Collage of LA Photographs

LA is the classic driving city, but some parts of that are changing. From the earliest days, LA was planning to be a train or trolley city, but this all changed with the mass takeover of the automobile. Naturally, if you've seen the movie Drive, not everyone is so desperate that they use the mostly concrete LA river banks to navigate the traffic, but here are some tips:

Reverse commute is your best friend

It is significantly easier to travel East and North in the morning, and vice versa in the evening. Crossing freeways is always more challenging than staying within them. Major freeways to consider include the east-west freeways that you’d cross north (the 10, the 110) or south (the 101). The north-south freeways to consider are always the 405, and the 5 to those living on the eastside.

Live where you want to be | Live where is convenient

Though the commute is highly variable, LA is a neighborhood city. LA has a rich cultural diversity with many neighborhoods known for their regional cuisines. Some of the largest cultural communities outside of their home countries can be found in the City of Angels: Korea, Iran, Japan, Ethiopia, Thailand, Mexico, and El Salvador. LA often feels like many small towns merged together, with each area having its own unique personality and flavor. Many of our residents live on the westside for convenience and proximity to our hospitals. Choosing a convenient location may be different from other cities that you have lived in. As you see above, the direction of the reverse commute can help you make some of these decisions.

Where do our residents live?

Don’t forget about the growing Metro system

Depending on where you live (see above), you may have immediate access to the Metro stops. There is the blue Expo line that travels along Exposition Blvd from the 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica to Downtown in about 35 minutes, with stops at notable locations like the LAFC (soccer) stadium, Banc of California Stadium, USC, the California Science Museum and the Culver City platform along the way. The unfinished purple line will travel from Brentwood - specifically the West LA VA parking lot - through Westwood, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, into Downtown. 

Food and Dining Banner

Eater LA:(Link is external)

One of the most reliable resources to review restaurants of basically all types. They have the city broken down by neighborhood, cuisine, and even venue specific (like what to eat at Dodger stadium). Notable neighborhoods to explore around UCLA include Westwood, Persian Square, "Little Osaka" or Sawtelle, Culver City, Venice, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. Amazing tacos can be found on nearly every corner (especially at night when the taco trucks appear). We recommend venturing further out to other amazing areas like Koreatown, Little Ethiopia, Boyle Heights, Inglewood, and Little Tokyo. Venturing even further out, San Gabriel Valley and Cerritos boast some of the best East and South Asian food in the country.

Some of LA’s greatest food exists in nondescript locations. Hidden in strip malls across the sprawl are precious gems run by lovely people with incredible stories. The Donut Kings, Tehran market’s weekend grill, Dr. Sandwich, Bar Nine, and Venice’s First Friday food truck festival are all stories of highly talented chefs and “producers” who put together something special in an easily overlooked place. 

Music and Entertainment

Small Venues

Where to even start! Ok, I’ve got it. You cannot miss music at a small venue in Los Angeles. There are too many acts that are worth seeing, and some iconic places to hear them.

  • Troubadour- on your way into West Hollywood, you’ll drive by this and wish you were going there instead
  • The Wiltern
  • Hotel Cafe
  • The Echo- not to be confused with Echoplex, the mega dance floor downstairs.
  • Zebulon

Medium Venues

Here is where you’ll see phenomenal acts, done like their album without fancy tricks, but intimate enough that you’re not watching the act on a screen projector.

  • El Rey
  • Teragram Ballroom
  • The Moroccan Lounge
  • Los Globos
  • El Cid

Big Venues

Here are the unbeatable sites to see top billed artists doing top level productions. No details are missed at these venues. You will be inside of one of these during your time in LA whether or not we inspired you.

