Los Angeles, CA, USA
(and also some of the suburbs of LA)
Culture
There are lots of great museums in LA. Exposition Park is home to the California African American Museum, California Science Center, and Los Angeles Museum of Natural History. The first two are always free, and the Natural History one is free on the first Tuesday of the month. There's also the Museum of Contemporary Art and MOCA Geffen closer to downtown LA.
Moving further, there is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). It's free after 5pm, and on second Tuesdays of the month, and there are also free art installations and music shows in the courtyard sometimes. On the same street (Wilshire) there is the La Brea Tar Pits and the Page Museum. The museum is only free on first Tuesdays of the month, but it's always free to walk around the park and take in the sights (yay!) and smells (ugh!) of the tar pits. Petersen's Automotive Museum and California Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) are also on the same block.
Further away from downtown, on Hollywood boulevard, you have the famous wax museums and Ripley's Museum. I don't like them because all those wax dolls creep me out, but hey, if you like that sort of thing and are willing to pay for it... Then we get to the UCLA Fowler Museum, UCLA Hammer Museum, The Getty Center, and The Getty Villa--all of these are free, but you need to reserve tickets for the Getty locations.
In the Pasadena area, you have the Norton Simon Museum and the Huntington Library, Collections and Botanical Gardens. I love the Gardens because they have peacocks just walking around, and they will harass you sometimes. It is hella funny, except when you're the one being harassed. Ah well. The plants are nice, anyway.
Entertainment
LA is great for entertainment. If you like classical music, the Music Center in downtown LA is home to the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall, plus the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (home of LA Opera), Ahmanson Theatre, and Mark Taper Forum. The Hollywood Bowl is a great (and cheap!) way to see music in the summer. Also in downtown is the Staples Center, Nokia Theatre, and Club Nokia.
If you like Jazz music, there are several great places to see it. First up is the Catalina Bar and Grill in Hollywood. It's a bit pricey here, but worth it, and I love their brownies a la mode. Also in Hollywood, they have free jazz shows at the Hollywood and Highland center during the summer. There's also the Blue Whale in Little Tokyo--this one caters to the more modern and avant-garde tastes...free jazz, anyone? It's not really my thing, but they do have the best polenta I've ever tasted (seriously, it brought tears to my eyes), and the bartenders are really nice and will mix you ANYTHING you want with a heavy hand on the alcohol. Further away from downtown LA you have Steamers Jazz Cafe in Fullerton. This is a cute, small location, but they bring in the big names.
For musical theatre and Broadway shows, the Pantages in Hollywood is definitely the place to go. The Ahmanson and Mark Taper also show musicals and plays. Then you have all the various Playhouses, like the Geffen Playhouse, the Pasadena Playhouse, etc.
For rock/metal/pop/anything else shows, The House of Blues is always great. There's also the Music Box, The Viper Room, Whisky A Go Go, and loooots of other places.
In Pasadena, you have the Pasadena Symphony, and Pasadena Pops Orchestra. There are a whole bunch of little music bars and artist alleys here too--Pasadena is a very cultured and artsy little city.
Attractions
DISNEYLAND. THAT IS ALL.
Ok, I kid. There's so much to see in LA. Of course Disneyland is always a nice place to go (better in the off-season where there aren't any crowds), and Downtown Disney isn't bad either. Other amusement parks include Knotts Berry Farm, Universal Studios, and Six Flags Magic Mountain.
You can go up to Griffith Park for the Observatory and the LA Zoo (and other stuff--there's lots to do there). You can also take pics of the Hollywood sign from there, but you can't go directly to the sign itself. Also in Hollywood, you have the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard, and the Hollywood and Highland center.
Wilshire Blvd is a loooooong road that runs through the city, so driving along it is definitely something you should try.
Chinatown and Olvera Street are in Downtown LA, as is Little Tokyo. Close to those is Union Station, which is one of my favourite places to chill and people-watch. Quite honestly, I don't like LA's Chinatown...because all of LA is Chinatown anyway. Ok, I kid, but the locals know that the better Chinese restaurants and attractions are more toward the Arcadia area and Rowland Heights area. Little Tokyo is nice though--I love the restaurants there. Koreatown is a bit further from downtown on Wilshire Blvd.
Many of the beaches near LA are excellent. Santa Monica and Venice beach are the most famous ones, but my favourites are Marina Del Rey, El Segundo, and Corona Del Mar (the last one being in the OC, not LA, but still).
Shopping
Oh my, where to start...with the expensive stores!
Beverly Center Shopping Mall and Rodeo Drive are great
for watching rich Iranians flaunt their money if you have money to burn. Also in the West side of the city, you have The Grove and the Original Farmers Market. In Hollywood, you have the Hollywood & Highland center, Universal CityWalk, Melrose Avenue and Robertson Boulevard Shopping District. In Santa Monica, you have the Third Street Promenade.
Closer to downtown you have California Market Center, LA Fashion District, Grand Central Market, LA Flower District, and LA Jewelry District. I buy most of my clothes in the Fashion District, lol. There's also lots of shopping opportunities in Chinatown, Olvera Street, Little Tokyo, and Koreatown.
In the Pasadena area, you have Old Town Pasadena and Paseo Colorado.
Food
I will add this category because I'm a foodie and you can't really talk about LA without mentioning the many lovely restaurants here. There are so many, so I'll just make a list.
Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles (several locations, but the Pico branch and Hollywood branch are best for seeing celebrities)
Philippe's Sandwiches-creator of the French Dip sandwich (or so they say), Downtown LA near Union Station
Dino's Burgers
Tommy's Burgers
In-N-Out
Various food trucks--be adventurous! They're mostly good.
Daikokuya (several locations--go to the one in Little Tokyo)
Orochon Ramen (Little Tokyo)
Sushi-Gen (Little Tokyo)
Din Tai Fung (Arcadia)
Saladang (Pasadena)
Lawry's the Prime Rib (Beverly Hills)
Pink's Hotdogs (Hollywood)
Fogo de Chao (Beverly Hills)
Jitlada (Hollywood)
Santouka (Mar Vista)
The Original Farmer's Market (they have a couple of good stalls. Try the fudge stall.)
I'll add more as I remember them. I have a super long list somewhere, I swear.
Travel
The public transportation system in LA is...not so good. I should know, I commute on it all the time. However, within downtown and up to the Hollywood area, there are buses and trains that run regularly and get you where you need to go. Buy a TAP card with a Metro day pass, and you can hop on and off all the Metro trains and buses. Don't forget to buy transfers if you need to switch to one of the local bus lines like LADOT, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, or Foothill transit.
