Los Angeles Homes – Help with Buying and Selling

Kamyar Shah asked:


Known as the City of Angels, Los Angeles, California is the largest city in the state and the second-largest in the United States. The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metropolitan area is home to 13 million people. The Greater Los Angeles Area encompasses 5 counties and an estimated 18 million people.

Los Angeles, often abbreviated to L.A., is one of the world’s centers of culture, science, technology, international trade and higher education. L.A.’s global fame and international status stem from the city’s production of motion pictures, television and recorded music.

Los Angeles has globally famous landmarks such as Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Disney Concert Hall, Kodak Theater, Griffith Observatory, Getty Center, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angelels County Museum of Art, Mann’s Chinese Theater, the Hollywood sign, Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles City Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Watts Towers, Staples Center and La Placita Olvera.

L.A.’s night life includes hot spots such as Downtown Los Angeles, Silver Lake, Hollywood and West Hollywood, which is the home of the world-famous Sunset Strip. Some popular clubs and bars include Fantasy Club, 2nd Street Jazz, Weiland Brewery Restaurant, Jones Grain Mill, Club Soho, Club Bahia Inc., La Hacienda Real, Mayan Night Club and La Zona Rosa.

Shopping in Los Angeles is second to none. Some of the most well known shopping areas are the Hollywood and Highland complex, the Beverly Center, Melrose Avenue, Robertson Boulevard, The Grove, Westside Pavillion, The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center and Venice Boardwalk.

The Hollywood and Highlands Center includes stores such as ALDO, American Eagle Outfitters, Ann Taylor Loft, Apostrophe Cards & Stationary, Argenti Cigars & Tobacco, Aveda, Baly’s, bebe, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Claire’s Boutique, Express, Fossil, Gap, Grauman’s Chinese 6 Theatres Box Office, Hot Topic, Kodak Theatre Box Office, Le Cloquette Couture, Louis Vuitton, Lucky Brand Jeans, Neighborhoodies, Nine West, Oakley, Origins, Polo Ralph Lauren, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Sephora, Swarovski, Venetian Design, Victoria’s Secret and Virgin Megastore.

Melrose Avenue has glamorous shopping at trendsetting stores such as Betsey Johnson, Cynthia Rowley, Jonathan Adler, Miu Miu, Soolip Paperie and Press, Soolip Bungalow and Fred Segal Melrose. Hardly a day goes by without seeing the faces of A-list celebrities walking through the doors to buy the latest fashion.

Popular stores such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Robeks, Firefly, Popkiller Second, Dish Factory, Suss Design Retail, Guess?, Art Cruz Retail, B Dalton Bookseller, Valley Book &

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Stephanie Gibbs asked:


Los Angeles is a very fascinating city and a great place for anybody to take a vacation. Visiting Los Angeles and the surrounding areas could be one of the best and most memorable experiences that you will ever have. Tourists seem to get excited about everything from the simplest things to the bigger things. For some reason, tourists always like to see the famous Hollywood sign and especially visitors from non-coastal states like to go to the beach and see the Pacific Ocean for the first time.

If you like more of an adrenalin rush of fun and are planning to come to the city of Los Angeles, you will be in reasonable driving distance from several amusement and water parks including Six Flags Magic Mountain, Hurricane Harbor, Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios, Raging Waters and other places like the Los Angeles Zoo and Griffith Park.

If you are really interested in the Film Industry, you can go to the tapings of numerous television shows where you can see your favorite stars live and in person. Or if you prefer to be in front of the camera instead of in the audience, there are several advertisements in newspapers, magazines and posted on telephone poles looking for all kinds of people who want to be background Extras in movies, television shows and commercials. No experience is necessary. Be sure to go down Hollywood Boulevard and look on the ground for the stars of your favorite entertainers on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

You can go to Staples Center, home of the 9 time NBA (National Basketball Association) World Champions Los Angeles Lakers. Magic Johnson has moved on from playing professional basketball, but you will still see his name all over Los Angeles. He is involved with a few businesses around town including some 24 Hour Fitness locations, the Magic Johnson Theatres located in the Crenshaw Shopping Center, Starbucks Coffee and Magic Johnson’s TGI Friday’s Restaurant.

