Calling Los Angeles one big sprawl belies its true character: It is a multitude of mini metropolises stitched together in a crazy quilt that is by turns glitzy, exotic, and unexpectedly bucolic (who says nobody walks in L.A.?). Stacie Stukin fashions an insider's guide to 30 neighborhoods that will have you seeing stars—and then some.

Culver City: The Yellow Brick Road, a Little Brazil, and All That Jazz

Hollywood and Burbank may owe their reputations to studio lore, but Culver City has its own proud pedigree. The so-called Heart of Screenland is where MGM had its heyday under Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg, and where child stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Garland went to school on the lot that's now Sony Pictures. You can still see the original Yellow Brick Road on the studio tour (323-520-8687; www.sonypicturesstudios.com). Venice Boulevard is Culver City's main artery—and while it may seem deserted, the apparent lack of activity is an urban illusion. The Museum of Jurassic Technology is an alternative natural history museum that has odd but riveting exhibitions such as the one on the screaming stink ant of Cameroon (310-836-6131; www.mjt.org).

Head south and stop at Govinda. Don't let this Hare Krishna head-quarters and temple intimidate—the upstairs boutique is a regular haunt of the fashion-forward who covet Indian clothing and jewelry at reasonable prices (3764 Watseka Ave.; 310-204-3263). Farther south, a Little Brazil has taken root. Sit on the patio and order the catfish at Café Brazil (310-837-8957; entrées, $8-$18). If Cuban better suits your mood, pop into Versailles, an L.A. institution where the roast chicken is a garlicky wonder (310-558-3168; entrées, $9-$20). After dinner, catch a show at the Jazz Bakery, the best place to see the likes of Diana Krall in a small auditorium setting (310-271-9039; www.jazzbakery.org).

Architecture enthusiasts take note: Eric Owen Moss has turned a faceless industrial park into a hotbed of innovative design with a collection of cutting-edge buildings such as The Umbrella, distinguished by an oversized undulating glass canopy sheltering an open-air platform/performance space (3542 Hayden Ave.; www.ericowenmoss.com).