Encircled by four mountain ranges, the city of Los Angeles is oddly isolated, prompting early chroniclers to describe it as ‘an island on the land’. To appreciate the city it should be thought of as five distinct regions: Downtown, Hollywood, The Valleys, Westside and The Beaches.

The city of Santa Monica, with its beautiful beaches and small town atmosphere, has long been a hideaway for Hollywood stars. The city of Los Angeles was originally christened by wandering Spanish missionaries in 1781 as ‘El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula’ (‘The Town of Our Lady Queen of the Angels by the Porciuncula’), and shortened a few years later to Los Angeles. Most residents simply refer to it by its initials, LA. It has also been called, at varying times, ‘The City of Angels’, ‘The New Eden’, ‘The New Jerusalem’, ‘The New Babylon’, and ‘Lotus Land’, as over the decades it grew from a cowtown to a boomtown, then an oiltown to Tinseltown. It was not accidental that the automobile culture and the film and aerospace industries took root in the area, or that almost every conceivable – and a few inconceivable – fads, fashions and styles have at some time or other sprouted in the city’s consenting climate and spirit. Basking in a sunny, semitropical climate, and blessed with a diversity of cultures, Los Angeles mixes and matches different settings and scenes with a singular style. The city offers a dizzying array of attractions, from world-famous amusements to a wealth of museums, pop and high culture, Hollywood stars, ethnic enclaves and every cuisine imaginable. The latest hot fashions can be found in bargain centres and boutiques catering for every whim and budget. And one can always simply go native and bike, blade or ‘veg’ out.

LA is full of renowned museums including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, with its comprehensive collection of Western, as well as Asian and Near Eastern art, and its striking Japanese Pavilion; the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), which has three venues (California Plaza, Pacific Design Center and the Geffen Contemporary) with free entry on Thursdays; and the Wells Fargo Museum, featuring 130 years of Western history. Music and dance, classic, contemporary, native, hot and cool, rock, rap, blues and jazz can all be heard in a variety of venues across the city. Jazz fans in particular should head for 5th Street Dick’s in the up-and-coming Crenshaw District. As one might expect, LA has a wealth of cinemas showing every conceivable production – foreign, revivals, experimental and classic, as well as the most current films. Comedy clubs, magic shows, blues bars, juice bars, coffee house recitals and poetry readings are among the many diversions on offer when darkness falls in LA. The club scene is very fickle; a must-go night filled with this season’s stars can go bust within weeks. The result is a fluid nightlife, so visitors should check out the local listings magazines for an up-to-date guide.