Los Angeles

Population: 3.1 million; metro 7.9 million

Altitude: 5,074 ft/1,547 m

Los Angeles was founded on August 1, 1769, when a Spanish expedition party - led by Gaspar de Portola - discovered an Indian village while searching for the port of Monterey, and named it Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles (Village of our Lady the Queen of the Angels).

The Iberians, increasingly nervous about the establishment of Russian trading posts on the North Pacific coast, and also the growing power and potential of American colonies in the East, ordered a colonizing party of 11 families up from Mexico to found a settlement on the site of the present city of Los Angeles.

By 1822 Mexico was free of Spain, and new rulers were in control of California. Los Angeles sporadically served as the capital of the Mexican province of Alta California.
After the annexation of Texas to the Union in December 1845, war with Mexico was inevitable, and was declared the following spring. On August 13, 1846 Union troops - led by Commodore Stockton and Captain Fremont - moved into Los Angeles, and routed the Mexican government. But the new ruling garrison met with such disfavor that it too, was booted out by citizens. Finally in January of the following year the city was reclaimed for the United States by Commodore Stockton and General Stephen Kearney.

California was officially ceded to the United States by Mexico in 1848, and on September 9, 1850, it was admitted to the Union as a free state. The original pueblo slowly branched into thriving cattle ranches, which supplied meat to the miners in the gold fields to the north. It also entered into other various agricultural pursuits and trade.

More recently the city's growth has been due to the development of citrus, the motion picture industries, recording and television studios. Today Los Angeles produces nearly half of the Californian economy; its population is exceeded by only four other states (not including California); has one-fifth of all swimming pools in the United States; has more palm trees (approximately 50,000) than any other city in America; has the most licensed Rolls Royces of any city in the world; and encompasses over 40,000 square miles, making it the second largest metropolitan area in the nation.

UCLA and Westwood

University of California at Los Angeles began in 1881 as a normal (teacher's) school, moved to Westwood in 1929, and today has the largest enrollment (33,500 students) of the 9 UC campuses. The 411 acres campus has over 90 buildings, and is landscaped with exotic plants and trees. Major schools include medicine, geology, botany, engineering, geography, and management. The library holdings include 5.5 million books.

The Westwood Village area was originally part of the 1843 land grant of Rancho San Jose de Buenos Ayres. The property changed hands many times, becoming the John Wolfskill Ranch after 1884. In 1919, Arthur Letts, founder of The Broadway and Bullock's department stores, bought the farmland and turned a neat profit by selling it to the Janss Company. In 1926 Westwood was annexed to Los Angeles in a civic enlargement that included a large portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, the Pacific Palisades, and Brentwood. In 1929, when UCLA opened its Westwood campus, the Janss Company had already built 2000 houses and a bustling master-planned shopping village.

Today Westwood, having succeeded Hollywood as the moviegoing center of L.A., has what may be the greatest concentration of first-run theaters in the world. And the Westwood-Wilshire intersection is the busiest in the city.

Pierce Brothers-Westwood Memorial Cemetery (1218 Glendon Ave.) is the final resting place of Truman Capote, Donna Reed, Minnie Riperton, Buddy Rich, Roy Orbison, Natalie Wood, and Marilyn Monroe.

Roy Orbison died on December 6, 1988, in Tennessee. He's buried in an unmarked grave.

Natalie Wood, who was married to Robert Wagner, was found floating in the ocean at the Santa Catalina Islands in 1981. She had apparently slipped and drowned accidently while trying to get into a small boat while leaving her yacht. She was 43.

Marilyn Monroe died of a drug overdose on August 5, 1962. She was 36. Her body lay unclaimed in the county morgue until her former husband, baseball star, Joe DiMaggio arranged to have it moved here for burial. He chose this cemetery because several of her relatives are also buried here. Fewer than 20 people were invited to attend the services - DiMaggio had barred all Marilyn's Hollywood friends.

Year later an unsuccessful attempt was made to break into her sealed crypt. It is thought that the robbers were after a necklace that Marilyn was wearing when she was entombed.

For 23 years Joe DiMaggio had 6 red roses placed on her crypt three times a week. This ritual ended in 1985.

Marilyn's wall crypt is visited by more people than any other Hollywood star's grave.

 

Bel Air and Beverly Hills

The Bel Air Gates were built by oil millionaire Alfonzo Bell, the man who "founded" Bel Air. In 1922 he offered the first lots for sale in his new development. He selected the name Bel Air because is roughly translated from French as "beautiful place", yet incorporated his family name as well. He laid out polo fields, tennis courts, and an 18 hole golf course, which became the Bel Air Country Club. He also erected two large gates, one at each entrance to the community. Uniformed guards checked cars in and out of the neighborhood, and a private police force patrolled the streets and escorted visitors from the gates up the sometimes-confusing roads to their destinations.

