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Every Angeleno MUST have a personal strategy for dealing with visitors.
The weather is sublime. The landscape is delicious. And you can't take a breath of smog without coughing up something fun to do. Whether you nest high in the hills admiring the sprawl from a glass wall in your architecturally-significant house, or you face the flatlands every day from a studio shoebox adorned with window bars, the guests are coming, and they want to know what you know about this remarkable city.
Fitting for first-timers, old friends, parental types and party monsters, this guide will get a newbie oriented to their new surroundings with a featured overview of standout stops and essential drives for your around-town tour. Show us the dream factory, they'll cry. Onward to the magic store, they'll plead. Where is this City of Angels, they'll wonder. Remember, in other parts of the world there's snow and ice and thunder and tumbleweeds and locusts and Bible rock and twisters. Here, it's 74 and sunny. All the time. Welcome to the California coast bitches. --Lisa Brenner, Editor
The weather is sublime. The landscape is delicious. And you can't take a breath of smog without coughing up something fun to do. Whether you nest high in the hills admiring the sprawl from a glass wall in your architecturally-significant house, or you face the flatlands every day from a studio shoebox adorned with window bars, the guests are coming, and they want to know what you know about this remarkable city.
Fitting for first-timers, old friends, parental types and party monsters, this guide will get a newbie oriented to their new surroundings with a featured overview of standout stops and essential drives for your around-town tour. Show us the dream factory, they'll cry. Onward to the magic store, they'll plead. Where is this City of Angels, they'll wonder. Remember, in other parts of the world there's snow and ice and thunder and tumbleweeds and locusts and Bible rock and twisters. Here, it's 74 and sunny. All the time. Welcome to the California coast bitches. --Lisa Brenner, Editor
Griffith Park Observatory 
Griffith Park is an extra large, extra green playground with a long list of activity options. However, the newly renovated Griffith Observatory located high in the mountain (and recognizable from films like Rebel Without A Cause, Bowfinger, Earth Girls Are Easy, Yes Man, etc) is an outing worthy of it's own park visit. Greeted by a sweet view of the Hollywood sign, if you're walking the grounds on a clear day you'll also view east into Glendale, south as far as the human eye can see, and west all the way to the ocean. Inside the domed building get an astronomy education in the exhibition hall (FREE!) and learn about seismographs in the downstairs science museum (FREE!). The Samuel Oschin Planetarium show, "Centered in the Universe," might make you feel small and insignificant, but it's definitely worth 45 minutes of your time and the cost of a ticket. There's a small parking lot near the entrance but throw some comfy shoes in the car in case you're forced to parked below and hike up the (asphalt) hill.
In-N-Out Burger
You can keep your Father's Office and your Apple Pan. When it comes to a burger fix, In-N-Out is LA's BEST anti-fast food. Sure, out-of-town skeptics will roll their eyes and try to compare it to White Castle or McDonald's (the blasphemy!). But every carnivorous Angeleno knows you can roll up to the drive-thru with five bucks in hand, and come away with an awesomely deliciously and not previously frozen meal. In addition to what's on the menu, there's an unlisted, (not-so) secret list of food items you can also order. This is pretty much common knowledge for locals, but if you're out of the loop or new in town, have a look here. Try not to drool on the monitor.
Mexican Food
Take an Angeleno out of its natural habitat and you'll hear two things: I miss the weather. I miss the Mexican food. There are seemingly endless options for this fine cuisine, so please don't settle for a Chipotle or Baja Fresh sighting. Many locals swear by the food at the historic El Cholo, and there are two LA locations to choose from (Santa Monica and Koreatown) depending on what part of the city you're currently discovering. If you're hanging around Hollywood, stop by Cactus Taqueria on Vine near Santa Monica Blvd for a no-frills stand serving the usual tacos, burritos, quesadillas and horchata. If you find yourself on the Westside late at night, La Cabana in Venice serves up margaritas, mariachi and standard Mexican fare (not to mention an endless supply of chips and salsa) until 3 am at which point you will fall into an alcohol and bean-induced coma. Alegria, Loteria, El Chavo, and Taco Zone are also must eats.
Hollywood Bowl
The iconic amphitheater of the Hollywood Hills is a landmark music destination offering a diverse schedule of programming in a serenely beautiful setting, Pack a picnic feast and a bottle of wine (or enjoy the fancy onsite concessions) as the sun goes down during the performance. The summer season is popular for its classical offerings as well as big names in rock, pop, jazz, blues and world music (this year saw Death Cab For Cutie, Herbie Hancock, Grace Jones, Eric Clapton, Depeche Mode, and dozens more). There are also staples like the 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular, Playboy Jazz Festival, Sound of Music Sing-a-long, and the LA Philharmonic conducted by John Williams performing Music of the Movies to look forward to every year. The acoustics are exceptional (especially for an outdoor venue) and there's no bad seat in the house, from the spendy garden boxes down in front to the cheap binocular benches at the way up top.
Venice Canals/Boardwalk
Be sure to bring your camera or cellphone if you visit Venice Beach, because you never know who, or what, you'll find. On weekends the boardwalk is packed with tourists and locals, and parking can be a bit tricky. Do yourself a favor and stash your car a few blocks from the ocean in one of neighborhood streets by the Venice canals, (named for their resemblance to the original canals). It's a short walk to the beach once you wind your way through and you can promptly then take a nap on the sand and dream a little dream of your very own oceanfront property. Rather buy some incense or leather goods or slogan tees? Looking to scope a skate park or strange political art or watch a guy in a thong lift weights next to a dude with a python around his neck? How about a swami playing an electric guitar while rollerblading past a dozen dispensaries. Well fine. You can do that do too. Just don't forget sunscreen. 
The Getty Center
The Getty Center gets points for looks, personality and the view. The museum grounds are perched atop the Santa Monica Mountains right off the 405, so neither you nor your Valley friends can argue that it's "too far." A futuristic-looking tram car transports visitors from the parking lot up the side of the mountain to the entrance. Once there, you can check out the artwork in the permanent collection, ogle the architecture, walk the outdoor gardens, have lunch at the cafe, or visit a special exhibition. Sometimes you can do this all in one day. Oh yeah, and it's free. 
Amoeba Music
There are only three locations of this independent-yet-mega music store, and they're all in California. The two story, city block big, wall-to-wall covered in posters, vaulted venue is a mecca for audiophiles with cash and a wish-list. You might even catch an in-store performance by Elvis Costello or Paul McCartney. Either way, be be sure to pack some patience in your pocket before making a stop with the traveling band -- it'll easily be a few hours until you step foot outside again.
Disneyland
This is a no brainer. Everyone has childhood memory of Disneyland even if they never went there. You might not feel like it's the "Happiest Place on Earth" after dropping 70 bucks for an all-day admission, but it's still worth it for a few rounds on the Tea Cups and tour of Space Mountain. Don't miss out on the Mickey churros either -- they're the tastiest in all the land.
For the past eight years, the good folks at Cinespia have sponsored outdoor movie nights on summer weekends at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Although the event has snowballed in popularity over the last couple years, if you know how to do it right, the screenings
are more fun than chaotic, and still a great choice for an unconventional date night or a massive group outing. Where else are you allowed to (legally) drink in public while watching Psycho amongst the graves of old movie stars? The lawn does get very crowded very fast, so get ready to love your neighbors.6000 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 469-1181
ESSENTIAL DRIVES
