As if Los Angeles can’t get interesting enough, it is colored with soul satisfying murals all around the city. This art is free and does not require a ticket like your typical art museums. All it takes to view these massive murals is taking a breath of that LA stench, hearing the voices of busy people who walk along these streets holding their hope and dreams close to them.

Below are four of the most incredible murals located in the city of stars.

You Are the Star

Los Angeles would be nothing without the glitz and glamour it has been shaped into for centuries. At the corner of Wilcox Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard in West Hollywood, is a mural created by Thomas Suriya in 1983 called, “You Are the Star.” Hollywood was given a pulse of life due to film, music, and television. This mural features a classic theatre with rose red velvet seats and drapes along the walls, and in it are rows of famous celebrities through out the years where usually the average folks would be seated are these familiar faces. Which in retrospect should be us as average people. This is where the name comes from in the essence that we as common people are the stars of this show of life.

Location: 1665 Wilcox Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028

We Are Not a Minority

With a sky blue back drop, an image of a man appears while pointing at the viewer. The portrait of the revolutionary is Che Guevara, which signifies a mantra for all Chicanos and all minorities for that matter. The muralist who created this masterpiece is Mario Torero and named it “We Are Not a Minority.” This dedication of Che invokes a sense of pride and resistance of being proclaimed as the “others” of our own neighborhoods.

Location: 3217 Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90023

Going to the Olympics

This city would be nothing without bumper to bumper traffic on the 101 freeway as we sit in the hot sun waiting to just get off the freeway to spend another half hour finding parking. As most of us zone out into a daze, our eyes meet vibrant colors of cars with symbols of men wrestling, heart shaped figures, and cultural references of the city painted on the wall by Frank Romero.

Location: Hollywood Freeway (101) North between Alameda and San Pedro St

LA Freeway Kids

On the South Bound side of the 101 you see children running after each other and smiling by Glenna Avila. These murals were dedicated to the 1984 Olympics and have been restored over time. This project was given to several different known muralist of that time who were hired by the city. These murals were suppose to give an exuberant representation of the city life.

Location: US-101, Los Angeles, CA 90012