West Hollywood [1] is a city located on the West Side of Los Angeles County. It is home to the Sunset Strip.

Understand

Though well-known for its population of homosexuals, "Weho" also has large numbers of Russian immigrants and a large Jewish population.

The commercial area of the city mainly lies along Santa Monica Boulevard.

Get in

From I-405 or I-101, take Santa Monica Boulevard about five miles.

From I-10, take Fairfax or La Cienega north about two miles.

Get around

See

Do

• Gay & Lesbian Pride Parade [www.lapride.org] in June.
• Halloween Carnaval is an adult event in West Hollywood.

Buy

Eat

Many of West Hollywood's favorite restaurants line Santa Monica Boulevard. Many of these are as much about "seeing and being seen" as they are about food.

• Hugo's, 8401 Santa Monica Blvd West, West Hollywood, 323-654-4088. A great spot for breakfast or lunch.

• Eat Well Cafe, 7385 Beverly Blvd., 323-938-1300. Great breakfast and lunch.

• The Newsroom Cafe, 120 N. Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood. A great place to refuel when hitting the shops on Robertson Blvd.

• The Flowering Tree, 8253 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, 323-654-4332, (a couple blocks west of Crescent Heights). A great vegetarian restaurant popular at lunchtime. Great soups, sandwiches, and veggie tacos, washed down with free cucumber water.

• Garden of Taxco. "Eees not hot, eees spi-i-i-i-cy." You may be surprised that this restaurant doesn't have a menu, until the waiter comes to perform the menu for you. They have beef, chicken, fish, or vegetarian entrees, usually three or four of each.

• Barney's Beanery. A semi-sleazy but popular restaurant and bar, popular with the college crowd.

Splurge

• Asia De Cuba, 8440 Sunset Blvd., (inside the Mondrian Hotel), [2]. Unashamedly post-modernist, with latino/east-asian cuisine and a choice of white-party indoor dining or outdoor seating among the oversized flower pots.

• Lucques, 8474 Melrose Ave., 323-655-6277. Excellent California style cuisine in a upscale atmosphere.

Drink

Sleep

• The Mondrian Hotel, 8440 Sunset Blvd (West Hollywood), [3]. Hotel features Jeffrey Chodorow's Asia de Cuba restaurant, the Seabar, the outdoor Skybar, the Agua Bathhouse, pool and outdoor living room, penthouse suites and meeting and banquet facilities.

• Wyndham Bel Age West Hollywood Hotel, 1020 North San Vincente Blvd, [4]. Just minutes away from L.A.'s hottest spots - including exclusive Beverly Hills and trendy downtown.

Get out

• Hollywood - West Hollywood's more famous neighbor.