Filled with film studios, movie producers, screenwriters and actors, Los Angeles loves to tell stories. More than that, it’s a town that loves to tell stories about itself.
LA’s penchant for storytelling isn’t limited to the screen, of course. These days, there’s nearly a tour for every aspect of LA’s life and times, both past and present.
But the City of Angles isn’t only interested in showing its glitzy and glamorous face (celeb fans check out our TMZ tour recommendation) – it’s revealing its dark side too.
Esotouric’s LA Noir tour charts the three decades of the early 20th century that not only profoundly shaped the city, but also inspired writers and filmmakers for generations. It uncovers the period of the 1930s to the ‘60s, when the city was dominated by the bitter power play between underworld crime and one of the world’s most famous (and infamous) police forces.
The tour was devised by John Buntin, author of the acclaimed book L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City. He brings his text to life guiding visitors around the haunts, ‘hits’ and harems where some of the most shocking and influential moments of Los Angeles’ history has played out.
Much of the tour revolves around the compelling rivalry between LA’s most notorious criminal and its most controversial police chief. Former boxer Mickey Cohen rose through the mobster ranks to become the city’s preeminent gangster. For more than 30 years – from Prohibition through the Watts Riots, a time of drug dens, pleasure palaces, illegal gambling and other assorted vices – he was chased by William H. Parker, a dedicated law enforcer who made it his life’s mission to rip apart the shadowy rule of tycoons, politicians and underworld crime bosses.
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
(Image: army.arch)
