Los Angeles is the USA’s second largest city after New York. It has been called everything from La La Land to Tinseltown but is most commonly known simply as LA. Sprawling along the Pacific coast of southern California, its coastline stretches 122km (76 miles) from Malibu to Long Beach. Inland, the city fills a vast, flat and once arid basin ringed by the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains.
Arriving by plane gives a good first impression. Out of this vast flat grid of streets and buildings rises a cluster of imposing skyscrapers. These mark Downtown, 26km (16 miles) inland from the coast. Northeast is Pasadena. To the west and northwest are Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Century City and the wide San Fernando Valley. To the south is Long Beach. Along the west coast are Santa Monica, Venice Beach and Marina del Rey.
Founded in 1781 by Mexican settlers, over the centuries, LA grew from a cow town to a Gold Rush boomtown to an oil town. In the 1920s, the fledgling film industry decamped from New York in search of sunshine and Hollywood was born. Today, all the major studios are here and the city is the world’s undisputed king of film-making.
Disneyland may be the city’s major attraction, but LA is also home to world-renowned cultural institutions from the Museum of Contemporary Art to the LA Philharmonic and the stunning Getty Museum.
LA is exuberant – there are few places in the world where the phrase ‘Express Yourself’ is taken so literally. Hippy health fanatics exist happily alongside some of the most glamorous and wealthy people in the world. Most visitors come to enjoy world-class shops and restaurants, lie on beaches bathed in almost constant sunshine and simply to people watch.
Sun, surf and exquisite scenery are the qualities most visitors seek in San Diego. Nestled in the southern-most corner of California's coastline, the city is blessed with sun and temperate weather year round.
Pristine beaches and blooming gardens are among the unique characteristics of this city. Attractions like SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park incorporate San Diego's casual, outdoor lifestyle in their exhibits, and a laid-back air prevails everywhere.
Suntanned, barefoot, bikini-clad surfers and sun lovers fill the city, especially in Ocean, Mission and Pacific beaches, just three of many seaside towns along San Diego's 112 km (70 mile) long coastline. Long stretches of sand are filled with sunbathers who wander to the surf shops, coffee houses and cafes that represent the heart and soul of the Southern California lifestyle.
Historic downtown communities like the Gaslamp Quarter and Little Italy are now centres for dining, nightlife and the arts. Downtown has grown to incorporate eight distinctive neighborhoods and is the epicentre for all that's cool and hip in San Diego.
Music is an integral part of San Diego's heritage and popularity. Budding musicians in all genres develop their talents at San Diego clubs, while well-known acts perform on outdoor stages and intimate indoor venues all around town. Home to dozens of cultural organisations, writers' guilds and artist co-operatives, San Diego is one of Southern California's most important centres for the arts.
Considered the birthplace of California, San Diego was discovered by explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542. Father Junipero Serra, a Spanish missionary established the first of several Catholic missions on a grassy knoll beside the Presidio, the Spaniards' fort and settlement. The Presidio remains a testament to San Diego's Spanish origins. The Fort's whitewashed walls, tiled roofs and manicured gardens reflect the vernacular architecture found in much of contemporary Southern California.
The Spanish influences remain strong to this day, especially as San Diego is barely an hour's drive from the border with Mexico. The evidence of this inextricable connection with its Hispanic beginnings is everywhere, in the mix of Spanish and English used in local slang and in the regional cuisine. San Diego, the eighth largest city in the USA, is far more than one single city; it is a patchwork of cultures, neighbourhoods and small, uniquely defined communities – the epitome of the American melting pot. Many travellers come here just to bask in the warmth and experience a Southern California paradise.