Breathing new life into Tinseltown is the Hollywood and Highland Center, a grand hotel, entertainment, and shopping complex. The center’s focal point is the 3,400-seat Kodak Theatre, which opened in 2001 as the new home of the Academy Awards. Tours give you a chance to tread the red carpet, ogle an Oscar statuette, and peek into VIP rooms.
And don’t forget to look for that famous “Hollywood” sign. The best view is from the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Bronson Avenue: Get your cameras out! HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME: Tel 323-467-6412; www.hollywoodchamber.net. GRAUMAN’S CHINESE THEATRE: Tel 323-464-8111; www.manntheatres.com. STARLINE MOVIE STARS’ HOME TOURS: Tel 800-959-3131 or 323-463-3333; www.starlinetours.com. DEARLY DEPARTED TOUR: Tel 800-979-3370 or 212-209-3370; dearlydepartedtours.com. HOLLYWOOD MUSEUM: Tel 323-464-7776; www.thehollywoodmuseum.com. HOLLYWOOD AND HIGHLAND CENTER: www.hollywoodandhighland.com. KODAK THEATRE: Tel 323-308-6300; www.kodaktheatre.com.
The iconic Hollywood sign is 350 feet long.
BEVERLY HILLS—Though less than 6 square miles, Beverly Hills looms large in the world’s collective imagination as the epitome of glamour and prestige. The city’s commercial heart is the three-block-long ‘Golden Triangle” (bounded by Santa Monica Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, and Canon Drive). Here you’ll find one of the world’s most exclusive shopping districts, Rodeo (that’s pronounced ro-DAY-oh) Drive, with such big-ticket jewelers as Tiffany & Co. and Harry Winston, plus every imaginable designer, from Armani to Zegna. The Paley Center for Media is a shrine to how most Beverly Hills residents made their fortunes. Visitors can request a favorite show from the archive of more than 150,000 television and radio programs and view or listen to them in a private cubicle.
Up on Sunset Boulevard, the legendary Beverly Hills Hotel, aka the ‘Pink Palace,” has everything a fashionable and rich traveler could wish for, from a showy pool scene to bungalows with butler service. Its forever-popular Polo Lounge has long been the place where Hollywood makes and breaks its deals, and the Fountain Coffee Room, with its palm-patterned wallpaper, has that potent 1940s charm. VISITOR INFO: www.lovebeverlyhills.org. PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA: Tel 310-786-1000; www.paleycenter.org. BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL: Tel 800-283-8885 or 310-276-2251; www.beverlyhillshotel.com. Cost: from $450, dinner $65.
SANTA MONICA—Elegant, laid-back Santa Monica is a pedestrian-friendly city fronting onto the Pacific that feels much more than just 15 miles from central L.A. The downtown area, only minutes from the water, is centered on the Third Street Promenade, a pedestrian mall lined with shops, cafés, and movie theaters (and, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, a bustling farmers market). A block off the promenade is one of L.A.’s top Mexican restaurants, Border Grill, helmed by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, the chef duo known through their TV shows and cookbooks as the Too Hot Tamales.
Head to the beach, dominated by the 1909 Santa Monica Pier, with its classic carnival rides, seashell souvenir shops, and, best of all, genuine 1920s carousel. Within sight of the pier—and one of only two hotels directly on the ocean—is the delightful Shutters on the Beach, which manages to combine the vibe of an upscale beach house (all rooms have balconies that let in the sound of the surf) with the amenities its VIP guests have come to expect, including a luxurious spa and seaside meals. The hotel’s One Pico and Coast Beach Café and Bar are also ideal spots for drinks at sunset. THIRD STREET PROMENADE: www.thirdstreetpromenade.com. BORDER GRILL: Tel 310-451-1655; www.bordergrill.com. Cost: dinner $40. SANTA MONICA PIER: Tel 310-458-8900; www.santamonicapier.org. SHUTTERS ON THE BEACH: Tel 310-458-0030; www.shuttersonthebeach.com. Cost: from $495.
VENICE AND VENICE BEACH—While most of L.A. takes itself very seriously, Venice is indulgently bohemian and not just a little oddball. Famous for its beachfront spectacle, Venice was founded in 1905 by developer Abbott Kinney, who envisioned a suburban replica of Venice, Italy, complete with canals and gondolas. Though some canals still exist, they’re not nearly as noteworthy as the city’s famed 3-mile-long Venice Beach boardwalk, a paved promenade that runs alongside the white sand beaches. With its inexpensive cafés and its stalls selling sunglasses and tie-dyed clothes, it’s a carnival of tattooed humanity, where street musicians, muscle men, Rollerbladers, bikini-clad posers, surfers, and a few classic Southern California freaks are perpetually on parade. Hipsters meet for roof-top drinks at the beach-view Hotel Erwin, a stylish, minimalist hotel that’s as arty and high-spirited as the neighborhood. VISITOR INFO: www.venicebeach.com. HOTEL ERWIN: Tel 800-786-7789 or 310-452-1111; www.jdvhotels.com. Cost: from $179.
