If you want to witness what architecture is about, visit SCI-Arc. This is where I went to school ,and I can tell you there is not one day that you will not be surprise what goes on inside this school. From open to the public lectures every wednesday to galleries and installation, and not to mention the student work.

The LA Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Grand Street in downtown LA is a must during the fall and holiday season when they have a solid lineup of opera and ballet. Very inspiring. 

Built on Carroll Avenue in the late 1880s, this is a short walk to look at these old houses. There is the Thriller house from Michael Jackson clip on the 1345 Carroll Av

Towers built by one person, impressive!

If you make it to the top, you can get an incredible 360 degree view of practically all of Los Angeles. Below you to the South is Hollywood, and beyond that, on a clear day, you can see over a hundred miles of mini malls all the way to Mexico. To the West on your right go the hills until they turn into mountains and meet the Pacific Ocean. Behind you to the North stretches the entire San Fernando Valley, above which stand the gorgeous San Gabriel mountains. To the East the mountains eventually disappear above hundreds of miles of urban sprawl, and beyond that is the dessert.