Secret Los Angeles: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

Book excerpt: To the untrained eye, Los Angeles may seem like a spectacle of glitz and glamour, freeways and traffic snarls. But beneath those superficial impressions hides a richly complex and diverse city teeming with quirky art, dazzling buildings, hidden histories, strange spectacles, and inspiring cultural landmarks. Secret Los Angeles guides you to the hidden gems that make the city and surrounding county truly sparkle. Discover the story behind the featherbrained “Statue of Liberty of L.A.” and the butterflies of an abandoned oceanside neighborhood. Stroll along the other walks of fame and drive along a musical road. Explore a historic movie palace hidden in the Jewelry District and find the inspiration for Disneyland nestled within Griffith Park. Find the secretive locations of Prohibition-era speakeasies and sip top-notch booze at a Willy Wonka-like distillery. Experience a reenactment of the Great Los Angeles Air Raid and uncover the history of Central Avenue’s jazz legacy. Local author Danny Jensen directs you to under-the-radar destinations that are often overlooked, even by locals, yet offer fascinating insight into a place that captures so many people’s imagination. Whether you’ve recently arrived or lived here all your life, this book will help you see and understand L.A. in a completely new way and inspire you to explore further.