Literary Los Angeles: A Tour

Are you tired of your typical Los Angeles tour? Do you want to explore another side of LA not typically found in a guidebook? Do you like books? If the answers to all of these questions is yes then, here is your guide for literary Los Angeles!

1. Frolic Room

Want to drink like Charles Bukowski? Head over to the Frolic Room, located on Hollywood Blvd. This spot has attracted writers since the 1970s and features a huge mural exhibiting legendary celebrities. Come here after taking in a play at the Pantages Theater and feel like a real literary figure yourself.

2. The Study Hollywood

This bar will have you feeling like a writer! With bookshelves serving as the decor and live music playing in the background, you can order countless cocktails names after your favorite novels. Try a Gatsby if you’re feeling glamorous or The Shining if you’re in the mood for something a little darker. A trip here will have you writing that novel in no time!

3. Musso and Frank Grill

If you want to dine like a literary titan, then save your pennies and grab a meal at Hollywood’s oldest restaurants. Famous novelists like William Faulkner and F.Scott Fitzgerald dined and drank here. Dining here would be like dining in a  piece of history. This restaurant is not only iconic to Hollywood, but also to the literary world! It might cost you a pretty penny, but it will be worth it to dine where the great authors dined!

4. UCLA’s Powell Library

If you want a more affordable piece of literary history, head over to the Powell Library on the UCLA campus. It was here that Ray Bradbury, nestled in one of the study rooms, wrote the masterpiece now known as Fahrenheit 451. A trip here might inspire you to pen your own great American novels.

5. Joan Didion’s House

Joan Didion is a real staple to Californian literature.Being able to visit her house is any literary connoisseurs dream! In her book of essays titled, The White Album, Didion describes living in her Hollywood home located on Franklin Avenue. Though it is now a spiritual commune, you can still drive by and feel like you are going to meet Didion for a cup of tea at her home. If you are up for a drive, you can head over to Sacramento and visit Didion’s childhood home. You might even be able to buy it, if you can fork over the cash!

6. Los Angeles Central Library

This is an easy and economic way to walk in the footsteps of the literary greats. As a resident off Los Angeles, Charles Bukowski would spend his days in the reading room of the library where he would write and read. It was a peaceful time in his hectic life. Come to the reading room and enjoy being in the presence of what Bukowski found so inspiring. Plus, you are surrounded by books! What could be better than that?

7. Chateau Marmont

This was a refuge for many writers including Dorothy Parker. The queen of hilarity would stay here when she needed some much needed rest and would then meet F.Scott Fitzgerald and other literary friends to drink and party. Check into a room and feel like one of the legendary writers yourself! This is one of the best literary Los Angeles spots!

8. Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery

Pay your respects to the literary giants buried here including Truman Capote, Ray Bradbury, and Sidney Sheldon. This is the perfect ending to your literary journey. Take time to reflect on all the contributions made by these great writers to our literary canon.

So, that was my literary Los Angeles tour! What literary Los Angeles spots can you think of? Tell us in the comments!

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