It’s midsummer. It’s hot. Let’s think about something airy and simple this week instead of doing any heavy lifting.
So, what follows is a list of places I like or people I admire in Los Angeles. This list is not all inclusive, and the items on this list aren’t confined to any category. For that matter, I didn’t bother to put them in any order. It’s too hot to do that.
– La Brea Tar Pits. As soon as you walk onto the grounds and get a whiff of that asphalt bubbling up, you know you’ve entered a little primordial remnant right on the Miracle Mile. I love the Page Museum that displays the bones bones, not fossils of Ice Age animals that got stuck in the ooze. Who knew that lions and camels used to live here?
– Getty Center. The art. The views. The grounds. The architecture. It’s the one place you must take visitors, but you already knew that.
– Eli Broad. Billionaire philanthropists are the rarest of assets. Rarer still is to have one whose primary emphasis is bettering his city. We’re blessed to have him.
– The Dodgers. OK, so their pennant hopes are dimming as their DL list lengthens, but the Dodgers provide a truly pleasant baseball experience, whether you spend an evening at Dodger Stadium or listen to Vin Scully at home.
– Gamble House. If you love stuff from the arts and crafts movement of 100 years ago, there’s no better place on the planet than this.
– Huntington Library. It’s the second place you must take visitors. I once took my college-age sons, and they rolled their eyes as we wandered into the document library. One hour later, I had to prod them to leave.
– Pasadena. Given the Gamble House, the Norton Simon Museum and the nearby Huntington, Pasadena is the most enjoyable and elegant town in L.A. County, for my money. I particularly like the walkable Colorado Boulevard and the Greene and Greene-designed houses in the comfortable neighborhoods.
– Mount Baldy. OK, great it ain’t. But for a day or even an hour, you can take a staycation from sunny Southern California and feel as if you’re in a Colorado ski resort.
– Chinatown. Speaking of staycations. …
– The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. Many chambers are feckless organizations, but L.A.’s got one that’s active and meaningful.
– Ed Roski. I’m thankful somebody’s serious about getting a professional football team in town, even if Roski’s stadium will be in a spot that’s not convenient to Westsiders.
– Rick Caruso. As long as we’re on the topic of real estate developers, I can’t leave out Caruso. The Grove is transformational. And his other shopping centers, whether Americana at Brand in Glendale or the Lakes at Thousand Oaks, make even this shopping-averse guy want to go and stroll.
– The tech sector. I love the energetic young tech companies that have sprouted up. Now that technology is merging with entertainment, L.A. is on the technology map.
– The manufacturing sector. I enjoy telling visitors that, yes, this is the entertainment capital, but L.A. County is still the country’s No. 1 manufacturing county.
– Disney Concert Hall. It has L.A.’s most spectacular architecture.
– The spirit. There’s a sense here that anything is possible. There’s a culture that says, “Go ahead. Seize your dream. Start a business. Be a star.” Most cities would love to have that spirit. L.A. is still the place where dreams are made.
Charles Crumpley is editor of the Business Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].
