Los Angeles

15-6-2010(Tuesday) Las Vegas - Los Angeles - Hollywood - Anaheim
16-6-2010(Wednesday) Anaheim - Los Angles(Downtown) - Anaheim
17-6-2010(Thursday) Anaheim - LAX Airport
18-6-2010(Friday) LAX Airport - Narita Airport - Singapore Changi Airport
19-6-2010(Saturday) Singapore Changi Airport - Penang Bayan Lepas Airport

From the schedule we were spending two nights at Los Angles, but actually we were at Anaheim for two nights. If include the early two days, we were actually spending 4 days in Los Angeles, the city of Angels. But the city is actually not city of angels, it is the city with high crime, heavy traffic flow, pollution, high illegals.... but you still can enjoy the city if you apply common sense and be street smart...


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When you are talking about Los Angeles, are you talking about the county or the city?

What is the meaning of Los Angeles? Land of angels? The name given by the Chumash tribe of Native Americans for the area now known as Los Angeles translates to "the valley of smoke", because of the smog from native campfires. Today Los Angeles is suffered from sir pollution, mainly smog. So Los Angeles, the valley of smoke , the place is correctly named by the Red Indian natives.

Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County (incorporated as the County of Los Angeles) is a county in California and is the most populous county in the United States. Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau give an estimated 2009 population of 9,848,011 residents,while the California Department of Finance lists a January 1, 2009, estimate of 10,393,185. The county seat is the city of Los Angeles, the largest city in California and the second-largest city in the United States.

The county is home to 88 incorporated cities and many unincorporated areas. The southern portion is the most heavily urbanized area and is home to the vast majority of the population which lives along the Southern California coastline and the inland basins and valleys. The northern half is a large expanse of less-populated desert including the Santa Clarita Valley and the Antelope Valley, which encompasses the northeastern part of the county and is adjacent to Kern County. In between these portions of the county sit the San Gabriel Mountains and the vast wilderness known as the Angeles National Forest.

East: Eastside, San Gabriel Valley, Pomona Valley
West: Westside, Beach Cities
South: South Bay, Palos Verdes Peninsula, South Los Angeles, Gateway Cities
North: San Fernando Valley, portions of the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita Valley
Central: Downtown Los Angeles, Mid-Wilshire

The Greater Los Angeles Area

The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a popular term for the agglomeration of urbanized area around the county of Los Angeles, California, United States. The terms are not officially defined but are in common use in speech and writing to refer to the more-or-less continuously urbanized area stretching from Ventura or even Santa Barbara in the north to the southern border of Orange County, and from the Pacific Ocean to the Inland Empire. The Greater Los Angeles area is generally taken to include the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the Inland Empire, and the Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura area.The term "Greater Los Angeles" does not generally include San Diego and Imperial counties, whose urbanized areas are not geographically continuous with the urbanized area surrounding Los Angeles

Los Angeles City

Los Angeles, Spanish for "The Angels", is the second largest city in the United States, the largest city in the state of California and the Western United States, with a population of 3.83 million within its administrative limits on a land area of 498.3 square miles (1,290.6 km2). The urban area of Los Angeles extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of over 14.8 million, it is the 14th largest urban area in the world, affording it megacity status. The Los Angeles–Long Beach–Santa Ana metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is home to nearly 12.9 million residents while the broader Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside combined statistical area (CSA) contains nearly 17.8 million people. Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated and one of the most multicultural counties in the United States. The city's inhabitants are referred to as "Angelenos".

Los Angeles was founded on September 4, 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula (The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of the river of Porziuncola).[6] It became a part of Mexico in 1821, following its independence from Spain. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican-American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850, five months before California achieved statehood.

Often known by its initials, L.A., and nicknamed the City of Angels, Los Angeles is a world center of business, international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, technology, and education. It is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields, and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. In 2008, Los Angeles was named the world's eighth most economically powerful city by Forbes.com, third in the U.S. behind New York City and Chicago. The Los Angeles combined statistical area (CSA) has a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of $831 billion (as of 2008), making it the third largest economic center in the world, after the Greater Tokyo Area and the New York metropolitan area. As the home base of Hollywood, it is known as the "Entertainment Capital of the World", leading the world in the creation of motion pictures, television production, video games, and recorded music. The importance of the entertainment business to the city has led many celebrities to call Los Angeles and its surrounding suburbs home. Los Angeles hosted the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics.