  • Hollywood Bowl
  • The Greek
  • Staples Center
  • Microsoft Theater - formerly Nokia
  • The Forum
  • Palladium
  • Ahmanson Theater
  • Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
  • Walt Disney Concert Hall
  • Dodger Stadium
  • Sofi Stadium

Events

Karaoke

  • Boardwalk 11- delicious food and drink, and a single shared stage with committed talent
  • The Gaslite- dive bar with a single shared stage, and uncommitted talent
  • Karaoke Bleu- Sawtelle classic central stage, mixed commitment by the talent
  • Max Karaoke- BYOB karaoke bar with private rooms
  • Koreatown- a neighborhood with too many places to name in one tab on a website

Theater

Small theaters

These gems are all around town, so a quick search could show you some local stages. Here are a list of small to medium sized theatres for obscure productions.

  • The Fountain Theatre
  • Geffen Playhouse - Westwood
  • Kirk Douglas Theater - Culver City 
  • UCLA Little Theater
  • Eli and Edythe Broad Stage - Santa Monica

Big theaters

These tend to be downtown. They will have the musical or play you were waiting to see.

  • Ahmanson Theater at the Mark Taper Forum - fine arts in an elegant environment
  • The Theatre at Ace Hotel - a gothic masterpiece
  • The Orpheum Theatre

Museums

  • The Getty Museum - tremendous view of Los Angeles with a rotating gallery of photography, modern art, and classics, with sculpture on occasion
  • Huntington Gardens - numerous gardens, art museum, and lovely japanese tea room
  • The Broad - modern art, from the late philanthropist and real estate mogul Eli and Edythe Broad
  • LACMA - you’re currently taking a picture under the streetlamps out front
  • Hammer Museum - Armand Hammer created this free to visit state of the art museum for UCLA in Westwood
  • Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)

There are so many fine galleries, shows, and pop up events, as mentioned previously. Keep your eyes peeled to learn more about the city, its diverse population, and cultural heritage at landmarks like the Watts Towers, The California African American museum, Norton Simon, and many others.

Sports and Stadiums

In a short list, the professional teams include the Dodgers, LAFC, LA Galaxy, LA Sparks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, LA Rams, LA Chargers and the LA Kings. Fortunately, the majority of these teams play at Staples Center, Dodger Stadium, and the SoFi stadium.

The college teams include all of UCLA and USC’s iconic rivalries across so many sports. There are the well known Rose Bowl and Coliseum for football, and the unmatched Pauley Pavilion for basketball. 

City Hikes and Outdoors banner

Here are some go-to trails nearby UCLA’s clinical sites

Of course, not to miss the Venice canals, the Venice boardwalk, and the beautiful gardens around LA, like the Getty Villa, Getty Museum, Huntington Gardens, and Descanso for a lighter walk.

*Dog Friendly

For the Serious Adventurers

For those who are more adventurous or consider themselves part-time career hiker/backpackers, Los Angeles is at the crossroads of some of the finest trail systems in the United States. Situated two hours south of the terminus of the John Muir Trail, Los Angeles is flanked by the Angeles National Forest, San Bernardino Forest, and San Gorgonio Wilderness, through all of which the famous 3,000+ mile Pacific Crest Trail runs. Beautiful Joshua Tree National Park is two-hours to the east, and Catalina Island is a 30 minute drive (and 1 hour boat ride) to the south. Here’s some serious outings for serious people:

Ocean and Beaches Banner

The Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest ocean, and California takes up a sizable percentage of the US Pacific Coast. But, more importantly, there is a culture around the Ocean and the beach that California does best. The Beach Boys obviously said it, when they wrote, “the West coast has the sunshine.”

The beach in LA spans from Malibu down past the South Bay, and there is soft sand and cold water to play in the whole way. You can rent a boat from the Marina, take a ferry to Catalina, scuba dive in kelp forests, deep sea fish, and ocean kayak. You can set up spike ball, volleyball, or any other ball sport year round without interruption. There are dog friendly beaches, and beachside parks. There are places to host a bonfire, and excellent restaurants with window seating over the wave break. Many of our residents live within running or biking distance to a beach!