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LA’s most famous hotel has been part of Hollywood history since its 1912 opening. Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Will Rogers got drunk in the bar, Howard Hughes rented Bungalow 3 for 30 years, and Marilyn Monroe reportedly romanced both JFK and RFK here. Political leaders, royals, and Hollywood headliners have all stayed, partied, and cavorted at the legendary Pink Palace. It’s been featured in movies and on the cover of the Eagles’ Hotel California album. And stars still come – Elton John celebrated his 55th birthday here in 2002.

Rodeo Drive (see Temptations on Rodeo Drive ">) is one of the world’s most famous – and expensive – shopping streets, synonymous with a lifestyle of luxury and fame. Only three blocks long, it is essentially an haute couture runway, with all the major international players represented. You’ll often spot nicely groomed shoppers, though actual star sightings are rare. Rodeo’s southern end is punctuated by the Regent Beverly Wilshire, one of LA’s grandest hotels (see Bastions of Luxury). Architecture fans check out Frank Lloyd Wright’s Anderton Court.

Most people alive today have grown up watching television, one of the defining media of the 20th century. This museum, housed in a striking building by Getty Center architect Richard Meier, has made it its mission to collect, preserve, and share nearly 80 years of radio and TV history. About 120,000 programs – news to musicals, sports to sitcoms – have been catalogued and are available for viewing and listening. The museum also offers daily presentations in its on-site theaters and organizes seminars and live radio broadcasts.

The wealth of a city is often reflected in its public buildings, so it should come as no surprise that Beverly Hills has the kind of civic center that’s the envy of other towns. Its centerpiece is the elegant City Hall, built in 1932 in Spanish Renaissance style and harmoniously incorporated into a contemporary Spanish-style complex with palm-lined walkways and curved colonnades. It houses a beautiful library as well as the local police and fire departments.

This high-tech museum confronts visitors with issues of extreme intolerance to make them realize the need for greater acceptance in today’s world. The experience begins at the “Tolerancenter,” whose exhibits address issues such as human rights violations and the Civil Rights movement. The Holocaust section, at the core, chronicles Nazi atrocities. A new multimedia exhibit follows the lives of well-known Americans from different ethnic backgrounds.

One of the nation’s top research universities, UCLA (founded in 1919) counts many luminaries among its alumni, including Francis Ford Coppola. It has around 150 buildings with architectural gems such as Royce Hall. The Fowler Museum has a marvellous collection of non-Western art. To the north is the lovely Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden.

This museum, run by UCLA, is the legacy of Armand Hammer, an oil tycoon who discovered a passion for collecting art in the 1920s. Hammer was especially fond of 19th-century French Impressionists such as Monet. Rotating exhibitions are complemented by traveling shows with a more contemporary angle. Free readings, film screenings, and lectures are quite popular. An upcoming renovation may require temporary full or partial closure of the museum.

This small cemetery beneath Westwood’s towering office high-rises has more Hollywood stars per square yard than any other burial ground in LA. Marilyn Monroe’s remains rest in an above-ground crypt always decorated with flowers (Hugh Hefner has allegedly reserved the adjacent space). Other celebs buried here are Burt Lancaster, Natalie Wood, and Frank Zappa.

This state-of-the-art Jewish cultural center was named after its main benefactor, Jack Skirball (1896–1985), a rabbi and producer of Hitchcock films. Open since 1996, the complex hosts a lively events schedule and has a multimedia museum. Exhibits explore the parallels between the Jewish experience and the principles of American democracy. After a major expansion, expected to be completed in 2004, the Skirball will host a major exhibition on Albert Einstein.

Although best known for its collection of European art, the Getty offers much more – a hilltop setting with sweeping views from the ocean to the mountains, architecture as exquisite as “frozen music” (to quote Goethe), and landscaped gardens that are nothing less than the finest art.