The metro area of Los Angeles is roughly 1200 square kilometers. Paris would fit ca. 11 times inside! Around 4 million people live in the city.

Not-too-busy Vine Street. If there's no rush hour, the streets of LA are pretty quiet. In the background you can see a part of Mount Lee, famous for its Hollywood sign.

Night clubs are deep asleep on a Saturday “late” morning.

Some clubs even look abandoned.

The Capitol Records in the back which mastered the Eagles, the Beach Boys, mary J. Blige, Katy Perry, etc.

The city of Beverly Hills is located west of Los Angeles between LA and the Pacific Ocean.

One of the posh areas of LA is Beverly Hills in the north-west part of the city.

Most of Beverly Hills seems rather quiet. I didn’t see any celebrities. (Or rather: no celebrities saw me!)

Contrary to West Hollywood, Beverly Hills looks tidy and clean.

The famous Beverly Hills Hotel (and Bungalows). The last time the prices were checked, a room was allocated for 680 EUR/night. What a bargain! The hotel is currently being boycotted by several celebrities. Its owner is the Brunei Investment Agency, part of the Kingdom of Brunei, which is about to imply a law that would allow the killing of LGBTQ people in Brunei.

What a sweet park. It is directly opposite the Beverly Hills Hotel and named after the US actor Will Rogers. The park was built in 1912.

.... Some Hollywood movies were shot here (among others Laurel & Hardy). In 1998 George Michael was arrested in the public bathroom of the park (right) for "lewd acts".

..... was built in 1931 and is probably known from the movie "Beverly Hills Cop 3" with Eddie Murphy. The building was used as a police station by LA. The actual PD of Beverly Hills is right next door.

… was designed by Frank Gehry. The building was errected in 2003. There was some controversy back in the days because apparently it was too… fancy.

The building costs around 130 million USD. The auditorium offers space for more than 2000 spectators.

The building is featured in many Hollywood movies due to its unique shape: Iron man, Furious 7, Face/Off, etc. It looks quite similar to other buildings by Gehry like the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain or the The New Zollhof in Düsseldorf, Germany.

A view to Los Angeles from the Griffith Observatory (left). The entry to the observatory is free as of Griffith J. Griffith’s will (A Welsh philanthropist who tried killing his wife) since 1935. A DASH bus drives up all day long for just $0.35.

The view from the observatory to the LA subway area is stunning. You can also see the Hollywood sign on Mt Lee (which is unfortunately not lit at night!).

It is also possible to hike all the way up to the observatory and back. There are a few hiking paths leading to the top.

The Pantages Theatre in downtown West Hollywood (Vine Street) was built in 1930. It hosted prenty of concerts, performances and movies throughout the years. It’s also used as a shooting locations for movies and music videos.

The Hollywood/Highling metro station is quite themed: The walls are covered with old movie reels. The stop is the direct access to the Oscars: ironically the metro station is closed due to security reasons while the Oscars ceremony is ongoing.

South of Los Angeles Internation Airport (LAX) you will find Manhattan Beach: A lovely place to have a walk. The place is featured in the movie “Point Break” with Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves.

The beach is nice for surfing, too.

… or even beach volleyball. The pier is also a Walk of Fame for Volleyball.

Watch out for naughty seagulls! Some are hungry and don't mind stealing people's food!

The pier is around 200 m and the view of the sunset is lovely.

The area has some nice and quiet neighborhoods and has nice views to the Pacific Ocean.

If walking along the beach makes you tired, lunch options are available at the beach or along the waterfront boulevard.

Los Angeles offers some great climate in February: the winter is chilly but mild.

The Walk Of Fame is maintained by the Hollywood Historic Trust and administered by Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

… features thousands of Stars dedicated to people, organizations, fictional characters, movies, dedicated to showbiz (there’s also a joined Star Of Fame dedicated to the Apollo 11 Mission). Technically you can purchase one for yourself if you’re in the Hollywood Biz. The cost is approximatelly 30.000 USD. The artist must be present at the ceremony.

The boardwalk in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre (The Oscars venue) is quite uneven. That’s because of the landmark in front of it: dozens of footprints by Jackie Chan, John Woo, Tom Hanks, VIn DIesel, etc. are covering the entrance of the theatre.

LA never sleeps.

Crime in LA is quite high. Most wealthy houses are with high fences.

A night in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is always moving and breathing. Even though some areas are much more quiet than others.

Because of several controversies this year’s Oscar ceremony didn’t have a host.

… exists since 1929. The first Oscars ceremony was in May 1929 and was a private party that lasted around 15 minutes. The entrance fee was less than 80 USD (today’s value).

In the center you see the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church.

A nice mixture of high fences and “No trespassing” signs! Nevertheless clean and quiet.

A unique way of advertising. Using flying transparents was soooo 2018. Realtime writing in the sky is in!

is the "home" of LA's most famous landmark: the Hollywood sign. From its creation in 1923 to 1949, it was HOLLYWOODLAND (an advertisement for a local housing project), but was converted to HOLLYWOOD in 1949. The sign flashed and was lit at night. Several searchlights would highlight the effect at night. The lighting disappeared over time. Today the sign is dark at night.

The sign itself is not accessible due to the LA communication center above it. But there are many hiking trails around and in the vicinity.

If you are fit enough and enjoy hiking, you may like LA and Mount Lee: the area has many hiking trails and the view of the towns below is breathtaking.

Los Angeles Airport consists of 9 (nine!) terminals. Tom Bradley International Terminal is one of them: opened in 1984 for the summer Olympics and named after LA’s longest-serving mayor Tom Bradley, a Black American. In 2013 the terminal has undergone a major overhaul. If you are flying out of the USA you’re probably flying from this terminal.

Los Angeles Airport (LAX) is know for its famous Theme Building that was built in 1961. It’s a UFO that has just landed on its legs. The building has a restaurant with a nice view to the airport.