DK Travel : Los Angeles

The myth, the velocity, the edginess in creative and technological fields – this is Los Angeles, where the multicultural future that awaits the rest of the country is already a firm reality. In little more than 200 years, LA has grown from a dusty Spanish outpost into one of the world’s largest and most complex cities offering top venues for everything from archaeology and the arts to food. The birthplace of Mickey Mouse and Hollywood, LA has shaped the imaginations of millions.

Pacific Theatres at The Grove

State-of-the-art meets Art Deco charm, with gloved ushers helping you to your seat. Pay a little more and get a chair on the mezzanine level with snack service.
Page Museum & La Brea Tar Pits

You won’t find mammoths, saber-toothed cats, or dire wolves in any zoo, but they are the stars of this museum offering a look at life in LA during the last Ice Age thousands of years ago. Since 1906, excavations at the pits adjacent to the museum have yielded more than one million fossilized bones of about 450 species, from insects to birds and mammals. Many are now on display at the museum, which also houses a glass-walled laboratory where paleontologists may be seen working. Outside the museum, life-size replicas of mammoths trapped in muck dramatize the ghastly fate of Los Angeles’s prehistoric denizens.
Palisades Park

Famous for its swaying palm trees and picture-perfect views of Santa Monica Bay (especially at sunset), Palisades Park is a playground for young and old, locals and visitors, families and courting couples. Stretching for 13 blocks atop a bluff overlooking the ocean, its benches and lawns invite picnics and people-watching. A nostalgic curiosity is the Camera Obscura inside a seniors’ center.
Palos Verdes Peninsula

This posh enclave straddling a rocky precipice is one of the most exclusive in America. A drive along its coastline affords great ocean views with Catalina Island in the distance. Malaga Cove and Abalone Cove are popular for tidepool explorations and Point Vicente for whale-watching. Flower lovers should head inland to the sprawling South Coast Botanic Garden.
Pantages Theatre

This Art Deco jewel was recently restored to its 1929 glory. Once a movie palace, its eye-popping auditorium hosted the Academy Awards from 1949–59.
Papa Christo’s Taverna

Drop into this friendly, busy eatery next door to St. Sophia (see St. Sophia Cathedral) for fat portions of great Greek food.
Paramount Studios

The only major movie studio still located in Hollywood, Paramount traces its pedigree back to 1916 when movies were made with the Paramount logo. The studio has always had a stunning star roster and in 1929, Paramount’s Wings took home the first ever Best Picture Oscar. More recent hits include Psycho , The Godfather , Forrest Gump , and Titanic . Studio tours have been suspended indefinitely but you can enter the ornate gates by being part of a live audience for a TV show taping.
Paramount Studios

Right under the famous Hollywood sign is the Paramount Studio site, a memorable experience. Has studio tours, with old Hollywood glamor. The wrought-iron double arch gate at Melrose & Windsor is an architectural wonder and opens onto premises where Hollywood productions come to life.
Paris 1900

This boudoir-like boutique specializes in lovely romantic antique garments and matching jewelry, accessories, and lacy linens. Even the architecture of the building recalls the joyous frivolity of the Art Nouveau period.
Parker’s Lighthouse

Great views of the Queen Mary are among the perks of dining at this fish restaurant. The big combination platters are the way to go.

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Restaurant price categories

Price categories include a three-course meal for one, a glass of house wine, and all unavoidable extra charges including tax.
- under $25
- $25–$50
- $50–$80
- over $80