Los Angeles

by Philip Greenspun

Home : Travel : California : Los Angeles


Venice

The second-largest city in the United States is too big to cover in one page:

Culture

My personal favorite cultural spots in Los Angeles are the Getty Museum (of which I have 60 photos), Zen Garden at the Huntington Library in Pasadena, the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and last but definitely not least, the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA):

LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art). LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art). Coney Island. Paul Cadmus (b. 1904). LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art).

The photo at right is of Paul Cadmus's painting Coney Island (1934). It doesn't show working class people at their best (one of them is reading about Adolph Hitler, for example). It is one of the more disturbing paintings that I've seen in a museum. It reminds me a bit of R. Crumb but executed with the vivid colors of oil paint, framed and lit with art museum quality. I wasn't surprised to learn that Cadmus was censured, censored, and threatened with lawsuits over works like this.

See lacma.org for more on this work

High Culture

The oldest existing Bob's Big Boy, built in 1949, is in Toluca Lake, California (in the San Fernando Valley, adjacent to Burbank) at the intersection of Alameda and Riverside Drive.

The original Bob's Big Boy, built 1946. A historical landmark. Toluca Lake, California. The original Bob's Big Boy, built 1946. A historical landmark. Toluca Lake, California.

The original Bob's Big Boy. A historical landmark. Toluca Lake, California. The original Bob's Big Boy. A historical landmark. Toluca Lake, California.

The original Bob's Big Boy. A historical landmark. Toluca Lake, California. The original Bob's Big Boy. A historical landmark. Toluca Lake, California. The original Bob's Big Boy. A historical landmark. Toluca Lake, California.

If You Don't Like Riots and Crime

If you want the urban experience without the riots and crime, then Universal CityWalk is for you.

Universal City (shopping mall built in the style of a city street; Los Angeles California) Universal City (shopping mall built in the style of a city street; Los Angeles California) Universal City (shopping mall built in the style of a city street; Los Angeles California) Universal City (shopping mall built in the style of a city street; Los Angeles California)

Universal City (shopping mall built in the style of a city street; Los Angeles California) Universal City (shopping mall built in the style of a city street; Los Angeles California) Universal City (shopping mall built in the style of a city street; Los Angeles California) Universal City (shopping mall built in the style of a city street; Los Angeles California)

Long Beach

The Queen Mary is here. Nobody knows why.

Long Beach, California. From the deck of the Queen Mary. Wheelhouse. Queen Mary. Long Beach, California. Long Beach, California. From the deck of the Queen Mary. Long Beach, California. From the deck of the Queen Mary. Queen Mary. Long Beach, California.

Very Long Beach

Malibu, California. Malibu, California. Malibu, California. Malibu, California.

philg@mit.edu