Getting acquainted with the variety of hiking in Los Angeles is the perfect way to discover why LA is the ideal place to get outside. Most of the hikes listed here are easy to moderate, so it’s not necessary to be an experienced hiker to enjoy them. But you will need to keep a few things in mind when you’re planning your excursion. It’s important to wear sturdy hiking shoes, carry plenty of drinking water, use sunscreen and wear sunglasses. Take along a camera, and make sure you stay on the trails.

Heart-of-Hollywood Hike
Trail: Runyon Canyon Loop
Distance: About 3 miles round-trip
Special Feature: The views at Cloud’s Rest, the off-leash policy for dogs and the occasional celebrity sighting
Getting There: From Hollywood Boulevard, head north on Fuller Avenue. Park at the end of Fuller and enter the well-marked park. Take the trail to the right and complete the loop counterclockwise.

By no means is this hike a wilderness experience, so if you’re looking for solitude, you might want to try other trails. On the other hand, this is a great hike for people-watching, and it gives beginning hikers a chance to check out the Hollywood Hills and the amazing views at the trail summit, known as Cloud’s Rest. Whether you’re wearing the latest hiking gear or just sandals and sun hats, this is a fun hike highlighted by million dollar mansions and priceless views of the Hollywood sign, the Sunset Strip and the rest of the LA Basin.

Topanga State Park
Trail: Los Liones Trail to Parker Mesa Overlook
Distance: About 7 miles round-trip
Special Feature: The magnificent views at Parker Mesa Overlook
Getting There: The hike begins in Pacific Palisades at the end of Los Liones Drive, just north of Sunset Boulevard. Leave the car in the parking lot at the end of the street. From there, follow the trail up to East Topanga Fire Road and follow that to the turnoff for the Parker Mesa Overlook.

Switchbacks and steep hill climbs characterize the first two miles of this hike. With an elevation gain of about 1,300 feet, the hike is definitely a tougher climb. But you’ll get rewarded as you gaze out from your vantage point atop the bluff. Enjoy a picnic lunch or relax on a bench while taking in the overlook.

Griffith Park Trails
Trail: Griffith Observatory West Trail Loop
Distance: About 2.5 miles
Special Feature: Views of Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood sign and the LA Basin
Getting There: The hike starts at the Fern Dell picnic area near Los Feliz Boulevard. You can pick up the trail near the creek past the restrooms. Stay to the right and head uphill toward the Griffith Observatory. You’ll be able to stop and enjoy views of the city along the way. As the path flattens out, you’ll see a trail to the right leading up to the observatory. On the way back, stay right all the way down the hill. The trail will curve around a bit and then take you back to the Fern Dell picnic area.

Trail: Brush Canyon Trail
Distance: About 2 miles
Special Feature: Peace and quiet, as well as spectacular views near Mount Hollywood Drive
Getting There: You can park in the lot on Canyon Drive, located just past Bronson Park. From there, head uphill past the gate and pick up the trail on the fire road heading toward the Pacific Electric quarry. You’ll pass a park and a picnic area and then climb out of the canyon. After about 3/4 of a mile, the trail intersects with the Mulholland Trail. Follow the trail to the right and continue another 1/4 mile to Mount Hollywood Drive. To get back, follow the same route, taking a left at the Mulholland Trail junction.

Will Rogers State Park
Trail: Rustic Canyon Loop/Inspiration Point Trail
Distance: About 6 miles round-trip
Special Feature: Exploring what was once the private ranch of a Hollywood star
Getting There: Head to Will Rogers State Park in Santa Monica. The main road to the park is just off Sunset Boulevard about a half mile east of Chataqua Boulevard. You can park the car near the visitor’s center. The hike begins just behind the main ranch house at the park, next to the sign for Inspiration Point Trail.

After about a mile, you’ll see the turnoff for Inspiration Point. It’s a quick detour and worth the effort to head up this side route for some spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, the LA Basin and the Santa Monica Mountains. Follow Backbone Trail to the junction with Rustic Canyon. Follow that trail back to Will Rogers Park. After the hike, explore the park and enjoy a picnic on the massive lawn in front of the house.

Santa Monica Mountains Waterfall Trek
Trail: Escondido Canyon and Falls
Distance: 4.2 miles round-trip
Special Feature: The waterfall at the end of the trail
Getting There: Head northwest on the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) from Santa Monica for about 17 miles. Just past Latigo Canyon Road, you’ll see the turnoff for East Winding Way where you can park in the well-marked lot. Follow the paved road toward the mountains. It’s a little less than a mile to the end of East Winding Way. You’ll see the entrance of Escondido Canyon Park clearly marked at the end of the pavement.

