Unless you were raised in a cave you've undoubtedly heard of L.A.'s Sunset Boulevard. The most famous of the city's many legendary boulevards, it winds dozens of miles over prime real estate as it travels from Downtown to the beach, taking its travelers on both a historic and microcosmic journey that defines Los Angeles as a whole -- from tacky strip malls and aging movie studios to infamous strip clubs and some of the most coveted zip codes on earth. In fact, driving the stretch from U.S. 101 to the Pacific should be a prerequisite for all first-time visitors because it provides so perfectly what L.A. is all about: instant gratification.

Bam! From the start you'll see the original CBS Studios where "The Jack Benny Show" emanated; the Hollywood Palladium where Lawrence Welk and the Dorsey Brothers performed; the Sahara Hotel of many a movie shoot; the Guitar Center's Hollywood RockWalk where superstars like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Santana, and the Van Halen brothers left handprints or signatures; the "Riot Hyatt" where The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and Guns n' Roses crashed and smashed from the 60s through the 80s; and Chateau Marmont where Greta Garbo lived and John Belushi died.

Phew! And you've barely even started. Once you pass the Chateau Marmont your officially cruising the Sunset Strip -- a 1 3/4 mile stretch of Sunset Boulevard from Crescent Heights Boulevard to Doheny Drive. The tour continues with: The Comedy Store where Rosanne, Robin Williams, and David Lettermen rose to stardom; Dan Aykroyd's ramshackle House of Blues where the rock stars still show up for an impromptu show; Tower Records, the largest record store in the world; the Argyle Hotel where Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and John Wayne once lived; the ultra-exclusive Sky Bar within the Mondrian hotel; Johnny Depp's Viper Room where River Phoenix overdosed in '93; Whisky-A-Go-Go where The Doors where once a house band; and the Rainbow Bar & Grill where Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Marley became legends.

Once you emerge from the strip, things calm down considerably as you drive through the tony neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood, and Pacific Palisades. By the time you've reached the ocean you'll have seen a vivid cross-section of the city and a pretty good idea of what L.A. is all about.