These districts are a part of the city of Los Angeles. See also Los Angeles County for destinations in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

1. Downtown — The central business district of the city of Los Angeles, Downtown is also home to the city's Grand Avenue cultural corridor. Like many city centers, the advent of the automobile and freeways led to the neighborhood's slow decline. However, in recent years, the area has seen a booming revival led by new residential buildings, with trendy hotels, bars, shops and restaurants.
2. Eastside — A funkier area north of downtown and east of Hollywood that's rapidly gentrifying.
3. Harbor Area — Home of the largest sea port in the States, and the launching point for trips to Catalina Island.
4. Hollywood — The place where dreams are made. It has received quite a makeover in recent years, sparked by the construction of Hollywood & Highland and the return of the Academy Awards.
5. San Fernando Valley — The northern suburban portion of Los Angeles, lying in a valley northwest of downtown, containing various districts.
6. South Central — It's long had a reputation for gang violence and is famed for the Rodney King riots, but while it remains off most peoples radar, there are a handful of things to see and it's slowly working to repair its bruised image.
7. Westside — Generally more affluent area of town near the ocean
8. Wilshire — Home of the historic architecture of the Miracle Mile District, the Farmer's Market and The Grove shopping areas, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CBS Television City, and the famous La Brea Tar Pits.

Important landmarks in Los Angeles include Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Kodak Theatre, Griffith Observatory, Getty Center, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Sign, Hollywood Boulevard, Capitol Records Tower, Los Angeles City Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Theme Building, Watts Towers, Staples Center, Dodger Stadium, and La Placita Olvera/Olvera Street.

Transportation

Los Angeles' massive sprawl and dysfunctional public transportation make getting around rather frustrating, especially during weekends when service can be more erratic. The only rational way of getting around much of the city is to rent a car, in which case you'll get a crash course in the complex freeway system and, if you're "lucky," a taste of the notorious traffic jams. The underdeveloped rail system will only get you so far (although it does, fortunately, provide service to most of the main tourist areas). On the other hand Los Angeles' bus system is enormous and you should be able get wherever you need to by bus, provided you aren't terribly pressed for time.

Shopping

Los Angeles has a well-known, diverse and unique shopping traditions and destinations. Shopping malls will dominate your shopping trip as they are nearly inescapable in many of your destinations. For example, the Hollywood & Highland mall is a popular meeting point for those gazing at the Walk of Fame and Mann's Chinese Theater. Other malls you may bump into are the Grove (next to the Farmer's Market) and the Beverly Center, which is quite unlike other shopping malls as it is multilevel with a nice view of Los Angeles from its food court patio.

Lacking any significant public square, Los Angeles funnels its commercial life onto its streets. Among the most popular street is Larchmont Blvd. which caters to the wealthy elite of Hancock Park with one-of-a-kind boutiques. Melrose Avenue, especially in the West Hollywood portion, one-ups Larchmont Blvd. with celebrity presence.

Broadway in Downtown will take you out of the comforts of overly manicured shopping centers and drop you onto its chaos. With merchandise geared towards the city's millions of Latinos, twenty dollars would probably get you a new wardrobe. You will also find pirated DVD's and CD's. You can find a lot of brand name merchandise at discounted prices. Broadway once was the city's premier boulevard and looking up above the gritty flea markets and you would see the opulent theaters that defined luxury in early 20th-century Los Angeles.

For a similar experience in a less-polished but even livelier environment, try Alvarado Blvd around Wilshire & 6th in the Westlake District. This district, with a density that rivals Manhattan's, gives an insight to how most of working-class Los Angeles shops. Big deals can be found on a wide range of counterfeit goods, but don't stay too long after dark, when the neighborhood gets sketchy. Make sure to check out the art deco buildings that exist in between the makeshift warehouses (malls), as well as the Alvarado Terrace Park, surrounded by early century mansions.

