Keen to dissociate itself from run-down Hollywood, West Hollywood begins west of La Brea Avenue and is officially a city in its own right. A hip and fash­ionable area, West Hollywood boasts dozens of trendy shops along Melrose Avenue, the clubs of Sunset Strip, and is a major base for LA’s large gay pop­ulation.

Detour – Sunset Strip

As Sunset Boulevard passes through West Hollywood it mutates into the Sunset Strip, known for the best of the city’s rock music clubs and a glut of fashionable restaurants. Above the Strip rise gigantic billboards touting the latest offerings from LA’s entertainment industry.