Right across the street from the Forum in Inglewood where the Lakers used to play for about 30 years until a few years ago, is the Hollywood Park Race Track and Casino. They only have horse racing a few months out of the year. But you are in “Luck” because the Casino is in full swing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to satisfy your gambling needs. It is one of the few places around here that at least so far, they still have FREE parking.

For Baseball fans you can go to Dodger Stadium, home of the former World Series Champions Los Angeles Dodgers. You would not want to go to Dodger Stadium without eating one of their famous Dodger Dogs.

Not only do we have professional sports champions, we also have our very famous cross town college rivals, the U.C.L.A Bruins and the U.S.C Trojans who have both brought back team championships to the city of Los Angeles and they both have had their students and alumni bring back Gold Medals when they were representing the United States over the years in the Olympics. If you want to see another historic Sports site, then go to the Los Angeles Coliseum. Not only was it the home of the Rams and then the Raiders, way back when Los Angeles used to have a NFL Football team, but it was a major venue for both the 1932 and the 1984 Summer Olympics. If you watched the Olympics then you saw the Los Angeles Coliseum during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the Track and Field events. The Olympic Torch is still there.

While you are at the Coliseum, it would be well worth your while to walk over to the California Science Center in Exposition Park. It is a great educational learning experience for both adults and children. The Sports Arena is in that general area. Also, within walking distance in that area are several museums that you might be interested in going through.

You would not want to miss out on spending time on the 405 San Diego Freeway which runs along the west side of Los Angeles County so you can enjoy the bumper to bumper traffic that we all get to experience so frequently. Most people in the area call it the world’s largest parking lot. Your foot rides the brake of your car while burning that expensive gasoline. Usually you are either at a full stop or traveling at a snails pace. Just hope that they do not have a vehicle accident on the freeway ahead of you because the snail would actually beat you in a race.

If you leave the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) which is right next to the Playa del Rey Beach on the far west side of the city, you can get on the 405 freeway and head northbound. When you are finally able to get through the traffic, you can visit the J. Paul Getty Museum which is just before you get to the valley.

You can go to Marina del Rey just north of the airport where you can enjoy a dinner cruise on the ocean or bring your fishing pole and go out on one of the all day fishing boats or just hang out in the Fisherman’s Village that overlooks the Pacific Ocean and has food, drinks and gift shops. There are places near most of the beaches where you can rent bicycles. There is Bike Path the runs along the side of the Pacific Ocean right on the beach. If you like rollerblading, rollerskating and / or skateboarding, then you will really like Venice Beach.

Normally from the west side of Los Angeles if you are at or near the Playa del Rey Beach and look up, you can see the planes taking off over the ocean. If you are somewhere east of the airport you can see the planes coming in for a landing. But if you look up and see a helicopter, don’t get confused. It is probably not a guided helicopter tour. More than likely it is the Los Angeles Police Department Helicopter chasing down a suspect with the news media helicopters trying to get their shots and doing their best to stay out of the way. Police car chases are very common around here. You hear sirens from emergency vehicles coming from all directions. But that is Los Angeles’ finest keeping our city nice and safe.

In all fairness, as a traveler you really need to make the safety of both yourself and your family a top priority no matter what city in the world you visit.

If you want to go on another cruise, you can go to Catalina Island. You can go over there, have some fun and come back the same day if you want or you can stay for several days if you really like it. There are numerous activities out there.

Another historic site that you would not want to miss is the street corner of Florence and Normandie Avenues which was where the 1992 Los Angeles Riots all began. Most of the businesses that were burned to the ground during that time have been rebuilt since then, so of course they look much better and more modern. Others may never be rebuilt.

On the far south side of Los Angeles County is Long Beach where you can see the Queen Mary Ship that is docked. You can tour the ship. Also, while you are in Long Beach you can visit the Aquarium of the Pacific for underwater adventure. Just like the California Science Center, it is another great educational learning opportunity for both adults and children.

For shopping, it depends what you are interested in. You can get just about anything you can think of at the malls which are located all over the place. The Del Amo Mall in Torrance (the southern part of Los Angeles County) is one of the largest malls in the United States. If you are looking for discount clothing and other merchandise, then go to the garment district in downtown Los Angeles. If you want the expensive stuff, then go down Rodeo Drive and the Wilshire Boulevard area in Beverly Hills. Just east of Beverly Hills is the Grove where you can check out the Farmers Market that has been serving Los Angeles since 1934. The area has been changed, expanded and built up over the past few years.

