What to read and watch before visiting LA

Generations of filmmakers and writers have drawn inspiration from Los Angeles – the centre of dreams and make-believe – from sci-fi novels exploring life in a dystopian version of the city, to classic 90s outfits and high school scenes in cult film, Clueless. Whether you’re actively planning or just pondering your next holiday, there’s a body of literature and cinema set in LA that evokes the City of Angels’ contrasting glamour and grit like no other.

Which is why we’ve rounded up the top books and films to read and watch ahead of your trip, to help you get a feel for this incredible city and ensure you make the most of it.

Books:

A Single Man, by Christopher Isherwood

Christopher Isherwood’s ode to LA is set during the aftermath of one of the city’s most trying times: the Cuban missile crisis. In A Single Man, Isherwood captures the unique combination of relief and paranoia that the LA community was still experiencing. The novel’s hero is a university lecturer who lives in Santa Monica where it’s worth spending a few days taking in the coastal backdrop to Isherwood’s memorable love story. Stay at The Channel Road Inn, which opts for the pastel palette and classic Californian cuisine popular back in the author’s day; plan for a balmy evening reading A Single Man on the inn’s porch, followed by a leisurely walk down to the beach.

Bathwater Wine, by Wanda Coleman

Wanda Coleman was a poet from the Watts suburb of LA, whose writing conveys the character of a sensual, humorous and deeply-flawed city. Bathwater Wine is a product of Coleman’s experiences growing up in the shadow of the famous Watts Towers – 17 connected metal and ceramic towers installed by artist Simon Rodia on his own property. These twisted, corkscrew sculptures dominate the southern Los Angeles skyline and their influence can be seen in the way Coleman builds her poems to push the reader further with each line. If you’re hoping to stay nearby, the Diamond Bell Inn & Suites is only a 20-minute ride from the towers and offers free parking.

In the Heart of the Valley of Love, by Cynthia Kadohata

LA has always been a favourite among sci-fi and speculative fiction writers, and Cynthia Kadohata is the latest to draw inspiration. In the Heart of the Valley of Love is a novel about the ultimate inhospitable city. But it’s clear that Kadohata still has a great deal of affection for LA, with many of the city’s most recognisable landmarks kept intact and the interactions between characters mimicking the contemporary dialects you’ll hear here today. Visit the rooftop bar at the artistic Ace Hotel to admire the cityscape that has inspired so many dystopias.

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

As one of the city’s best-known chronicler’s, Raymond Chandler introduced the world to a different kind of LA. Chandler filled books like The Big Sleep with a bewildering array of locations, including landmarks like the Santa Monica Pier, Union Street, Bunker Hill, Los Angeles City Hall, the art deco Bullocks Wilshire and the Grauman’s Chinese Theater movie palace. For a taste of Philip Marlowe’s 1930s LA, book into the historic Hotel Normandie. Built in 1926, this boutique hotel has a wonderfully industrial-styled bar, a cocktail list almost as long as Chandler’s bibliography, and a luxurious, intimate atmosphere.

Films

Clueless, directed by Amy Heckerling

Clueless is the ultimate Jane Austen remake and a joyous tribute to the much-maligned Valley Girl of LA. Cher Horowitz lives with her devoted father and disapproving step-brother in a Beverly Hills mansion while she grapples with issues like learning to drive, matchmaking her teachers and which furry handbag to take to the mall. Have your own Clueless weekend by checking into the Viceroy L’Ermitage. In a quiet residential street in Beverly Hills, this 5-star hotel includes the free use of a Maserati and a rooftop pool which is – to misquote Cher – a total Betty.

The Big Lebowski, directed by the Coen brothers

Turning your attention to a different kind of Valley culture, you can complete your LA trip preparation by watching the Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski. This early-90s cult film based in Pasadena, the Valley and Venice Beach takes the viewer on a journey through the city’s dropouts, opt-outs and far-outs. Stay at the NoMas Los Angeles, a short drive from the Palace Theatre, where a large portion of the film was shot.

L.A. Story, directed by Mick Jackson

Steve Martin’s tribute to LA takes on the city’s fun, silly side. In the film, people on roller skates glide through the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, traffic signs offer passersby unsolicited advice and the protagonist – Harris Telemacher – takes his date on a tour of the Hollywood Cemetery. Staying at the Hotel Tuck will place you within easy reach of the film’s key locations but it’s the hotel itself that’ll optimize your LA experience. Its dark interiors and classic cocktail menu hark back to old school Hollywood glamour, while the small number of rooms (14) and the hotel name (it was named after English ‘tuck shops’) work to create an atmosphere that’s both classy and comfortable.