many new businesses and shops in what had been a largely abandoned areas. Los Angeles today is a vibrant city that has a lot to offer: Almost perfect weather all year around, a brand new subway system, beautiful stretches of coastline and a classic coastal highway, the magnetic allure of Hollywood, the glamour of Beverly Hills, the fun for all of Universal Studios and the Pier and boulevards of Santa Monica and even the counter cultural eclectic mix of Venice beach. Just like Frank Sinatra used to sing: L.A. is my lady!
Getting Around:
Los Angeles is served by 6 airports, dotted around the sprawling maze of counties that surround the city. Los Angeles international or LAX is the main international airport, the other 5 are all domestic and some serve cities in Mexico.
Los Angeles International Airport: L.A.’s main international Airport and home to the space age ‘Encounter Lounge and Restaurant’.
Bob Hope Burbank Airport: Located north of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley, is convenient for domestic flights and close to studios in Burbank and Studio city.
Long Beach Airport: Formerly the McDonnell Douglas airfield, it serves some low cost domestic airlines, including Jet Blue.
John Wayne Orange County Airport: is located south of L.A., close to Disney and Laguna Beach. It is served by all domestic scheduled airlines.
Ontario Airport: Serving the Inland Empire and offering many low cost carriers.
Palmdale Airport: North of L.A., closest to the Mojave spaceport and the Coachella Music festival.
Los Angeles also has an Amtrak train station and a Greyhound bus station, both located Downtown. Several interstate highways connect in Los Angeles, including Highway 5. Once in L.A., most people rent a car, but now it’s possible to take the subway from downtown to Hollywood and under the Hollywood Hills to Universal studios.
Things To Do:
L.A is so glamorous that even LAX airport has a tourist site: The space age white arches of the ‘Encounter Lounge & Restaurant’, one of the most iconic buildings inside any airport. Rent a convertible car and drive with the top down, as it almost never rains in L.A. Drive to Santa Monica along P.C.H. (Pacific Coastal Highway), shop in the quirky shops around west Hollywood, ride along Hollywood Boulevard with the top down and stop in front of the iconic Man’s Chinese Theatre for a photo op. Stroll along Rodeo drive, hit downtown for a shot of culture at the Disney Concert Hall, drive up to the Griffith observatory for the best views of Los Angeles, hit Koreatown for the nightlife and don’t forget Olvera street, where it all began.
Los Angeles Climate:
Los Angeles has a Mediterranean climate and enjoys a warm and pleasant weather all round the year. The months from May to October is normally warm, hot and dry with the temperature anywhere between 24–29°C during the daytime and 14–19°C during the nighttime. The months from November to April are mild and rainy to an extent. The temperature during this season could vary anywhere between 20–23°C during the daytime and 9–12°C during the nighttime. Los Angeles receives 385 mm of rain annually which mainly occurs during winter and spring months i.e. from November to April. Snowfall within the city is extremely rare. However, the mountains within the city limits receive snowfall every winter.
Hotel Accommodation:
There are plenty of hotels in Los Angeles and the place you choose to stay will make a tremendous impact on your LA experience. Downtown, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Pasadena, Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Westwood are some of the most recommended areas to stay.
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