California Institute of Technology

Balboa Island... where the cats are fat and lazy, the yachts are shiny and grand, the houses are quaint and enchanting, and the living is creative and carefree. Don't be alarmed if you can't decide whether to go boating, biking, shopping, or lounging. Don't be shocked when you can't choose between mouth-watering Mandarin, spicy Italian, premium prime-rib, or good ol' broiled burgers. (Bring plenty of bucks.)

In the heart of the Fairfax district, Canter's serves up traditional Jewish deli food 24 hours a day. Nearby attractions include CBS television studio; LA County Museum of Art; the original Farmer's Market; The Grove shopping/dining/theater complex; and, on 3rd Street, a variety of antique shops.

Located in Newport Beach, this is one of Southern California's fanciest malls, with some 200 stores, 40 restaurants, and two cinemas with more than a dozen screens. There are fountains, a koi pond, sidewalk carts--even a Venetian-themed carousel.

As you might deduce from the name, this is a place for people who like meat. It's reputed to have one of the tastiest Southern-style breakfasts in Orange County (offerings include buttermilk biscuits, fried catfish and eggs, barbecued pork, chicken-fried steak, grits, country ham, and smokehouse bacon). If you don't want to drive to the OC, there are satellite Smokehouses in Bellflower and Long Beach.

Explore downtown Pine Avenue for curiosities at stores brimming with the latest and greatest. Then treasure hunt in 4th Street funky collection of vintage boutiques. Belmont Shore Second Street offers more options for the casual shopper at stores filled with unique gifts, the latest fashions, and some of the hippest furniture in LA.

A good Thai restaurant that's very popular with Techers (probably because they deliver to campus). The atmosphere is friendly, the prices reasonable, and the selection of dishes (for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike) fairly broad.

The stretch of shops and boutiques on Rodeo Drive is only three blocks long. It begins at Wilshire Boulevard on the south, and runs north to Santa Monica Boulevard, where the commercial section of the street gives way to an affluent residential neighborhood. But those three short blocks constitute the most famous (and possibly most expensive) shopping district in America.

Third Street Promenade is an open-air pedestrian street several blocks long, where an international mix of people enjoy an eclectic blend of restaurants, retail shops, movie theatres, and nightclubs.

Not just another shopping mall, Universal's City Walk is a synthetic city street, with all the glitz and excitement of an actual urban boulevard, but none of the 'problems:' no carjackers, no panhandlers, no grime, no graffiti, no hookers, no muggers. Best of all, there's no mall roof to block out the sunny skies or nighttime stars.

You will know you're there by the large V sculpture that beckons visitors. Well known for its artists, street performers, and funky atmosphere, Venice Beach is a year-round virtual carnival with free admission. (Be sure to look for the guy who juggles chain saws.)

Descanso Gardens, a 165-acre oasis in La Canada Flintridge, is flanked on the north by the San Gabriel Mountains and on the south by the San Rafael Hills. It harbors several distinct floral gardens (e.g., roses, camellias, ferns, and, in the spring, tulips) and a small lake that's a stopover for all sorts of migratory birds.

Built by Dodger owner Walter O'Malley in Chavez Ravine, overlooking downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium was the last baseball stadium constructed with team capital, and is one of the few modern stadiums to retain some of the atmosphere of smaller classic ballparks.

The park contains an amazing variety of attractions and recreational facilities, including Griffith Observatory, the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage, the Los Angeles Zoo, Travel Town, an old and very cool merry-go-round, wilderness areas, and hiking trails. A bird sanctuary on Vermont Canyon Road provides glimpses of many species in their natural habitat.

Spend your day in a lush garden or sit by a waterfall while the resident peacocks unfold their colorful feathers (and shriek like hungry babies). Visit the tropical greenhouse or take a tram ride through the 127-acre garden with plant and tree life from around the world.

Southern California's largest equestrian center offers boarding stalls, training rings, a restaurant/bar, banquet facilities, conference/meeting rooms, indoor and outdoor show arenas, grass fields, a riding academy, award-winning trainers, livery/rental stables, and retail gift, supply, and tack shops.

The L.A. Zoo is home to more than 1,200 mammals, birds, and reptiles from around the world, including rare and endangered species.

In an era of megaresorts, an authentic ski-and-hiking hill like Mt. Baldy, with its relaxed pace, family-friendly atmosphere, and down-to-basics simplicity, is a refreshing change.

The San Gabriel Mountains are among the most visited places in the United States. The Mountains comprise the entire Angeles National Forest and the portion of the San Bernardino National Forest west of Cajon Pass. The Angeles National Forest has more than 30 million visitors per year, more than any other National Forest.

Founded in the early 1950's, Travel Town was conceived of as a "hands-on" environment where children and adults alike could experience real-life railroading. The museum boasts one of the largest collection of steam locomotives in the western United States, and features an outstanding collection of vintage passenger freight cars.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, designed by Jose Rafael Moneo, has become a significant religious, cultural, and architectual attraction in downtown L.A. since its completion in September 2002. Especially impressive are the massive bronze doors (and, above them, the statue of Mary) designed by sculptor Robert Graham; the saint tapestries by John Nava; and the structure's many alabaster windows. The cathedral complex also includes a gift shop/bookstore and a cafe.

