Fun in Los Angeles, From Hollywood to the Hills

Los Angeles is the 2nd largest city in the United States,the very luxuriousand intimate setting of art at the
with almost four million people, and 13 million inGetty Villa in nearby Malibu.
itsmetropolitan area. It is the many decentralizedLikewise there is the huge Los Angeles County
neighborhoodswith different landmarks andMuseum of Art,on Wilshire Blvd., with the largest art
atmosphere that make Los Angelesreal estate a verycollection in thewestern United States, whose plant and
diverse market. L.A. varies from the suburbansprawl ofcampus is undergoingextensive renovation and
the San Fernando Valley, to Downtown, East L.A.,expansion. Other museums in the areaare the Natural
South L.A., Harbor Area, Hollywood and otherHistory Museum of L.A. County, at 900 Exposition
smallerneighborhoods such as Venice Beach, andBlvd., the Page Museum of the La Brea Tar Pits and
more exclusive areas like BelAir and Brentwood.the
In the Hollywood area, there are such famous sites asWilliam S. Hart Museum and Ranch in Newhall, north of
Universal Studios which is both a major touristL.A.
attraction andstill, a film studio. You can go behind theThe Page Museum is located at 5801 Wilshire Blvd in
scenes and see howmovies are made, and see theMetropolitan
guide to special effects known asL.A. and it�s also the site of an actual tar pit
�the Fast and the Furious, Extremewhereprehistoric remains are recovered in Hancock
Close-Up�. Kids get to meettheir favoritePark, a fewblocks from Santa Monica Blvd.
cartoon character. Attractions at the associatedthemeAnother thing that makes L.A. such an amazing city is
park include the Shrek ride and �Revenge ofthevariation of topography, from sea level, to over
the Mummy�roller coaster ride.5,000 feetin the mountains of L.A. You literally can go
L.A. is a large manufacturing and trade center, as wellfrom surfingto skiing in the same metropolitan area,
as beinga center for the entertainment industry. Its port,perhaps in thesame week. In terms of more vicarious
Los Angelescombined with Long Beach, is number onerecreation, majorleague teams in L.A. include the Los
in the US. It is stillheadquarters for leading companiesAngeles Dodgers, the Kings
such as Northrop Grumman,the defense contractor,(NHL) Hockey and L.A. Clippers and the L.A. Lakers
and Occidental Petroleum. Nearby in(NBA)
L.A. County are headquartered Walt Disney Co.,Basketball.
Warner Bros.,in beautiful downtown Burbank andThe Los Angeles metropolitan area is served by 5
offices of major Asian carmanufacturers.majorcommercial airports and other smaller airports.
Despite LA�s reputation as a strictlyThe main
Hollywood town,there is more serious culture there too.Los Angeles airport is Los Angeles International Airport
Take a look at theandthere are four other commercial airports, plus
Getty Center, a museum of Western Art. It includesgeneral aviationairport, Van Nuys Airport.
paintingsfrom Rembrandt to Van Gogh. There is also