STUDIO TOURS—In L.A., it’s simply called The Industry. Movies and TV are what make this town tick, and touring the film studios delivers fascinating insights into what goes on behind the camera. Hollywood is where it all started, but of the major studios, only Paramount Pictures still makes movies right in town. Two-hour VIP tours (by reservation only) of this last holdout take you behind the sets and soundstages where such classics as I Love Lucy, Sunset Boulevard, and Friends were created.
Most of the other movie and TV studios are north of L.A., in the San Fernando Valley, where the big name in tours is Universal Studios. You can take an hour-long tram tour through sets for Psycho, War of the Worlds, and Desperate Housewives, among many others, as part of their all-in-one theme-park extravaganza (which also includes a 3-D film experience, a visit to a special-effects stage, TV- and movie-themed rides, plus a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex). At Warner Bros., the roughly two-and-a-half-hour Studio VIP Tour is customized whenever possible to include a visit to an active soundstage or film set. PARAMOUNT PICTURES: Tel 323-956-1777; www.paramountstudios.com. UNIVERSAL STUDIOS: Tel 818-622-3801; www.universalstudioshollywood.com. WARNER BROS.: Tel 818-972-8687; vipstudiotour.warnerbros.com.
Universal Studios’ backlot tour is one of its signature attractions.
WHERE TO STAY
HOTEL BEL-AIR—The Mission-style Hotel Bel-Air is one of L.A.’s finest and most exclusive addresses, its allure intact after a multimillion-dollar refurbishment that added new canyon-view rooms and suites and a La Prairie spa. Since 1947, the hotel, with its 12 acres of junglelike gardens, swan-studded ponds, and hidden villas, has been the spot where the show-business elite come to seek anonymity and respite. INFO: Tel 800-648-4097 or 310-472-1211; www.hotelbelair.com. Cost: from $565.
CHATEAU MARMONT—A long-standing favorite in lively West Hollywood, the Chateau Marmont is perched above Sunset Strip, at the very center of the action. Built in 1927 to resemble a Loire Valley castle, the Marmont is rambling and romantic, managing to seem at once old-school and hip. No wonder its quirky, apartment-like guest rooms and secluded bungalows are the top pick for young A-listers. The hotel’s reputation for discretion even in the face of outrageous celebrity behavior (this is where comic John Belushi overdosed at age 33) hasn’t changed since the days when studio boss Harry Cohn told William Holden and Glenn Ford, ‘If you must get into trouble, do it at the Marmont.” INFO: Tel 800-242-8328 or 323-656-1010; www.chateaumarmont.com. Cost: from $415.
HOLLYWOOD ROOSEVELT HOTEL—While the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel hails from 1927 (it even hosted the first Academy Awards in 1929), it recently underwent a massive face-lift from which it emerged still historic but happening. Among the updates: swank, bachelor-pad-like guest rooms, a bit of gloss added to the high-beamed Art Deco lobby, a David Hockney mural by the pool, and a pair of uberpopular bars brimming with Hollywood’s young and lovely. INFO: Tel 800-950-7667 or 323-466-7000; www.hollywoodroosevelt.com. Cost: from $259.
THE STANDARD, DOWNTOWN L.A.—The Standard sets the (ahem) standard for chic downtown hotels, with a playful mid-century stylishness that’s sexy and inviting. Hotelier-to-the-stars Andre Balazs took the 1955 former headquarters of Standard Oil and transformed it into a bastion of cool, injecting a decided bit of swagger into this once dowdy part of town. Best of all, there’s a room type for nearly every budget (Medium, Huge, and Wow! are some of your options). Join the young, well-dressed types sipping trendy cocktai
ls in the roof-top lounge amid a thicket of soaring towers. INFO: Tel 213-892-8080; www.standardhotels.com/los-angeles. Cost: from $285.
SUNSET MARQUIS HOTEL AND VILLAS—There are L.A. hotels with outsized reputations, where celebs (and wannabes) go to see and be seen, and then there’s the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood. The property made its name as a sanctuary for rock stars (in fact, award-winning artists still come here to lay down tracks in the on-site recording studio) and, decades later, it continues to uphold its reputation as a luxe-yet-low-key home away from home for the cognoscenti. The recent 5-acre expansion and top-to-toe renovation means there’s a new restaurant and spa, plus coolly updated Mediterranean-style villas and suites. Who would know this secluded tropical oasis is just steps from Sunset Strip? INFO: Tel 310-657-1333; www.sunsetmarquis.com. Cost: from $285.
