LA has a number of visitors centers . The downtown one is at 685 S Figueroa St (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 8.30am-5pm; phone 213/689-8822, ); others, all open normal weekday working hours, are in Santa Monica at 1400 Ocean Ave (phone 310/393-7593, ); near Disneyland at 800 W Katella Ave (phone 714/999-8999, ); in Beverly Hills at 239 S Beverly drive (phone 310/248-1015, ); and in Hollywood at Janes House, 6541 Hollywood Blvd (phone 323/689-8822). All supply free local maps, but you'd do better to spend $2.95 on Gousha Publications' fully indexed Los Angeles CityMap, available from machines in visitors centers and hotel lobbies.

For general delivery/poste restante, use the main downtown post office at 760 N Main St (Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat 8am-4pm, pick up letters Mon-Fri 8am-3pm; zip code 90012; phone 1-800/275-8777).

LA
In Los Angeles are the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Museum of Contemporary Art; and historical, movie, industrial, and science museums. The large Music Center includes the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (1964), with four theaters housing the Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Opera, and Los Angeles Master Chorale; the Ahmanson Theater; the Mark Taper Forum; and, across Grand Ave., Frank Gehry 's Walt Disney Concert Hall (2003), home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Also downtown is the monumental Our Lady of the Angels cathedral (2002), designed by Raphavel Moneo. Los Angeles has botanical gardens and many parks, including Griffith Park, with a zoo and a planetarium. The La Brea Tar Pits are famous for Ice Age fossils. The motion-picture and television industries, the proximity of many resorts, theme parks, and beaches, and a climate that encourages year-round outdoor recreation attract millions of tourists annually. Other area attractions include the Santa Anita and Hollywood Park racetracks, Knott's Berry Farm, and Disneyland (at Anaheim). Among the city's many educational institutions are the Uni. of Southern California; the Uni. of California, Los Angeles; two California State Uni. campuses (Los Angeles and Northridge); Occidental College; Loyola Marymount Uni.; Pepperdine Uni.; and the Colburn School of Performing Arts.

In 1982 the Los Angeles area gained its second National Football League franchise (the other being the Rams) when the Oakland Raiders moved to the city. In 1995, however, the Rams moved to St. Louis, and the Raiders subsequently returned to Oakland, Calif., leaving the city without a professional football team. In baseball, the National League's Los Angeles Dodgers and the American League's Anaheim Angels represent the area. The metropolitan area also has two National Basketball Association teams (the Lakers and the Clippers) and two National Hockey League teams (the Kings and Anaheim's Mighty Ducks).

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Los Angeles travel guide

Los Angeles
The City
Arriving
Information
City transport
Public transportation
Major bus routes
Cycling
Eating
Eating Downtown
West LA eating
Hollywood eating
Disneyland eating
San Gabriel, San Fernando eating
Nightlife
Bars, pubs

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Los Angeles travel guide

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Cafes, restaurants
Nightlife

Anza-Borrego Desert
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Downtown and Coronado
Hillcrest, Ocean Beach, Point Loma
Mission bay, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, La Jolla

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