The City of Angels, the City of the Stars, Media Capital of the World, the largest sprawling metropolis in the US, Los Angeles is nothing like anything else.
Only a century ago LA was a collection of small towns and villages located in a dusty basin on the shores of the Pacific. It has grown to become a city that offers everything to everyone.
Unlike New York, where Manhattan is the center of everything, LA has no definitive center of attraction.
The downtown area is the financial center but also offers tourist attractions; Beverly Hills and Hollywood are more entertainment oriented but are also frequent by business travelers. The beach towns of Santa Monica and Venice have streets you could actually stroll, but like other parts of the city, are mostly accessible by car.
From Orange County in the south to the San Fernando Valley in the north and Pasadena in the West LA is a huge urban area with diversity like no other. Los Angeles is a challenging city, but it is also intriguing and exciting at the same time.