Los Angeles, the city of angels, has many distinctions; the entertainment capital of the world, a cultural mecca boasting over 300 museums and hundreds of distinct ethnic communities, a paradise of perfect weather and one of the world’s largest economies. Above all, Los Angeles is a city of opportunities where dreams come true and the world comes together.
The Award winning Los Angeles Convention Center is one of the key contributors to the economic and cultural vitality of Los Angeles. As one of the most technologically advanced, architecturally pleasing, and functionally superb venues in the world, our expert service teams are committed to providing you with a World Class experience worthy of our World Class city.
See + Do
Ahmanson Theaters and Mark Taper Forum
The 2,000-seat Ahmanson Theatre and 750-seat Mark Taper Forum are two of L.A.'s most important performing venues. Both are affiliated with the Center Theatre Group.
The Music Center
135 N. Grand Avenue
Los Angeles , California 90012
Tel: 213 628 2772
Architecture, Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Conservancy, a preservation society founded in 1978, operates weekly walking tours of downtown L.A.'s architectural landmarks, from the much-filmed 1893 Bradbury Building to the elaborately gilded twenties and thirties movie theaters on Broadway (213-430-4219; www.laconservancy.org; $10 for non-members). The L.A. chapter of the American Institute of Architects also conducts tours of architecturally significant houses at least twice a year (213-639-0777; www.aialosangeles.org). At the downtown Visitors' Center, you can pick up free itineraries guiding you on 30-minute walking tours, which include Rafael Moneo's Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Frank Gehry's stainless-steel Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the museums and California Science Center in Exposition Park. If you're interested in modernism, CA Boom Design Expositions offers tours series, visiting case houses and other significant homes (310-394-8600 ).
Notable buildings that are worth making specific pilgrimages to see are the MAK Center for Art + Architecture, the former West Hollywood home of famed modernist Rudolf Schindler; tours are held midday on weekends (323-651-1510; www.makcenter.org). Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House in Barnsdall Park in the Hollywood/Los Feliz area can once again be visited after extensive restoration (323-644-6269; www.hollyhockhouse.net), as can his Ennis House, in Los Feliz (323-660-0607; www.ennishouse.org). Of Pasadena's many craftsman bungalows, the most famous is the Gamble House, designed by Charles and Henry Greene in 1908 (626-793-3334)
Beaches, Los Angeles
The Beach Boys weren't lying: this part of California is all about the sun, sand, and surf. Venice Beach, with its street performers, outdoor cafés, and pedestrian traffic, still has that quintessential Californian combination of liveliness and laid-backness. You can grab a bike at one of the many rental stands; there's a bike path that heads all the way south to Redondo Beach. Santa Monica has Surfrider Beach, one of the best breaks long the coast, and also a pier with an amusement park that's lots of fun for kids. Malibu is a bit on the impenetrable side (a wall of houses lines the beach), but just up the Pacific Coast Highway at Zuma Beach there's plenty of parking and lots of sand. Walk north, and you'll pass the celebrity-owned houses of Broad Beach. Drive a bit farther up the Pacific Coast Highway and you'll find Neptune's Net, the famed fish-shack with a parking lot full of motorcycles.
Beverly Hills, California is famous for the designer-driven shops of Rodeo Drive and the Golden Triangle, and the recent upsurge of teardowns in favor of mega-mansions. It's a great place for strolling and window-shopping (if you can't afford the stores), and there's excellent people-watching to be had from the many sidewalk cafés. Landmarks include City Hall and the Post Office, as well as the I.M. Pei–designed Creative Artists Agency (CAA). The well-manicured public gardens along Santa Monica Boulevard are a lovely oasis, as well as a popular place to jog.
Los Angeles, Downtown - Downtown Los Angeles has been reputedly making a comeback for 25 years now, but the loft explosion over the past few years has made that notion seem truer than ever. There's lots of sightseeing to be done here, neighborhood landmarks include MOCA, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, ornate former movie palaces on Broadway, and the kitschy Mexican tourist attraction known as Olvera Street. There's also Chinatown—which is becoming an avant-garde multiculti art destination—and Little Tokyo
Getty Center, Los Angeles- This is architect Richard Meier's masterwork, a stunning 110-acre modernist complex in the Santa Monica Mountains housing the Getty Museum and other foundation buildings. When it was commissioned in 1984, the white travertine came from a quarry near Rome, and a special guillotine method for slicing it had to be developed for the construction. The Getty Museum is a symphony of light, with pools, fountains, and walls of glass bricks. The painting galleries are entirely illuminated by natural light filtered to protect the art. The Getty has had some financial and identity problems in recent years, but finally hired Australian Michael Brand in August 2005 as its new director and is at work shoring up its image. As you'd expect from an institution with a $5 billion endowment, the Getty has some big-ticket pieces, including works by Titian and Rubens, Cezanne's Still Life with Apples, and Van Gogh's Irises. The collection of decorative arts is wonderful, and now that the Getty Villa (see below) has reopened, the area once occupied by antiquities has been remodeled to house the renowned photography collection. Guests can choose from a self-service café, the sandwiches and salads of the Garden Terrace Cafe, or the Restaurant, which is open for lunch daily, but for dinner only on Friday and Saturday nights (reservations are advisable: 310-440-6810).
