Griffith Park Observatory

You can do about a 30-minute hike from the parking lot below to the Griffith Observatory on top of the hill (or you can just drive all the way up there). There’s a good view of Los Angeles during the day and a planetarium show at night.

From the Hollywood Freeway, drive north on Western until it goes right. Then turn left on Fern Dell and park and hike (or drive) to the top.

Or take the Red Line subway north to Sunset/Vermont then take the LADOT bus to the Observatory.

Art Deco

Art Deco architecture thrived in the late 1920s and 1930s - the heydey of Los Angeles. Some of the best examples are (from east to west) Union Station, City Hall, the L.A. Times Building, the Central Library, the Park Plaza Hotel, Bullocks Wilshire, the Wiltern Theater, the Farmer's Insurance Building, the Sunset Tower, and the Crest Theater in Westwood. I usually don't think that Los Angeles has any architectural history, but these buildings are pretty cool-looking. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullocks_Wilshire

banana leaf wrap

My new favorite restaurant is Simpang Asia. It's located inside a small Indonesian market, and they feature delicious meals for reasonable prices, like nasigoreng and other rice dishes wrapped in a big banana leaf. If you have a taste for the exotic, check it out.

10433 National Blvd #2Los Angeles, CA 90034

You can take Big Blue Bus #12.

http://www.simpangasia.com/

Hollywood Bowl

The Hollywood Bowl is an outdoor amphitheater which holds concerts at night in the Hollywood Hills. You can see popular singers or hear jazz or classical music under the stars. There is even a shuttle bus which goes from the Federal Building in Westwood to the Hollywood Bowl. Bus tickets are about $5. Concert tickets range from about $10 to $100. It's an L.A. to tradition to bring a picnic basket with wine before the concert. Check it out!

http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/index.cfm

Fowler Out Loud

Free concerts and cultural events are happening regularly at the Fowler Museum (which our class recently visited). In the past, I have enjoyed free cultural performances in the museum courtyard ranging from Japanese paper cutting to Cuban guitar.

Coming soon are performances of Soul music, mermaid costumes, Brazilian dance, and Indian song painting. Check out the calendar ling below.

http://www.fowler.ucla.edu/incEngine/?content=cm&cm=calendar

taco trucks

All over Los Angeles there are white trucks lurking by sidewalks with customers hunched over dripping tacos on white paper plates. If you are brave enough to try one of these specious instituions, you can experience a real taste of L.A. Skip the trucks with burgers, fries, and Enlgish-only menus, and head straight for the trucks with Spanish monickers like "Mariscos" or "Cemitas Poblanos." The last one is a spicy fried chicken sandwich. The best tacos are usually $1.25 each, and you can find them in East L.A., downtown, Koreatown, and along Venice Blvd. in Culver City. On a cold night you can also try a hot corn drink "atol de elote" or a thick hot chocolate "champurrado." Be brave!

Watts Towers

Watts Towers were built by the Italian immigrant, Sam Rodia, from the 1920s to the 1950s. It's a fascinating part of L.A. history which has survived several earthquakes, as well as the notorious Watts riots of 1965. I went there last year for the first time when my brother and his wife were visiting L.A., and we were amazed by the detail of the structures, as well as the fact that Rodia built the whole thing out of "junk" by himself. Sam Rodia said, “Why I build it? I can’t tell you. Why a man make the pants? Why a man make the shoes?”

by bus: Metro Bus#305 (1.5-2hours)

by car: 405 south, 105 east, exit Wilmington (30min)

www.ibuildthetower.com/html/film.html