L.A. story

FROM the city's best architecture to Stacy Peralta of the Z-Boys fame and plenty in between, here is an insight into what makes Los Angeles tick. 

Hollywood

IN the words of singer Dionne Warwick, "LA is a great big freeway". That song, Do you Know the Way to San Jose, was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Warwick in 1968 and more than 40 years later nothing much has changed when it comes to Los Angeles transportation.

The first time I visited the city I initially refused to hire a car. I don't like driving on the right-hand side of the road and have always thought that public transport is the best way for a tourist to get around a new city. Needless to say, within 24 hours of landing at LAX, I was behind the wheel of a rather bland-looking rental car. Although it exists in various forms, public transport is very much an afterthought in LA.

This is a city where the car is king and for our seven days in LA we were fortunate to have the use of a shiny new BMW 6 Series convertible to get around and explore. I like to think of myself as a good driver but, regardless of that, I always get nervous driving someone else's car. Add to that the jet lag from a 14-hour flight, torrential rain and a steering wheel on the wrong side of the car and it's understandable that AC/DC's Highway to Hell was running through my head rather than Dionne Warwick's quaint little line.

Not only did we survive our initiation into LA traffic, we thrived. You see a different side to a city when you navigate it by car. For starters, you go to places that you perhaps wouldn't go to if the public transport isn't particularly direct or it's too far for a taxi. And even though you wouldn't dream of driving somewhere like LA without a car navigation system, the very act of driving requires you to orient yourself in the city and work out - albeit only vaguely - how to get from A to B.

So here is our A-Z of LA. From the city's best architecture to skateboarder turned filmmaker Stacy Peralta of the Z-Boys fame and plenty in between, we hope this issues gives you an insight into what makes LA tick.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our friends at Virgin Australia who provided the WISH team with flights to LA and without whom we wouldn't be able to produce a special issue like this one. I'd also like to thank Leading Hotels of the World, Thompson Hotels, Dorchester Collection, Peninsula Hotels and Visit West Hollywood for their support. And, of course, BMW for the loan of a car to get around that great big city of freeways.