The City Observed, Los Angeles: A Guide to Its Architecture and Landscapes

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, helpful guide to L.A. architecture.
Review: I purchased this book before a recent trip to Los Angeles. We had a vehicle and were able, in a few days to get to many of the places described by Moore. The book is an excellent cross-section of many of the choice sites in Greater L.A. For this reason alone, the book is well worth purchasing if you are interested in architecture.

Moore is also a very entertaining writer. He is not afraid to express his opinions on anything and this makes his book both good reading and a helpful guide. If one has limited time, Moore's guide to the best places to visit is reliable.

The one "down side" to this book is that it is somewhat dated. It was published in 1984 and has not been revised. Accordingly, some of the places he describes have disappeared. Furthermore, his description of when certain buildings are open to the public is out-of-date.

In any event, if you are interested in architecture and wish to see some of what L.A. has to offer, this book is well worth getting.

Rating:
Summary: Indispensible for the informed SoCal traveler
Review: In 1994, I learned I would be living in Los Angeles for the following two years. A survey of guidebooks at the local library turned up this well-organized volume of Southern California's architectural points of interest by the late co-owner (with Frank Gehry) of the title of LA's finest architect.

The book was in my Mustang convertible for the next 24 months of exploring the "only-in-LA" landscape. The history of the Mayan Theater and other grand movie palaces, Los Angeles City Hall, unique residences in Hollywood and Beverly Hills, Frank Lloyd Wright's Pasadena homes, UCLA, and so many other sites came to life through Moore's succinct, academic but accessible summaries. Maps were excellent, and photos were provided for almost half of the hundreds of entries. The chapter exclusively on Disneyland as an architectural metaphor for SoCal was particularly intriguing.

I forgot to mention: in 1994 this book had been out of print for 8 years and unavailable in stores. I "lost" the library's copy and paid the fine for it, it was so good. Presumably the edition on Amazon is new and revised, and I'll be ordering it for my frequent returns to Charles Moore's modern architectural sandbox.

Rating:
Summary: The Disneyland chapter is worth the price of the book.
Review: This book is the first one to disagree with Postmodernists and seriously treat Disneyland as a humane rather than "simulated" space. Very much worth reading.