Los AngelesCalifornia

BY: JENNIFER LE

“THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING WE CAN EXPERIENCE IS THE MYSTERIOUS.”

BEACHES

VENICE BEACHYou haven't seen it all until you've seen Venice! There is a sandy three-mile beach here, but that is not what attracts visitors. You go to Venice to shop and gawk. During the summer season and on weekends, there is street entertainment at every intersection along Ocean Front Walk. Street performers include instrumental musicians, singers, jugglers, acrobats, mimes, comics, magicians, prophets, FORTUNE TELLERS, and other assorted entertainers. You will see people with tricolor hairdos, painted faces, weird tattoos, and outlandish clothing--or lack of it.

The Boardwalk is a virtual sidewalk circus, a walk 'n' rolling skin show. There are lots of funky shops, too, if you want to eat out of the ordinary or buy an unusual souvenir or T-shirt. There are courts for basketball, handball, shuffleboard and paddle tennis. Muscle Beach is a special area where fanatic bodybuilders pump iron in a PUBLIC show of strength. The Venice Chamber of Commerce maintains an Event calendar while other sites contain historical information.

SANTA MONICA BEACH

From swimming and surfing to biking and volleyball, from outdoor chess to beachside gymnastics, Santa Monica is a haven for those seeking an active, outdoors vacation.

LAKES

Lake Hollywood Reservoir

Hollywood Reservoir, also known as Lake Hollywood, is a reservoir located in the Santa Monica Mountains in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is maintained by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Echo Park Lake

With a relaxing view, you can do so much. There are activities with fishing, pedal boats, picnic area, walking path, boat house, lotus flowers, etc . How about reading and laying on the grass, and just meditating to one self.

RIVERS

Los Angeles RiverThe Los Angeles River starts in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly 48 miles southeast to its mouth in Long Beach.

Santa Anita Creek

Santa Anita Creek is a 10.4-mile long stream in Los Angeles County, California. It flows southwards from its headwaters in the south ridge of the San Gabriel Mountains, to form the beginnings of the Rio Hondo near Irwindale.

AMUSEMENT PARKS

LOS ANGELES ADVENTURE TOURS

Fun and adventure await you at the happiest place on earth! From the charm of Main Street, U.S.A. to the whimsical Mickey's Toontown, there is so much to explore in all of the fantastic "lands" of nostalgia, color and delight. With so much to offer for everyone, Disneyland is the perfect place to spend a fun-filled day the whole family will enjoy!

Griffith Park & Southern Railroad

Cool place to bring the kiddos and enjoy a couple hours of exploring. I remember when my mom used to bring me here as a kid, now I'm bringing my child here, now that's consistency! Fun for all ages, kids small and big, even senior citizens were riding the train.

Wonderful Family Vacations!

MONUMENTS

Los Angeles City HallDesigned on March 24, 1976Tallest base-isolated structure in the world built in 1928. A Neoclassical base with an Art Deco tower.

Los Angeles Herald Examiner BuildingDesigned on August 18, 1977Mission Revival—Spanish Colonial Revival building, designed by Julia Morgan, completed in 1915.

MUSEUM VENUEThe Grammy MuseumMusic is more than just a hobby and passion for your students, it’s a means of expression and a way they identify with and shape their cultural identity. The GRAMMY Museum’s mission is to help students use music as a gateway to learning and as a way to inspire and cultivate creativity and critical thinking. We invite you to immerse your students in a cutting-edge experience complete with interactive exhibits, films and artifacts. Students will leave inspired to continue learning and will be more aware of how music impacts many aspects of society.

MUSIC VENUEWalt Disney Concert HallDesigned by architect FRANK GEHRY, Walt Disney Concert Hall, new home of the LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC, is designed to be one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world, providing both visual and aural intimacy for an unparalleled musical experience.

Through the vision and generosity of Lillian Disney, the Disney family, and many other individual and corporate donors, the city will enjoy one of the finest concert halls in the world, as well as an internationally recognized architectural landmark.

