Top Parks And Gardens in Beverly Hills, Bel Air, And Westwood
Beverly Hills is a city, independent of Los Angeles and with its own laws and regulations. Since the early 1920s it has been the entertainment industry’s favorite residential address. Beverly Hills’ Golden Triangle is the West Coast’s answer to New York’s Madison Avenue, with its array of restaurants, shops, and coffee bars. South of Bel Air’s shady canyons, youthful Westwood brims with UCLA students. In the business minded Century City, high-rises crowd the skyline. Together, these areas are known as the Westside.
Greystone Park and Mansion
Tel (310) 550-4654.
In 1928 Edward L Doheny, an oil millionaire, built this 55-room mock-Tudor manor house for his son. Just three weeks after moving in with his family, Doheny’s son was found dead in his bedroom with a male secretary, an apparent murder-suicide. His wife and children soon moved out, and since then the mansion has often been vacant.
Now owned by the city of Beverly Hills, Greystone is used in films, music videos, and commercials. The house is closed to the public, but visitors can walk or picnic in the beautiful 18-acre (7-ha) terraced gardens, which offer views across Los Angeles.
Virginia Robinson Gardens
Tel (310) 276-5367.
Advance reservations required. In 1908 department-store heir Harry Robinson and his wife, Virginia, bought a plot of land in Beverly Hills. Three years later they completed the city’s first house here and planted 6 acres (2.5 ha) of landscaped gardens set amid terraces, ponds, and fountains. Bequeathed to LA County,
the gardens were opened to the public in 1982. One of the most impressive sights is the 2.5-acre (1-ha) palm forest, where you can see the largest king palms outside Australia. The organized tour includes part of the house, which still has its original furnishings.
