Los Angeles, America’s second largest city after New York, sprawls along the Pacific coast of southern California. Its coastline actually stretches 122km (76 miles) from Malibu to Long Beach, while inland the city spreads out to fill a vast, flat and once arid basin ringed by the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains. Arriving by aeroplane gives a good first impression of the city. From out of this vast flat grid of streets and buildings, there rises a cluster of imposing skyscrapers to mark Downtown – 26km (16 miles) inland from the coast. To the northeast is Pasadena; to the west and northwest are Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Century City, as well as the wide San Fernando Valley; to the south is Long Beach and along the west coast are Santa Monica and Venice Beach.