SAN GABRIEL CANYON ROAD
For a quick getaway, take San Gabriel Canyon Road, part of
State Route 39, north of the San Gabriel Valley's I-210 and shadow its
switchbacks. Race past two reservoirs and turn right onto East Fork Road.
Adventurous hikers can park at its terminus and make a nine-mile round-trip
trek to the 'Bridge to Nowhere'-an abandoned 1930s arch bridge turned
bungee-jump site. The main route snakes on up to Crystal Lake, ending at a gate
just beyond its turnoff. Landslides closed the last 4.4 miles connecting it to
State Route 2, but for most, this is far enough.
WILSHIRE BOULEVARD
Slicing
through the city's center is Wilshire Boulevard. At its eastern end, the
mid-Wilshire district is essentially the neighborhood of Koreatown, and
includes the art deco Wiltern Theatre at Western Ave. Next up is LA's own
Miracle Mile, the one-mile length between La Brea and Fairfax avenues. El Rey
Theatre, another art deco design, and Museum Row are its highlights. The row
consists of car-centric Petersen Automotive Museum, modern LA County Museum of
Art (LACMA), and anthropologic Page Museum with its bubbling La Brea Tar Pits.
Beverly Hilton, home of the Golden Globe Awards, is at the corner of Santa
Monica and Wilshire, and a good place to stop after craning your neck to see
the many high-rises.
GRIFFITH PARK
Surely
one of the shorter scenic sections of LA, Griffith Park offers perhaps the
biggest payoff of all at its halfway point: a wide-angle view of downtown, day
or night. Starting at the east end of the park, you'll cut between Roosevelt
Golf Club, 'Hidden Jewel of Los Angeles', and the Greek Theatre, 'North
America's best small outdoor venue,' before ascending. Turn left before the
tunnel, and proceed uphill on East Observatory Avenue to reach the Griffith
Observatory lot, where you can park and enjoy the overlook. Continue,
descending to Western Canyon Rd at the tunnel's west end, then exit the park to
end the loop.
FIGUEROA STREET
From
Figueroa Street to PCH spans 22 miles of Hollywood history. Immortalized in a
film and TV show of the same name, and referenced in the song Dead Man's Curve,
this boulevard includes the iconic Sunset Strip-1.5 miles of hip clubs like House
of Blues, Whisky a Go-Go, The Roxy and Viper Room-between Harper Avenue and
Sierra Drive. Though a minimum of four lanes wide, once you pass classic
Beverly Hills Hotel and UCLA, Sunset lives up to its swerving pseudonym in
hilly Bel Air. Will Rogers State Historic Park fans out to the north before you
wind your way west, down to the coast.
MELROSE AVENUE
A
road relentlessly lined with retail and restaurants, Melrose Avenue will tempt
shopaholics and foodies to join its many sidewalk-strolling pedestrians. The
handsome, historic Hollywood Melrose Hotel ushers you westward, followed by
America's oldest studio, Paramount Pictures. From Highland to La Cienega flows
the aforementioned endless stream of high-end shops and diners. Melrose Place
of television fame branches off the avenue after Orlando, but unlike the TV
show, contains no residences--just more trendy boutiques.
HOLLYWOOD
Hollywood
and Vine is a great intersection to give impetus to your tour of this bustling
boulevard. Radio and film businesses once controlled its corners; now only the
towering Capitol Records building to the north remains. The Hollywood Walk of
Fame is centered at these crossroads, so stopping to stoop over stars' squares
is highly suggested. Heading west to Highland, the Wax Museum and Guinness
World Record buildings beckon. Next are two theaters, old and new: Graumann's
Chinese Theatre, known for actors' hand/foot imprints gracing its entrance, and
Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards. At La Brea stands a silver sculpture
of four caryatids under an Eiffel Tower-like canopy, marking the end of the
Walk (and your drive).
ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST
Almost
completely contained within the Angeles National Forest, this 66 mile
mountaintop traverse of the San Gabriel range offers outstanding views of the
Mojave Desert and Pomona Valley, often at altitudes over 7000 feet. Also known
as State Route 2, the Angeles Crest Highway is bookmarked by two popular ski
resorts: Mt. Waterman in the west and Mountain High in the east. Donnie Darko
was partially filmed there, in addition to racing scenes in The Love Bug. The
view from nearby Mount Wilson Observatory is often featured on local news
stations, so it's deserving of a quick side trip.
PALOS VERDES PENINSULA
Palos
Verdes Peninsula is the most prominent landmass of Los Angeles County,
encompassing four cities and lying just outside LA city limits. Motoring from
Malaga Cove (where Palos Verdes Drive N & W converge), the road meanders
until it again forks at Point Vicente Park, with its sentinel lighthouse. There
the name changes one last time to Palos Verdes Drive S, and passes by
newly-opened Terranea Resort, peaceful Abalone Cove beach, and lovely
Wayfarers' Chapel, nicknamed 'the glass church'. Last sight (or stop, if you
choose) is the Trump Golf Course, host of an LPGA tournament. This is not a
route for fast drivers, as the speed limit is a tortoise-paced 30 mph in some
places.
SANTA MONICA
Pacific
Coast Highway, fondly abbreviated PCH, stretches along the golden sands of The
Golden State. From Santa Monica's entertainment-packed pier northwestward, the
gorgeous Getty Villa rises to the right, followed by private Pepperdine
University. The highway continues to hug the coast from Malibu's beautiful
beaches-with some celebrity sunbathers--until Point Mugu. So keep the gas pedal
and/or convertible top down and enjoy the Pacific Ocean breeze.
MULHOLLAND
This
is the big one; 55 miles long, with eight overlook points, it's the most
well-known of Los Angeles' scenic drives. Named for LA engineer William
Mulholland, Mulholland Drive was built in the 1920s to bring housing
developments to the Hollywood Hills, and indeed some of the most exclusive
homes have appeared along it since then. It has been immortalized in many art
forms: two movies, two pop songs and a painting are but a few. Talk show host
and comedian Jay Leno recently filmed himself driving its length as he sung its
praises. Retracing his and others' tire tracks is a quintessential southern
California experience.
written by:
NORKUSHAINY BINTI ROSLAN
A13A1514
GOOD. BRAVO. BRILLIANT.
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