EATING & DRINKING
THE BAZAAR BY JOSÉ ANDRÉS—Beverly Hills is the perfect backdrop for José Andrés’s inventive cooking, a blend of tradition and fantasy that flawlessly fits the SoCal zeitgeist. Located in the splashy SLS Hotel, the playful Philippe Starck–designed dining room has multiple personalities, as does the menu, which offers straight-from-Seville-style tapas along with more avant-garde offerings, such as cotton candy fois gras and Caprese salad with liquid mozzarella. Andrés’s sophisticated food is always vividly flavorful and exciting to look at: An evening at The Bazaar is equal parts gastronomy and theater. INFO: Tel 310-246-5555; www.thebazaar.com. Cost: dinner $60.
LUCQUES/AOC—Contemporary Mediterranean-style cooking reaches its zenith at Lucques (pronounced LUKE), where chef Suzanne Goin uses farm-fresh produce and an instinctive finesse to create a cuisine that is at once classic and of-the-moment. Lucques is housed in the former carriage house of silent-era star Harold Lloyd—it’s an atmospheric West Hollywood spot to enjoy such dishes as summer melon gazpacho with crispy prosciutto and mustard-grilled chicken with Parmesan pudding. Goin and sommelier/partner Caroline Styne operate a number of other restaurants in L.A., including a gem of a wine bar, AOC, which dazzles with exquisite small plates that rely on house-made charcuterie, wood-oven specialties, and a cheese selection to make you swoon. LUCQUES: Tel 323-655-6277; www.lucques.com. Cost: dinner $65. AOC: Tel 323-653-6359. Cost: dinner $45.
NOBU WEST HOLLYWOOD—While top Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa claims outposts around the world, his West Hollywood address just may be the most lushly atmospheric and romantic space in which to enjoy his famed mix of superb sushi and fish specialties (black cod and miso is a signature), served with a Latin American twist. Be sure to try the sashimi tacos. INFO: Tel 310-657-5711; www.noburestaurants.com. Cost: dinner $70.
OSTERIA MOZZA/PIZZERIA MOZZA—The fruit of a collaboration among superstar baker Nancy Silverton (of La Brea Bakery and formerly of Campanile) and celebrity New York restaurateurs Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich, this pair of eateries is an immensely popular one-two punch of Italian gastronomy. The Osteria offers an almost epic menu that’s notable for its exuberant flavors and gusto—choices include tagliatelle with oxtail ragu and pancetta-wrapped quail with sage and honey. Around the corner, the always packed Pizzeria is an unpretentious spot to enjoy the slice of a lifetime: sublime crust and just-so toppings. OSTERIA MOZZA: Tel 323-297-0100; www.mozza-la.com. Cost: dinner $70. PIZZERIA MOZZA: Tel 323-297-0101. Cost: pizza $15.
SONA/COMME ÇA—Award-winning chef David Myers’s flagship restaurant, Sona, grounded in the finest of local, organic products, shoots for the stars in terms of culinary experience. Myers employs strikingly unusual preparations and combinations of flavors to achieve his brand of transcendence: Seared foie gras is served with frozen banana and green tea crackers; fried lemon meringue pie comes with English peas and popcorn ice cream. Myers also operates the convivial brasserie Comme Ça, where he uses his protean creativity to update classic French comfort food. SONA: Tel 310-659-7708; www..sonarestaurant.com. Cost: dinner $70. COMME ÇA: Tel 323-782-1178; www.commecarestaurant.com. Cost: dinner $45.
SPAGO BEVERLY HILLS/CUT—The flagship of Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant empire, Spago Beverly Hills continues to dazzle and set the standard for inventive California cuisine, a style of cooking that Puck (and Spago) played a large part in creating. Spago’s most coveted tables are on the patio beneath the century-old olive trees, though the comfortably formal dining room is also an enchanting place to experience such stellar dishes as beet and goat cheese layer-cake salad or handmade agnolotti with sweet corn and mascarpone. Puck’s new venture, CUT, reinvents the steak house in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel’s stylish, Richard Meier–designed dining room. SPAGO: Tel 310-385-0880; www.wolfgangpuck.com. Cost: dinner $80. CUT: Tel 310-276-8500. Cost: dinner $95.
