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All the LA Bars and Restaurants Featured in Modern Noir Cop Show Bosch

A location guide to the real spots on the Amazon Prime series

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Season 5 of the popular Amazon Prime show Bosch premieres on April 19 and show follows LAPD detective Harry Bosch as he grapples with crime, corruption, and his personal life in Los Angeles. The modern noir show reveals an unvarnished, completely real side of the City of Angels , and it’s perhaps the best series on TV that shows LA at its best, worst, and everything in between. What’s great about the Bosch is that it avoids the “Hollywood stereotypes that tend to reduce the city into a collection of stock images.”

A crime tour of the city that never forgets its murder victims

M ichael Connelly may just be the greatest contemporary chronicler of Los Angeles. His crime-fiction novels, mostly starring LAPD detective character Harry Bosch, have now sold more than 60 million copies. He has won almost every prize going in the genre. His latest Bosch novel, The Wrong Side of Goodbye, finds the hero in semi-retirement, accepting a case as a private investigator. 

There’s more than a passing nod to that earlier chronicler-in-fiction here, Raymond Chandler. The title of the latest Bosch book even echoes Chandler’s last great Philip Marlowe detective story, The Long Goodbye. Fittingly for this town, the Bosch stories are also now being turned into an acclaimed television series, with the third season soon available via Amazon Prime. 

While LA is best known for Hollywood and the beach towns (Venice, Santa Monica, Malibu), the day I spend with Michael Connelly in its eastward reaches reveals quite different sides to the city, and no less interesting ones.

We begin at the Pacific Dining Car, a 24-hour restaurant dating back to 1921 – “A swanky steak pit on the edge of downtown… a self-contained time warp in a city of time warps and dark continuums”, goes the description by James Ellroy, another local crime writer best known for LA Confidential and The Black Dahlia. 

The dimly lit eatery is also popular with police top brass and senior serving officers. Joining us for breakfast are detectives Mitzi Roberts and Tim Marcia, who work in the elite Homicide Special Section of the Robbery-Homicide Division, in nearby LA police headquarters. They also look after key unsolved cases. Over eggs and hash browns, Connelly runs past them various scenarios for a new novel featuring a female police protagonist. The goal is to ensure that his characters’ actions ring true.

Blinking back sunlight, I accompany Connelly and the two detectives over to the new Police Administration Building, just the other side of the busy 110 freeway. It’s a strikingly angular structure in which Detective Marcia shows me up to the cold-case storage room and the murder books so familiar from the Bosch stories. Between 1960 and 1996, there were 6,000 unsolved cases, plus another 3,000 cleared ones where the suspects did not face criminal prosecutions for reasons beyond police control. It recalls a strapline from the jacket of my favourite Bosch book, The Closers: “A city that forgets its murder victims is a city lost.”

Detective Marcia is haunted by one cold case in particular – the 1980 murder of Kari Lenander, a teenager from the affluent suburb of Brentwood who never returned home after a night out in Hollywood. It strongly resembles the storyline of The Closers, in which Harry works on an unsolved case involving the Eighties murder of a high-school student. “With retirement looming, it’s becoming more emotional because I realise it’s not about the cases I’ve solved – it’s about the ones I didn’t solve,” Detective Marcia shares. “Those are the cases illuminating that exit sign.” 

On our way out of the building, we visit a battleship-grey “war room”, from where key police operations are led. On the wall is Harry Bosch’s name and famous saying: “Everybody counts or nobody counts”. Connelly also points out how the Police Administration Building looks directly across to the newsroom of the neighbouring Los Angeles Times building, where he formerly worked as a crime reporter. (A police chief once ordered the blinds closed.)

The two of us walk out past the Times building – a massive stone edifice from this approach. I ask Connelly whether having strong relationships with serving police officers makes him self-conscious when writing up his stories; not all of the detail is flattering to the police department. “It’s like when I was a journalist,” he replies. “They know I have to present a balanced and realistic picture.” In this potent cluster of landmarks – which also includes the Criminal Justice Center, and City Hall – professionals here recognise and respect the roles that others have to play. Could there be any better store of character-led material for crime fiction?

Next stop is the five-storey Bradbury Building, a strikingly modern-feeling landmark, yet more than a century old, featuring a full-height open interior, dramatic glass skylight, twin open-cage elevators riding up to the roof and decorative brick and tiling work. It also happens to house the headquarters of the LAPD’s Internal Affairs Division, familiar to the sometimes-maverick Bosch.

