Los+Angeles

Los Angeles, California  **Part A: The Essential Guide to the Nation**   For Ms. Lindsay and her fiancée’s honeymoon, they will be traveling to Los Angeles, California in United States of America. U.S.A is the fourth largest country which consists of 50 states. United States of America is located between Mexico and Canada in North America. It is known for its great variety in terms of its physical environments as well as its people. In 2008, United States’ population was 305 146 000 and its area was 9 522 0552 sq km. There is no official language; however, English and Spanish are the most spoken languages.

Specifically, Los Angeles, California was founded on September 4, 1781 and is the second largest city in United Sates. The population in California was 36 756 666 in 2008 and covers about 410 858 sq km. In terms of the races of the people, 76.6% of California's population is white and 6.7% is black. Asians consists of 12.5% of the population and the remainder is split among Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders, American Indian and Alaska Natives, and people who have two or more races. For Los Angeles City in 2000, the population was 3 674 820. The county has inland valleys, a coastal plain that’s separated by low mountains, arcs of higher mountains, and a long seacoast. Almost half of the county is occupied by mountain chains that run from east to west. Within Los Angeles, there is a coastline with distinctive beaches. There are major waterways: Santa Clara River in the south and the San Gabriel River that rises from the San Gabriel Mountains. Although, many water ways in Los Angeles has been modified and changed by humans, there are now concrete channels. The main links are connected to Los Angeles Downtown core. There are many freeways that make it very hard to distinguish one area from another. Single-story residential areas, shopping areas, and malls swarm the city as well as commercial offices and cultural facilities. In order to travel around the city, a mass transit system was built. The Metropolitan Transportation and Authority built a subway in order to allow citizens to travel around the city without needing to travel by car and endure the major traffic jams on the freeways. They also offer citizens the choice of transit way buses and rail service, Metrolink, that links Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, and San Diego counties. The Los Angeles International Airport, also called LAX, is one of the largest airports that provide another way of transportation. Los Angeles also has major harbours, due its close proximity to water, they import and export major items such as jet fuel, steel, footwear, and lumber which contributes to generating revenue for the country.

The climate in Los Angeles is classified as semiarid and the temperatures vary depending on location. The region typically has two seasons where one is dry and the other is wet and their annual precipitation is about 15 inches. A major issue that the city has is the smog. The air quality for Los Angeles was and still is a concerning problem for citizens and tourists. For Los Angeles County, the percentages for races are similar to California’s however; there are less white persons and more black persons and Asians. As for the religions in Los Angeles, California, 58.08% of the people are religious and 39.99% are Catholic and the remainder of the population that are religious are Protestant, LDS, Baptist, Jewish, Other Christian, Islam, Presbyterian, and many more. Los Angeles is very diverse in terms of culture. Since Hollywood is located in Los Angeles, the city is thought of as the centre of motion picture industry. It is a man made culture as it is very commercialized and westernized. There are 54 film festivals annually, and more than 1 000 musical, theatre, dance, and performing groups. This city has 841 museums and art galleries including the Getty Center and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.



**Part B: The Essential Guide to the City**  The cultures in Los Angeles vary depending on the specific neighbourhoods as the entire city is known as being multicultural. Within Los Angeles, there are different areas that portray a certain culture. They are well known amongst foreigners and are recognized as being able to offer memorable experiences. Specifically, there are districts that concentrate on the Chinese and Korean cultures in the city. Chinatown and Koreatown are two of the many famous cultural neighbourhoods.

Chinatown is located in the northeast corner of downtown Los Angeles. It offers tourists and citizens with restaurants that sell dim sum, noodles, Peking duck, as well as clothing stores, museums, and music stores that revolve around the Chinese culture. Chinatown was relocated in 1938 and a China City was made only a few blocks away where the two Chinese areas were known as rivals. During that time, China City offered rides for tourists and many curio stores that employed Chinese merchants in costume. The Chinese children also played a role as peasants in order to portray and deliver the full Chinese experience. However, in the 1950’s China City was forced to close down due to two fires. Today, there is only Chinatown; nevertheless, still offers tourists a cultural experience as there are museums that educate people about the history of their wars as well as the World War II era Grand Star Chinese Restaurant and one of Central Plaza’s first gift shops, K.G. Louie Company. In addition, they still offer various galleries, clothing boutiques, and wholesale marketplaces that sell fresh fruits to this day that allow tourists to gain knowledge of the Chinese culture. Specifically, Chinese clothing is sometimes referred to as hanfu. Women typically wore a traditional Chinese academic dress and depending on one's status, each social class had a different dress. Most Chinese men wore Chinese black cotton shoes, but wealthier and higher class people wore tough black leather shoes on formal occasions. Very rich and wealthy men would wear bright silk shoes sometimes having leather on the inside. Women would wear bright, silk coated Lotus shoes. Chinatown also has its specific landmarks such as the Gate of Filial Piety, the five-tiered pagoda that attracts visitors as well as movie directors to feature Chinatown’s features, history, architecture, food, and cultural traditions. It typically holds its annual lantern festival which is a traditional village street fair and exhibits its lantern displays, stage performances, workshops that showcase Chinese traditional arts and crafts.