Wilshire Boulevard is one of the main business streets in Los Angeles that runs from the beach to downtown Los Angeles. So if you want to drive down Wilshire Boulevard just for fun, you can start by the Santa Monica Pier overlooking the Pacific Ocean and it will take you through the cities of Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. When you get to downtown, be sure to take a look at the Los Angeles Civic Center area.

Another interesting street to drive down for fun is Crenshaw Boulevard. You can start at Wilshire Blvd and go southbound on Crenshaw Boulevard. It will take you through the inner city of Los Angeles. Your trip will take you by the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Shopping Center, Leimert Park in the Crenshaw District, then through Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Torrance, Rolling Hills Estates and all the way down until you end up in Rancho Palos Verdes in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County.

Check the schedule of the Los Angeles Convention Center. They always have some type of entertainment, business or informational seminars, expos or workshops going on over there. You might find something going on that you may want to attend. There are countless food and beverage locations all over the Los Angeles area from fine dining restaurants to fast food places and every shade of grey in between that will satisfy any appetite. You just have to find the ones that match your taste. There are all kinds of entertainment, dancing, activities and shows even in addition to all of the things that are mentioned above.

If you are not visiting someone who has a car that you can use, then you should probably rent a car because waiting around for public transportation in Los Angeles will use up most of your vacation time. Have fun.



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Mike Etney asked:


While on a trip to Los Angeles (LA), it becomes obvious that there are an extensive amount of sights and places to see. Because Los Angeles is so large, your first consideration should be transportation, including rental cars, taxis, buses, subways, and even helicopters. Because LA is so widespread, and not merely concentrated in one central area, you need to plan your travels based upon the sites and places that are most important for you to experience. Then, you must determine what steps you should take, while taking into consideration the effort that will likely be expended to get to those places. The number one factor will be traffic. LA is well known for its traffic jams and it is best to limit the amount of driving you do, especially during rush hour periods.

One good way to travel throughout Los Angeles, without having to drive yourself, is to take a tour around LA. There are numerous tour companies and most can be found on the internet or in travel magazines. A bus or private van tour of LA could be good for those who do not consider themselves to be good drivers. In addition, a tour ride in a van will allow you to relax and take pictures while someone else drives. Furthermore, the tour driver will not only be able to take you to many of the spots and sights you will want to see, but will be able to narrate and provide interesting facts as well. For some of you however, sitting in a van that is driving around in traffic is not an exciting way to spend your trip. If this applies to you, then you may want to consider an aerial tour of Los Angeles in a helicopter.

A helicopter tour over Los Angeles will allow you to see most of LA in a very short period of time. A Los Angeles helicopter tour is sure to provide an exciting time and memorable experience of your trip. While avoiding traffic, your helicopter flight may take you over downtown LA, Santa Monica, Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Sign, the beach, amusement parks, stadiums, and star’s homes. A good helicopter tour pilot will show you points of interest and fly the helicopter in order to allow you to take the best possible pictures. It is generally recommended that you take an la helicopter tour only when the weather is nice, otherwise the visability could be disappointing. Fortunately, Los Angeles has very good weather most of the time.

Some other ground-based tours which you may want to consider would include movie star’s homes in Beverly Hills, shopping malls, Rodeo Drive, museums including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Getty Center, Petersen Automotive Museum, and the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum. Also be sure to see amusement parks, such as Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knott’s Berry Farm, Disney California Adventure, and Six Flags Magic Mountain. In Santa Monica you can check out the world famous Santa Monica Pier, Third Street Promenade, and then head over to Venice beach. If you enjoy flowers and the outdoors, then the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Descansco Gardens are beautiful places to take a walking tour. Dodger stadium tours in Elysian Park are also a popular stop. This behind the scene tour of the stadium lets fans visit restricted areas and view the ballpark from a different perspective. Also of interest is the Griffith Observatory, which has been a major Los Angeles landmark since 1936. From the observatory, there is a stunning view of the Los Angeles basin below, especially at night. Finally, a stop at the La Brea Tarpits will feature real observation pits and life size replicas of some extinct mammals and dinosaurs, and is landscaped to include many species of Ice Age plants.



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