United States
City overview
Los Angeles pairs beaches, mountains and Hollywood with one of the deepest kosher infrastructures in the United States. It is home to the country's second-largest Jewish community, around 565,000 people. Orthodox life centres on three neighbourhoods: Pico-Robertson on the Westside, Hancock Park and La Brea in the middle of the city, and Valley Village and North Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley. Each has its own cluster of shuls, kosher restaurants and markets within walking distance, and dozens of Chabad houses serve visitors from Santa Monica to Encino.
Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi
Rabbi Moshe Levin
Phone
310-385-2222Website
https://www.chabadpico.com/Chabad shul on West Pico Boulevard in Pico-Robertson, branded online as Chabad Pico, offering daily minyanim, classes and community events. The building also houses the Jewish Family Library of Los Angeles, a lending library of Jewish-values books for families.
Getting Around
Public transit
LA Metro runs the rail and bus network.
The base fare is $1.75 with free transfers for two hours, and fares cap at $5 a day and $18 over seven days. Pay with a TAP card ($2), the TAP app, or a contactless bank card or phone wallet. Useful lines for visitors: the B Line between Union Station, Hollywood, Universal City and North Hollywood; the E Line to Santa Monica; and the D Line, which since May 2026 runs along Wilshire Boulevard to Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega. Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus costs $1.25, and LADOT's DASH shuttles serve Downtown, Hollywood and Fairfax. Metro Micro offers on-demand rides ($2.50) in zones including North Hollywood and Westwood/UCLA.
Rideshare
Uber and Lyft operate throughout Los Angeles; at LAX, pickups are from the LAX-it lot next to Terminal 1, reached by a free shuttle.
Waymo driverless rides cover much of the city, with a service area running from Santa Monica to Echo Park and south to Inglewood; Waymo does not serve LAX.
Car rental
A car is the most flexible way to cover LA's distances, especially for day trips.
At LAX, the major brands, including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Sixt, operate from the consolidated Rental Car Center at 5251 W 98th St, reached by shuttle from the terminals. Expect heavy traffic at rush hour and paid parking in most commercial areas.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the main gateway, roughly 10 miles from Pico-Robertson and 12 miles from Beverly Hills; allow 30 to 60 minutes by car depending on traffic. Rideshare and taxis pick up at LAX-it, and a free shuttle links the terminals to the LAX/Metro Transit Center on the C and K rail lines. Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) is the closest airport to the Valley, about 5 miles from Valley Village. Long Beach (LGB), John Wayne in Orange County (SNA) and Ontario (ONT) are alternatives, each 45 to 90 minutes from the Westside by car.
Good to know
Los Angeles is mild year-round, but spring and autumn bring warm, dry days, while most of the year's rain falls between December and March.
Pick your base by kosher neighbourhood: Pico-Robertson and Beverly Hills for the densest choice of restaurants and shuls, Hancock Park and La Brea for Beverly Boulevard's kosher strip, or Valley Village if you are visiting Universal Studios or the studios in Burbank. Many kosher restaurants close early on Friday and reopen after Shabbos on Saturday night, and Thursday is the busiest day for Shabbos takeout. Check the eruv status every Friday, as the eruvin are inspected weekly.
Los Angeles is generally safe for visitors who take normal big-city precautions: keep valuables out of sight in parked cars, stay aware on quiet streets at night, and use official rideshare pickup zones. For emergencies dial 911. Non-emergency police lines: LAPD 877-275-5273 (1-877-ASK-LAPD); Beverly Hills Police 310-550-4951; West Hollywood (LA County Sheriff's West Hollywood Station) 310-855-8850. Sign up for the City of Los Angeles NotifyLA alerts and Alert LA County for emergency information such as wildfire evacuation orders. In an earthquake, drop, cover and hold on; if you feel an earthquake while on the beach, move inland or to high ground. Always swim near an open lifeguard tower, and if caught in a rip current, swim parallel to shore before heading in.
Local time
12:58 PM
−3 hrs from NYC
Plug
Type A/B
120V
Currency
US Dollar
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