Peer out the window on a descending flight into LAX and, like with those old Magic Eye posters, the vague concrete sprawl of the city starts coming into focus as recognizable landmarks. The giant doughnut atop Randy’s. The sprawling 405 freeway. The silver horn-shaped stadium that gleams in the daylight and beams “SoFi” at night.

Get to know Los Angeles through the places that bring it to life. From restaurants to shops to outdoor spaces, here’s what to discover now.

For visitors, Inglewood is their introduction to L.A. and perhaps the West Coast. For Angelenos, it’s the final sign of a safe journey home.

Once marked by its convenience to the airport and the Forum that first opened in 1967, Inglewood has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, a result of new and projected developments. SoFi Stadium, home of the L.A. Rams and L.A. Chargers, might have had a tepid start when it opened in 2020 during the pandemic, but it’s now in full swing after hosting Beyoncé and Taylor Swift’s world tours this summer. When the Rams won the Super Bowl there last year, Inglewood’s identity as the City of Champions was reaffirmed.

Next door to the stadium, Rams owner Stan Kroenke is developing Hollywood Park, a 300-acre mixed-use development that transforms the former racetrack into a hub with residences, office space, public parks, shopping, dining and events. Just a couple of minutes away, construction is underway at Intuit Dome, the Clippers’ future home stadium. And the Metro’s K Line now cuts through the city, with an LAX transit center projected to open in 2024.

For Asha Grant, opening her bookstore the Salt Eaters in downtown Inglewood in 2020 was a way of staking a claim in her rapidly changing hometown. She calls the cozy shop on Queen Street a place she “would have loved to go to as a Black girl who was living in Inglewood who loved reading and doing crafts and community and stuff like that.”

Grant adds, “I think about our customers that are little kids and I’m like, wow, it would be really special for them to go to college and be able to come back to the Salt Eaters or bring their kids. That’s something that we deserve as a community is that kind of legacy and longevity.”

Inglewood has had its moments in the spotlight as a backdrop — and even as a character in movies and TV. “The Wood” and “Dope,” both directed by Inglewood native Rick Famuyiwa, are coming-of-age films that follow the trials and tribulations of growing up and maintaining friendships. Though tonally dissimilar, both have been lauded as nuanced portrayals of L.A.’s Black middle class.

Inglewood also is home to the Dunes, a Midcentury-style apartment complex prominently featured in the Peabody-winning “Insecure” created by Issa Rae, who grew up in the neighboring View Park-Windsor Hills area. Visitors come from far and wide to get a picture in front of the building where some of the show’s earliest and most pivotal scenes take place. The complex’s iconic sign has been nicknamed the Black “Hollywood” sign.

But the renewed interest in Inglewood isn’t all positive. Rents have risen for residents and business owners alike and the additional traffic to SoFi Stadium has caused parking problems for locals, among other issues.

“The neighborhood is changing rapidly,” Grant said. “It’s going to be unrecognizable in a couple years, which is terrifying. We need more support than ever before.”

Like Grant, other Inglewood residents have stepped into roles as small business owners, such as a pair of sisters who opened the neighborhood’s first upscale wine bar, two former lawyers who launched a community-driven cafe, a third-generation carnitas chef and more. And let’s not discount those who have long invested in this region, including a soul food legend, a second-generation marisqueria and, yes, that doughnut shop you can spot from the sky. Earning your crown in the City of Champions means getting to know it all, from the star-studded stadium to the mom-and-pop joints. This must be Inglewood.

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