Positioned between Beverly Hills and Westwood, and stretching between Little Santa Monica and West Pico Boulevards, is Century City. This 176-acre development of sleek high-rise hotels and office buildings, condominiums, a shopping centre, and an entertainment complex used to be the backlot of nearby Twentieth Century Fox.

Closer to the ground at the Little Santa Monica Boulevard end is the Century City Shopping Centre and Marketplace. This low-lying, open-air complex seems more like a marketplace than a mall, with its bustling cafes, restaurants, 150-plus shops, department stores, and a multiplex cinema.

The twin triangular Century Plaza Towers were designed in 1975 by Minour Yamasaki, one of whose pervious projects was the New York World Trade Centre. The ABC Entertainment Centre contains move theatres, restaurants, offices, and the well-respected Shubert Theatre, where extravagant musicals are often presented.