People & Places

• Arts & Entertainment
• Bars & Clubs
• Food & Drink
• Shopping & Services
• Sports & Recreation

• BEST FREE PORTAL TO THE GALAXY

  Mount Wilson Astronomical Museum

  God only knows when it will reopen for business following the devastating Station Fire, but the little Astronomical Museum atop Mount Wilson is not only an unexpected educational stop-off in the San Gabriel Mountains, but a portal into the way the galaxy looked to astronomers in the 1930s and '40s. Built in 1936, its bare-bones displays mostly consist of photographs… More >>

• OTHER BEST TIDE POOLS

  Abalone Cove Shoreline Park

  Abalone Cove Shoreline Park in Rancho Palos Verdes isn't the easiest spot to access, which makes it a rewarding beach experience. Even during the peak afternoon hours on a holiday weekend, the park is free of the hordes of people seeking an ocean breeze. The park itself sits on a bluff overlooking the Pacific. It's a lovely spot to picnic.… More >>

• BEST PLACE TO RECYCLE KIDS' BOOKS

  Children's Book World

  While you won't find a double latte or red velvet cupcake at Children's Book World, readers will wander among its more than 80,000 titles, educational games and book title–emblazoned T-shirts and wonder why they ever shopped that chain megastore. This neighborhood book shop is a throwback to a time when expertise mattered more than a 10 percent discount. Owner Sharon… More >>

• BEST REAL-LIFE COURT DRAMAS

  Temple Street

  Drop by any courtroom on Temple Street and you'll hear stories as old as the Bible and characters who'll remind you of the kids you went to school with, because all our actions in life were predicted long ago by the way we responded to temptation, anger and fear as children. Go to Department 30 before noon to see the… More >>

• BEST BARGAIN DEITIES FOR YOUR HOME ALTAR

  Hare Krishna temple

  I collect deities, and there is no better place for affordable small, colorful statues of Krishna, Radha, Ganesh, etc. than the gift shop inside the Hare Krishna Temple in Culver City. While the clothing here is beautiful and more then a bit pricey, there are all kinds of other, affordable finds. Good incense and Ayurvedic soaps share shelves with real… More >>

• BEST UNLIKELY ENCOUNTER WITH A MODERNIST MASTERPIECE

  Frank Stella 1966 Irregular Polygon

  In the bar and lounge area on the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion's mezzanine level is an exceptional work of art: Hanging a few inches above a row of overstuffed chintz armchairs, next to a tapestry in high relief depicting a medieval village stage set, is a Frank Stella 1966 Irregular Polygon, the kind one usually finds only in a major modern… More >>

• BEST STARGAZING

  Calvary Cemetery; Home of Peace Memorial Park

  While late greats from Hollywood and L.A. rest in cemeteries spread throughout the county (notably at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and Forest Lawn Memorial Park), for a taste of the red-carpet Golden Age, a trip to East L.A. and the 136-acre Catholic Calvary Cemetery is necessary, along with a visit across the street to its smaller, Jewish counterpart, the Home of… More >>

• BEST SWAP AND BYOF

  Vineland Swap Meet

  The only thing better than one bargain is two in the same spot. You can shop at the Vineland Swap Meet from early morning until 2 p.m., and by the time you've packed your hard-earned treasure into the hatch of your SUV, the Swap Meet will be magically transforming itself into the Vineland Drive-In Movie Theater. By 7 p.m., they're… More >>

• BEST PLACE TO PICK UP HEAD . . . S OF LETTUCE

  Pavilions

  Ever since its grand opening in July, the Pavilions in West Hollywood has turned into something more than a supermarket — it's where hot gays and lesbians go to mingle in WeHo. While the old Pavilions had more of a laid-back neighborhood feel, this sleekly designed and reasonably priced market's new interior decor features soft lighting — essential for any… More >>