CLASSIC L.A. DINING—L.A.’s motto is “Out with the old, in with the new”—except when it comes to much-loved dining establishments. Hollywood’s oldest restaurant, Musso and Frank Grill, is a wood-paneled, red leather–boothed throwback to the city’s glory days, a Hollywood hot spot that has been the place to get steak-house fare and straight-up martinis since 1919—served by waiters who just might have been working on opening day. Older still, the casual, sawdust-on-the-floors Philippe the Original claims to be the spot where, in 1908, the French Dip sandwich was invented. It certainly perfected it, with delicious thinly sliced beef (pork, ham, turkey, and lamb are options too) sandwiched in a French roll and accompanied by a savory dipping sauce. In the Fairfax area, experience L.A.’s diversity at the vibrant Farmers Market—the city’s favorite open-air dining bazaar. Favorites include tacos at Lotteria Grill, classic pies at Du-par’s, fresh seafood at the Gumbo Pot, and coffee at Bob’s Donuts. Nearby, at Pink’s hot dog shack, opened by Paul and Betty Pink in 1939, you can still order a hot dog drowned in Betty’s secret chili sauce—it’s one of nearly three dozen variations on the menu. In Beverly Hills, you’ll find several great delis, including Nate & Al’s, a favorite of Groucho Marx and Doris Day (and the breakfast choice of Larry King), and especially beloved for its roast beef brisket with potato pancakes. MUSSO AND FRANK GRILL: Tel 323-467-5123; www.mussoandfrankgrill.com. Cost: dinner $50. PHILIPPE THE ORIGINAL: Tel 213-628-3781; www.phillipes.com. Cost: lunch $8. FARMERS MARKET: Tel 323-933-9211; www.farmersmarketla.com. PINK’S: Tel 323-931-4223; www.pinkshollywood.com. Cost: lunch $6. NATE & AL’S: Tel 310-274-0101; www.natenal.com. Cost: lunch $10.
DAY TRIPS
DISNEYLAND AND DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE—Filmmaker Walt Disney’s family-oriented theme park, established in 1955, was initially dismissed as ‘Walt’s Folly.” Today it’s a vast resort attracting nearly 15 million visitors yearly and encompassing two amusement parks (Disneyland and the newer Disney California Adventure), a shopping and entertainment area (Downtown Disney), and three hotels. Join the lines for favorite rides, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, and the white-knuckle roller-coaster Space Mountain. Disney California Adventure, across from the entrance plaza, celebrates the state’s history and natural splendor. Its new attractions include Toy Story Mania and the World of Color, a music-and-special-effects show, which plays against a backdrop of 1,200 fountains shooting water over 200 feet high. WHERE: 26 miles southeast of L.A. near Anaheim. Tel 714-781-7290; disneyland.disney.go.com. Cost: 1-day/1-park ticket $75 (ages 3–9), $80 (ages 10 and up).
Steeping Beauty Castle provides a fairy-tale gateway to Disney’s Fantasyland.
HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART COLLECTIONS AND BOTANICAL GARDENS—One of the country’s greatest cultural treasures, the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens was founded in 1919 by rail baron Henry Huntington and his wife, Arabella, both inveterate collectors. Their 207-acre hilltop Italianate estate holds claim to an extraordinary array of treasures, including a Gutenberg Bible from the 15th century and the earliest-known manuscript of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Gainsborough’s Blue Boy, Sir Thomas Lawrence’s Pinkie, and other masterpieces of British, French, and American art are also on display. Head outside to drink in the lush landscaping, including the beautiful Japanese garden
and the Rose Garden’s 1,000-variety display, which you can also view from the museum’s much loved tearoom. WHERE: 15 miles southwest of Downtown L.A. Tel 626-405-2100; www.huntington.org.
Highway to Heaven
THE PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY AND BIG SUR
California, U.S.A.
The Pacific Coast Highway is America’s dream drive, offering two lanes through gorgeously isolated terrain, and frequent turnoffs and vantage points to soak in the astounding beauty. You can head south from L.A. (see p. 716) to San Diego (see next page), or take the traditionalist’s route north to San Francisco (see p. 727) and beyond.
From L.A., head west to Santa Monica, then follow the coast to Malibu where you’ll already feel a world away. Seventy miles up the road, you’ll skirt the environs of Santa Barbara, known as the American Riviera, where the Queen of the Missions (see p. 712), founded in 1782, stands. Stop for divine tacos and tamales at La Super-Rica Taqueria or stay the night at the San Ysidro Ranch, a 500-acre rustic-chic hideaway of lush gardens, hillside bungalows, and a restaurant, the Stonehouse, that has won every award in the book. Here the fabled PCH begins to unfurl at its most majestic, an awesome ribbon of highway 500 to 1,000 feet above the roaring Pacific. The highlight: the 90-mile stretch from San Simeon, past Big Sur, and on to the Monterey Peninsula.
San Simeon’s Hearst Castle, a 165-room Mediterranean Revival–style spectacle, was built by publishing titan William Randolph Hearst, and was the model for Orson Welles’s over-the-top home in Citizen Kane. Spend the night in the nearby artists community of Cambria, where J. Patrick House B&B exudes a relaxed country-coastal vibe.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 113