The 3.6-acre complex embodies the unique energy and creative spirit of the city of Los Angeles and its orchestra.

MUSICAL VENUEThe Hollywood BowlThe Hollywood Bowl is a 1920s amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances.The Hollywood Bowl is known for its band shell, a distinctive set of concentric arches that graced the site from 1929 through 2003, before being replaced with a somewhat larger one beginning in the 2004 season. The shell is set against the backdrop of the Hollywood Hills and the famous Hollywood Sign to the Northeast.The "bowl" refers to the shape of the concave hillside the amphitheater is carved into. The bowl is owned by the County of Los Angeles and is the home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the host of hundreds of musical events each year.

MALLBeverly Centerthe Beverly Center is a shopping mall in Los Angeles, California, United States.A large indoor shopping center located near Beverly Hills. This mega-mall offers a huge selection of shops, restaurants and etc.

RESTURANTCarlitos Gardel RestaurantThis place has incredible service and a delicious menu. The prices are very reasonable given the location. Definitely worth checking out.

HOTELVagabond Inn Los Angeles at USCLos Angeles offers endless attractions and entertainment for short- and long-term visitors alike and our Vagabond Inn Los Angeles at USC hotel puts you right in the action. Our downtown LA location is just one block from both the University of Southern California and the Shrine Auditorium, home of the Emmy Awards, in the heart of the City of Angels. Our centrally located hotel is on Figueroa Street near many LA attractions, including the Staples Center, LA Live and LA's Garment District. For college sports fans, we're just a short walk to the LA Coliseum - home of the USC Trojans football team and the Galen Center - home of USC Trojans basketball team. It is a short drive to many theme park attractions such as Universal Studios, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knott's Berry Farm, California Adventure and Disneyland. It is also nearby the Hollywood Walk of Fame, part of L.A.'s history and one of the top tourist attractions.

STATE PARKLos Angeles State Historic ParkLos Angeles State Historic Park provides an extraordinary opportunity for recreation and education in the heart of Los Angeles. Within its 32 acres of open space directly adjacent to Chinatown, park visitors can wander pathways and enjoy a view of downtown, as well as discover and celebrate the natural and cultural heritage of Los Angeles. In 2006 Hargreaves Associates (a San Francisco based landscape architecture firm) won a design competition held for Los Angeles State Historic Park. Their design concept demonstrated the possibilities for a world-class park. You can run, walk, ride a bike, have a picnic, fly a kite and even look for urban wildlife such as birds traveling down the Pacific flyway. Do all of these things and more while inventive architectural features in the landscape hint of the park’s history.

GARDENThe Botanical Gardens at the Huntington Library It feature 120 landscaped acres with thirteen themed gardens and a conservatory on the former San Marino Ranch just outside Pasadena include rare and exotic plants from around the world as well as California natives. You could spend all day in the gardens, but the extensive art collection and illustrated manuscripts, including a Gutenberg Bible, are also worth a look. Garden walking tours are available.

San Gabriel MountainsThe San Gabriel Mountains are a mountain range located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east. This Transverse Range lies in, and is surrounded by, the Angeles National Forest, with the San Andreas Fault as the northern border of the range. The highest peak in the range is Mount San Antonio, commonly referred to as Mt. Baldy. Mount Wilson is another famous peak, famed for the Mount Wilson Observatory and the antenna farm that houses many of the transmitters for local media. The observatory may be visited by the public.

WHY SHOULD YOU VISIT?The question in Los Angeles is never what to do, but where to

begin. LA has some very good museums, the La Brea tar pits for example and the Natural history museum. Aloe Vera street is a

neat taste of Mexican culture. Los Angeles also has some amazing architecture. The county is home to many famous attractions in a relatively concentrated space. Your choices

include amusement parks, architectural landmarks, art museums and galleries, beaches, parks, hiking and shopping, to name a

few. After the sun goes down, you’ll find there’s an abundance of nightlife options, including movies (of course!), as well as live

music and comedy provided by performers both legendary and yet-to-be-discovered.