From the trailhead, it’s about a mile-long trek to the falls. The trail crosses Escondido Canyon Creek several times, so be prepared to get your feet wet if you’re hiking in the rainy season. This is a gradual climb that drifts in and out of tree covering, alongside canyon walls. Soon, you’ll be standing at the base of the 50-foot-high Escondido Falls, admiring the multi-tiered cataract flowing over moss-covered rocks.

In the springtime, the waterfall is usually quite active, but the amount of water can vary depending on when you visit. You can scramble up the rocks to the upper level and see even more of the falls — the upper tier is about 100 feet high. Wading in the pool beneath the falls is a great way to cool off before you head back along the same route.

Several new buildings have been completed in Los Angeles within the last 10 years, earning worldwide accolades for achievement in design. Several more are either in development or on the drawing board.

All of the architects mentioned below have earned the Pritzker Prize. Additionally, the following buildings are all located Downtown, within easy walking distance of one another.

Caltrans District 7 Headquarters
Architect: Thom Mayne/Morphosis
Opened: 2004
Address: 100 S. Main Street
Features: This building is guaranteed to elicit strong reactions from viewers. But love it or hate it, the building can’t be ignored. Perforated metal panels create a skin that covers exposed structural elements, visible from inside the building’s walkways and interior spaces. At night, the
exterior panels open up to reveal windows. The south wall has a photovoltaic system capable of producing up to 5 percent of the building’s energy. Many of the building’s features are meant to evoke the state’s highway system, including the environmental art installation by Keith Sonnier in the outdoor lobby. The area consists of red and blue neon lights meant to suggest automobile
head and tail lights.

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
Architect: José Rafael Moneo
Opened: 2002
Address: 555 W. Temple Street
Features: A contemporary cathedral designed with virtually no right angles, this building breaks the mold of the classic European cathedral of the Middle Ages. And as the third largest cathedral in the world, the significance of this building is tied to more than just its architecture. It’s the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, serves more than 4 million Catholic worshippers and is the site of the Archbishop’s major liturgies. The exterior is sand-colored concrete, with an interior lit during the day by sunlight shining through thousands of alabaster panels. The large bronze doors by sculptor Robert Graham, the tapestries by artist John Nava and other works of art complete the building, making it well worth close inspection.

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Architect: Frank Gehry
Opened: 2003
Address: 111 S. Grand Avenue
Features: There aren’t many buildings in Los Angeles as recognizable as the Walt Disney Concert Hall at the Music Center. The stainless steel skin covers a framework of steel beams erected in the shape of billowing sails or flower petals, depending on your point of view. Inside, the building houses one of LA’s best concert venues, with an auditorium known as much for its
acoustics as its design.

U.S. Bank Tower (Library Tower)
Architect: I.M. Pei
Opened: 1989
Address: 633 W. Fifth Street
Features: The tallest building in the United States west of Chicago, this is one of LA’s most iconic pieces of architecture. With 1.3 million square feet, the U.S. Bank Tower is 73 stories tall and reaches a height of 1,018 feet. The design of the building features interlocking sets of granite planes and curves that step down in a series of terraces and ledges, creating a building that’s neither round nor square. A large glass “crown” on top of the building is illuminated at night, and in the lobby a giant mixed-media mural entitled Unity depicts the history of Los Angeles.

The Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) is now open at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The $56-million, three-story museum is the first new art museum built in LA since the world-famous Getty Center opened in 1997. Boasting 60,000 square feet of exhibition space, BCAM is one of the largest column-free art spaces in the U.S. BCAM’s opening installation includes works by such esteemed artists as Richard Serra, Jeff Koons, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The opening of BCAM marks the completion of LACMA’s first phase of a multi-year transformation to expand, upgrade and unify its six-building, 20-acre campus. Budgeted at $156 million, the first phase also features the completion of a 15,375-square-foot, glass-enclosed BP Grand Entrance Pavilion, a covered concourse linking the western and eastern sections of the one-third-mile-long campus and public artworks designed by internationally acclaimed artists. With the opening of BCAM, LACMA now leads the field in devoting a greater share of its space and programming to contemporary art than any other encyclopedic museum.
www.lacma.org

I’ve been getting a lot of great e-mails about my post yesterday with the map of Abbot Kinney. One comment specifically led me to a Web site titled: www.abbotkinneyonline.com.

I highly recommend visiting for a more in-depth look at this great community.

According to the Web site designer:

“Abbot Kinney Online provides visitors with an opportunity to see information for shops and restaurants on Abbot Kinney. The visitor then is easily able get to phone numbers and addresses, then click on the shop/restaurant website if they have a site. We have just about every store and restaurant on Abbot Kinney listed.”

