Feature by Willard Manus

Which, what and where are Greater Los Angeles' main attractions? The question has been asked by countless visitors to, and residents of, the southern Californian city which spans 4,900 square miles and contains ninety independent municipalities, not to speak of eleven million disparate, jostling souls.

It goes without saying that L.A. is a megalopolis, a sprawling urban conglomeration that incorporates every imaginable ethnic group, work ethic, spoken language, personal lifestyle and cultural activity. Certain features of the city are known worldwide, such as Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Getty, County and Norton Simon museums, Universal Studios, Rose Bowl, Venice boardwalk, Malibu and freeway congestion, but for the most part L.A.'s treasures have been hard to find, scattered as they are (and sometimes even hidden from view). One needed a slew of maps and guide books to uncover and identify them.

Not any longer, though. Now Museon Publishing has released LOS ANGELES ATTRACTIONS, a 512-page, handy-sized, copiously-illustrated book by Borislav Stanic which stands out as the city's definitive resource for visitors and natives alike. Stanic, whose previous guidebook on L.A.'s museums has become a standard in the field, has divided his new book into twelve sightseeing areas: Hollywood, midtown, downtown, and so on. Everything important about each area--history, tourist sights, architectural gems, theatres, bars and restaurants--is identified and characterized deftly and succinctly, including such pesky details as addresses, telephone numbers, websites, hours of operation and admission charges.

Thanks to LOS ANGELES ATTRACTIONS' ingenious layout, thousand-plus entries and 1,700 photographs, jumbled-up L.A, has been revealed and made accessible as never before.
($24.95, www.museonbooks.com)