Jayne Mansfield's Pink Palace (10100 Sunset Blvd) This 18 room, 8 bedroom Spanish-style home was bought by singer, Rudy Vallee and his wife Fay Web in 1932 for $100,000 cash. They named it "Three Palms." After Jayne Mansfield bought the mansion in the early 1960s, she had it painted pink, then built a heart-shaped pool. Her husband, Hungarian-born Mr. Universe, Mickey Hargitay inscribed the bottom of the pool with the message "I Love You Jaynie."

The walls around the estate, the stucco facade, the rooms, the wall-to-wall carpeting, the ceiling of the entrance hall and the living room, the heart-shaped swimming pool, the heart-shaped bathtub and even the heart-shaped toilet seats were all pink.

Singer Engelbert Humperdinck bought the house for $2 million on 1978, and sold it for $7.5 million in 1992.

Owl Wood (141 S. Carolwood) was built in the early 1920s by oilman, William M. Keck. In 1950, at the beginning of her career, Marilyn Monroe lived in the guest house of this large estate. The occupant of the main house was her boyfriend, Joseph M. Schenck, co-founder of 20th Century Studios. During her stay here, Marilyn was at the "beck and call" of the 72-year old Schenck and his desires.

Sonny Bono and Cher lived here in the early 1970s when they were still married and had a popular TV variety show. After they divorced, Cher got title of the house. It was later sold to Tony Curtis.

The real Deadman's Curve is located on Sunset Blvd, just west of Whittier Drive. In 1964, the surfer duo of Jan and Dean had their biggest hit with a song about a car crash involving drag-racing teens, called "Deadman's Curve." Then, ironically enough, Jan Berry wiped out on the real Deadman's Curve. He suffered brain damage and has spent the last 25 years recovering from the crash. Three people were killed in the accident.

810 Linden Drive is the home where gangster, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was killed by shotgun blasts that came in through the front windows. Siegel built the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada for a total cost of $5 million (when it was originally suppose to cost only $1 million).

Needless to say, his "partner", Meyer Lansky, was not thrilled with the $4 million overrun, especially when he discovered that Bugsy had skimmed $300,000 off the top and had deposited it in a Swiss bank account. On Christmas Day, 1946, the day before the Flamingo was to open, a vote was taken. It was decided that if the Flamingo was a success, all would be forgiven; if not, Bugsy would be dealt with accordingly.

The Flamingo opened December 26, only to close within a month because of financial problems. Although it reopened in March of 1947, and was turning a profit by May, it was too late for Seigel. In June he was dead. He is buried at the Hollywood Memorial Cemetery.

"Witches Landing" (516 Walden at Carmelita) was built in 1921 by Harry Oliver, and originally stood on Washington St. in Culver City as the offices for the Irwin C. Willat movie studio. In the early 1930s it was moved to this site and is now a private residence.

The walls and sharply pitched roof were purposefully built to look old and sagging, as was the exterior woodwork, which was burned, charred, scraped, and left unpainted. The roof shingles were all different shapes, sizes and colors. No two lead glass windows are alike and the shutters were hung askew.

Rodeo Drive (200-400 Rodeo Dr) Twenty years ago this was Beverly Hills' most stylish shopping street, but it was little known outside of the community. In the mid-1970s, some of Europe's finest clothing shops and jewelers opened branches on Rodeo Drive, which attracted well-to-do Angelenos and tourists, which in turn led to the opening of more fine shops, and so forth. Presently Beverly Hills, with a population of 33,000, has 88 jewelry stores, over 100 restaurants, 60 financial institutions, and 15 limo services.

Carroll & Company (466 N. Rodeo Dr.) Men's clothing for the old guard such as Ronald Reagan, George McGovern, and Gregory Peck.

Polo/Ralph Lauren (444 N. Rodeo Dr.)

Armani (436 N. Rodeo Dr.) This is the largest and glitziest of Giorgio Armani's stores. Steven Spielberg and Elton John buy their suits here.

Bijan (420 N. Rodeo Dr.) With the possible exception of Giorgio's (now Fred Hayman), down the street, Bijan is the most talked about shop on Rodeo Drive. The store is furnished with French antiques, a $40,000 Persian carpet, and a crystal chandelier. The men's clothes are some of the most expensive in the world: $2,000 suits, $300 shirts, and $100 for a necktie. The store won't let just anybody in the front door. You have to make an appointment or be recognized at the entrance.

