When it comes to destinations, there’s no place quite like Los Angeles with its history of Hollywood glamour, famed theme parks, resurgent down-town district, stellar shopping centres and year round warm climate.
Here’s our guide to where to stay and play in the City of Angels this au-tumn/winter…
Must see and do
No visit to Los Angeles is complete without paying a pilgrimage to the Dolby Theatre – renowned as the home of the annual Academy Awards. If you want to get up close and personal with a genuine Oscar statuette, you’ll need to be prepared to put your hands in your pocket and pay for a 30 minute tour which take place daily between 10.30am and 4pm (www.dolbytheatre.com/tours/tour-information.)
Next up, head to the nearby Hollywood Walk of Fame (www.walkoffame.com) to pose with a sidewalk star – one of the city’s most beloved free attractions. Honouring luminaries in motion pictures, television, radio, live theatre, and recording since 1960, the famous sidewalk comprises more than 2,600 five-pointed pink stars.
From the Hollywood Walk of Fame it’s a short walk to the TCL Chinese Theatre (www.tclchinesetheatres.com), where screen legends throughout the ages have left their imprints in cement in Grauman’s famous forecourt.
Lastly do check out Downtown LA – an area that has undergone an urban re-naissance in recent years. It used to be sketchy (Skid Row anyone?) but now it’s super cool and home to fantastic museums – don’t miss the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (www.moca.org) – and galleries galore, a great food scene (go to the recently renovated Grand Central Market) and South Broadway, an area that’s being touted as LA’s next big shopping destination.
