Los Angeles Vacation Guide

Believe it or not, Highway 1 can take you from Venice to Rome.

In L.A., many a big-screen mega-hit has been conceived over a breakfast of yogurt-and-granola or huevos rancheros. Hugo's. At Hugo's, one of the city's top morning destinations, breakfast specialties include pumpkin pancakes and "Pasta Mama" (pasta scrambled with eggs, garlic, and Parmesan cheese). 8401 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA, 90069. PHONE: 323/654-3993. www.hugosrestaurant.com.

It's said that the drive-in burger joint was invented in L.A., probably to meet the demands of an ever-mobile car culture. Burger aficionados line up at all hours outside In-N-Out Burger (www.in-n-out.com, multiple locations), still a family-...

The landmark Los Angeles Farmers Market, at the corner of 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue, is crammed with delicious food from all corners of the globe. Most spots are fast-food-style eateries sharing a common seating area—good for people-...

For your trip to Los Angeles, you may want a beachfront location and more space than a typical hotel can provide. Some travelers consider apartment and beach house rentals, but we tend to recommend hotel suites and B&Bs instead. Why? ...

By day or night, splashy pools are so LA, with a pomegranate mojito in hand of course. From ritzy Beverly Hills and buzzing West Hollywood to the beach towns of Long Beach and Santa Monica, pools are where guests socialize, lounge, and generally...

Most hotels in Los Angeles allow children under a certain age to stay in their parents' room at no extra charge, but others charge for them as extra adults; be sure to find out the cutoff age for children's discounts.

Spa Montage. The Moroccan décor, ornate steam room, glass-walled sauna, co-ed mineral pool, and indoor Jacuzzi at this hidden Casbah of pampering will keep you relaxed for hours. 225 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CA, 90210. ...

Flea markets are a fantastic resource for those who love all things vintage. Flea market culture has a few rules: arrive early (the "great finds" tend to go fast), polite haggling is allowed, and remember that what you see is what you get (no, ...

For visiting fashionistas, the name "Fashion District" may seem alluring. But be warned. The term "fashion" here is subject to interpretation. Also, be aware that while designers troll this 90-block garment district for wholesale deals on ...

Buckle up for the Rodeo tour, which begins at Via Rodeo, a cobblestoned one-block section of Rodeo closest to Wilshire Boulevard (at Dayton Way). Versace. With its temple dome ceiling and recherché design, this is just the place for a dramatic red-carpet gown, along with bold bags, sunglasses, and menswear. 248 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, CA, 91210. PHONE: 310/205-3921.

Sleepless in the City of Angels? Here are the best spots for those who like to (body) rock all night: Avalon. The house, techno, and progressive electro beats keep pumping strong until 3 am on Thursday and Friday nights and for those with energy to go even later, the party continues on Saturday nights until 7 am. Deep at Vanguard. The city's reigning Sunday night super-club also goes until 4 am and even though the liquor stops flowing at 2 am, the floor doesn't.

Anyone with a vinyl collection (or these days, a laptop or iPod) can call themselves a DJ, and in slash-happy L.A. (as in model-"slash"-actress) many try to be (as in model-slash-actress-slash-DJ). Lindsay Lohan, Tommy Lee, and Rosanna Arquette ...

In a city with so many exceptional shops, it would be a shame to go home with a ho-hum "Hollywood" T-shirt. Some quirky museum gift-shop finds could surprise the folks back home: celebrity-worn clothes at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum; ...

Culver City. Located halfway between Hollywood and the coast, Culver City shares a glamorous history of its own. Known as "Screenland," the area boasts two film studios. If game shows are your thing, you can also be a part of the studio audience for Jeopardy! or Wheel of Fortune (for tickets call 800/482-9840). The area of Culver City itself has seen revitalization in recent years as visitors discover the charming district of the area's "downtown."

Originally the neighborhood of Los Angeles' Japanese community, this Downtown spot has been deserted by many of its founding immigrants, although it still remains only one of three official Japantowns in the country, all of which are in California. However, the area has recently begun to blossom again thanks to the next generation of Japanese-Americans setting up small businesses here mixed with an influx of foot traffic coming in from neighboring redevelopment projects and newly built condos.

Smaller than San Francisco's Chinatown, this Downtown sector near Union Station still represents a slice of Southeast Asian life. Sidewalks are usually jammed with tourists, locals, and, of course, Asian residents hustling from shop to shop ...

The oldest section of the city, known as El Pueblo de Los Angeles, Olvera Street has come to represent the rich Mexican heritage of L.A. It had a close shave with disintegration in the early 20th century, until the socialite Christine Sterling ...

In the last few years, downtown has blossomed into the dining "it" girl everyone wants to see. With so many ethnic eats, new upscale hot spots, and tasty classics, downtown can be tough to navigate. Traffic is ever-present, so leave your car in ...

From Cal-Mex burritos to Mexico City-style tacos, Southern California is a top stateside destination for experiencing Mexico's myriad culinary styles.

One of the best ways to taste Southern California's bounty is by stopping by one of its excellent farmers' markets, where hundreds of family farmers, sustainable ranchers, and artisan producers sell their products. A cross-section of the city...

You're in L.A., so heading to the coast is a must. Before you pack your picnic, do some planning and pick a beach that suits your needs. The Pacific can be cold, but swimming is not the only attraction along the coast. Santa Monica Pier is nostalgic fun, complete with old-school amusement-park rides. Nearby you can rent bikes to ride along the Venice Boardwalk. Or take that convertible up the coast to Malibu. Wander the beach or check out the revamped Getty Villa Malibu, dedicated to Greco-Roman antiquities.

Sorry New York, you may offer the best of the best in other categories, but when it comes to groundbreaking new architecture, Los Angeles takes the prize (Pritzker, that is). Amid the patchwork of California bungalows and stucco Caliterraneans that dot the cityscape, dwell some of the last century's most notable architectural feats. Here are a few examples that no architecture buff should miss.

Despite its long-standing reputation as a second-rate art capital after New York, in recent years Los Angeles has been hosting museum exhibitions and gallery shows that rival its East Coast counterpart. The undisputed heavyweights are the UCLA Hammer Museum, the Getty Center, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Hordes of tourists descend on Los Angeles each year with visions of seeing stars—of the Hollywood Boulevard and celebrity variety that is—but before you purchase that star map there are a few things you should know about how to live like a local. For starters, never bat an eye when you encounter a movie star. Remember they are real people, too (albeit real people who live like royalty). Here are a few more tips to help you fit in with the natives.

Thanks to its Mediterranean climate (think warm temperatures and lots of sunshine) Los Angeles can simulate a host of other environments ranging from lush tropical to bone-dry desert. So forgo the round-the-world plane ticket that you have been ...

With seemingly endless sunny days, Angeleno kids almost never have to play indoors. There are a few things to keep in mind, however, when navigating the City of Angeles with your pint-size angel: If possible, avoid the freeways by exploring no ...

Even in this town—where money seems to ooze from every hill and corner—there are plenty of fun things to do that are free and appeal to everyone from kids to art-lovers to movie and film buffs. These are some of our top picks.

The Best Drives The rumors are true: The people of Los Angeles love their cars. Considering that the greater L.A. area sprawls over more square mileage than some small countries, it comes as no surprise that residents clock a lot of road time. Contrary to popular belief, however, stand-still freeway traffic is only part of the picture. In Los Angeles, the popular 1950s-era pastime of cruising is still alive and well.

Star-struck … excessive … smoggy … superficial.… There's a modicum of truth to each of the adjectives regularly applied to L.A. But Angelenos—and most objective visitors—dismiss their prevalence as signs of ...