On September 4, 1781, 11 families - 44 people, including 26 blacks - walked out of Mission San Gabriel Arcangel to establish a community closer to the harbor. That village, El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles (The Town of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angel), was to become the City of Los Angeles. The Mission San Gabriel Arcangel is still here and you can visit it. The old and the new blend well in Los Angeles. It is the largest city in the state and the second-largest in the nation, and it is California's business and commercial center as well. But overall, the region is most famous perhaps for being the "heartland" of the nation's entertainment industry, a place where fact and fancy blend into one ... and every reel has a happy ending. All of the surrounding communities are explored - Pacific Palisades, Redondo Beach, Venice, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Canoga Park, Malibu, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Pomona, San Marino, and more. For each one, downtown Los Angeles included, the authors detail the things you should see, the adventures you can discover, the unforgettable places to eat, the most luxurious and the most affordable places to stay. Where to take in a baseball game, rollerblade the boardwalks, browse an art festival, people watch at the beach, sport fish near offshore islands or see world-class performances by street entertainers. This guide explores the region fully, with an emphasis on outdoor activities, from golf and birdwatching to wine tours, watersports and hiking. Touring chapters take you to all the well-known sights, and then lead you off to unusual attractions that will amuse and delight you. Accommodation sections cover all, from camping to B & Bs to historical houses, like Elvis's vacation home, available for rent. Restaurants and cafes are chosen for their charm and impressive cuisine. Often, doing something that you've done a dozen times before, but doing it in a different place, at a different time, or with a different person can make all the difference. Under the right circumstances, even the routine can become an adventure. Everything in life is an adventure. At least, it is the first time you experience it. Every sight, every sound, every scent, every taste, every sensation is an adventure that once. Why? Because it is a discovery . And every new discovery is an adventure. So, the authors dedicate this book to discovery: to experiencing new places, new people, new activities, new sensations, but above all, to discovering new dimensions within ourselves.