Yolanda Zappaterra picks the best places to explore in the City of Angels
1. Visit the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
LA is home to the world’s largest museum dedicated to film. Inside Renzo Piano’s ‘soap bubble’ building and the former May Company department store, a three-floor exhibition space and two theatres detail the history of cinema in engaging and imaginative ways, with millions of costumes, film reels, posters, props, production design drawing, screenplays and more.
2. The Huntington library and art museum
Visit San Marino, a suburb south of Pasadena, to explore a museum that mixes Arts and Crafts handiwork and American and European fine art with literature. Then explore the magnificent gardens, with desert and jungle sections, and the spectacular conservatory.
3. Hollywood and Beverly Hills
LA is vast, so it’s much easier to cover its famous sights as part of a group tour: be sure to suggest one that takes in iconic areas such as Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Celebrity mansions, film locations, world-famous spots such as Rodeo Drive, the Sunset Strip and, of course, the famous Hollywood sign are all entertainingly covered by great guides who regale you with gossip and tall tales along the way.
4. The Broad
One of the world’s best collections of post-war art, featuring work by Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Roy Lichtenstein, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jeff Koons, is housed in The Broad, an arresting building surrounded by a pretty olive grove. Make time for Frank Gehry’s equally striking Walt Disney Concert Hall across the road.
5. Malibu
Malibu is famous for its beaches: head to Point Dume State Beach for the chance to see see seals and dolphins. Malibu is also a great spot for a wine-tasting and winery tour, and is a much more manageable size than other grape-producing regions in California such as Napa Valley and Sonoma.
PICTURES: Shutterstock/Benny Marty; Benny Chan
Read more
How to sell polar cruises
Cruise trends to look out for in 2023
New cruise ships for 2023: What is launching and when?
