Century City sits just west of Beverly Hills on land that used to belong entirely to 20th Century Fox. The studio sold much of it off in the 1960s — allegedly to cover debts from the notoriously expensive production of Cleopatra — and the result is a compact district of glass towers, an outdoor shopping mall, and corporate headquarters that feel distinctly Angeleno in their low-rise, car-centric way.
The Fox studio lot is still here, though there are no public tours. On Avenue of the Stars — yes, that is the real street name — you can spot the Fox Tower, better known to cinephiles as the Nakatomi Plaza from Die Hard. It is now a perfectly ordinary office building, but that has never stopped fans from taking photos of it. The building was also briefly the west coast headquarters of several cable networks and ABC.
For most visitors, Century City is a detour rather than a destination. The Westfield Century City mall anchors the neighbourhood with decent shopping and dining, and the area is convenient if you are already in the Beverly Hills or West Hollywood area.