Travel bookshelf: a top-flight new guide for L.A. locals

Nobody asked me, but I have a gift recommendation for everybody who thinks they know Los Angeles well.

It’s a new guidebook: “Los Angeles Attractions,” by Borislav Stanic (Museon Publishing, $24.95).

Don’t let the drab title deceive you.

Since it landed on my desk some weeks ago, I’ve been dipping into this 512-page first edition, looking for flaws. But the time has come to acknowledge that this book, published this year, is a gem, jam-packed with photos (1,770 of them) and maps (40) and details that reach beyond the usual guidebook fare.

Some tidbits:

Dorothy Dandridge’s death site (El Palacio Apartments on Fountain Avenue in West Hollywood).

The rise and fall of the streetcar system.

Homes of the stars.

The TV star who died of a heart attack on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (William Frawley, 1966).

Wonders of modernist architecture.

Madonna’s former home near Beachwood Canyon.

The revolving cocktail lounge on top of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel downtown.

They’re all here, along with the more usual suspects, on glossy paper between sturdy, soft covers.

So what’s not here? Hotel and restaurant guidance.

The author pays plenty of attention to architecturally significant buildings, which include many hotels and restaurants, but he dispenses with eatery and lodging listings in a dozen pages at the end of the book.

(Conversely, Los Angeles history, lifestyles and culture get 98 pages upfront.)

So this is not the place to turn for advice on where to stay or eat. It’s where to turn for advice on everything to do in between eating and sleeping. Great for locals and veteran visitors, perhaps not so great for newcomers.

But how many of us are newcomers, anyway?

After seeing so many versions of the Los Angeles 101 course from all the usual guidebook series suspects, it’s nice to see an upper-division approach to the city from an independent.

– Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times staff writer

[image: Museon Publishing]

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 12, 2008 at 4:49 pm by Christopher Reynolds and is filed under Book Reviews, California, Celebrity, Los Angeles, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.