Los Angeles

See Los Angeles without a car? Contrary to legend, it’s possible. Here’s how, writes ANDREA BLACK

WHO says you can’t get around LA without a car? Yes, this metropolis is sprawling but it really is possible to have a great Los Angeles experience without four wheels. Besides, who wants to spend their precious holiday time tackling those traffic-strangled, unforgiving freeways while training your brain to always keep right?

Walking, taking the train, hiring a bike or a scooter, as well as using ride-share services takes the hassle out of any LA trip, plus you get to see and experience things (murals, food trucks, the aroma of wildflowers) you wouldn’t while being trapped in a car.

But there’s one secret – LA is made up of neighbourhoods, each worthy of exploring over a couple of days. By making hard choices, you will spend more time experiencing a handful of exciting areas – from Silver Lake and Los Feliz to Downtown and West Hollywood, and zero time sitting in traffic. Here’s how to do it.

WALKING WEHO

You might be surprised to find that these days Los Angeles is a highly walkable city – you just need to know where to base yourself. At less than 5sq km, West Hollywood (sometimes shortened to WeHo) could well be the best choice. We chose the very central, and brand new, 1 Hotel West Hollywood on the famous Sunset Strip. Base yourself here and you really can walk everywhere. Start by fuelling up with a classic breakfast at Mel’s Diner (melsdrivein.com) – it’s a mid-century gem where every table has its own jukebox – then walk down to The Beverly Center (a 30-minute stroll) to spend the day shopping, but save your dollars for Beverly Connection across the road (thebeverlyconnection.com). This is where all the outlets are, including Saks and Nordstrom.

Done shopping? Walk back up La Cienega and stop in at Aussie-owned LP Rooftop bar (eplosangeles.com/lp-rooftop-bar) for a sunset rooftop drink. Think greenery, incredible Hollywood Hills views and a relaxed feel. Next, try The Roger Room (therogerroom.com) for a sample of some of LA’s best cocktails.

You could decide to catch a comedy show from the likes of Sarah Silverman or Conan O’Brien right next door at Largo (largo-la.com) or experience old-world LA sitting down in a booth for an Italian meal at Dan Tana’s (dantanasrestaurant.com) on Santa Monica Blvd. The bar here is legendary and you’re almost guaranteed a celeb sighting; James Franco was at the next booth to me recently.

Sick of hoofing it? The City of West Hollywood has a free shuttle service on Friday and Saturday nights, called The Sunset Trip . Biking here is also encouraged. There are bike lanes, plus you can ride on the footpath, and there are numerous locations to hire bikes. visitwesthollywood.com

SCOOTER SILVER LAKE

From your WeHo base, grab an Uber/Lyft across to Silver Lake ($US13, about $20), stay on Sunset and spend a day scootering there. Scootering? LA has dockless electric scooters, available to hire via various apps for $US1-$US2 a ride. We used Lime (limebike.com). They’re lined up on the road (similar to bike share) and you do need to scan in your driver’s licence to show you are over 18.

Silver Lake is where the hip hang, and with some of Los Angeles’ widest range of restaurants, bars and boutiques, it’s easy to see why. Start with a leisurely scoot down to the scenic man-made lake. This is where many Angelenos exercise and walk their hounds – it’s also a good practice ground to master your two-wheeler. Now, head up Silver Lake Blvd and stop in for brunch at Botanica (botanicarestaurant.com) for its “fattoush-y” salad of grilled and raw summer vegetables.

Now it’s time for the best soft serve in LA at Magpie’s (magpiessoftserve.com) – everything is hand-churned on-site. Next, park the scooter at the base of Griffith Park Observatory in Los Feliz for a hike among the wildflowers, and fit celebs (griffithobservatory.org). The view of the city is incredible.

Reward yourself with one of LA’s best value meals at Little Dom’s (littledoms.com) within walking distance (or a short scoot). If it’s a Monday it’s even better value as it has a fixed-price Monday supper, $18 for three courses. discoverlosangeles.com

TAKE THE DOWNTOWN TRAIN

It’s easy to get to Downtown LA – all you need to do is catch the Metro. From WeHo, grab an Uber/Lyft to the Hollywood/Highland Metro station ($US8) and jump on the Red Line (one-way $US1.75) to Union Station downtown which takes around 20 minutes.

After a recent revitalisation, Downtown is one of the most exciting precincts to be in – these days it’s like New York-lite. Once Downtown, everything is within walking distance. Start with a visit to Olvera Street (olvera-street.com), an outdoor, brick-paved pedestrian plaza featuring Mexican folk art stores, restaurants and the pleasing sounds of wandering mariachi musicians; it’s directly across from Union Station.

Next, head over to the free Broad Museum to see some of the greatest contemporary art hits, including highly Instagrammable Infinity Mirror Room.

Late lunch time, it’s best to head to Grand Central Market (grandcentralmarket.com) where you can choose from stalls full of pupusas, tacos, burgers or eggs any way you want them at Eggslut. Stop into Angel’s Flight across the road – known as the world’s shortest railroad – a twocar incline railroad that runs up Bunker Hill.

Then slowly make your way back to Union Station before stopping at Imperial Western bar (imperialwestern.com). Afternoon sun streams into this Art Deco charmer, there are beers to try (brewed on-site), pool and checkers to play. Then hop on the train back, easy! downtownla.com