For more than 150 years Los Angeles has had a unique attraction for people from around the US and across the globe. At first people arrived from Europe and Asia seeking their fortune in the Gold Rush years.
In the 20th century hundreds of thousands arrived in the city looking for a new kind of gold, fame and fortune, in the bright lights of Hollywood. Los Angeles is forever linked with its small suburb which in fact is only a small area of this massive metropolis.
Every day dozens if not hundreds of would-be Angelina Jolie's and Brad Pitt's arrived hoping to seek their place in celluloid history. Everyday also brings thousands of visitors who want to explore this bewitching city.
Los Angeles unlike any other city in the world is designed for, and around, the motor car. Travelling around the city without the use of a car is nearly impossible. This is a huge and awe-inspiring city that has an incredible amount to offer visitors, but only if you cruise its wide boulevards with your own wheels.
The premier attraction must be the Hollywood film industry, many of the studios offer tours of their back lot's where visitors can get a feel of the glitz and glamour that this town has in abundance.
Unlike any other place on earth there is no need to visit the studios to experience movie magic and places that many people are already familiar with. Nearly every street and district is a familiar name across the world to anyone who has even the vaguest interest in films. Rodeo Drive, Sunset Blvd, Wilshire Blvd, Burbank, Beverly Hills, in Los Angeles even some of the postcodes are famous, 90210.
Los Angeles list of attractions, sites and familiar places is just mind boggling. It is hard to drive down any street without recognising a building from a TV show, or a landmark that has been used in 100 movies.
The city also offers some of the finest restaurants and eating places on the planet, not to mention some of the best-known bars and nightclubs anywhere in the world.
Shopping in the wealthy areas surrounding the studio complexes rivals any area of any of the world's major cities for variety and quality mixed with service that is completely unrivalled.
If you tire of city life the areas near Los Angeles offer some of the very finest Pacific coastline imaginable. You never know who you may come across jogging down the beach in Malibu, or you can try your strength with the muscle men of Venice Beach or relax in Paradise Cove.
Whatever you are looking for in a getaway location Los Angeles offers it all in abundance and in extreme. This is a city that is definitely never sleeps and you never know what or who is just moving around the next corner for your enjoyment.