Other significant sectors include shipping/international trade – particularly at the adjacent Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach, together comprising the United States’ busiest seaport – logistics – the Inland Empire being the largest concentration of warehousing and intermodal facilities in the world – as well as aerospace, technology, petroleum, fashion and apparel, and tourism. The Los Angeles Metro and other regional agencies provide a comprehensive bus system that covers Los Angeles County. Los Angeles , city, seat of Los Angeles county, southern California, U.S. It is the second most populous city and metropolitan area (after New York City) in the United States. The city sprawls across a broad coastal plain situated between mountains and the Pacific Ocean; the much larger Los Angeles county, which encompasses the city, contains some 90 other incorporated cities, including Beverly Hills, Pasadena, and Long Beach. The county also encompasses two of the Channel Islands, Santa Catalina and San Clemente; Mount San Antonio, familiarly known as Mount Baldy or Old Baldy, 10,046 feet (3,062 metres) high; more than 900 square miles (2,330 square km) of desert; and 75 miles (120 km) of seacoast.

• Los Angeles moves about one-quarter of an inch (6.3 millimeters) to the east every year.25 It is caused by the city’s tectonic plates and rough ground geography and since Los Angeles is at a close distance with the San Andreas Fault.
• Sprawling across 32 acres downtown, the aforementioned Row DTLA is a century-old industrial warehouse complex turned creative mecca.
• For a quintessential “Endless Summer” experience, a visit to the two-mile-long Santa Monica Beach is a must.
• Cheer on the boys in blue or take a behind-the-scenes tour of the third-oldest MLB stadium, which includes a walk through the Vin Scully Press Box and a trip down to the field.
• There are nine electric utility power companies in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Architecture and urban theory

The stainless-steel landmark is part of The Music Center campus, one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Weekend excursions revisit L.A.’s storied past at landmarks such as the Bradbury Building and Angels Flight railway, both featured on the TV show Bosch, among others. If sports are more your speed, Dodger Stadium in the hilly Echo Park neighborhood overlooks downtown, and nearby hiking trails and bike paths offer an outdoor escape in adjacent Elysian Park.
The collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or LACMA, are housed in a cluster of buildings, with a modern and contemporary-art-filled west campus that opened 2008 and a single-building redesign due to open in 2026 on the eastern half. The focal point is its grand entrance, which includes Chris Burden’s photogenic installation Urban Light. LACMA shares a park with the La Brea Tar Pits and sits just across the street from the Petersen Automotive Museum and Craft Contemporary, and next to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (an excellent celebration of cinema from the folks who hand out the Oscars). From the Space Shuttle Endeavour at the California Science Center to a trio of T. Along a three-block stretch known as Museum Row on Wilshire Boulevard, visitors can walk to four of these cultural institutions, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. After snapping an obligatory photo standing among the Urban Light exhibit’s 202 antique street lamps, take a step back in time by checking out Ice Age fossils and still-bubbling excavation sites at La Brea Tar Pits & Museum.

Edge cities in Orange County

The adobe, along with other historic buildings in the district such as the Plaza Firehouse, has been restored and is open for public tours. For those meals when you can’t decide, Grand Central Market downtown has a little bit of everything. The city’s largest and oldest public market is home to some of its trendiest eats, like breakfast sandos at Eggslut and Korean lunch boxes at the mom-and-pop Shiku.

Mexican rule

Census Bureau defines Greater Los Angeles, or officially, the Los Angeles–Long Beach Combined Statistical Area, to include both the above-mentioned areas along with the entirety of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.51 These areas are sparsely developed and are part of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. To the north, Interstate 15 crosses desolate desert landscape after passing Barstow, linking Greater Los Angeles with Las Vegas, with Baker being the only significant outpost along the route. To the east, lie the Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park along with the towns of Needles and Blythe on the California-Arizona border. The traditional business district and historical downtown of Greater Los Angeles is Downtown Los Angeles. However, most commercial activity is found outside downtown Los Angeles in the edge cities of Century City, Wilshire Boulevard in Koreatown, Hollywood, the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, Universal City, the Warner Center in Woodland Hills, and Sherman Oaks and Encino, notable for existing alongside extensive suburban development.

Edge cities in Los Angeles County

Los Angeles is filled with world-famous landmarks and attractions but for an off-the-beaten path treat, visit legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s creation, designed for client Aline Barnsdall in his self-described “California Romanza” style. The Hollyhock House has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site – only the third such site in the entire state of California – and the grounds offer an art gallery, free studio classes for kids, and lush gardens sprinkled with its namesake flower. Opened in September 2021, the spectacular Academy Museum of Motion Pictures houses more than 13 million objects in a 300,000 square-foot campus designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Renzo Piano. Get up-close to iconic movie props like Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz and “Rosebud” from Citizen Kane. The museum’s immersive Oscars Experience transports you to the Dolby Theatre stage – after the standing ovation, you give your “thank you” speech with an Academy Award in hand. Be sure to stop aphrodite casino by the Academy Museum Store for exclusive merch and local collabs.

