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Um, I live here. I'll get around to expanding this section in a while.
First off, when I was in LA the air quality was appalling. I suspect that it wasn't out of the ordinary, as none of the local news outlets had anything to say about the air that day. I was in LA for roughly fourteen hours, and by the end of the day it actually hurt to breathe, and I felt asthmatic (and I'm not asthmatic, so I guess that means that I "felt like what I think asthmatics must feel").
For me, the main attraction of LA is the Getty Museum complex. I didn't care much for anything else about the city. Santa Monica was OK, but nothing special.
To get to the Getty from LAX is easy -- head down to the Taxi area, and look for one of the computerized kiosks (they're in ugly walk-in concrete cylinders). The computer is fairly easy to use, and will print you a handy route list. Take the list, grab a transit map, and you're off! The kiosks handle multiple languages, but not too many -- you'll be better off if you speak Spanish or English to some degree.
This is a great museum, and it's completely free. One serious recommendation, however: take public transit of some kind. Parking is extremely limited, and that's on purpose -- you are actively discouraged from taking your own car. Personally, I like that.
The museum is reached via a monorail-type automated train system that travels up the long hill to the hilltop, where the primary museum complex is situated. To be honest, getting off the train was like walking into the future. The Getty is very well-designed, nicely laid-out, and altogether pleasing. Plus, as I said, it's free.
There's really no point in my giving specific recommendations, as the displays change. However, the collection of historical furniture is quite nice -- the curators have built entire rooms filled with original pieces, so you can see things in situ, as it were.
Places that will be covered (in no particular order):