Innumerable films have been shot here, most recognisably Blade Runner. A day’s shoot now costs $25,000 (£20,000). What fascinates the film-makers so? A handout that Connelly passes me gives clues. Lewis Bradbury, the ageing millionaire who commissioned the building, never witnessed its completion, while the young architect who designed it never conceived anything so significant again. It’s as though this youthful-feeling monument drained the life and creativity of these two men, and perhaps that says something about the elusive and ephemeral quality of the dreams this city cultivates.

Our final Downtown stop is the Arts District, in which a key scene from The Wrong Side of Goodbye plays out (no spoilers). The former fruit-processing and storage warehouses, previously occupied inexpensively by artists, have now largely been converted to housing for business people working Downtown or in Hollywood. But beautiful murals on building walls remain, as does the American Hotel, where well-known musicians once played at the bar. As we leave the Downtown area, Connelly points out other entertainment, shopping and eating options. Grand Central Market, now filled with upscale food stands, features prominently in the Bosch stories. So too does the old-school Nickel Diner, where Harry treats his daughter to “the best chocolate shake in LA”. We also drive by The Last Bookstore – a 22,000 sq ft book shop in an old bank building – where Connelly once snatched writing time to work on early Bosch books.

I’m staying at the Angeleno hotel, a cylindrical tower at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and the 405 (allegedly America’s busiest freeway). Connelly recommends that I drive the length of Sunset, whose westward end meets ocean. “It goes through different social strata – Beverly Hills, several barrios,” he explains. “It gives you a very good sense of the city. There are plenty of places to stop and eat, but because of the traffic, just driving it may take two hours.”

The time needed to ensure making appointments is a preoccupation for Angelenos, but Griffith Park is one place to escape the traffic. Named after a Welsh gold miner and industrialist improbably called Griffith J Griffith, it features the Hollywood sign and the observatory seen to such dazzling effect in La La Land. You’ll also discover more than 4,000 acres of near-wilderness here, amid the urban sprawl.

We’re heading to the night-time set of the Bosch TV series. In an otherwise empty canyon, more than 50 film professionals ensure that they get the last takes of Season Three. 

At the centre is the remarkably grounded lead actor Titus Welliver, whose eyes do so much of the talking on the show. He points out to me the appeal of Griffith Park: the hiking, the trail riding. There’s Sunset Ranch at the top of North Beachwood Drive; there’s also Runyon Ranch, just the other side of the 101 freeway. 

“Look,” he exclaims, pointing to a ridge. A large, still coyote eyes us. “Get some B-roll of that,” he jokes. One of the early Bosch novels is called The Last Coyote. A turn of my head locates the seething lights of Hollywood and the city’s low, southward spread. When I look back, the coyote has gone. A large, light-filled balloon hovers over us, turning the hillside into an eerie otherworld in which Bosch and the villain play out their mortal struggle.

Back at the hotel, I retreat to the 17th-floor bar-restaurant, hypnotised by headlamps and tail lights. OJ’s fleeing Ford Bronco once turned west off the 405 freeway onto Sunset, immediately below, in the aftermath of the city’s highest-profile murder case of all.

It’s a comforting place. There’s free car valet, free Wi-Fi, free evening wine; it all helps with the punishing current exchange rate. There’s a cocktail, too, called “@%#! the 405” (gin, OJ, triple sec and lemon/juniper syrup), in recognition of how clogged that artery below has become. I meditate on the ceaseless energy down there, the restless souls driving, all in search of something… This is Harry Bosch’s city, and what a fascinating city it is.

Bosch Series Three is available via Amazon Prime from April 21.

The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly is published by Orion. To order your copy for £7.99 plus p&p call 0844 871 1514 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk .

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Harry Bosch’s Los Angeles – The Tour

Have you seen the Amazon Original Series, Bosch ? It’s based on a series of books by Michael Connelly , and it’s about to start it’s fourth season. Harry Bosch is a Los Angeles Homicide Detective with the Hollywood Division so t he books and television show feature much of Los Angeles – you can find maps and lists of addresses for the first few seasons of the show online. The maps and instructions are easy to follow.

My parents love the books and when they visited early this spring, I thought it would be fun to show them the sites or point them out as we were wandering around.