Gucci (347 N. Rodeo Dr.)

Giorgio - Beverly Hills (327 N. Rodeo Dr.) Originally located down the street in the Fred Hayman building, the store moved here when Hayman sold the company to Avon.

Fred Hayman (237 N. Rodeo Dr.) Fred Hayman, the owner goes to certain lengths to make sure that his customers feel right at home. You can play billiards, have a cup of espresso, or even order a drink from the bar, and it's all on the house. And if you go on a shopping spree, Hayman will send you and all your packages back home or to your hotel in his classic Rolls Royce.

Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel (500 Wilshire Blvd at Rodeo Dr.) The Regent Group has spent $65 million to restore this hotel. Suites cost $500-$600 a night; the cheapest room is $255. The hotel served as the setting for several scenes in the movies Beverly Hills Cops and Pretty Woman.

Roxbury Drive. The large 1930s and 1940s homes on this street have been the residences of many famous celebrities.

Beverly Hills Hotel (9641 Sunset Blvd) The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalow is one of the world's havens for the rich and famous. It was built in 1912 by oilman Burton Green, and was constructed in a "T" shape and painted a shocking pink. Since then is has been enlarged several time and today has 325 rooms and 21 bungalows. They range in price from $250-$1,700 a night. The California Suite is the most expensive. The hotel's legendary Polo Lounge is a favorite hangout of many celebrities.

For years, Howard Hughes maintained a complex of bungalows, suites and rooms here, using some of the facilities for an elaborate electronic-communications security system. He even kept a personal food-taster housed in one room. Hughes, a well known recluse, lived in his room 24 hours a day, leaving messages in a tree outside his window.

In 1969 John Lennon and Yoko Ono checked into the most secluded bungalow under assumed names for some much needed relaxation. They then proceeded to station so many armed guards around their little hideaway that discovery by the press was inevitable.

In 1987, the Sultan of Brunei, one of the richest men in the world (worth $25 billion) bought the hotel for $225 million, and toyed with the idea of converting the hotel into his personal residence.

The hotel has been featured in numerous movies; Neil Simon's California Suite and Beverly Hills Cop to name two. It also appeared on the cover of The Eagles' Hotel California album.

Sunset Strip is officially Sunset Blvd east of Doheny Drive. It is now part of the recently incorporated town of West Hollywood. However, during the preceding century it was loosely administered by Los Angeles County. Free of certain legal restrictions set down by the city, the Strip has traditionally been a center of nightlife. In the 30s and 40s, many Hollywood stars used to stop off here for some relaxation on their way home to Beverly Hills after a day's work at the studios. In the 60s the Strip was a haven for hippies and flower children. Rock clubs now predominate.

The Rainbow Bar and Grill (9015 Sunset Blvd) was known as the Villa Nova Restaurant back in 1953, when Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe met for the first time on a blind date. Their dinner here eventually led to a 9-month long marriage. The Rainbow was opened in the early 1970s by a bunch of music execs. Since then it has been overrun by musicians and groupies. Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers "cruised for chicks" here as a teenager, and it was once Led Zeppelin's favorite place to get drunk in L.A. The interior of it can be seen in the Guns N' Roses video for "November Rain."

The Roxy (9009 Sunset Blvd) was founded by four music-biz honchos, and was L.A.'s top showcase club in the 1970s. Its most famous show may have been Bob Marley and the Wailers' performance on May 26, 1976, which made Rolling Stone magazine's list of the twenty best-ever concerts. Pee Wee Herman was a cult phenomenon here well before he went on to movie and television stardom.

Whiskey A Go-Go (8901 Sunset Blvd) opened in 1964, taking over the site of a converted bank. The Byrds, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, the Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Otis Redding, the Rolling Stones, the Talking Heads, the Who, Buffalo Springfield, Chicago, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention have all played here.

However, The Whiskey is probably best known as the place where the Doors got their big break. Probably the most infamous performance here was by the Doors. After a four month (on and off again) run as the house band, the group's performance of "The End" got them kicked out of the place for good. But by then they had signed with Elecktra Records and been booked around the country.

Chateau Marmont Hotel (8221 Sunset Blvd) For over 50 years this exclusive residential hotel has been a favorite of many show business personalities such as Jean Harlow, Great Garbo, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, Humphrey Bogart, Boris Karloff, Al Pacino, Richard Gere, Mick and Bianca Jagger, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Sophia Loren, Sidney Poitier, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Dylan, and Jim Morrison.

