I was dismayed to learn that the Hotel Shangri-La, on Ocean Drive in Santa Monica, across the street from the beach, had closed, apparently forever. My mantra for visiting L.A.: If you can’t be near the ocean, be near the celebrities. In other words, check into the Four Seasons Beverly Hill. It’s very close to Beverly Hills, but not quite in it, hence the unusual name. It’s also very close to Nate ’n Al’s delicatessen, which has all the corned beef a hungry traveler could ever desire, as good as any in New York. This is not to disparage dining possibilities at the Four Seasons, which are excellent, or the endless parade of celebrities staying there, most of them so skinny they look as though they never had a pastrami sandwich in their lives. Book a top suite and you will be picked up at L.A.X. and driven to an underground V.I.P. entrance so your devoted fans don’t overwhelm you as you arrive. —Alan Richman

A former sportswriter for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, Alan Richman has won 16 James Beard Foundation Awards for his journalism on food and wine, and a National Magazine Award for feature writing