Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
180
L.A.'s Top Architectural Tours
The
L.A. Conservancy
(
&
213/623-2489;
www.laconservancy.org) conducts
a dozen information-packed walking tours of historic
Downtown L.A.,
seed of
today's sprawling metropolis. The most popular is Broadway Theaters, a look at
movie palaces. Other intriguing t ours include M arble Masterpieces, Art Deco,
Little Tokyo, and tours of the Biltmore Hotel and City Hall. Most tours take place
on Saturday mornings at 10am and last about 2
1
/
2
hours. Call Monday through
Friday between 9am and 5pm for information or, better yet, click on the “Walk-
ing Tours” link on the website.
Red Line Tours
(
&
323/402-1074,
ext. 11; w ww.redlinetours.com) offers
two 90-minute walk ing tours of Do wntown L.A.: the
Inside Historic Do wn-
town L.A.
Tour,
focusing on the cit y's historic sites, such as the Grand C entral
Market, the Bradbur y Building , C entral Librar y, and P alace Theatre; and the
Inside Contemporary Downtown L.A. Tour,
which includes the Walt Disney
Concert Hall and Music C enter. Wireless “live audio” headphones are provided
to enhance the t our experience (the guide w ears a micr ophone and wir eless
radio transmitter).
In
Pasadena,
various t ours spotlighting Old P asadena or the surr ounding
neighborhoods are intriguing, given this ar ea's history of w ealthy estates and
ardent preservation. Call
Pasadena Heritage
(
&
626/441-6333
;
www.pasadena
heritage.org) for a schedule of guided t ours, or pick up one of the self- guided
walking or driving maps a vailable at the
Pasadena Convention and Visitors
Bureau,
171 S. Los Robles Ave. (
&
626/795-9311;
www.pasadenacal.com).
7
The movie industry, more than anything else, has defined Los Angeles. The process of
moviemaking has nev er been confined to studio offices and back lots; it spills into the
city's streets and other public spaces. The city itself is an extension of the mo vie set, and
Angelenos have always seen it that way. All of Los Angeles has an air of H ollywood sur-
reality (or disposability), ev en in its ar chitecture. The whole city seems a bit larger than
life. Cutting-edge, over-the-top styles that would be out of place in other cities ar e per-
fectly at home in L.A. The world's top ar chitects, from Frank Lloyd Wright to F rank
Gehry, have flocked to L.A., r eveling in the ar tistic freedom here. Between 1945 and
1966,
Arts & Architecture
magazine focused the design world's attention on L.A. with its
series of “Case S tudy H ouses,” pr ototypes for postwar living, many of which w ere
designed by prominent émigrés like Pierre Koenig, Richard Neutra, and Eero Saarinen.
Los Angeles has taken some criticism for not being a “ serious” architectural center, but
in terms of innovation and style, the city gets high mar ks.
Although much of it is gone, y ou can still find some prime examples of the kitschy
roadside art that defined L.A. in earlier days. The famous Brown Derby is no more, but
you can still find a neon-lit
1950s gas station/spaceship
(at the corner of Little S anta
Monica Blvd. and C rescent Dr. in B everly Hills), in addition to some ne wer structures
carrying on the tradition, such as the
Chiat/Day offices
in Venice (see below).
