If you’ve ever wondered why an American city has such a Spanish name, the answer is simple: Los Angeles was founded by Spanish colonizers in 1781. Then, with the colony’s independence, it became part of Mexico until the war between Mexico and the United States, which ended up taking the States to purchase the city and the rest of California in 1850.
Los Angeles is the most populous city in California and the second most populous in the United States. Astonished? Many people don’t know that when we refer to Los Angeles, or LA, we are talking about a metropolitan region made up of 88 municipalities. The place grew and incorporated the cities around it. This is what happened, for example, with Hollywood in 1910. The other cities are not part of the territory, but form a large metropolitan region, which is Los Angeles County.
The city of Los Angeles itself includes areas such as Downtown, Whilshire and Hollywood. The county – or metropolis – of LA is Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Passadena. You don’t see a big difference between the parts that make up this large metropolitan region, it’s more like a crossing of neighborhoods.
Plan your trip: Find out where to stay in Los Angeles
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My experience in Los Angeles
I was in LA in 2009. My hostel was in Santa Monica, which was really nice, because that’s the coastal part of the city. Therefore, I was able to see the Pacific, the palm trees along the avenue and stroll along the Third Street Promenade, which is several blocks of a closed street, very beautiful, organized and full of cute restaurants, cool bars and shops of all types. Exactly what we imagine California to be.
As my time in Los Angeles was very busy and I was staying in a remote region, I ended up focusing on getting to know Hollywood and the places that Hollywood made famous – in other words, I didn’t really know much about Los Angeles: there are museums, observatories and other types of of attractions. I recommend taking a look at the city’s official website. Anyway, the little bit I visited was worth it.
The first obvious stop was Hollywood Boulevard, the avenue where all the “movement” is. The Walk of Fame stretches for 15 blocks along this avenue. And there are still three more blocks on Vine Street, which complete around 2500 stars that pay homage to actors, musicians and other personalities from the entertainment industry. It’s cool to walk down the avenue, see all the stars on the ground and look for familiar names, but don’t expect anything more than that.
Also there is the Kodak Theater – which is no longer called that, it is now the Dolby Theater, because it changed sponsors. That’s where the Oscar ceremony takes place. You can visit the entrance hall, which has plaques with the names of the winners of the award since it was created, or pay 17 dollars and take the tour (something I didn’t do due to cost control).
Another famous spot next door is the TCL Chinese Theatre, formerly called Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. The place is a cinema where major film releases take place and where the autographs and hands of famous artists are engraved in the concrete.
To get a great view of the famous Hollywood sign, which is located in the mountains, it’s worth going to the Hollywood and Highland Center, which is nothing more than an open shopping mall. In addition, you can visit the Madame Tussaud Museum in Los Angeles and the Hollywood Museum, which features a four-story exhibition of artifacts, furniture and costumes telling the history of the film industry.
Two other well-known avenues made me think I was in an episode of 90210: Melrose Av. and Sunset Blvd. There are many famous shops, bars and interesting nightclubs.
Not far from West Hollywood, where the tourist attractions mentioned above are located, is Beverly Hills. You can’t get there on foot, but the bus makes the journey quickly. I only went to Beverly Hills at night, so I didn’t get to see the preppy girls while walking along the luxurious Rodeo Drive and its designer stores. The place is known for its famous houses. This is also where Sunset Blvd features those tall palm trees that appear in the series.
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I visited these places in the morning and late afternoon, because on both days I also went to Universal Studios Hollywood. So, I had to run a lot to see some of the city. Add this to the fact that LA was the only place in the United States where I had great difficulty getting around.
The subway there is very new and does not serve all places. The bus system is ultra-mega-master-blaster-confusing and, in general, you need to take more than one vehicle to make the journeys. And you can even rent a car, but be prepared for traffic jams.
Such a large and spread out city ends up creating these navigation problems. The ideal thing to do, I believe, is to plan exactly where you want to visit and remember to always leave plenty of time to get from one point to another.
*Featured Photo: Wikimedia Commons
