Driving Along the Coast: Driving along the sunny coastline with the top down and your hair blowing in the warm wind is the quintessential Southern California experience -- one that never loses its appeal, even for the natives. The ocean has a spirit all its own in every season of the year: August's smog-free respite from the glaring inland heat; January's surprise warmth under wide blue skies; and the first warm breezes of summer in June. Stop wherever you fancy -- a Malibu cantina, the famous Santa Monica pier, or a South Bay beach; your day along the shore is an exercise in free will. BYO Mustang convertible.

Watching One of Your Favorite TV Sitcoms Being Taped: Alternately boring and fascinating (the old hurry-up-and-wait syndrome), being in the audience is your chance to wander the soundstage, marvel at the cheesy three-wall sets that look so real on TV, and get an inside look at the bloopers that never make it to broadcast -- and are often far more entertaining than the scripted dialogue.

Cruising Sunset Boulevard: It's a must for first-time visitors, because you'll see a cross-section of everything that is L.A. -- legendary clubs, studios, hotels, and zip codes that you'll instantly recognize from the sliver screen and TV shows. The journey ends with a trip to Malibu's fabled beaches where Baywatch episodes are filmed (how perfect).

Dining at Spago (or The Ivy, or Patina, or Matsuhisa): Less expensive than a day at Universal Studios or Disneyland, dining at one of L.A.'s uber-trendy A-list celebrity watering holes is an experience to be filed under "only in L.A." Hear dialogue straight out of The Player while eating fine food prepared for some of the world's pickiest eaters ("I can't eat that! Take it away.").

Going to the Getty Center: See the result of unlimited funds and very expensive taste at this multifaceted cultural center looming large over the city. The ultramodern facility, more airy and inviting than it looks from below, features a museum housing the impressive art collection of deep-pocketed industrialist J. Paul Getty, a postmodern garden, and breathtaking views of L.A. A sleekly high-tech funicular whisks you from freeway level to this city in the clouds. Best of all, it's free (J. Paul don't need yo' money).

Paying Your Respects at the Cemetery of the Stars: Get down and dirty with Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Karen Carpenter, and all their famous pals at L.A.'s most enduring celebrity hangouts. Six public cemeteries showcase the final performances of Bette Davis, Lucille Ball, Marilyn Monroe, and dozens more famous names. It's so popular that people are just dying to get here.

Going Gidget: This is, after all, L.A. -- so get thy buttocks to a beach. Watch a volleyball tournament in Manhattan Beach or the world's vainest weight lifters pumping themselves up at Venice Beach. Surfers carve waves at Malibu, and families pitch umbrellas at Zuma. Pack swim trunks and plenty of sunscreen.

Visiting the "Happiest Place on Earth" -- The Disneyland Resort: Go on a weekday to avoid the crowds, or during the off season, between January and April. And fer gawd's sake use that new FASTPASS system unless you enjoy standing in line. The resort's worldwide appeal is evident in the virtual United Nations of revelers traipsing between Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and the Disney's California Adventure park; you'll hear lots of international voices without even having to endure "it's a small world," a song that is now stuck in your head.

Spending a Day Downtown: If you're looking for a healthy dose of ethnic culture, you'll find it in downtown L.A. Visit the cutting edge Museum of Contemporary Art, stop in for a snack at the bustling Grand Central Market, pick up some inexpensive Mexican handcrafts along colorful and historic Olvera Street, and have dim sum in Chinatown.

Taking a Specialty Tour of the City: You might think that guided tours are for lazy-butts, but consider these atypical outdoor tours: an LA Bike Tours ride through the flat, landscaped streets of Beverly Hills, Hollywood, or Venice Beach; an L.A. Conservancy walking tour of Downtown's extravagant abandoned movie houses; and even only-in-California jogging tours of homes of the rich & famous.

Sunset Margarita Horse Rides: Whoever thought this one up is a genius: Drive to Sunset Ranch Stables in Griffith Park, hop on a big ol' horse, and take a scenic ride through the park to a Mexican restaurant in Burbank. Eat, drink, and be merry, then ride back to the ranch under warm, starry skies. Viva L.A.!

Shopping 'til You Drop: You'll see "I'd Rather Be Shopping at Nordstrom" license-plate frames on Lexuses all over L.A., evidence that spending money is a major pastime here. Whether it's $5 vintage bowling shirts, $10,000 Beverly Hills baubles, or anything in between, you're sure to find it in L.A.'s cornucopia of consumerism. Even window-shopping is an L.A. pastime on kooky Melrose Avenue and tony Rodeo Drive.

Strolling Wilshire Boulevard's Museum Row: Natural history meets pop culture meets modern art with the La Brea Tar Pits, the Petersen Automobile Museum, the Craft and Folk Art Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art all shoulder to shoulder in the heart of L.A. The only problem is that it's too much to see in a day. Pick your favorite for an in-depth visit, and just browse the bookstore/gift shops at the others.

Visiting Venice's Oceanfront Walk: You haven't visited L.A. properly until you've rented some skates in Venice and embarrassed yourself in front of thousands while taking in the human carnival around you. Nosh on a Jody Maroni's haute dog; buy some cheap sunglasses, silver jewelry, or ethnic garb; realize how pathetically out of shape you are compared to all the tan and trim locals -- all while enjoying the wide beach, blue sea, and assorted performers along the boardwalk. Can't skate? Sissies can rent a bicycle and pedal along the bike path.

Taking a Gourmet Picnic to the Hollywood Bowl: What better way to spend a typically warm L.A. evening than under the stars with a picnic basket, bottle of wine, and some naturally amplified entertainment? In addition to being the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Bowl hosts visiting performers ranging from chamber music quartets to jazz greats to folk humorists. The imposing white Frank Lloyd Wright-designed band shell always elicits appreciative gasps from first time Bowl-goers.

Attending a Concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall: No, not boring. Amazing. You would have to fly to Spain to see Frank O. Gehry's other architectural masterpiece. The dramatically curvaceous stainless steel exterior houses one of the most acoustically perfect concert halls in the world. Built with Disney money but without a trace of Goofiness. See chapters 7 and 10.

Taking a Studio Tour: It's why you're vacationing in L.A. -- to see where movie magic is being made. Studio tours are an entertaining opportunity to see the actual stage sets for shows such as ER and West Wing (sometimes during filming), and you never know who you're going to see emerging from his or her Star Wagon.

Cruising Mulholland Drive: Ogle the homes with million-dollar views, then pull over to catch the view yourself, particularly at night, when the lights of the city and valley twinkle below.

Visiting Santa Catalina Island: Taking a day trip to Catalina makes for a most adventurous day: a scenic boat ride, oodles of shopping, snorkeling/scuba diving, golfing, hiking, waffle cones, sunburns, and world-class bar hopping. Tip: The helicopter taxi is a lot cheaper than you'd expect.

Raising the Roof at the House of Blues's Gospel Brunch: For more than a decade the HOB has hosted a raucous Sunday brunch that's simmering with high-energy gospel groups and all-you-can-eat Southern home cookin.' It's brunch you can shake your booty to.