Living in LA

CLIMATE

Los Angeles weather has been called "unpredictably predictable." Daytime temperatures range from the upper 70s to the low 80s in the summer and from the upper 60s to the low 70s in winter. Mornings are cloudy, giving way to sunny afternoons and pleasantly cool evenings. Prevailing winds usually blow from the ocean toward the northeast.

Winter is the rainy season. At almost any time of year, however, "Santa Ana" conditions can occur: a high pressure area forms over the desert to the north and east of the city and causes dry air to blow toward the ocean. Santa Ana temperatures can reach the 90s, even in mid-winter, but it's a dry heat and creates days of unparalleled beauty with visibility for hundreds of miles.

The city's location, pinned between the mountains and the ocean, sometimes promotes the formation of an" inversion layer", which can trap natural haze as well as air pollution beneath it, creating smog. Strict environmental controls have worked wonders in recent years, however, and visitors to the West Side commonly remark on how clean the air is.

FILM

Westwood Village is a favorite site for film premieres. It has eight movie theaters within walking distance of campus. All give student discounts. For classic and art films and festivals see:

  • American Cinematheque: Lloyd E. Rigler Theater at the Egyptian, Hollywood (323) 466-FILM
  • Director's Guild
  • Goethe Institute
  • James Bridges Theater, Melnitz Hall (on campus) (310) 26-FILM or www.cinema.ucla.edu
  • L.A. County Museum of Art (Bing Theater) has a variety of film series, usually American classics. 5905 Wilshire Blvd. www.lacma.org
  • New Beverly Cinema: double bill for $4.00 with student I.D. 7165 Beverly Blvd.
  • Nuart Theater: 11272 Santa Monica Blvd.

MUSEUMS

  • The Getty Center: free admission. 1200 Getty Center Drive. Call for parking reservations (310-440-7300) or take the bus.
  • L.A. County Museum of Art: $7.00 general admission/$5.00 for students. Free the second Tuesday of every month. 5905 Wilshire Blvd. (213) 857-6000.
  • Huntington Library Museum and Gardens. 1151 Oxford St. San Marino. (626) 449-6840. Also offers high tea. Call for more information.
  • Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA): $6.00 general admission; $4.00 students. Open Tuesday through Thursday, free on Thursday 5-8 p.m. 25 S. Grand Ave. LA (213) 626-6222
  • Norton Simon Museum of Art: $4.00 general admission; $2.00 for students. Open Thursday through Sunday. 411 W. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena. (626) 449-6840.

NEIGHBORHOODS

  • Beverly Hills: located between Santa Monica and Sunset Boulevard, south-west of West Hollywood. Check out the Spanish Baroque Civic Center, Rodeo Drive, the Beverly Hills Hotel, Kate Mantilini's for high-style dining and Greystone Mansion (905 Loma Vista Drive), built in 1927 by millionaire Edward Doheney and used for many film sets.
  • Downtown LA: the eastern end of Sunset Boulevard. Visit Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Olvera Street. L.A.'s center for music, home to the Philharmonic, the Mark Taper and Ahmanson theaters are located in the Music Center at First Street and Grand Avenue.
  • Fairfax: between Beverly Boulevard and Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles' main Jewish neighborhood since the 1940s, now a gathering place for the emigree Russian community. Try the Farmers' Market (6333 West Third Street).
  • Hollywood: see the walk of fame with the footprints of the stars at Mann's Chinese Theater (6925 Hollywood Blvd) and Fredericks of Hollywood (6008 Hollywood Blvd.). To the east of Hollywood and Vine, on Mount Lee, you can see the Hollywood sign. A great place to view it from is Paramount studios (Melrose Avenue and Gower Street).
  • Los Feliz: take in some swing-dancing at the Derby or try the Jazz Spot across the street (Hillhurst).
  • Melrose: a few blocks south of Sunset Boulevard is a funky shopping district with great restaurants and cafes.
  • Santa Monica: the jewel of LA's Westside. Ride the ferris wheel on the pier. Shop on Montana Avenue and the Third Street Promenade. Check out Main Street.
  • Venice: founded in 1900 by Abbot Kinney who had canals, a lagoon and buildings constructed in Venetian style. Must-vists: Gold's Gym (360 Hampton Drive), the Rose Café (220 Windward Ave), Venice Beach.
  • West Hollywood: great clubs and cafes. We suggest you start by driving down Sunset Strip between Doheny Drive and Laurel Canyon

OUTDOOR RECREATION

Close Escapes:

  • Descanso Gardens--LA Canada
  • Gardens Arboretum, Arcadia
  • Griffith Park
  • Malibu Canyon
  • Mildred Mathias Botanical Gardens--a small oasis of rare flowers, cacti and plants between UCLA’s biomed library and Hilgard Avenue
  • Topanga State Park
  • Zuma Beach

Southern California Sights:

  • Big Bear Lake--a beautiful resort area in the San Bernardino Mountains about three hours to the east.
  • Catalina Island--see the small town of Avalon, built in the 1930s. Parasailing, glass bottom boats, and skin diving are available. Call Catalina Cruises (Long Beach) (800) 228-2546 or Catalina Express (Long Beach or San Pedro).
  • Joshua Tree National Park--an extraordinary desert landscape for hiking and rock climbing about three hours from UCLA, near Palm Springs.
  • San Gabriel Mountains in the Angeles National Forest--incredible views, great for day hikes, camping or long weekends. Call rangers beforehand for weather conditions. For suggestions see John W. Robinson, Trails of the Angeles. Highly recommended: Mount Baldy, Mount Wilson, Santa Anita Canyon.
  • Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, the Southern Sierra Range--the oldest living trees known to man. Waterfalls, hiking, camping and great scenery, about five hours to the northeast of LA. For the adventurous, hike Mount Whitney, one of California's "fourteeners". It's 21.8 miles to the top and several members of the Slavic Dept. have made it in a day. The scenery will be familiar to you because the nearby town of Lone Pine is a favorite film site.

TRANSPORTATION

There are three major bus lines:

Call 1-800-COMMUTE for general help with all routes and times. The ticket on Santa Monica buses is 75c (25c for UCLA students with university ID [BruinCard] on weekdays); Culver City tickets cost 75c (25c with student ID on weekdays); the MTA ticket costs 135c. Visit http://www.transportation.ucla.edu/bruingo for more information on the "BruinGo" Program.

UCLA’s Central Ticket Office can sell you a roll of tokens or a student bus card at a reduced fare. The UCLA Office of Transportation has a color coded map (call 825-7639).