In August 1964, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil wrote "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' " on a rented piano in room 2H.

It was also here that John Belushi, star of TV's Saturday Night Live, and the movies Animal House and The Blues Brothers was found dead in bungalow #2 from a cocaine and heroine overdose. He was 33.

 

Hollywood

Mann's Chinese Theater (6925 Hollywood Blvd) More than 2 million people a year visit the front court of Hollywood's most famous theater. There are over 180 Hollywood celebrities' hand and foot prints in the cement here.

The inclusion of the prints was accidental. At the theater's grand opening, actress Norma Talmadge stepped into the still wet cement. The ever-clever Sid Grauman, owner of the establishment, knew a good thing when he saw it, and promptly invited Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., to add their prints to Talmadge's.

The theater itself was built in 1928. It is a combination of authentic and simulated Chinese decor. Original Chinese heaven doves top the facade and two of the theater's columns are actually from a Ming Dynasty Temple.

Hollywood Walk of Fame In the late 1950s the Hollywood Improvement Association installed over 2,500 stars in the sidewalk along one mile of Hollywood Blvd and several blocks of Vine St.

In 1958 the first eight stars were dedicated at the northwest corner of Hollywood and Highland Ave. They honored Olive Border, Louise Fazenda, Ronald Coleman, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgewick, Ernest Torrence, and Joanne Woodward.

Stars are given in four areas of the entertainment industry: music, television, film and radio. Originally intended to honor deserving and talented artists of the entertainment community, it seems today that the only requirements for qualification are to fork over the $4,800 that each "honoree" is required to pay the Chamber of Commerce and, of course, guarantee to draw a crowd. Richard Burton, Peter Sellers, Lee Marvin, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, Howard Hughes, and George C. Scott are among those who do not have a star, while Mickey Mouse, Pee Wee Herman, and a little known local disc jockey named Johnny Grant do. Grant, by the way, heads the "secret selection committee that decides who gets a star and who doesn't.

Egyptian Theater (6708 Hollywood Blvd) This theater was reportedly modeled after the Temple of Thebes in Egypt, and was opened in 1922 by Sid Grauman (of Chinese Theater fame). It was the scene of Hollywood's first gala premiere, Robin Hood, starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Wallace Beery and Alan Hale. In its heyday a spear carrier paced the ramparts and the usherettes dressed up as Cleopatra's handmaidens.

Hollywood Bowl (2301 N. Highland Ave and Cahuenga Terrace) bills itself as the largest natural amphitheater in the world, seats almost 18,000 and since its 1922 opening has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The outdoor arena has witnessed many legendary shows. The Beatles' 1964 and 1965 concerts here were recorded for a live album. Another highlight was Jimi Hendrix's opening show for the Monkees in 1967.

Griffith Park is the world's second largest city owned park (4,253 acres). The property was donated to the city in 1896 by Colonel Griffith J. Griffith, one of the most unpopular men in the history of Los Angeles. In 1903 he was convicted of attempting to kill his wife. He shot her in the eye after accusing her of conspiring with the Pope to poison him and overthrow the Government. Miraculously the shot did not kill her. Griffith was found guilty and sentenced to two years in San Quentin.

The Greek Theater, the Los Angeles Zoo, 3 golf courses, 43 miles of horse trails, the Travel Town Museum of Transportation, the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, and the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium are all located within the park. The Observatory was built in 1935. On a rare clear day it is possible to see all the way to Catalina. The knife-fight scene from Rebel Without a Cause was shot here.

Capitol Records Building (1750 Vine St.) was built in 1956 by Nat "King" Cole and Johnny Mercer. It is the world's first circular office building, resembling a stack of records, complete with the stylus on top. The red beacon atop the spire blinks out H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D in Morse Code. Capitol's recording studios are actually in two big rooms at the base of the tower.

Fox Network Building (Sunset Blvd at Hollywood Fwy) is the home of Married with Children and The Simpsons. The white jungle gym-thing on top is called "Starsteps", a 40,000 pound steel sculpture by Chicago artist John David Mooney.

Downtown Los Angeles

El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historical Park, in the downtown area, consists of 44 acres bounded by Alameda, Arcadia, Spring and Macy Sts. This is the birthplace of Los Angeles in 1781, and many of its original landmarks have been restored.

Los Angeles City Hall (200 N. Spring St.) was built in 1928, and until 1957 this 29 story, 454 ft/138 m, building was the only exception to the city's 13 story height limit (due to earthquake concerns). The building is probably best known from the old Dragnet series and War of the Worlds. It also doubled as the entrance to the Daily Planet on TV's Superman series.