• BEST ELEVATOR RIDE THROUGH L.A. ROCK HISTORY

  Trader Joe's at Sunset and Crescent Heights

  That might be your lost copy of Wall of Voodoo's Seven Days in Sammystown on the wall of the spankin' new elevator that leads to the even spankier new Trader Joe's on Sunset and Crescent Heights. The company has long made each of its stores reflect its neighborhood — TV production murals at the Studio City outlet, for example. But… More >>

• BEST OBSERVATORY OF INNER TORTURE

  Griffith Observatory

  You could always take one of those Hollywood tours past James Dean's L.A. haunts, but one of the most beautiful and enjoyable ways to commune with the spirit of the young actor who died too soon is to drive to the Griffith Observatory in Griffith Park, which was an important location for Dean's best and most influential film, Rebel Without… More >>

• MEJORES MARIACHIS PARA CONTRATAR

  Mariachi Plaza

  Mariachi Plaza is quieter these days, thanks to a slowing economy and ongoing Metro line construction that has corraled the charros into a muraled corner along First Street. But as the largest mariachi exchange to be found north of the border, there are good values to be found. With so many musicians offering their services, how do you find the… More >>

• BEST HOUSE OF DICK

  Neutra VDL Research House

  The best way to truly experience the work of great architects is to step inside the home they've designed for themselves. Unfortunately, Schindler's home was left unfurnished, and the best view most of us will get of Charles and Ray Eames' place is with a nose pressed up to the window. But tucked into the shore of the Silver Lake… More >>

• BEST AND PRETTIEST CANYON PICNIC PARK

  Red Rock Canyon

  You could live here for 25 years and easily miss the most charming, are-we-really-in-L.A.? scenic drive imaginable. We almost did. Red Rock Canyon is a geographic marvel tucked just off the beaten path in Old Topanga Canyon. It's practically a secret, yet it's L.A.'s own miniature of Arizona or Utah, with its huge, iron-tinged boulders and red sandstone river walls… More >>

• BEST VIEW FROM A ROCKET SHIP

  Los Arboles Park

  Officially known as Los Arboles Park but tagged "Rocketship" Park, the greenery covers the southern edge of the great hump of Palos Verdes. While the kids play on the eponymous steel rocket ship or the swings, take in the panoramic sweep of the L.A. Basin spread out before you, stretching from Santa Monica Bay to downtown, the San Gabriels, the… More >>

• BEST PUBLIC PLACE TO PERUSE YOUR PROUST OVER A PANINO

  Santa Monica Public Library

  Who needs pretentious overpriced coffee when you can peruse your Proust with the real intelligentsia — and a panino — at the Santa Monica Public Library, home to the best library café in town. After checking out your reading fare from this borrower-friendly, architecturally uplifting, parking-plentiful institution, visit the library café for a quick snack, late lunch or caffeine kick.… More >>

• BEST HITCHING POST

  Always Forever Yours Wedding Chapel

  Walking down Manchester Avenue near Inglewood, a street lined with car-accessory stores, gas stations and the occasional strip joint, you'll come upon an out-of-place wedding chapel that invites investigation. Always Forever Yours Wedding Chapel is nothing fancy, to be sure, with its ceremonies advertised for "as low as $49." But there's more on offer for that 1970s-era price: It includes… More >>

• BEST SIDEWALK CACOPHONY

  Catedral de la Fe

  Loads of L.A.'s Latino brethren (and sistren) are flocking to emerging forms of neo-Pentecostal religion because, for many, it eclipses the staid rigorousness of traditional worship in a Catholic church. And how. Catholic mass never got this many feet a'stomping and tambourines a'janglin'. The most musical of the week's events (and, yes, noise complaints do occur) usually happens on Friday… More >>

• BEST VOLUNTEER OP

  Friendship Circle

  Finally, a reason for a kid to take a break from texting, hanging at the mall or wasting yet another two hours on an inane holiday blockbuster. Instead, Jewish middle and senior high school–age teens can now volunteer their time as mentors for Jewish special-needs children — befriending, mentoring, teaching and having fun via arts and crafts, Judaic education, sports… More >>

