Sunset Boulevard, from west to east

The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine Temple offers a verdant view along its Sunset Boulevard perch in Pacific Palisades.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Pedestrians strolling along Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades are greeted to the lush trappings of the Self-Realization Fellowship temple, whose path wraps around a spring-fed lake.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Sunset Boulevard takes a tony turn in Bel-Air, where ornate gates stand sentinel. The sidewalks are few and far between in this western stretch of Sunset.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The distinct Oscar Niemeyer-designed Beauty Pavilion in the Sunset Strip is at home amid the billboards and super-graphics of the boulevard.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

West Hollywood’s Prism Gallery shines a metallic glow on Sunset Boulevard.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A movie ad looms over the farmers market on the Sunset Strip, home to super-graphics and all manner of billboards.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Sunset Plaza on the Strip is the place for window shopping, dressing up and dining.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

The Standard Hotel on the Sunset Strip plays host to a stream of celebrities.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Giant advertisements dominate the Sunset Strip, hoping to catch the eye of a steady stream of revelers.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Rising above the Sunset Strip, the Chateau Marmont makes for prime star watching, of the cosmic and earthly sort.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The club crowd cools its heels at Ivar Street and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Neon lights up Crossroads of the World, Hollywood’s landmark office complex that features a globe that has been spinning since 1936.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The moon shines down on the KTLA Studios along the 5800 block of Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Silver Lake’s Sunset Triangle Plaza provides a motor-free respite for the bustling block.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A taco truck on the 3100 block of Sunset in Silver Lake is a feast for night owls.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

With the downtown skyline looming ahead, cars line up for valet parking along the 1900 block of Sunset in Echo Park.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The lively 1400 block of Sunset in Echo Park features Asian and Mexican eateries, several bars and apartment buildings.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts at Grand and Cesar Chavez avenues in downtown  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Union Station, near the intersection of Alameda Street and Cesar E. Chavez Avenue, is poised for major changes with an ambitious master planning project in the works.   (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

The Spanish-style Chavez Viaduct stretches over the Los Angeles River northeast of downtown.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The Breed Street Shul near Cesar Chavez in Boyle Heights, undergoing restoration, is a reminder of the area’s earlier incarnation as a center of Jewish life.   (Luis Sinco/ Los Angeles Times )

The Evergreen Cemetery along Cesar Chavez in Boyle Heights features a rubber path around its perimeter that has turned the site into a social center.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A meat market on the 3400 block of Cesar Chavez in Boyle Heights is among the many small shops that cater to residents along a highly walkable stretch.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park is at the terminus of Cesar Chavez.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)