For more upscale purchasing head to Beverly Hills to the world-famous Rodeo Drive, or the ever-growing chic-boutique strip of Melrose Ave between Crescent Heights & Robertson Ave in West Hollywood.

Crime and Security

The Greyhound terminal is at 1716 East 7th Street, near I-10 along South Alameda Street, south of the city's Downtown Arts District and east of the vast, notorious Skid Row district. Though a growing residential population in the area has brought increased safety and services, this neighborhood remains largely underdeveloped. Union Station, 800 N. Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90012. A historic downtown site and the main railway hub for the city. The area bounded by 3rd Street, 7th Street, Alameda Street and Main Street is often referred to as "Skid Row" or "the Nickel" and has one of the largest homeless populations in the United States. The Greyhound Station is located here, but the area is unsafe for pedestrians regardless of the time of day.

Crime in the city of Los Angeles has been a major problem in Southern California and a concern for Angelenos since the early 20th century. Crime is down 8% since 2006[1]. Los Angeles is informally known as the "Gang Capital of the Nation". South Los Angeles, more widely known as South Central Los Angeles is a notoriously dangerous region of the City of Los Angeles which has an extensive history of gang violence, as it gave birth to the Bloods, Crips, Hoover Criminals and other dangerous gangs. Also, a majority of gang wars in Los Angeles take place there, as well as racial violence between African-Americans and Latinos. A 2003 comparison of twin psychological studies by the Lancet and Rand corporations indicates that children in South Los Angeles are exhibiting greater levels of post-traumatic stress disorder than children of a similar age in Baghdad, the war-torn capital of Iraq."

Air pollution

Los Angeles is notorious for air pollution problems. However, air quality in the city has improved dramatically in recent decades, and Los Angeles has even fallen from its Number One position on lists of the worst air in the United States due to aggressive cleanup efforts on behalf of the state and regional air quality authorities. Generally, smog is worst during summer months and is worse further inland, away from the fresh ocean breezes. The name given by the Chumash tribe of Native Americans for the area now known as Los Angeles translates to "the valley of smoke". because of the smog from native campfires. Owing to geography, heavy reliance on automobiles, and the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex, Los Angeles suffers from air pollution in the form of smog. The Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley are susceptible to atmospheric inversion, which holds in the exhausts from road vehicles, airplanes, locomotives, shipping, manufacturing, and other sources.

Los Angeles Downtown



The central business district of the city of Los Angeles, Downtown is also home to the city's Grand Avenue cultural corridor. Like many city centers, the advent of the automobile and freeways led to the neighborhood's slow decline. However, in recent years, the area has seen a booming revival led by new residential buildings, with trendy hotels, bars, shops and restaurants.

The area's highlights include Grand Central Market, MOCA, Disney Concert Hall, The Music Center, Olvera Street, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, the Natural History Museum, and the Japanese-American Museum. Downtown is also home to some of the most unique and stunning examples of American and international architecture.

Getting around in Downtown
Downtown is probably the only part of L.A. that one can reasonably cover on foot. Metro Bus is the most extensive bus system in the region. All major streets have at least one (and in some cases, several) bus lines running daily. Base fare is $1.25 and an unlimited-use day pass costs $5. Both can be purchased on board any Metro bus. Metro Rail from the northern end of Downtown LA, the Gold Line stops at Chinatown on its way northeast to Pasadena. From Union Station, the Red and Purple Line subways run along Hill Street, making stops at the Civic Center and Pershing Square, before turning west under the Financial District. There they connect to the Blue Line light rail at 7th/Metro Center. From there the Red and Purple Lines run northwest and west, respectively, and the Blue Line runs south through Downtown LA's redeveloping South Park district, with a stop at Pico, towards the city of Long Beach.

1. Pershing Square
Between South Hill Street and South Olive Street, West 5th St and W 6th Street.

2. Los Angles Central Library
Located 630 West 5th Street. Huge library rebuilt in the '80s and '90s. Almost always has a public exhibition going. Nearby S Hope Street located Malaysian Consulate.

3. The Theater District. The Theater District along Broadway has been converted to discount jewelry, electronics and ethnic shops, but much of the architecture and the marquees remain

4. Jewelry District, Wonder where all of those West Coast Rappers get their bling bling? Well, if they are frugal, they get it in the Jewelry District. Bounded by Olive-Broadway and 6th-7th, it is conveniently close to Pershing Square (parking and Red line access).

