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.

Parkway Grill

Only the freshest organic ingredients are used to perfect inspired Californian cuisine.
Pasadena Civic Center

This grand complex was inspired by the early 20th-century City Beautiful movement. It consists of three European-style Beaux-Arts structures stretching along a central axis – the Main Library, the Civic Auditorium, and the City Hall. Architect Myron Hunt designed the public library.
Pasadena Museum of California Art

Pasadena art collectors, Robert and Arlene Oltman, occupy the third floor of their 2002 custom-built museum, the only one in the state solely devoted to the art and architecture of California. Watercolors, photographs, and the works of historical as well as living artists are showcased.
Paseo Colorado

Trendy Pasadena “urban village” with 65 stores and Mediterranean architecture.
Patagonia

This is the first retail outlet of the maker of innovative outdoor clothing fit for any environment, deserts to the Everest.
Patina

A long-time darling of food critics and gourmets, Patina is where star chef Joachim Splichal takes his innovative French-California cuisine to new heights. The melt-in-your-mouth côte de boeuf , served table-side, is indicative of the kitchen’s lofty aspirations. Try the chef’s superb tasting menu.
Peace on Earth

Created at the height of the Vietnam War in 1969, Jacques Lipchitz’s large bronze Madonna has the dove, a symbol of peace, on top, and lambs, representing humanity, at the base.
Penny Lane

One of LA’s few remaining independent music stores, this small outlet has used music CDs available very cheaply as well as vinyl albums, new music, and listening stations.
Pershing Square

The city’s oldest public park, redesigned in the early 1990s, it is enlivened with public art and flanked by numerous historic buildings, most notably the grand Biltmore.
Petersen Automotive Museum

LA’s evolution from sleepy outpost to sweeping megalopolis is uniquely tied to the rise of the automobile. This is the basic premise of this wonderful museum, which does a lot more than display pretty vintage cars (though there are plenty of those, too). On the ground floor, you’ll follow a Los Angeles “streetscape” through 100 years of car history. You’ll pass dioramas of a 1920s gas station, a 1930s showroom, and a 1950s drive-in restaurant. Upstairs, the cars take center stage. Exhibits change regularly, but usually include galleries devoted to hot rods, motorcycles, and vehicles owned by Hollywood celebrities or used in movies. For children, the Discovery Center makes science fun.

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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