LOS ANGELES - CITY OF ANGELS

Randy Newman sang "I Love L.A." several years ago and the Dodgers now play the song at the end of every Dodgers' win. But for us, Los Angeles is just too big and too spread out to enjoy fully over such a short stay, especially when 4 ballgames are on tap.

L.A. is the second largest city in the U.S. and is located on the west coast of California, about 2 hours north of San Diego. Central Los Angeles itself doesn't contain that much stuff, but the surrounding suburbs and cities of Los Angeles and Orange Counties make up for it, providing plenty of things to see and do. Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Venice, Anaheim, Redondo Beach - the list of interesting places goes on and on.

Mann's Chinese Theater

However, these places are not close to one another, and L.A. transit is not that convenient to many of these places. Therefore a car is necessary - but this will introduce you to one of L.A.'s worst things - the terrible traffic jams that affect every freeway, at most times during the day. The amount of traffic on the roads, coupled with L.A.'s location in a valley, gives the city the worst air quality in the nation, and on most days you can see the thick smog and haze that envelops the city.

L.A. is also known as the home of race riots that tore the city apart in 1965 and again in 1992, after the Rodney King verdict. The once beautiful landscape is now covered by unending urban sprawl and freeways. L.A. is by no means an attractive city and green space is at a premium.

Even with all of these problems, though, L.A. remains a great place to spend some time. Two ball teams, two hockey teams, and two basketball teams keep sports fans entertained, and as the entertainment capital of the world, there is always a world-class party going on somewhere (although we were never invited to one). If you go to L.A. try to get someone else to do your driving, you will really enjoy it more.

Our impressions: L.A. freeways can be avoided at certain times as the city streets seem to be fairly empty. We drove from downtown to Beverly Hills in about 20 minutes on Olympic Blvd, and I suspect that the Santa Monica freeway would have taken twice as long. Transit is actually not bad if you know where you are going. The subway is very convenient from downtown to Hollywood or Long Beach, and the DASH buses, which only cost a quarter and cover most of the city, are probably the best transit we have seen so far. Of course, transit will not get you everywhere, and you will have to take the freeways, but smart planning regarding the time of day you take to the road will reduce your time in jams and your stress level as well.

L.A. is not pretty, but there are some nice spots. Griffith Park is very empty, and Griffith Observatory gives you a view of downtown through the haze. The beaches are also good places to go, there are plenty of them, although they are quite busy during the summer.

L.A. has a number of distinct ethnic neighborhoods with Koreatown being one of the largest. Good Korean barbecue can be found along Olympic just west of downtown. Little Tokyo is also a decent area east of the core, while Chinatown is just north of downtown. 

Surprisingly, L.A.'s downtown is actually a nice place to walk, if you know where you are going. From Arco Plaza to the Museum of Contemporary Art, past the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and City Hall, to the El Pueblo De Los Angeles Historic Monument and eventually Little Tokyo is a 2-hour walk that lets you gain a good understanding of downtown. 

The Westin is one of L.A.'s signature buildings

The suburbs are where most of the tourist attractions are located. Universal Studios, Beverly Hills, and Disneyland are all a fair drive from central LA, but this also means that the interesting things inside L.A. are not that crowded and can be enjoyed without worrying about long line-ups. If you want to understand how L.A. began and where it is going, avoid these popular tourist traps and try to see some places that might be off the beaten path. See the Attractions page for more info.

Overall, I can't say that I Love L.A. - but I did really like it. I think L.A. might be a city where it is better to live there and understand the workings of the entire region, rather than visit it and just see the surface. Of course, the presence of two major league ball teams means that any true baseball roadtripper will visit L.A. but don't judge the city by its cover - take the time to read between the lines and perhaps you will appreciate the city a little more.

Downtown