Google Map of the Bosch Tour

My Favorite Places on the Bosch Tour

We added the tour items into other branches of the “parts of LA” bits of the wandering so we didn’t have one day that was based on the books, we spread the site seeing throughout their entire trip. My favorite spots on the tour are:

• The Hollywood Sign – We took pictures from Lake Hollywood Park, which sits directly below the sign
• Griffith Park – We went up to the observatory and looked around, then took a quick hike down the hill
• The Hollywood Bowl – Hubs and I used to live half a mile away so we were able to tell tons of stories about the neighborhood as we went.

Much of Downtown LA is featured in the book series, like city hall and the police station. We showed those locations off in one day when we showed the family around our current neighborhood. Mom and Dad were delighted to see the sights around town. I’ll probably post more of our adventures later this month or next. Below is a shot of Angel’s Flight with my Mom in the corner. 🙂

Mom and Angel’s Flight entrance. Short trip and worth the 50 cents #tourists #DTLA #Bosch A post shared by malinda (@malindahlloyd) on Mar 21, 2018 at 10:03am PDT

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One thought on “ harry bosch’s los angeles – the tour ”.

We loved the tour; especially the company

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Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow that went viral, caused mayhem is set to debut in the US

Second time's the charm? Remember the Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow, Scotland that went viral earlier this year, with its sad Oompa Loompa becoming a meme? It's making a comeback.

Despite the backlash and mockery, the now-infamous event is returning, and this time in Los Angeles, California, according to an event page that popped up on Eventbrite .

"Yes, this is a real event," reads the first thing on the event page, set up by the House of Illuminati LA.

"Get ready to step into a realm of pure imagination as the highly acclaimed 'Willy’s Chocolate Experience LA' makes its debut in the United States, courtesy of House of Illuminati LA," the event description reads. "Following its groundbreaking success in Glasgow, this fantastical event promises an immersive journey into the whimsical world of 'Willy' Wonka."

'Fiasco': Willy Wonka experience in Scotland creates sour taste for ticket buyers

Features of previous event in Glasgow to be recreated

The "sad" Oompa Loompa, Kirsty Paterson, who instantly became a meme, will also be participating in the event on April 28 with an "exclusive absurdist Q&A and fan photo opportunity," according to the organizers.

Other features of the Glasgow event, such as the setting, will also be replicated with the event planned to be held in "a nondescript warehouse nestled in the heart of downtown Los Angeles." The exact location has not been specified.

Tickets are priced at $44 and are non-refundable. However, the proceeds of the event will be donated to an unnamed mental health charity, say the organizers.

In another nod to the previous event, attendees will get 2 complimentary jellybeans "to kickstart the sweetness".

Meanwhile, other "enchanting attractions" include local music and comedy performances, an "immersive" silent film screening complemented by live music and local vendors selling sweet treat. The organizers have also teased the possibility of "renowned comedians" to be attending the event, "promising an evening filled with laughter and unexpected twists."

The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. on April 28 for photobooth and mingling, followed by the Q&A session with Paterson at 6:30 p.m. Around 9 p.m., the event will transition into "Willy's Rave" with a D.J., who will be "keeping the energy going until 4 a.m.," the next morning.

"Prepare to be transported to a realm where imagination knows no bounds and every moment is infused with wonder," the event page adds.

Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow was dubbed a 'fiasco'

In February, earlier this year, a Willy Wonka-themed event in Scotland went viral after ticket-buyers went to an event marketed as a place "where dreams come to life," only to find a sparsely decorated warehouse with a pair of women with green wigs – apparently the Oompa Loompas – and an actor portraying Willy Wonka, who looked more like an Oompa Loompa than Wonka.

Attendees, many of whom were children, were enraged and upset with the organizers, a U.K. event company called House of Illuminati, demanding a refund. The police even showed up at the event to calm the irate crowd and shut down the event, that had promised chocolate fountains, performances by Oompa Loompas and "a celebration of chocolate in all its delightful forms."

One of the event attendees, Stuart Sinclair, who attended the event with his children said called the event "an absolute con," saying that his kids only received "two jelly babies and a quarter of a can of bars limeade," and that the whole experience took only 2 minutes. One of actor's, who participated in the event, called it a "fiasco" and said that he and the other actors "were furious."

"We’d been conned, as well, and it did turn quite scary at one point because people were angry," he said.

The company organizing the event later apologized for the event, releasing a statement that read: "Unfortunately, last minute we were let down in many areas of our event and tried our best to continue on and push through and now realize we probably should have cancelled first thing this morning instead."

Contributing: Mike Snider, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.

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