Part 1: Reno and Death Valley

Part 2: Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, and Valley of Fire

Part 3: San Diego

Part 4: Downtown LA and Hollywood

Part 5: More LA and Long Beach

Part 6: Santa Barbara and the California Coast

Part 7: San Francisco

Part 8: Sacramento

 

 

In my last thread, I took you through Downtown LA and Hollywood. Now I'll show you all the other places in Greater LA that we visited. All of these places were within Los Angeles County but not all of them are within the City of Los Angeles.

 

Glendale, CA

 

Some views from the Brockmont neighborhood of Glendale:

 

 

If you look very closely, you can see the Downtown LA skyline in the distance:

 

 

Pasadena, CA

 

You may recognize Pasadana City Hall from a number of movies and TV shows:

 

 

The Paseo Colorado mixed-use development:

 

 

Back in LA!

 

Skyline shot from USC's campus south of Downtown LA:

 

 

And of the "Central LA" skyline (look closely for the Hollywood sign):

 

 

Felix Chevrolet:

 

 

Traveling west from Downtown LA along Wilshire Blvd...

 

1111 Wilshire was originally planned as a 30-story tower before the economic downturn, but the project was downsized to seven stories and opened in 2013. It contains 210 apartments ranging from studio to two-bedroom:

 

 

MacArthur Park:

 

 

Bullocks Wilshire (former department store now being used as a law school):

 

 

Stopping for some Korean BBQ in Koreatown:

 

 

 

At the corner of Wilshire and Western is the awesome Wiltern Theatre:

 

 

 

The Wilshire & Western subway station borrows the Wiltern's color scheme:

 

 

Windsor Blvd:

 

 

 

Local and Rapid buses:

 

 

Beverly Hills, CA

 

Shopping on Rodeo Drive and surrounding streets:

 

 

 

 

ColDayMan[/member]'s favorite restaurant:

 

 

Back in LA

 

Century City is a neighborhood within LA, considered a "city-within-a-city", built on land previously used as a 20th Century Fox backlot:

 

 

Continuing west along Wilshire Blvd. into Westwood:

 

 

Down to the Venice neighborhood:

 

 

Venice is known for its network of canals. It is actually very nice from an urban planning perspective, as houses front the canals and alleys behind the houses provide access to garages and a place to take out the trash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Santa Monica, CA

 

 

 

 

Santa Monica Place:

 

 

 

Third Street Promenade:

 

 

Nothing more environmentally-friendly than a LEED-certified parking garage:

 

 

Long Beach, CA

 

Long Beach is 22 miles south of the City of Los Angeles (still part of Los Angeles County), and at the end of the LA Metro Blue Line.

 

 

 

 

 

Spot the LA skyline:

 

 

I think I've been spoiled by the quality of Cincinnati breweries. Because I was not impressed by any of the Belmont Brewing Company's beers:

 

 

That's all for LA. On the next part of the journey, we will head north along the California coast.

 

Very nice set.  I love Pasadena and Santa Monica and really like what LA is doing with rail transit expansion and TOD growth ... and with the older districts, building upon the similar growth the old Pacific Electric interurban cars did a century ago.

When you took that picture on Windsor Blvd, you were very close to my apartment. I'm on Plymouth Blvd just a street over. Nice shots of the Wiltern theater. I was just there a few weeks ago to see Brandon Flowers. I wish you could have seen the inside.  It's gorgeous.

Korean BBQ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

great work and fun thread too.

 

paseo colorado in pasadena looks like a later clone of the continent in columbus.

 

and in another ohio connection its owned by ddr in beachwood.

I think I've been spoiled by the quality of Cincinnati breweries. Because I was not impressed by any of the Belmont Brewing Company's beers

 

California breweries are not as good as Ohio or Michigan breweries. And SoCal is actually by far the best part of the state for beer (SF-Oak is by far the best for cocktails). The whole stretch of coast from LA to San Diego is known for quality beer, but people don't know what they're missing! The only city on the West Coast that can actually compete with the likes of Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, etc. for beer is Portland.

 

The weather is too damn pleasant in California to understand what a porter or stout is supposed to be like. :wink: The Great Lakes and Midwestern cities win when it comes to heartier beers.

 

And thanks for posting some K-Town LA. It utterly destroys the Koreatown in Oakland, which is sadly the best in the Bay. You're still likely to get shot in Oakland K-Town after eating sub-par BBQ. I don't think LA's Koreatown has any equal anywhere else in North America. It's a really unique place. Even Toronto and New York City don't have a good Korean scene. The Bay beats LA for most Asian ethnic enclaves, but Korean is one big exception.

 

**Also, thanks for posting some Santa Monica and Pasadena. They are the two best urban suburbs in the United States IMO. They're big enough to have good downtowns and nightlife, but small enough to feel intimate and maintain friendly culture (though I find nearly all of LA metro to be friendly). Santa Monica wins because of the beach and perfect weather, but Pasadena is a really underrated part of the LA area. Pasadena is also less touristy (either a good thing or bad thing depending on your perspective of tourists). If I lived in LA, it would be tough to choose between central city areas like Downtown, Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire or older suburbs like Santa Monica and Pasadena.

Strangely, the only beer I could tolerate of theirs was their "Long Beach Crude" stout. All of their ales had some funky characteristic that made it hard for me to even finish their sampler.

Strangely, the only beer I could tolerate of theirs was their "Long Beach Crude" stout. All of their ales had some funky characteristic that made it hard for me to even finish their sampler.

 

SD and LA beer scenes couldn't be more different. Even most brown ales in SD are aggressively hopped. 

So little drama in the LBC