5. Library Tower (US Bank Tower), 633 W. Fifth Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90071 (across Fifth Street from the downtown central library). At 73 floors and 1,017 feet, it is said to be the tallest building between Chicago and Hong Kong. Note to photographers: the Library Tower's security personnel will try to discourage you from taking pictures of this building. As long as you are standing on a public sidewalk you may legally take any picture you like in the United States. The building is just near the Los Angles Central Library

6. Union Station. No trip to downtown LA would be complete without a visit to Los Angeles's historic Train Station. The station was built in 1939 with a Spanish mission exterior. The large waiting room and restaurant appears like it would have looked like in the 1940's. They also use Union Station in lots of movies, including Blade Runner, where the main hall was used as the Police Station

7. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center (which is one of the three largest performing arts centers in the United States). The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The Pavilion has 3,197 seats spread over four tiers, with chandeliers, wide curving stairways and rich décor. The auditorium's sections are the Orchestra (divided in Premiere Orchestra, Center Orchestra, Main Orchestra and Orchestra Ring), Circle (divided in Grand Circle and Founders Circle), Loge (divide in Front Loge and Rear Loge), as well as Balcony (divided in Front Balcony and Rear Balcony).

8. Mark Taper Forum
135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012
The Mark Taper Forum opened in 1967 as part of the Los Angeles Music Center, the West Coast’s equivalent of Lincoln Center. The smallest of the three, the Taper sits between the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Ahmanson Theater at opposite ends of a plaza. The three buildings of the Music Center were designed by Los Angeles architect Welton Becket
The Mark Taper Forum is a 739 seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center built by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of downtown Los Angeles. Named for real estate developer Mark Taper, the theatre, the neighboring Ahmanson Theatre and the Kirk Douglas Theatre are all operated by the Center Theatre Group.

9. The Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves (among other purposes) as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Lillian Disney made an initial gift in 1987 to build a performance venue as a gift to the people of Los Angeles and a tribute to Walt Disney's devotion to the arts and the city. The Frank Gehry-designed building opened on October 23, 2003. Both the architecture by Frank Gehry and the acoustics of the concert hall (designed by Yasuhisa Toyota) were praised in contrast to its predecessor, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

After spending sometime in LA; we took a bus back to Anaheim. We went our way for the dinner at Anaheim downtown. After dinner, the kids go their way to Disneyland, the pass still can be used for another day. We went for a light stroll around the area, before call it a day to Red Lion Hotel. The kids however enjoyed their time until firework is over.

17-6-2010(Thursday) Anaheim - LAX Airport

United Airline customer service is not proactive to know customer problems. The counter staff may lack some knowledge on international travel. Lax Airport is very efficient, unlike Chicago airport, there was no long queuing for security check.

18-6-2010(Friday) LAX Airport - Narita Airport - Singapore Changi Airport

Again while on transits, the Japan airport security on boarding was over sensitive, despite earlier security check have been done, and this is only transit connection. They are efficient in their check but not effective in discharge their duty. Is the earlier check not effective? or is there any loophole in the airport where non-passenger can come in to the boarding place?... The United Airline staff however is very efficient, in guarding transit passengers to the boarding gate.

When we arrived at Changi airport, we have spicy Thai dinner at the airport, then went for shopping. The airport has TV showing world cup final, there are crowd watching the football match. Airport staff, government staff as well as tourists.

I find a mouse in Changi airport, the best airport in the world. What a joke.....

Where airport over the world can be so sensitive on security check, but can even let the airport free of pests....

What happen to the air travel, everyone seems to be a terrorist in this day; no common sense was exercised by the security. That caused a long queue in some airports..... Form over substance.... I hate the security check, I need to take off my cap, my belt, my waist belt, my shoes.....I am on holiday lah............

19-6-2010(Saturday) Singapore Changi Airport - Penang Bayan Lepas Airport

Home sweet home, finally arrived at Bayan Lepas Airport. I am really released for not to face any security check again....The first thing is to go for Char Koay Teow. Relax.....