Los Angeles Guide
Beverly Hills and West LA
Although Downtown and Hollywood are richer in historic and cultural attractions, Beverly Hills and West LA are ground zero for tourism in LA. Along with neighboring West Hollywood, they boast the best hotels and restaurants, and relentlessly market themselves as the height of fashion – with an ersatz European flair. With its diverse architecture and plentiful gardens, there's more to Beverly Hills than just the elite boutiques of Rodeo Drive, but for most visitors, the focus lies within the three sides of the shopping zone known as the Golden Triangle.
Above Beverly Hills, the canyon roads beyond Sunset Boulevard lead into the well-guarded enclaves of rich celebrities, while to the west, the bleak modern towers of Century City rise in the distance, with the district's main attraction being its large, eponymous mall.
As with the similar term "Westside," West LA has an amorphous definition, anything from the vaguely defined area between Beverly Hills and Santa Monica to everything west of Hollywood. Whatever the case, it's definitely crossed by the 405 freeway and extends from the mountain foothills to the I-10 freeway. One of West LA's main districts, Westwood, is a sunless corridor of towering office blocks along Wilshire Boulevard, but closer to UCLA Westwood becomes pedestrian-friendly in the so-called "Village," and the university itself is full of resplendent buildings and gardens. To the west, along the Sepulveda Pass, the residents hiding in the wooded wealth of Bel Air and Brentwood are less than welcoming, but the hilltop Getty Center is a travertine icon of monumental proportions that's one of LA's crown jewels of art and architecture. West LA's southern neighbor, Culver City, is far less conspicuous than other areas, even though it contains several historic movie studios, a clean and renovated downtown area, and a trove of eye-catching, experimental buildings.