The centerpiece of this 110-acre complex is the Getty Museum and its collections of pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, decorative arts and European and American photographs.

Seating 18,000, the Bowl is the summer host to concerts by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, as well as a variety of jazz artists. Take a picnic dinner and relax under the stars.

Little Tokyo, the social, cultural, and economic center of Southern California's Japanese American community, encompasses the area between First and Third Streets and Main and Alameda Streets in downtown L.A. Lots of restaurants and shops (including the huge and wonderful Kinokuniya Bookstore and the amazing Mitsuwa Marketplace grocery store), and a couple of Buddhist temples as well.

LACMA is a six-building complex housing paintings, sculpture, costumes, textiles and decorative art from around the world. The collections comprise more than 110,000 works and span the history of art from ancient times to the present.

The Museum of Tolerance has interactive exhibits about racism and prejudice in America. Using films, reconstructions, photographs and artifacts, a major installation depicts the history of the Holocaust.

The Museum contains detailed habitats of African, North American and exotic mammals. Exhibits include birds, insects and marine life; displays of dinosaurs and prehistoric fossils; a mineral collection; a cut gemstone collection; Megamouth, said to be the world's rarest shark; and the Hall of Native American Cultures.

One of the oldest streets in Los Angeles, it was revitalized in 1930 as a Mexican marketplace. Sidewalk shops and stalls sell Mexican handicrafts; restaurants serve authentic Mexican dishes. Across the street from Union Station, L.A.'s hub of rail transport.

The Museum contains exhibits dedicated to the history of the automobile and includes a full-scale reproduction of scenes and buildings that marked important milestones in the development of the motor car and Los Angeles.

The Queen Mary, one of the largest passenger liners ever built, is permanently moored in Long Beach Harbor. A self-guilding tour includes the bridge, officers' quarters, engine rooms, isolation wards and upper decks. Guided tours take visitors behind the scenes to areas usually inaccessible to the public.

Take a journey of discovery through the world's largest ocean at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Meet more than 12,000 animals as you explore sunny Southern California and Baja, the frigid waters of the North Pacific, and the colorful reefs of the Tropical Pacific.

Located in Anaheim, the Disneyland Resort consists of two theme parks, Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, plus various hotels. The parks contain dozens of rides and attractions, shops, and restaurants. Check out the Disney Resort website before you go--sometimes you can save money by buying tickets ahead of time online.

Part of the Music Center complex, this grand building presented the L.A. Philharmonic for nearly 40 years and hosted the Academy Awards 25 times. The pavilion is now home to the Los Angeles Opera.

A state-of-the-art motorsports/entertainment event facility that features 6,500 comfortable seats, twin paved oval race tracks (banked 1/2 and 1/3 mile), great sound and lighting systems, paved parking for over 3,000 cars, and convenient snack bars.

Each June for the last 16 years the Los Angeles Conservancy has been presenting classic films in the historic theaters of Broadway. In a time when most movies are viewed on television screens or in the unremarkable box-like spaces of the multiplex, an evening of film in one of Broadway's opulent entertainment palaces has a magic that transports viewers to another time, another place--as movies were intended to do.

A horse-racing venue since 1934, Santa Anita was the site of Seabiscuit's last race in 1939 and was used as an army base during World War II. Visitors can stroll through the manicured Paddock Gardens or take an early morning "behind-the-scenes" stable tour (weekends only). Early birds who want to watch the horses train for upcoming races can get a great view from the "Clocker's Corner." The action here starts as early as 5 a.m. (luckily, breakfast is available in the trackside café).

Six Flags Magic Mountain is a 260-acre entertainment complex with more than 100 rides, shows, games and attractions. Highlights of the park are its 15 rollercoasters and thrill rides, which include Goliath--a metal coaster that sends riders plunging downhill at 85 mph into the total darkness of a 120-foot-long underground tunnel--and Viper, a coaster with an initial drop of 188 feet, vertical loops, a corkscrew, and a boomerang turn.

Running between Crescent Heights Blvd on the east and Doheny Drive on the west, the Sunset Strip is home to some of L.A.'s best-known rock clubs, restaurants, boutiques, and Hollywood nightspots.

At The Comedy Store, visitors can experience comedy in its purest form seven days a week. The club is a three-room home away from home for some of the hottest new comedians in the country, as well as a pit stop for most of the well-known comedians of our time.

Universal Studios takes visitors behind the scenes of a major movie studio and theme park. A narrated 45-minute tram tour shows where and how movies are made; visitors see props, sound stages, demonstrations of special effects, and sets from such films as "The Grinch." There are also rides, shopping, and restaurants.

The undulating forms of this architecturally fascinating building, designed by L.A. architect Frank Gehry, contain no 90-degree angles. The hall is now the new home for the L.A. Philharmonic.