• Anchored by the Japanese American National Museum, the Little Tokyo neighborhood is the largest of the three official Japantowns in the U.S. (the other two are in San Francsico and San Jose).
• Abbot Kinney has transformed into a high-end ’hood over recent years, but the gritty boardwalk is still a, let’s say, unique place for people watching, with street “performers,” skateboarders and body builders all making their presence known (if you’re simply after a picturesque stretch of beach, we suggest venturing to Santa Monica or Malibu instead).
• Immediately to the north lie the San Gabriel Mountains, which is a popular recreation area for Angelenos.
• The Los Angeles River, which is largely seasonal, is the primary drainage channel.
• Sure, light pollution and some old-timey optics mean that you can’t see all that much through its enormous telescope, but you can still spend a few hours browsing around the Griffith Observatory quite happily (closed Mon; grounds open daily).

Anchored by the Japanese American National Museum, the Little Tokyo neighborhood is the largest of the three official Japantowns in the U.S. (the other two are in San Francsico and San Jose). For those arriving by train, Olvera Street is just steps from Union Station’s front doors. The marketplace is an essential part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument—the birthplace of Los Angeles and home to the city’s oldest building, the Avila Adobe.

LAX is in southwestern Los Angeles, 16 miles (26 km) from Downtown Los Angeles. LAX is the only airport to serve as a hub for all three U.S. legacy airlines —American, Delta and United. Both freezing temperatures and snowfall are extremely rare in the city basin and along the coast, with the last occurrence of a 32 °F (0 °C) reading at the downtown station being January 29, 1979;116 freezing temperatures occur nearly every year in valley locations, while the mountains within city limits typically receive snowfall every winter. The greatest snowfall recorded in downtown Los Angeles was 2.0 inches (5 cm) on January 15, 1932.116123 While the most recent snowfall occurred in February 2019, the first snowfall since 1962,124125 with snow falling in areas adjacent to Los Angeles as recently as January 2021.126 Brief, localized instances of hail can occur on rare occasions, but are more common than snowfall. Los Angeles is a very large city, and the edges of the city are very far from the center, going from the beaches to the mountains. The Santa Monica Mountains run through the city, separating it into the San Fernando Valley to the north and the Los Angeles Basin to the south.
Take a whole day out to explore this fabulous Pasadena-adjacent place. Make sure to check out all of the free museum days before you visit. Latin American immigrants, particularly Mexican immigrants, brought tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tortas, tamales, and enchiladas served from food trucks and stands, taquerias, and cafés. Asian restaurants, many immigrant-owned, exist throughout the city with hotspots in Chinatown,251 Koreatown,252 and Little Tokyo.253 Los Angeles also carries an outsized offering of vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based options. The architecture of Los Angeles is influenced by its Spanish, Mexican, and American roots. Popular styles in the city include Spanish Colonial Revival style, Mission Revival style, California Churrigueresque style, Mediterranean Revival style, Art Deco style, and Mid-Century Modern style, among others.
The Los Angeles River also runs through the city some 51 miles (82 km). Los Angeles moves about one-quarter of an inch (6.3 millimeters) to the east every year.25 It is caused by the city’s tectonic plates and rough ground geography and since Los Angeles is at a close distance with the San Andreas Fault. This brings Los Angeles and San Francisco 2.5 inches (64 mm) closer together each year. Downtown L.A.’s museums have collections so stunning it makes skipping a beach day a no-brainer. Yayoi Kusama’s immersive Infinity Mirrored Room installation at The Broad should top any contemporary art buff’s to-do list (and it’s free!). Down the street, the Frank Gehry–designed Walt Disney Concert Hall is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic during the orchestra’s regular season, October through June.

Whether it’s visiting a quiet museum, or attending a boisterous ball game, there are always things to do, interesting attractions and exciting events and places to go in LA.  Read on for ten iconic “must see” places in Los Angeles. If you’re in SoCal to take in as much culture as possible, you’ll be spoiled for choice at San Marino’s three-in-one attraction, the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens. A truly one-of-a-kind destination, it’s home to an impressive art gallery, a substantially stocked library (with a Gutenberg Bible) and elaborately themed botanical gardens. The hilly Japanese garden, beautifully designed Chinese garden and cacti-filled desert garden are among our favorites.