A secret gem hidden in LA. This park has stunning views of downtown, a waterfall, and plenty of space for a picnic under the many trees in the grassy field.
The Red Lion Tavern has been a neighborhood tavern in Los Angeles for over fifty years (which is a long time for L.A.), and continues to serve as a landmark for traditional German food, a wide selection of German beer, and cozy Old World atmosphere. Plus the waitresses all wear lederhosen, and it's blocks away from my parents' house.
This restaurant has been a Hollywood landmark for over 60 years. The interior looks like time has stood still. Go to the reastaurant area to have a nice piece of prime rib, and after dinner move to the lounge area where Elaine and Marty sing their oldies but goodies. Some believe that their version of "Staying alive" is better then the original.
Salton Sea is not technically LA, but is a by-product of its history and my first-choice escape from the city: one of the world's largest inland seas and lowest spots on earth, a man-made lake in the midst of the Colorado desert, a resort area in the twenties turned in one of the worst ecological disaster of the past century.