Los Angeles - cool places to go
Alternative and music scene
Presently, the hipster scene in Los Angeles is centred around the areas of Silver Lake, Los Feliz and Echo Park. If you are an artist or musician, that’s where you would like to live, work, play or hang around. There are also plenty of famous clubs all over the city, some with a great historic tradition. Unlike elsewhere, it is usual for venues in Los Angeles to charge entrance for every concert, including those of unknown bands. Prices can vary from 5 to 10 dollars, and tickets can be booked in advance via several booking circuits or bought at the door of the venue.
One of the most famous clubs in LA is the Troubadour, on Santa Monica Boulevard, open since 1957 and site of a famous Tim Buckley live record, to name but one. It used to be oriented towards folk rock in the sixties, but now has a more 360 degrees approach. To see what’s going on visit their site at http://www.troubadour.com/. Another great option is the legendary Whisky a go go on Sunset Strip, which started in 1964 and has hosted concerts by the Doors, Led Zeppelin, the Buffalo Springfield, Love and has since kept in touch with all music genres, including punk and new wave. For more info, visit their site at http://www.whiskyagogo.com/. Another cool option is the Johnny Depp co-owned Viper Room, which maybe owes a bit of its cool to the owner, but organizes interesting concerts of all genres. Check out http://www.viperroom.com/. To check the schedules of a lot of LA venues, you can visit http://www.lalocalmusicscene.com/.
If you’re more Latin-oriented, you can also go and dance salsa and other Latin rhythms at the Mayan, on 1038 S. Hill Street, at the Sportsman Lodge in Ventura Boulevard, or at the Club Bahia on 1130 Sunset Boulevard.
Santa Monica
A great place to hang around, since it’s full of clubs and restaurants, cinemas. The most important street is the 3rd Street Promenade, which is the most crowded and often full of street artists. One fun place to go is the Santa Monica Pier, almost a century old and now a sort of local monument, since its restoration has been part-paid by the local administration. The Pier is full of old carousels and attractions. In summer, every Thursday is devoted to the "Twilight Dance Series" with popular performers in every musical genre. The place is also the site of a lot of special events, organized by companies and non-profit organizations alike. Entrance is free. Check the Pier’s site at http://www.santamonicapier.org/.
Beaches
There are obviously plenty of beaches around LA, but they do not always look like Baywatch or what you have seen on films and TV for years. One of the most famous is Venice Beach, located to the South of LA. It used to be a swamp, but an entrepreneur turned it into a network of canals (hence the name Venice), and got the fun started. The canals are not there any more, but Venice Beach is a great beach, often full of people, shows and the like. The other contender for most famous beach of LA is Malibu Beach, to the West of LA. It is also quite crowded and full of ’beautiful people’, great for both swimming and getting suntanned. Be aware that many beaches are privately owned, so you have to look for a state one.
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