Los Angeles neighborhood guide.

Los Angeles has it all: Hollywood legends and celebrity spotting. . . Beverly Hills shopping. . . sunny beaches. . . fine dining . . . funky bars, great theater and music - and more.

BEVERLY HILLS

Rodeo Drive is the heart of this glitzy destination. Every major designer in the world has a shop here. Every block features a cute café, elegant bistro like Maple Drive or chi chi bar such as Nick's Martini Bar. Grand hotels like the Peninsula Hotel, Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills Hotel and Beverly Hilton offer elegance - and the Hilton also has the famed Trader Vic's bar. Beverly Hills is home to the Television Museum , an excellent library, and is a short drive from Century City mall, where a dozen movie theaters and even more shopping and dining choices await.

BEVERLY CENTER/FAIRFAX DISTRICT/MELROSE AVENUE

East of Beverly Hills is a tightly populated urban enclave of funky shops on Melrose Avenue and Third Street, cute neighborhoods, mall shopping at the Beverly Center, a retro movie theater (the new Beverly Cinema), and the famed Farmer's Market, near CBS, where you can get produce, specialty candies and nuts, buy custom butchered meat, fish and chicken, visit three bars and choose from numerous affordable restaurants. The nearby Grove offers upscale shopping, a dancing musical fountain and a short trolley ride meant to evoke old Los Angeles.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

This is the working part of L.A. The heart of downtown features theater and concert venues including the Mark Taper Forum and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Nearby restaurants offer upscale dining before and after the theater. South of downtown is the Jewelry District, at Seventh Street, where competing diamond and gold wholesalers and retailers offer bargains. Staples Center is south, on Pico, home to the Lakers and Kings - and just east of Staples Center is the teeming garment district, in and around Olympic Boulevard and Santee Street. Stretching for many square blocks, this area offers wholesale bargains on designer and knock off goods - from leather jackets to shoes, bags and men's wear. The Musuem of Modern Art and the Neon Museum are also located downtown. An architectural walking tour of classic buildings is a popular choice.

HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD

Here's where you can check out the Walk of Fame, pick out your favorite legend's star, check out the footprints of the famous at the Chinese Theater, see the Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe or Not Museum, and see the Kodak Theater at Hollywood and Highland, where the Academy Awards are held each year. You can pick up tickets there for other attractions like the Universal Studios Tour, Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and even get free tickets to tv show tapings. American Cinematheque is a destination for old and offbeat movies. Hot spots like Les Deux Cafes, King King Bar and Club Lingerie offer music or dining.

MALIBU

Take the 10 highway west until you hit the sparkling sands of Santa Monica beach. Stay on the highway for another nine miles and you'll be in the heart of fabled Malibu. Enjoy the friendly people and the stunning homes. Head further north and you'll hit some great hidden public beaches.

SANTA MONICA

Heading west down Santa Monica Boulevard, along the Interstate 10 or on several main east-west streets like Pico and Wilshire will take you to the independent city of Santa Monica. You'll be able to tell you're not in L.A. any more. Strict building codes have kept skyscrapers out and charm in. The weather is cooler here, and the pace is more relaxed. Palisades Park offers miles of walking and a great ocean view, stretching from San Vicente Boulevard to the Santa Monica Pier. The Pier and ocean front boardwalk feature fishing, funky bars, bike and skate rentals for the bike path, and of course ocean swimming. Just three blocks up form the ocean is the Third Street Promenade, site of movies, restaurants and great shopping. The strong British immigrant contingent in Santa Monica makes for genuine pubs like the King's Head, King George V and (Kate Shilling's place?). Famous restaurants are here too; the Lobster pot, at the pier; Rebecca's and Ivy at the Shore, a few blocks north, and funky Chez Jay, an institution for more than 30 years, where you'll often be greeted by proprietor Jay himself. Hotels in Santa Monica are world class, including the Sheraton Miramar, Radisson, Shutters, the newly restored architectural landmark Casa Del Mar, and Leow's Hotel, site of the yearly American Film Market. If you're there on a Wednesday, check out the once-a-week farmer's market at 3rd and Arizona. Famous chefs buy their produce and ingredients here - it's regarded as a hot spot for foodies.

SUNSET BOULEVARD

This street runs has a gritty beginning near downtown L.A., in the hodge podge that is Silver Lake - part artist's enclave, part immigrant blue collar. It stretches through Hollywood and on the ocean, but along the way it turns into the famed Sunset Strip around Cahuenga. You can start a pub crawl at the Cat and Fiddle Pub, where musician spotting is expected and the outdoor garden is packed all summer, then move on to the heart of the strip, and hit the Sky Bar, House of Blues, Key Club, Billboard Live, Rainbow Room and other legendary night spots. Drive Sunset to the beach and you'll pass through the Beverly Hills mansion district, tony Bel Air, UCLA, Brentwood, the elegant Pacific Palisades neighborhood, and finally you hit the Pacific Ocean, and Gladstone's 4 Fish seafood restaurant.

WEST HOLLYWOOD

Just south of Sunset Boulevard is Santa Monica Boulevard, the main drag for the independent city of West Hollywood. It's a gay enclave with excellent restaurants, hopping bars catering to gay clientele, and even a few bars and music venues which bring partiers from all over the city. Belly is a relaxing, to-be-seen place which brings in all types; the Troubador hosts live music and talent showcases, while legendary restaurateur Dan Tana's restaurant is a great site for old school Italian and celebrity spotting. The nearby Palm Restaurant offers great Ceasar salad and steak with its celebrity spotting.

VENICE/MARINA DEL REY

Venice Beach is home to a long boardwalk bursting with vendors selling everything from art to CD's, restaurants, various street people and a 200 yard deep beach. Rent a bike and pedal north to the marina to watch the ships that go sailin'.... Afterwards visit the elegant Rose Café for lunch or dinner. Abbot Kinney, a quaint street through the middle of town, offers boutique shopping and fine dining.