This is not a restaurant and hotel directory. The author points visitors, armchair travelers and residents to both popular and less well-known sites of Los Angeles ranging from Disney Concert Hall and Olvera Street to the Dunbar Hotel, Latvian Community Center and Hsi Lai Temple. Through a commentary sprinkled with anecdotes, history and little known facts the reader gleans insights into the character of the city and its people a region that has been variously described as "laissez-faire dystopia," "La La Land" and "72 suburbs in search of a city."Originally written for career diplomats stationed in Los Angeles, diplomats who have to quickly become knowledgeable about the sites and character of their new home, the book is divided into manageable "tours" of sites in relatively close proximity to each other. Liberal references are made to current fiction and nonfiction readings about specific sites and an index for convenient searching is included.