Hidden Gems in Los Angeles — The Attractions Tourists Miss

The Bradbury Building (Downtown LA)

The Bradbury Building (1893, 304 S. Broadway) is an architectural masterpiece hidden inside an otherwise unremarkable building. The exterior is a Romanesque facade; the interior is Victorian industrial fantasy — light court, wrought-iron railings, open cage elevator, marble stairs. It has been used as a filming location in Blade Runner, Chinatown, and 10 Things I Hate About You. Free entry, Monday–Friday 9am–5pm. Walk in, take the elevator to the top floor, and look down.

Vasquez Rocks (Palmdale, 90 minutes from LA)

Vasquez Rocks (Los Angeles County, 905 miles, Palmdale) is a 905-million-year-old rock formation of compressed sandstone, tilted by tectonic activity. The rocks have been used as a filming location for Star Trek, The Flintstones, and The Big Lebowski. The main trail is 2.5km and loops through the formation. The Pink Canyon trail (3km) is less visited and more dramatic. The color of the rock changes through the day — it is most vivid in late afternoon. Free entry. Combine with a stop at Rosa's Pizza in Palmdale on the way back.

The Last Bookstore (Downtown LA)

The Last Bookstore (453 S. Spring Street, Downtown) is the largest new and used bookstore in California: 250,000 new and used books, two floors, and a tunnel of books. The Instagrammable tunnel (the entrance) is made of 100,000 donated books. The vinyl section in the back is excellent. The graphic novel section is one of the best in the US. This is a real bookstore: people are here actually buying books. Combine with the nearby Grand Central Market (2 blocks east) and the Orpheum Theatre (showings of classic films on weekends).

The Biltmore Hotel and the tunnels (Downtown)

The Millennium Biltmore Hotel (1911, 606 S. Olive Street) is the grande dame of Downtown LA: 11 acres, the hotel where the Academy Awards were held 11 times between 1931 and 1940. The aquarium bar is the hotel's surviving speakeasy from Prohibition. The Biltmore tunnels (officially closed but accessible on certain tours) connected the hotel to the Pershing Square station and were used for bootlegging during Prohibition. The Emerald Room and the Crystal Ballroom are frozen in 1930s art deco time. Hotel tours run Saturdays (book through LA Conservancy).

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Hollywood Forever Cemetery (1909, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd) is the final resting place of Cecil B. DeMille, Johnny Ramone, and the original Rudolph Valentino (yes, there are two). The cemetery hosts Cinespia outdoor film screenings in summer (June–August): classics projected on the cemetery wall, blankets and wine, 3,000 people. The Gothic section near the entrance has the most elaborate mausoleums. The cemetery is open daily; the historical tours run on weekends (S$25).