Los Angeles Area Attractions

L.A. is home to the world's first amusement park, because it regularly feels like one, as the line between fantasy and reality is often obscured. From the unattainable, anachronistic glamour of Beverly Hills to the vibrant street energy of Venice, each of the city's diverse neighborhoods is like a mini-theme park, offering its own kind of unique adventure. Drive down Sunset Boulevard and you'll see what I mean: the billboards are racier, the fashions trendier, the cars fancier, the bodies sexier, the sun brighter, and the energy higher than anyplace you've ever been. Darlin,' you're not in Kansas anymore -- you're in LA-LA land now. Let's go play.

Performing Arts Center of LA
111 S. Grand Avenue • Los Angeles, CA 90012 • 323.850.2000
The strikingly beautiful Walt Disney Concert Hall isn't just a new addition to the Music Center of L.A., it's a key element in an urban revitalization effort now underway Downtown. The Walt Disney family insisted on the best and that's what they got: a masterpiece of design by world-renown architect Frank O. Gehry, and an acoustical quality that equals or surpasses the best concert halls in the world. The concert hall is open to the public for viewing, but to witness it in its full glory, attend a concert by the world-class Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Universal Studios Hollywood
100 Universal City Plaza • Universal City, CA 91608• 818.662.3801
Believing that filmmaking itself is a bona fide attraction, Universal Studios began offering tours to the public in 1964. The concept worked: Today Universal is more than just one of the largest movie studios in the world -- it's one of the largest amusement parks as well.

Universal Studios Hollywood puts you so close you can hear the cameras rolling. Get an inside look at the sets and uncover the behind-the-scenes secrets of legendary films.

Then, immerse yourself into the thrilling worlds of your favorite movies. Witness the all-new Shrek 4-DT, with hair-raising, eye popping, butt-busting effects that put you inside the action. Unleash the power of movie magic inside the Special Effects Stages. Spin into action at the rock 'n' roll show Spider-Man RocksSM.

And, for a big Hollywood finish, visit Universal CityWalk®, for L.A.'s hottest entertainment, dining and shopping. It can only happen in Hollywood...Universal Studios Hollywood.

Sunset Boulevard & The Sunset Strip
Unless you were raised in a cave you've undoubtedly heard of L.A.'s Sunset Boulevard. The most famous of the city's many legendary boulevards, it winds dozens of miles over prime real estate as it travels from Downtown to the beach, taking its travelers on both a historic and microcosmic journey that defines Los Angeles as a whole -- from tacky strip malls and aging movie studios to infamous strip clubs and some of the most coveted zip codes on earth. In fact, driving the stretch from U.S. 101 to the Pacific should be a prerequisite for all first-time visitors because it provides so perfectly what L.A. is all about: instant gratification.

Venice Ocean Front Walk
This has long been one of L.A.'s most colorful areas. Founded at the turn of the last century, Venice was a development inspired by its Italian namesake. Authentic gondolas plied miles of inland waterways lined with rococo palaces. In the 1950s, Venice became the stomping grounds of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and other beats. In the 1960s, this was the epicenter of L.A.'s hippie scene.

Warner Brothers Studios
4000 Warner Blvd. • Burbank, CA 91522
Warner Bros. Studios, one of the finest motion picture and television production facilities in the world, is the site on which hundreds of unforgettable films and television shows have been created, filmed and taped. The 100-acre facility is among the oldest of such sites to be continuously occupied by the same company, and has continually been updated, becoming a working tribute to the world-class standards of creativity and technology pioneered by Warner Bros.

Aquarium of the Pacific
100 Aquarium Way • Universal City, CA 91608• 562.590.3100
This enormous aquarium is the cornerstone of Long Beach's new waterfront. Figuring that what stimulated flagging economies in Monterey and Baltimore would work in Long Beach, planners gave their all to this project, creating a crowd-pleasing attraction.

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