West Side (Los Angeles County)
From World travel guide
The West Side of Los Angeles County in Southern California is much of what the rest of the world thinks of when they think "California". Beautiful beaches, fancy homes, movie stars: it's all there.
Contents |
Cities
Get in
By air
The closest airport to this area of Los Angeles is through LAX. From here you can either catch a cab, shuttle or bus. The four main bus systems that stop at LAX are th MTA or Big Blue Bus Culver City Bus and the Torrance Transit. The cabs and shuttles can be accessed immediately outside of the arrival terminals and both bus systems can be accessed from the LAX Transit Center. The LAX Transit Center is located adjacent to Parking Lot 'C' and accessed by taking the 'C' Shuttle. Bus information is available in the baggage claim area of each terminal. It is not recommended or convenient to attempt to walk to most destinations as a general rule in Los Angeles
Get around
The LA bus system is pretty good, check out their website and download maps and route schedules.
In the West Los Angeles area the Big Blue Bus is a very reliable and well maintained bus service. Additionally, their website has a great flash based interactive map along with a standard map.
For ultimate convenience it is best to rent a vehicle.
See
- The Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City has weird displays of fiction and fact.
Do
- The Strand. A bike and skate path on the beach stretches from upper Santa Monica in the north all the way to Redondo Beach in the South Bay. It passes by many interesting places, such as the Venice Beach shops and Santa Monica pier. http://www.labikepaths.com/
Eat
A wonderful by-product of all the ethnic diversity in this area is the multitude of authentic restaurants
- Thai: Tuk Tuk on Pico Boulevard near Robertson, on the border between Beverlywood and Beverly Hills.
As in most of Los Angeles, Thai restaurants are ubiquitous throughout the area and vary greatly in price and quality.
- Indian: there are a number of Indian and Pakistani restaurants along Venice Boulevard in Palms and adjacent streets in Palms and Culver City. Most of these restaurants offer North Indian cuisine.
- Lebanese
- Japanese: there is a small cluster of (mostly) Japanese restaurants at the corner of Olympic and Sawtelle (just west of 405). These include the Blue Marlin which does Japanified western food, Yakitoria which serves skewers of grilled chicken, Hurry Curry and the Curry House which serve Japanese curry, as well as several ramen and sushi restaurants, also Furiabo a restaurant chain from Japan
- Mexican: common in this area as in the rest of Los Angeles County, albeit less so in some of the more
affluent parts of the area. Mi Ranchito on Washington Boulevard in Culver City is the best in this area, although Lares in Santa Monica also has its admirers.This area tends to have a greater proportion of Oaxacan restaurants than other parts of greater Los Angeles, such as Guelaguetza in Palms and West Los Angeles and El Texate in Santa Monica.
- Cuban: Versailles, 10319 Venice Blvd
- Greek: Mama Voula's on Santa Monica Boulevard between Barrington and Bundy.
- Jewish: there is a large cluster of delicatessens and restaurants on Pico Boulevard in Beverlywood,
just south of Beverly Hills. Both Ashkenazic and Middle Eastern Jewish cuisines are represented here. Junior's on Westwood Boulevard just north of Pico is deservedly renowned.
- Ethiopian: a second "Little Ethiopia" has developed along Washington Boulevard between National and La Cienega in Culver City.
- British: Santa Monica and Venice have a huge population of British expats, and fish and chips are
common.Ye Olde King's Head, a pub and notable hangout for tourists, celebrities, and locals on Santa Monica Boulevard and 2nd Street, arguably has the best fish and chips in the world. All but two of Los Angeles' pubs are located west of the 405, in this area.
- Chinese: as in the rest of Los Angeles County, ubiquitous and common. Mao's Kitchen in Venice, on
Pacific and Windward, serves Hunan cuisine.
- Persian: Westwood Boulevard between Pico and Wilshire is filled with Persian restaurants, serving the
largest Iranian population outside of Iran (concentrated in Westwood, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica)
Drink
This area offers the full gamut of watering holes from pretentious to dive.
- Father's Office: 1018 Montana. Excellent selection of import beers, microbrews, and wines. Also check out the award winning burger, the tapas and the sweet potato fries served in toy shopping carts http://www.fathersoffice.com
- Library Alehouse: another place with a good beer selection, http://www.libraryalehouse.com/
- Toppers: top floor of the Santa Monica Radisson, decent selection of margaritas, decent view of the beach, good Mexican seafood
Shop
Giant Robot: 2015 Sawtelle, sells cool aspects of Asian-American culture, including it's own indie magazine, art, t-shirts, toys, and other related Japanese pop culture items... http://www.giantrobot.com
Rhino Records, 2028 Westwood, sells new and used CDs and vinyl as well as pop culture memorabilia. http:www.rhinowestwood.com
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