Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Centrally located between the beach and downtown Los Angeles, LACMA (www.lacma.org) features artwork covering the expanse of art history—from ancient to contemporary—and the globe.

For more than 50 years LACMA has been one of the finest art museums in the nation, housing a 110,000-piece collection that includes works by Degas, Rembrandt, Hockney, and Monet. The huge 20-acre complex -- it's the largest visual arts museum west of Chicago -- has been expanded even more with the recent opening of the $56-million, three-story Broad Contemporary Art Museum (also known as BCAM)....

Since its inception in 1965, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has been devoted to collecting works of art that span both history and geography, in addition to representing Los Angeles's uniquely diverse population.

For those searching for art books, why not go to one of the world's most famous art museums? In addition to offering books related to the museum's collection, it sells an impressive variety of books and prints featuring the world's most famous and not-so-famous art. Plus, there is no charge to enter the museum store, for those lacking the time to get lost among the works themselves.

Ray's offers a bold, farm-to-table Mediterranean menu based on seasonal, local ingredients and the restaurant's wood burning oven and grill. A separate bar and lounge, Stark Bar, offers handcrafted, seasonal cocktails and a dynamic menu of small plates.