Aside from pinpointing locations out of our "cultural texts" for the city, this map is just a glimpse of the many interesting places LA has to offer. Where possible, the icons make some suggestion of the type of attraction at each location, e.g. a basetball for Staples Center, home of the LA Lakers and the Clippers and a camera for Chris Burden's Urban Light, the famous sculpture outside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Note: The point of view of the researcher is crucial here. As college students on a budget, we may find it difficult to go venture off anywhere we like in this giant of a city in our backyard. Other limitations like not having a car make it so when people ask us for recommendations on where to go when they visit, we might be able to mention but a few points of interest. I, for one, never even make it out to Venice Beach when taking the 1 or the 2 Big Blue Bus from Westwood -- the lure of shopping at the 3rd Street Promenade and beach volleyball in idyllic Santa Monica is too strong for my friends and me. 

The video above features some shots of Santa Monica juxtaposed against footage taken from around LA.

A sprawling metropolis known for its magnificent traffic jams, LA offers a manageable public transportation, but don't plan on getting anywhere too soon. As in, for a thirty minute trip by car, budget a few hours or so. Angelenos know better than to take the freeway during rush hour, and if they start to get anxious around three o'clock PM, you might imagine why. A sound knowledge of the side-streets (or at least, a very good GPS system) are crucial to have at your disposal when making your way around LA -- lest you see LA as you sit between bumpers.

By Samantha Ching

Photos from Wikimedia Commons