Los Angeles, California

The city of Los Angeles [1] - also known as the "City of Angels" is the largest city in California and the West Coast's most vibrant, diverse, and exciting city. The city is located on a broad basin in Southern California, surrounded by vast mountain ranges, deep valleys, forests, desert and miles of coastline on the Pacific Ocean.

The metropolitan area is the second largest in the United States in terms of population, containing over 17 million people who hail from all parts of the globe and speak over a hundred different languages. The metropolitan area is centered in Los Angeles County, and includes Orange County, Ventura County, San Bernardino County, and Riverside County.

Los Angeles is an important center of culture, business, media, and international trade, but it is most famous for being the center of the world's entertainment industry, which forms the base of its global status.

Understand

Even before O.J. drove the Bronco or "The Terminator" became governor, Frank Lloyd Wright said, "Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles."

The Los Angeles metro area has been a "boomtown" since the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1876, first attracting "the folks" from the Midwest with a blessedly warm and dry climate- and becoming a gateway to a remarkable diversity of immigration from throughout the Pacific Rim and Latin America.

L.A. is a sprawling megalopolis; one could start in one end of L.A. and drive for more than two hours without leaving the county's influence. The metro area includes smaller cities, such as Santa Monica, Burbank, Pasadena and Long Beach, which were founded around the end of the nineteenth century and retain distinct identities. Geographically, there is no clear method as to what is part of the city of L.A.; for example, Los Angeles/Hollywood|Hollywood is not a separate city- it is part of the City of Los Angeles- but adjacent West Hollywood and Beverly Hills are not part of the city. Nonetheless, they are all within Los Angeles County and are culturally they are very much a part of the city of L.A. itself.

The city's primary newspaper is the Los Angeles Times [2]. The free LA Weekly [3] comes out on Thursdays and is a good source for concerts and other local information. Local areas may have their own free papers as well.

People

Los Angeles is a very diverse city with nearly half of its population being born outside the United States. Los Angeles has the third largest Mexican population in the world behind Mexico City and Guadalajara. In addition, Los Angeles is home to many other large immigrant populations such as Salvadorans, Guatemalans, Iranians, Armenians, Thais, Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Asian Indians, Koreans, Cambodians, Vietnamese, Jews, and Samoans. Los Angeles is a very immigrant friendly city (even illegal immigrants are welcomed with open arms), with many ethnic enclaves such as Chinatown, Filipinotown, Little Tokyo, Little Armenia, Little Saigon, Thai Town, Little Persia, and Little India. Most parts of the city tend to be gay friendly, particularly in the Hollywood area.

Talk

English is the dominant language in Los Angeles. However, like much of California with a large Hispanic population and a history under Spanish and Mexican rule, Spanish is very widely spoken in Los Angeles. The city's name is even a Spanish phrase, meaning "The Angels". In fact, Los Angeles has one of the largest Spanish speaking populations in the world, with street and store signs in certain parts of the city printed in both English and Spanish. With Los Angeles's large immigrant population, many other languages such as Tagalog, Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Korean, Hindi, and Vietnamese are also widely spoken. Street signs in ethnic inclaves will often be printed in one of these languages. For example, street signs in Chinatown will be printed in English and Chinese.

Contact

Landlines

• Pay phones are still scattered around town but slowly being removed since mobile phones are quickly making them obsolete.

• Try your hotel or ask at the shop or restaurant you're in if you need to make a local call.

Internet

Internet cafes are spread around town and most easily found in heavily touristed spots such as Hollywood Blvd and Melrose Ave.

• Cyber-Dog, 7801 Melrose Ave. $10 sign up for 4 hours

• Zen Internet Cafe, 7264 Melrose Ave, (near Poinsettia Ave). $2/hour.

• Camille's Sidewalk Cafe, 655 S Hope Street. Free Wi-Fi.

Stay safe

While the city is much among the safest of any big city in the US, travel within certain parts of the city at night should be conducted with caution and only in groups. In downtown Los Angeles, even men should not walk around alone at night. Most areas are safe in the daytime. Do not make yourself out to be an obvious tourist, as you may unknowingly be setting yourself up as a target.

Certain areas near Los Angeles/Downtown | Downtown, such as Skid Row (which is where the Greyhound station is located) and Los Angeles/South Central|South Central are dangerous regardless of the time of day and should be avoided when walking altogether if possible. Even the police hesitate to go into these areas unless in great force. Though some cities, such as Detroit, St. Louis, and Atlanta have higher listed crime rates per-capita than Los Angeles, these numbers can be deceiving because the numbers in L.A. are often skewed because of nicer neighborhoods such as Bel Air, Pacific Palisades and Westwood that offset the numbers for the more dangerous neighborhoods. If South Central was counted as an independent city, it would have the highest crime and murder rate of any city in America. Neighboring Compton, an independent city, currently ranks as the 4th most dangerous city in the United States.

As a general rule, don't walk at night in the area bounded by Interstate 10 on the north, Interstate 405 on the west, Interstate 710 on the east, and State Highway 91 on the south (this is the area known as South Central).

If traveling in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, the neighborhoods of Pacoima, Panorama City, and Canoga Park can be dangerous to venture into after dusk when walking.

East Los Angeles can also be dangerous in certain areas as well.

Like any major city, most tourist destinations within Los Angeles tend to be very safe. Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Westwood, Downtown (during the day), and West L.A. tend to be very safe neighborhoods.

However, by car, there is little threat of being harassed anywhere in Los Angeles day or night, despite any previous precautions taken.

Public transportation in LA

Unlike some other major cities in the US and Europe, the middle class generally uses cars; public transportation is used primarily by poorer residents. However, as traffic grows as a problem, more of the middle class is flocking to public transport (especially the subway system). Bus stops have signs but rarely benches, except in wealthier neighborhoods or along major thoroughfares. Subway stations, meanwhile, are modern, well-marked, and tend to have ample facilities, a result of their relatively recent constructions.

As in some other major American cities, it is unwise to stare at or look directly into the eyes of other passengers on public transportation. This guideline applies especially to tourists from rural America or other countries, as the dress or appearance of many Angelenos may be quite different from what visitors are used to. Many locals may interpret a stranger's stare to be offensive and/or a personal threat.

Gangs

Street gangs (such as the Bloods and Crips) generally confine themselves to certain areas and should be of little concern to the typical traveler, who is unlikely to venture into the areas where the gangs are. They generally don't bother you if you don't bother them. Gangs will usually identify their territory with graffiti markings, thus it is best practice to remain in high visibility on major throughfares or freeways when in areas with high graffiti.

Homeless

Most homeless individuals are harmless; they will likely only ask you for money and if you refuse, they will simply go on to the next person. However, avoid walking along Skid Row in Downtown regardless.

Earthquakes

In the unlikely (although not as unlikely as in the rest of the country) event of a major earthquake, duck and cover and stay where you are during the shaking, then go outside once the shaking stops. Buildings and other structures are unlikely to collapse. Your largest threats come from breaking windows and falling objects such as ceiling tiles and bookshelves. Try to get under a table, desk, or doorjam to reduce your exposure to these threats. You are more likely to be injured if you try to run during the shaking. Remember, there are never any warning signs of an impending earthquake.