The Voice and Roots of Our America Today

The root: The city America dreams itself into — a hundred neighborhoods stitched together by freeways, where every generation arrives to reinvent itself.

Eat: Philippe The Original — the French dip sandwich, since 1908; Musso & Frank Grill — Hollywood's century-old celebrity haunt; In-N-Out — the state's unofficial burger religion.

Skip — don't: The Hollywood Boulevard photo-trap gauntlet — costumed characters demanding tips and "celebrity homes" tours that point at hedges — and any restaurant with a hawker out front.

Specialty: Reinvention. Film, food trucks, surf and street culture — LA manufactures whatever the country wants next.

Shops & crafts: Olvera Street's Mexican crafts, the Original Farmers Market's food stalls, and vinyl-and-vintage shops on Melrose.

See: Griffith Observatory — the view and the science, both free; Santa Monica Pier — the ocean end of Route 66; The Getty Center — art, gardens, and the whole city below.

Main Street: Olvera Street — the city's oldest lane, brick and tile, mariachis and candles, LA's Mexican heart beating since 1930.

After dark: Griffith Observatory's lawn at sunset; a comedy set at the Comedy Store or live music at the Greek (approx. seasonal).