Los Angeles Information - hotels, restaurants, golf, weather, maps & more

There is no city quite like Los Angeles, from the sprawl that literally seems to go on forever to the bizarre juxtaposition of swimming pools and endless water in the middle of the desert, the City of Angels has seemed like something out of a storybook since it was first founded.

While there has been a sort of an unseen force that has been moving Americans steadily west for the last two hundred years, it wasn’t until the founding, and resulting glamorization of Hollywood, that tourists began flocking to Los Angeles in droves. Once they got here and saw the promise of the California lifestyle, many of them never left. The population in Southern California has been booming longer than anyone can remember, and while it has made traffic a nightmare, a generation of entrepreneurs has helped to make Los Angeles a city like no other with unique hotels, restaurants, night clubs and a million things to do. So grab your swim gear and don’t forget your camera since you never know what you’ll see a celebrity.

It is possible to have a vacation in Los Angeles without it turning into a huge cliché, but so what if it does? For more than fifty years, people have been flocking to the sunshine and 70 degree weather of Los Angeles to take pictures of the Hollywood sign and to ride down The Sunset Strip. While locals may smirk, you can rest easy knowing that you’re helping to carry on a tradition that your parents likely took part in and one your children will likely be part of, as well.

Finding a comfortable bed is easy in Los Angeles, and there are a surprising number of affordable hotel spaces that are quite nice. Los Angeles is the epicenter of the boutique hotel movement that is oh so fashionable now in California and in Manhattan. Some of the high end boutique spaces here are actually more than some of the most expensive four and five star resort hotels, but chances are the people who can afford to stay there don’t mind. It is extremely important for any traveler to Los Angeles to familiarize themselves with the areas around the city so that they don’t find themselves with a hotel reservation in a bad part of town. A little research up front can be worth millions.

Many first time visitors to Los Angeles are terrified of eating out at a name restaurant since they expect tiny portions with over wrought presentation for the price of their last month’s pay. There are spots out there like this, and again, a little research ahead of time will help you avoid those places, but most fine dining in Los Angeles is nothing like this. The height of nouveau cuisine is now firmly in the past, and most high end menus, even those led by a celebrity chef, now offer full sized portions you’ll love.

Los Angeles is still, in many ways, the Wild West, waiting to show visitors from the rest of the country and around the world how to live in a completely different way. Instead of shying away, embrace what Los Angeles has to offer and you’ll soon fall madly in love with its message.