Los Angeles is a very confusing city in that its "downtown" isn't considered the center of the city. Rather, it's more of a juxtaposition of disparate communities that loosely form a metropolis. The best way to grasp the geography of L.A. is to break it into six regions: Santa Monica and the beach communities; L.A.'s Westside and Beverly Hills; Hollywood and West Hollywood; Downtown; the San Fernando Valley; and Pasadena and environs. Each encompasses a more-or-less distinctive patchwork of city neighborhoods and independently incorporated communities.

Throughout the book I discuss the regions in the order of their natural geographical progression from west to east (except for the San Fernando Valley, which is roughly north of the city's other major regions, separated by the Hollywood Hills). Most visitors arrive at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), located on the coast just south of L.A.'s primary beach communities. Unless you're coming to L.A. on business, you're likely to concentrate your visit in the city's western districts, since that's where the majority of tourist attractions, restaurants, and shops are. In fact, most visitors never make it as far east as Downtown.