User:JamesA/Culver City

Culver City is on the West Side of Los Angeles County. The city is best known for film and TV production, including MGM studios, which is now part of Sony Pictures. Some of the most famous films of all time were shot here, including Citizen Kane, The Wizard of Oz, and Gone With the Wind, as well as the television series I Love Lucy, at Desilu Studios.



Understand
Culver City was founded in 1913 by Harry Culver, a brilliant real estate developer from Nebraska who sold tract homes to "immigrants" from the Midwest. For a monthly mortgage payment, the homes included furniture, dishes, a record player, and sometimes even a Model T. In the 1920s, silent film comedy producer Hal Roach and Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) built studios. By the 1930s, Culver City boasted three major film studios, including MGM, and was publicized as the "Heart of Screenland." During the 1930s through the 1940s Culver City was home to half of America's motion picture production.

Hundreds of movies have been produced on the lots of Culver City's studios, including the Tarzan series and the original King Kong. The yellow brick road from The Wizard of Oz is still inside the lot on Stage 27 of Sony Studios. More recent films include Grease, Raging Bull, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, City Slickers, Wag the Dog and Contact. Television shows made on Culver City sets include Lassie, I Love Lucy, Batman, The Andy Griffith Show and Jeopardy!. Wheel of fortune is spinning there too.

Outside of the studios, Culver City is mostly comprised of middle class homes that were originally built to house studio workers, with street names reflecting this heritage, such as (Mary) Pickford and (Douglas) Fairbanks. The downtown area has been undergoing a rejuvenation since the late 1990s with new restaurants, art galleries, theaters and shops that attract a large number of visitors from the local area.

Get in
CityBus Line 6 connects directly to the Los Angeles Airport (LAX) Transit Center. There are services every 15 minutes peak, 30-60 min off-peak.

Get around
Culver CityBus operates buses in and around Culver City.

Be aware that Culver City has placed red-light cameras throughout the city, and at $446 the fine for running a red light is one of the highest in the country. Be very aware at intersections, and when the light turns yellow, STOP!

Attractions






Public artwork

 * For the Child Care Center (in Palms) artist John Okulick created sculptural gates and fencing using the colors of "My First Sony" (red, yellow, blue). Margaret Nielsen designed a mural maquette for the Child Care Center (in Palms).


 * Terry Allen's sculpture "Golden Time" is a humorous comment on work after overtime. Michael Hayden's sculpture uses cutting edge materials (holographs) producing a rainbow spectrum on the sidewalk and surrounding areas of the Game Show Building. Hayden collaborated with Game Show Building architect, Steven Ehrlich, AIA, who won a National AIA Design Award for the project. (All in Culver City.)


 * Jim Heimann's sculptures celebrate the history of Culver Studios and Sony Pictures ("Studio Pass I & II," "King Kong Gone," and "Plato's Cup"). Jud Fine's courtyard installation traces the history of television. R. M. Fisher designed the plaza fountain, which celebrates Sony's history of filmmaking and references the set of "Lost Horizon." Albert Paley's entrance gates provide a monumental entry to architect Jaquelin T. Robertson's Media Building. (All in Culver City.)


 * A giant art installation, Syncopation, by Los Angeles artist Ed Massey, was wrapped around a building on the northwest corner of Hughes Ave. and Washington Blvd. (in Palms) opposite the new Kirk Douglas Theater (in Culver City). (Massey was the artist who oversaw the wrapping of the oil well at Beverly Hills High School with panels of fabric.)


 * Duck back into Dunn Drive to visit Los Angeles city historic-cultural landmark No. 624, the Lawrence and Martha Joseph Residence and Apartments at 3819-3827 Dunn Drive (in Palms). It's been aptly called the "Hobbit House," and people actually live in these unusual apartments.

Do






Buy
Culver City offers a bit of everything when it comes to shopping. The Westfield Malls, located just off of I-405 at Sepulveda, is a 200 store mega-mall. The district near the intersection of Washington Blvd and La Cienaga Blvd is a major art destination, featuring dozens of galleries. The downtown area is home to several smaller and more upscale shops, as well as the old Helms Bakery complex, now home to a variety of upscale furniture stores. And for those looking for familiar shopping establishments, major chain stores such as Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy and Toys 'R Us are also represented within the city limits.







Eat
During the past several years Culver City has been gaining a reputation for excellent restaurants, with the downtown area in particular becoming home to around twenty non-chain restaurants that offer everything from sushi to barbecue to Korean to organic fare. Other restaurants are spread throughout the city in areas such as Helm's Bakery or along Washington Boulevard. For those who just need a quick bite, the standard chains are well-represented including Denny's, Coco's, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Chipotle, and others.

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Bars
Most of the downtown restaurants also have a lively bar scene. Other bars located throughout the city include:















Sleep
Culver City has only a handful of hotels, but neighboring cities such as Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey and El Segundo have numerous options within a 10-15 minute drive of Culver City.







Connect
Culver City offers free internet access in several areas.





Go next

 * Venice. The neighboring beach town offers miles of sand, an eclectic nightlife, and the infamous Muscle Beach.
 * Santa Monica. Best known for its famous pier, Santa Monica is a must-see destination for most tourists, and home to many restaurants and bars frequented by locals.
 * Marina del Rey. The "marina of the king" is home to a vast number of restaurants and hotels, and while not as touristy as some of the neighboring beach cities is nonetheless a fun spot to spend an evening.
 * West LA. The west side of the sprawling city of LA surrounds Culver City to the north and east.