Another area that is famous is Koreatown. They offer many opportunities and festivals for tourists to also fully experience the Korean culture. Koreatown is located in the midtown section of the city. It has grocery stores, restaurants that sell kimchi, barbershops, hardware stores, travel agencies, and gas stations. The stores are remodeled in order to exemplify the Korean style architecture. They also hold an annual Koreatown Festival where parades with drill teams, marching band, floats, food fairs and street dancing take place. They often play traditional Korean folk music. That type of music is varied and complicated; however, the basic form follows a set of rhythms and melodic modes. In addition, they also have the Thal Mah Sah Buddhist Temple that allows people to meditate and pray before Buddha. Other than the specific concentrated cultural areas, Los Angeles is a very multicultural city with various events that celebrate many cultures by displaying foods, traditions, and music every day.

Since Los Angeles is located in United States of America, the currency in the United States is different from Canada where $1.00 USD is $1.052064 CAD. During their stay in Los Angeles, it is essential to have basic knowledge of the city. California follows the Pacific Time Zone and their state taxes are at 8.25% and their local taxes can be an additional 1.5%. In case of an emergency, the emergency assistance number is the same as Toronto’s which is 911. The climate in Los Angeles is about 12º C - 22º C or 71º F - 54º F during this time of year. Another important factor to understand and acknowledge is that one must complete customs and immigrations paperwork when arriving to the U.S. Also, for transportation, the couple can board a train or a bus for only $17 for one weekly pass. In addition, if any problems were to occur, the couple could reach the Hollywood & Highland Center where the staff can answer any questions or concerns that tourists may have. They are located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. and can be called at 323.467.6412. For Ms. Lindsay and her fiancée to enjoy their stay at Los Angeles, they need to ensure their safety and fully understand the rules and boundaries of the country in order to be able to enjoy themselves.



** Part C: Itinerary **  __ Before Landing __ The two psycho-centric couple will embark on an exciting and memorable journey to Los Angeles, California for their honeymoon; however, in order to do so, Ms. Lindsay and her fiancée will require a way of transportation. They will fly by airplane from Toronto, Ontario to Los Angeles, California. Their direct flight, AC791, leaves at 9:20 am on April 7 and arrives at Los Angeles at 11:45 am. On their way back, they will be boarding Air Canada again, AC790, on April 14 at 8:00 and arriving at 15:36 in Toronto. The flight costs $199 CAD one way per person, totaling it to $1044.28 CAD for a round trip for two people. The couple will be staying at Ramada Plaza Hotel located at 5250 W El Segundo Blvd Hawthorne, CA from April 7 to April 14. It is $56.91 CAD per night which totals to $461.51 CAD for the entire week. This will include 1 One king size bed, cable television service, phone, high-speed internet access, and much more. 

__ Day 1 __ <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Once they arrive, Ms. Lindsay and her fiancée will make their way to Ramada Plaza Hotel and check in. After settling in, they will attend a 45-minute Garden Tour at the Getty Center at 2:30pm free of charge. After, Ms. Lindsay and her fiancée can relax at the Huntington Beach, which is a 40 minute drive from their hotel, for a couple of hours and eventually attend a Hairspray Performance at 7:30 pm which costs $35 per ticket and totals to $77 tax included. The couple will then return to their hotel for the night.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">__ Day 2 __ <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> The next day, Ms. Lindsay and her fiancée will go to the Kodak theatre at 10:30 am for a tour that will last 30 minutes which will cost $35.80 for both, then approach the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum which costs $7 per person. Later, they will go the Griffith Observatory from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, free of charge and end the day by shopping on West Third Street with about a $700 allowance. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> __ Day 3 __ <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> On day three, Ms. Lindsay and her fiancée will go to the Sports Museum of Los Angeles at 11 am for $17.50 for each ticket. Following, they will go to Hollywood & Highland Center shopping mall until 5 pm. Then, they will go to Olvera Street to observe the historic buildings that have a traditional Mexican style until 8 pm and return back to their hotel. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">__ Day 4 __ <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> On the fourth day, they will shop on La Brea Avenue with a $700 allowance and then attend a Gala Dinner and Silent Auction at the National Museum at 5:30 pm located at Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, free of charge until the time they wish to leave. The couple will then depart from the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel and arrive back at their hotel.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">__ Day 5 __ <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> On the fifth day, the couple will go to the Lakers vs. Portland Basketball game at 12:30 pm that costs $258.75 per ticket, totaling it to $524.40. Next, they will go to the Hollywood Wax Museum which costs $32.90 for both tickets at 4 pm. Afterwards, they will attend an exhibition of Diana Thater: Between Science and Magic from 7 pm to 9 pm which costs $100 per ticket. After, they will return back to their hotel for the night. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">__ Day 6 __ <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> On the 12th, the couple will go to Charles Long: 100 Pounds of Clay at Orange County Museum of Art for $10 per person until 2 pm. Then they will go to Bergamot station to see the largest at gallery in California for $5 per person. At 5 pm, they will go to Koreatown Galleria to experience a cultural shopping trip with a $300 allowance for the remainder of the day.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">__ Day 7 __ <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> On the 13th, the couple will attend a Hollywood Tour from 9 am to 1 pm that costs $59 per person, following, a walk on Venice Ocean Front Walk to observe the architecture. After, they will go to Yard House at L.A LIVE then go to L.A. LIVE to end the day. __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Before Boarding __ The last day, they will pack their belongings and check out of the hotel to prepare to leave Los Angeles to return to Toronto where their flight leaves at 8:00 and arrives at 15:36 which will conclude their honeymoon. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">