In the early 1900s it was the posh summer playground for LA’s wealthy. By the 1960s it was mecca for the hippie movement. Today, Venice, CA wears its history proud and meshes well with today’s current trends. Beyond its famed Oceanfront Walk, where Muscle Beach meets tarot card readers and henna tattoos converge with distinctive artists of all backgrounds, there is a part of Venice that visitors will feel lucky to discover… Abbot Kinney Boulevard.

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Set to open Feb. 23, 2008, the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens will unveil the first phase of its new Chinese Garden. Phase I of the Summer Garden will include the lake and pavilions.

Known as the Garden of Flowing Fragrance, when completed, it will be the largest classical garden outside of China and one of the largest of the 14 specialized gardens at the Huntington. The garden will include a lake, tea house, pavilions and bridges set within a landscape of plants native to China — bamboo, canyon, pagoda, penjing (Chinese bonsai) and pine.

Upon completion, the Huntington’s Chinese Garden will include nine gardens — four seasonal and five special collection gardens. The $18-million project was designed and built by leading Chinese artists and artisans.

In Los Angeles you can partake in every type of outdoor sport imaginable — disco roller skating, anyone? In fact, it’s not a question of what you’re going to do in LA, but rather how much time you have to fit it all in. The options are endless, but your time isn’t. So plan your LA adventure well and leave knowing you gave it your all.

Hiking
Just a short drive from the city, you can trade in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood for the scenic tranquility of state, county and city parks. At Malibu Creek State Park you’ll find more than 15 miles of creekside trails weaving through coastal mountains filled with sycamore woodlands. Camping sites are available by reservation.

Runyon Canyon is a 130-acre urban wilderness located just minutes from Hollywood Boulevard. Hikers can either head up steep hills on well-marked trails or take a gradual approach on the park’s fire roads. Great views come with good-sized crowds and lots of dogs.

Located in the Pacific Palisades, Will Rogers State Historic Park is a 200-acre getaway that used to be Will Rogers’ private ranch. Today, there are several trails that climb up the hills where panoramic views of the city await. You’ll also find a polo field where matches are held regularly.

Skiing and Snowboarding
If you’re visiting LA in the winter, you might notice the snow-capped peaks visible from various locations around LA. Within a two-hour drive from Downtown, you can hit the slopes of Big Bear, Mt. Baldy and Mountain High for skiing and snowboarding action and then enjoy nearby shopping and dining before heading back to LA.

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Los Angeles is renowned for its sun, surf and celebrities, but its writers have spent the last hundred years giving readers different perspectives on the City of Angels.

Beloved literary icons such as Raymond Chandler, John Fante, Charles Bukowski, Joan Didion and Walter Mosley have all found ample material here to build engrossing narratives with LA on center stage.

Their characters populate the city with dynamic personalities, giving visitors a taste of suspense, mystery and a look into LA’s many faces. Find their works in one of many LA bookstores, then sit back and let these authors take you on a tour of their Los Angeles.

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-Keith Lin

Whether you’re getting on a board for the first time or you’re a seasoned rider searching for LA’s best breaks, there’s something for everyone. Beginners can learn how to surf with mellow, consistent waves, while experts can head toward the big stuff. No matter what level you’re at, you’ll want to check out these legendary LA surfing spots and dive into surf culture USA.

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-Keith Lin

L.A. LIVE, Downtown’s 27-acre entertainment, sports and residential district, anchored by NOKIA Theatre, STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center, will add to its list of completed projects in 2008. New restaurant openings include Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar; Katsuya, the ultra-hip sushi and robata bar; the Yard House restaurant and brew pub; New York-based Rosa Mexicano fine dining; ESPN Zone Restaurant and sports bar; a new Wolfgang Puck eatery at NOKIA Plaza; plus a Starbucks, a New Zealand Natural Ice Cream shop and a quick-service restaurant. In addition, the GRAMMY Museum will open in October as part of the GRAMMY Awards 50th anniversary year. The one-of-a-kind museum will include a 200-seat theatre and a rooftop terrace for up to 450 guests. Club NOKIA will open in 2008 with live performances and private events for up to 2,300 guests. The legendary Conga Room will relocate to L.A. LIVE and Lucky Strike Bowling Center will open 18 lanes, plus billiards, darts and private function rooms. NOKIA Theatre’s 2008 headliners include Willie Nelson, Aretha Franklin, Larry The Cable Guy, Juanes and The Moody Blues.

-Bill Karz