Deodapper
Los Angeles: LAX to Downtown via Venice and Getty
Los Angeles, California, US · 14 stops · 50.8 mi (82 km) · about 2 h 3 min driving · 33 spoken stories
See LA's best architecture and food in one loop. Start at LAX's iconic Theme Building, pass through Venice's canals and boardwalk, stop for lunch at the Original Farmers Market or Grand Central, explore the Getty Center and Griffith Observatory, and end downtown at the Bradbury Building. Two hours of driving covers 51 miles.
Photo: Matthew Field, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
From Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Downtown
The stops
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1
LAX Theme Building
The Theme Building is a structure at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), considered an architectural example of the Space Age design style. Influenced by "Populuxe" architecture, it is an example of the Mid-century modern design movement, later to become known as "Googie".
“Here it is, the building that says Los Angeles before you've even left the airport.”
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2
Venice Canals Historic District
The Venice Canal Historic District is embedded in the residential Venice suburb of Los Angeles, California. The historic district is noteworthy for possessing man-made wetland canals, built in 1905 by developer Abbot Kinney as part of his Venice of America.
“Now for one of the quietest surprises in Los Angeles.”
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3
Venice Beach Boardwalk
Venice is a neighborhood of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California, United States.
“This is Venice, a neighborhood of Los Angeles out on the Westside, and the boardwalk is its front porch.”
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4
Santa Monica Pier
The Santa Monica Pier is a large pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California, United States. It contains a small amusement park, concession stands, and areas for views and fishing. The pier is part of the greater Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
“The Santa Monica Pier juts into the Pacific at the foot of Colorado Avenue, and its own website calls it one of the most photographed places in the world.”
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5
Getty Center
lunchThe Getty Center, in Los Angeles, California, US, is a campus of the Getty Museum and other programs of the Getty Trust. The $1.3 billion center opened to the public on December 16, 1997, and is well known for its architecture, gardens, and views overlooking Los Angeles.
“The Getty Center is the architecture pilgrimage of this trip.”
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6
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately 12.2 miles (19.6 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The city's land area totals 5.71 square miles (14.8 km2) and is entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles.
“Welcome to Beverly Hills, a city in its own right, about twelve miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles and completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles.”
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7
Original Farmers Market
Original Farmers Market is an area of food stalls, sit-down eateries, prepared food vendors, and produce markets in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California, on the corner of Fairfax Avenue and 3rd Street. It first opened in 1934 and was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 543 in 1991.
“Lunch, and a good one.”
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8
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits.
“LACMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, sits on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, right on Museum Row next to the La Brea Tar Pits.”
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9
Petersen Automotive Museum
The Petersen Automotive Museum is an automobile museum located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles. One of the world's largest collections, the Petersen Automotive Museum is a nonprofit organization specializing in automobile history and related educational programs.
“The Petersen Automotive Museum is the most argued-about building on Wilshire, and that's a compliment.”
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10
Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark with more than 2,800 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, United States. The stars are monuments to achievement in the entertainment industry and bear the names of a mix of actors, filmmakers, musicians, inventors, businessmen, fictional characters, and more. Many individuals have been honored more than once.
“The Hollywood Walk of Fame runs along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street, with more than two thousand eight hundred stars set into the sidewalk.”
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11
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory is an observatory in Los Angeles, California, on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park. It commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin including Downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest.
“Griffith Observatory sits on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood, and the view alone earns the drive.”
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12
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 23, 2003.
“Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall opened in October of two thousand three, the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center, bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue and First and Second streets.”
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13
Grand Central Market
The Grand Central Market is a historic public market in downtown Los Angeles, California. It has been in continuous operation since its opening in 1917, housed within the Homer Laughlin Building.
“Grand Central Market has been open continuously since nineteen seventeen, tucked into the Homer Laughlin Building, and it draws about two million visitors a year.”
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14
Bradbury Building
The Bradbury Building is an architectural landmark in downtown Los Angeles, California, United States. Built in 1893, the five-story office building is best known for its extraordinary skylit atrium of access walkways, stairs and elevators, and their ornate ironwork.
“Last stop, and for many people the most beautiful interior in Los Angeles.”
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