The City of Angels, Los Angeles, is the second most populous city in the USA, with a real mix of ethnicities making up the almost 4 million people living in the city. It is one of those places that everyone in the world is familiar with to one extent or another. This is primarily due to its prevalence in popular culture music, television and cinema mainly, where LA is the hub around which everything else seems to revolve.

Los Angeles is also a particularly large city, covering an area in excess of 460 square miles, and with areas of interest all around the city, and beyond, it makes car hire a must have option. The distances to cover are impractical by other means.

One point that should not be left undressed is that of crime. The usual presentation of Los Angeles as a city full of gangs and violent crime is some way from the reality. Naturally there is an element of truth in that the city does have a gang culture within it, but only in small areas of the city. The days of South Central and nearby Compton being totally out of bounds are no longer.

It is a city where there is so much to see and do, both by day and by night, that there is never enough time to fit it all in. It is a city of diversity, making it an ideal destination as there is something for everyone.

For those with children, or simply a child at heart, there has to be a visit planned to the wonderful Disneyland. It is situated in Anaheim which is about 25 miles to the southeast of Los Angeles so a car is needed to get there really, unless one of the local hotels is chosen as a base. What can you say about Disneyland that hasnt been said before. It is a truly magical experience that must not be missed.

Venice Beach is the image that the whole of California has been built on and is another of those iconic places that simply must be seen. The key to enjoying Venice Beach is to not look so obviously like a tourist, feel part of the whole scene and a spiritual calm flows through you.

The heart of the entertainment industry is here, with studios such as Universal operating out of here, running their own theme park too. The main area for visitors is Hollywood Boulevard. Here are the tourist spots such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with the stars set in the pavement, and Manns Chinese Theatre, where stars past and present put their hands into wet cement in order to leave a lasting testament along with a message.

One of the icons of Los Angeles is the palm tree, seen lining the streets of the city or at least some of them. However this is set to change with the Los Angeles City Council deciding they wont be planting any more preferring instead to put down native oak and sycamore trees.

The LA palm trees are considered too expensive and prone to disease and with the plan to plant a million trees before Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa leaves office there is no room for sentiment here.