At the heart of Chinatown's lively business district are Cermak Road and Wentworth Avenue. Offerings there include an extensive roster of shops, cafes, dim sum spots and teahouses. Chinatown Square outdoor mall has similar attractions. The Chinese-American Museum has exhibits about the history of the neighborhood. The Nine-Dragon Wall is a reproduction of the 15th-century mural of the same name in Beijing.
A downtown culture hub, the Near South Side is home to waterfront Museum Campus, with The Field Museum’s giant T. Rex “Sue,” indoor reefs at Shedd Aquarium, and space shows at Adler Planetarium. Big-name acts perform outdoors at Huntington Bank Pavilion, and the Chicago Bears play football at Soldier Field. In the Prairie Avenue Historic District, visitors tour Victorian homes, like the influential Glessner House.
The Loop is a vibrant area featuring eclectic eateries, shops, theaters and parks. Comprised mostly of high-rises, it’s also home to the 108-story Willis Tower. The iconic “Cloud Gate” sculpture sits in Millennium Park. Grant Park features the large, rococo-style Buckingham Fountain and the renowned Art Institute of Chicago, and hosts annual events like The Taste of Chicago and Lollapalooza.
River North is a lively neighborhood in the Near North Side. It boasts luxe shops and eateries, plus posh nightclubs and cocktail bars. Opened in 1930 in a former industrial area, the sprawling Merchandise Mart attracts throngs of shoppers to its home and office design showrooms. Surrounding the Mart, artist's studios in converted warehouses and lofts form a hub that sustains the area's foremost art galleries.
Sprawling West Town contains a busy stretch of West Chicago Avenue, dotted with New American restaurants and cafes. The Wicker Park area is known for cool global dining, live music bars, and boutiques, while in the Ukrainian Village, the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art hosts varied cultural events. Featuring a lagoon with a beach, Humboldt Park is also home to the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture.
Santa Monica is a coastal city west of downtown Los Angeles. Santa Monica Beach is fringed by Palisades Park, with views over the Pacific Ocean. Santa Monica Pier is home to the Pacific Park amusement park, historic Looff Hippodrome Carousel and Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. Next to the pier is Muscle Beach, an outdoor gym established in the 1930s. In the city center, Bergamot Station houses several art galleries.
The Pacific Palisades is an affluent residential neighborhood tucked between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Temescal Gateway Park offers hiking trails with sweeping coastline views, and the sandy Will Rogers State Beach provides access to a 22-mile beachfront bike path. Landmarks include the sumptuous Getty Villa museum showcasing Greek and Roman antiquities, and the mid-century modern Eames House.
Marina del Rey is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the greater Los Angeles area. The port is North America's largest man-made small-craft harbor and is home to approximately 5,000 boats.
Known for its bohemian spirit, Venice is a buzzing beach town with upscale commercial and residential pockets. Free-spirited Venice Boardwalk is the site of funky shops, street performers and colorful murals. There’s also a skate park and Muscle Beach outdoor gym. Abbot Kinney Boulevard features foodie hot spots, stylish boutiques and coffee bars. A picturesque enclave of canals is surrounded by modernist homes.
Los Feliz is a relaxed hillside enclave that draws both established and up-and-coming creative types. There are plenty of old-school watering holes, hip shops and cafes, plus the Vista Theatre, a 1923 movie palace, and a pair of exemplary Frank Lloyd Wright homes. The neighborhood borders sprawling Griffith Park, beloved by locals for its hiking, concerts at the Greek Theatre and stargazing at Griffith Observatory.
Silver Lake is an Eastside neighborhood that fully embraces the hipster lifestyle. Funky blocks with street art are lined with artisanal coffee shops, vegan cafes and creative Asian eateries, as well as indie music venues, trendy bars and boutiques. The area also includes fine examples of modernist architecture and a namesake reservoir that’s ringed by a popular walking trail with a dog park and a grassy meadow.
Malibu is a city west of Los Angeles, California. It’s known for its celebrity homes and beaches, including wide and sandy Zuma Beach. To the east is Malibu Lagoon State Beach, known as Surfrider Beach for its waves. Nearby is the Spanish Revival–style Adamson House, with local history displays in its Malibu Lagoon Museum. Inland, trails weave through canyons, waterfalls and grasslands in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Sherman Oaks is a San Fernando Valley neighborhood that’s popular with families seeking suburban comforts. Bordered by busy freeways, it features a pair of slick shopping malls, including the open-air Sherman Oaks Galleria. On Ventura Boulevard, the area’s main commercial strip, gastropubs, wine bars and bright brunch cafes mix it up with old-school Mexican and burger joints.
A larger-than-life symbol of the entertainment business, Hollywood beckons tourists with landmarks like TCL Chinese Theatre and star-studded Walk of Fame. Highlights include Paramount Pictures, historic music venues like the Hollywood Bowl, and Dolby Theatre, home of the Oscars. Scenesters can choose from improv comedy clubs, retro-cool bars and velvet-roped nightclubs. Locals frequent eateries in nearby Thai Town.
Bel-Air is a ritzy residential enclave in the verdant foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. Two stately entrance gates off Sunset Boulevard lead to winding streets lined with lavish mansions on large properties with lush vegetation. Popular with celebrities and entertainment industry elite, the neighborhood is home to the landmark Hotel Bel-Air, a longtime luxury hideaway, and the exclusive Bel-Air Country Club.
Long Beach is a coastal city and port in Southern California. Moored in its Queensway Bay, RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner and museum ship. The waterfront Aquarium of the Pacific features touch tanks and a shark lagoon. Modern and contemporary works are on display at the Museum of Latin American Art. Rancho Los Cerritos is a 19th-century adobe home and museum set in expansive gardens.
Huntington Beach is a California city southeast of Los Angeles. It's known for surf beaches, such as Huntington City Beach, with its long Huntington Beach Pier. The International Surfing Museum displays longboards and other memorabilia. Sprawling Huntington Central Park features fields, gardens and lakes, plus an equestrian center. Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve's wetlands and dunes shelter hundreds of bird species.
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