Take the 91 across to the 405 (or, if it_s easier to take the 5 north into the East LA interchange, and then the 10 across from Downtown, and then go north on the 405 from there, do that), and go north until the Mulholland Drive exit. At the top of the ramp, turn left onto the access road, and at Mulholland, you can go either left or right for amazing views.
If you go left at Mulholland and head west, you_ll be in the hills above Encino, and the road will go for about 3 miles before it ends, but the views of the valley from there are lovely.
If you go right and head east, you can take it all the way through Sherman Oaks, Bel Air, Beverly Hills and into West Hollywood and the Hollywood Hills. There are dozens of places to park on the side of the road and take in the views.
If you follow it all the way across the top of the valley from one end to the other, you_ll find yourself above the Hollywood Bowl at one of my favorite overlook places. It_s on the right about a mile past Outpost Drive, and it_s a clearly marked little parking lot with telescopes and eveyrthing. From up there, you can see the 101 freeway, all of Hollywood and Downtown, but if you_re not familiar with the way back down into the city and to the freeways from there, it would be less confusing to just go back across the way you came, and take the 405 back to the 91 and go home. Truthfully, the views change with the time of day and where the sun is, so going back the way you came might be just as fine as the first time across.
I go up there all the time, and it_s always fun to drive around and see what you can find.
Best of luck, and feel free to email me if you_d like more info.
:D
