Culver City, located on the West Side of Los Angeles County, is best known for film and TV production, including MGM studios, which is now part of Sony Pictures. Some of the most famous films of all time were shot here, including Citizen Kane, The Wizard of Oz, and Gone With the Wind.

Culver City was founded by Harry Culver in 1913, a brilliant real estate developer who sold track homes to "immigrants" from the Midwest. For a monthly mortgage payment, the homes included furniture, dishes, a record player, and sometimes even a Model T. In the 1920s, silent film comedy producer Hal Roach and Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) built studios.

Hundreds of movies have been produced on the lots of Culver City's studios, including The Tarzan series and the original King Kong. The Yellow brick road from The Wizard of Oz is still inside the lot on Stage 27 of Sony Studios. More recent films include Grease, Raging Bull, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, City Slickers, Wag the Dog and Contact. Television shows made on Culver City sets include Lassie, Batman, The Andy Griffith Show and Jeopardy!.

Outside of the studios, Culver City is mostly comprised of middle class homes that were originally built to house studio workers. Some of the street names reflect the heritage, such as (Mary) Pickford and (Douglas) Fairbanks. Culver City's downtown has been undergoing a rejuvenation with new restaurants, art galleries, theaters, and shops.

Attractions

 • Museum of Jurassic Technology, 9341 Venice Boulevard (four blocks west of Robertson Boulevard), 310-836-6131- Th 2PM-8PM, F-Su 12PM-6PM. This museum is an artistic mixture of fact and fiction, featuring weird and wonderful displays of things that never happened, next to strange but true practices of bygone years. It can be hard to distinguish between the two, and it's best not to try. An enjoyable afternoon's visit and a tribute to the weirdness of the world. $5 (discounts for students, seniors, and the unemployed; children free).

Dining

 • Mi Ranchito, Washington Blvd. (near Centinela). Authentic cuisine from Veracruz, Mexico.
 • Indian and Pakistani restaurants, Venice Blvd. between Overland and Robertson.
 • Gaby's Mediterranean Grill, Venice Blvd. (between Motor Ave. and Mentone Ave). Reasonably priced Lebanese restaurant, good value for money.

Drink

 • Backstage, 10400 Culver Blvd. (near Culver and Overland at the intersection with Motor), Ph: (310) 839-3892 - Proudly advertising itself as "the best dive bar in the world" Backstage offers a high-energy atmosphere with a really fun crowd. Drinks are reasonably priced ($4 for a draft beer), the staff is extraordinarily friendly, and there is karaoke (Thursday - Saturday), pool, darts, and decent bar food to help keep the evening entertaining.
 • Synergy Cafe & Lounge, 4455 Overland Ave (near Jefferson & Overland), Ph: (310) 559-8868, Fax: (310) 559-8846 - A small coffeehouse located a few blocks from downtown. While the drinks, sandwiches, and other snacks are merely OK, the atmosphere is terrific - musicians, singers, poets and others show up nightly around 7:00, and there is free (and fast) wireless internet access available to customers. Prices are reasonable, with sandwiches between $7 and $9 while coffees are in the $2 - $5 range. Official hours are Monday - Thursday from 6:30 AM until 10ish, Friday from 6:30 AM until 12ish, Saturday from 9:00 AM until 12ish, and Sunday from 9:00 AM until 10ish.