• BEST POLITICAL-OBSERVATION PERCH

  John Ferraro Council Chamber

  L.A. City Council meetings will either enrage you or increase your trust in politicians (though we doubt that), but they're nothing if not entertaining, as the council chronically tries to cut, censor and shush the "public-comment" period. Led by City Council President Eric Garcetti — the young, ever-smiling Golden Boy with an Ivy League education — these often bizarrely comedic… More >>

• BEST TIME WARP

  Angelus Temple

  Apart from Dodger Stadium, Angelus Temple, completed in 1925, is Echo Park's most formidable structure, a colossal house of worship crowned by a silver-painted dome. Yet nestled up to the great building is the parsonage home of the Foursquare Gospel movement's founder, Aimee Semple McPherson. Until fairly recently, the parsonage was a gutted shell locked behind a wrought-iron fence, but… More >>

• BEST SUBTERRANEAN MUSICAL HISTORY

  Echo Chambers at Capitol Studios

  The Les Paul guitar and the Fender Stratocaster are the most recognizable guitars in the world, (rock-band enthusiasts may have a Les Paul in their homes right now), but Paul's contributions to studios revolutionized the process of making and recording music. Paul developed multitrack recording and built the legendary echo chambers at Capitol Studios in Hollywood. When Brian Wilson's harmonies… More >>

• BEST TIDE POOLS

  Royal Palms State Beach

  Take Western Avenue all the way south until you can't go any farther; the vast Pacific lays before you — more specifically, San Pedro's Royal Palms State Beach. To your left is White Point Park and down below its bluffs you'll find at low tide a shelf of tide pools full of hidden treasures: translucent shrimp, tiny spiny sea urchins,… More >>

• BEST EDUCATIONAL HIKE

  Whittier Narrows Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary

  The Whittier Narrows Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary has 419 acres of wilderness, featuring trails that weave through dense, dry brush alongside the San Gabriel River. With 300 species of birds, bird watching is a favorite pastime. Mountain lions and bobcats have also been seen roaming, and deep inside the sanctuary, the solitude of the desert can be a… More >>

• BEST UNDERGROUND DATE NIGHT

  Historic Monument 157

  Historic Monument No. 157 is a mildly rundown old Victorian in East L.A. How it became a hub for hipsters, artists and people of all ages is due to its quirky inhabitants, Brother Reid Maxwell, the quiet man of the house, and Sister Charon Nogues, an eccentric stylist, visionary and booker for the living/event space. When the pair saw the… More >>

• BEST FREE SCENIC VIEW

  Stoney Point Park

  Disclosure: The CHP will be displeased to see this published, so please obey the 45 mph speed limit and approach this triple-gulp car ride with caution: Begin in Chatsworth at the Topanga Canyon exit of the 118 freeway with your windows rolled down, heading south, foot off the gas pedal. As you accelerate down the mountain (watch your speed or… More >>

• BEST JACARANDA STROLL

  Jacaranda trees at Hope and Flower

  "L.A. is the cruelest town," musician Loudon Wainwright III has said. "You're in a car all the time and the weather is kind of unrelenting. That blue, California weather." To live in Los Angeles is to live in ignorance of snow — the experience of white powder descending on a city, urbanity reinterpreted as pianissimo, buried under verses of sparkling… More >>

• BEST FREE DEAD-CELEBRITIES TOUR

  Sunset Strip

  When out-of-towners visit, give them a quick, entirely free, tour of the Sunset Strip and surrounding areas in West Hollywood filled with dead celebrity haunts. Peer at the gorgeous, historic Chateau Marmont on Sunset Boulevard, where you can startle people with the grand announcement that John Belushi died there from a drug overdose in 1982. Everyone always wants to know… More >>