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles , California 90049
Tel: 310 440 7300
Closed Mondays
Hollywood is the same sun-blasted mecca for celebrity worshippers it's always been, but trees now line the main drag, Hollywood Boulevard. At night, the club-crawlers come out to play, even though the A-list spots come and go at warp speed (see our Nightlife section for help). The Kodak Theatre hosts the Academy Awards and other splashy events, which means that several blocks of the Boulevard near Highland Avenue are perpetually closed off to traffic. There's still no great shopping (unless you're looking for T-shirts or platform sandals in men's sizes), but lots of hip restaurants and bars. Hollywood is filled with ornate Mediterranean and Art Deco buildings, all gradually getting face-lifts. Thai Town and Little Armenia occupy the eastern end, with great ethnic markets and restaurants, like the famed Palms Thai, where a Thai Elvis-imitator performs nightly.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery - The "resting place of Hollywood's immortals" is L.A.'s answer to Père Lachaise in Paris; here, loyal fans can visit the tombstones of everyone from Rudolph Valentino to Johnny Ramone. Among the palm trees and mausoleums, there are even video screens that show Life Stories (like mini bio-pics put together by the families of the deceased). Occasionally in the summer, the public is invited to charity screenings: You can take a picnic dinner and a blanket and watch a movie in the graveyard. Hey, that's showbiz!
6000 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles , California 90038
Tel: 323 469 1181
Pasadena is famous for the Rose Bowl and Parade, and for the remarkably beautiful architecture, including landmark Greene and Greene houses. Old Pasadena once was a bohemian mecca, but though it's evolved into a collection of chain stores, it does still have Vroman's, the largest independent bookstore in town (695 E. Colorado Blvd.; 626-449-5320). The Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel & Spa (626-568-3900) is a landmark with a great high tea. Not far away is the beautiful Santa Anita Race Track, as well as the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden. Don't miss the Huntington Library + Gardens (see above); the generous-sized cactus garden, formal Japanese gardens, and English landscaped gardens are wonderful.
Santa Monica has its famous pier, the Third Street Promenade (now mostly chain stores, but still with a kid-friendly amusement park), and the famed Wednesday Farmers' Market where local chefs shop for produce. Main Street and Montana Avenue have great shopping in small, upscale boutiques. If you're a surfer, Surfrider Beach is a must; if you're an art-hound don't miss Bergamot Station, a former trolley station taken over by art galleries. It's part of the Santa Monica Museum of Art (2525 Michigan Ave.; 310-586-6488).
Sunset Boulevard - Drive its length, from downtown to the Pacific Ocean. You'll pass Echo Park, where lotuses bloom in the lake; the funky shops of Silver Lake; Hollywood High School; Sunset Plaza and the Sunset Strip; residential Beverly Hills and Brentwood; Will Rogers State Historic Park, where you can catch celebrity-studded polo matches; the Pacific Palisades; Mandeville Canyon; and the new-agey Self-Realization Center. It all comes to an end at the Pacific Coast Highway opposite Gladstone's, where the food isn't all that great, but they'll wrap your leftovers in aluminum foil shaped like a swan.
- There are surf spots all along the southern part of the California coast; among the best and best-known are Surf Rider Beach in Malibu and Huntington Beach in Orange County You can check the surf conditions at these and many other breaks on .
If you're just learning, you can get lessons here that range from three-hour group classes to week-long surf camps. Try Learn to Surf L.A., which has locations in both Malibu and Santa Monica (310-663-2479), or Malibu Longboards (310-467-6898; ).
Venice Beach is more interesting and bohemian than next-door Santa Monica. Abbot Kinney Boulevard has one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants, Beyond Baroque remains the best poetry venue in town (681 Venice Blvd.; 310-822-3006), and the boardwalk is still covered with street performers, freaks, and places that sell eight-dollar sunglasses.
West Hollywood is known as Boy's Town—on account of the big, vocally political gay population—but it's also home to a huge Russian community (and their delicious delis) and lots of great areas for shopping. Among these are Melrose Avenue (west from Fairfax Avenue) and Melrose Place, both home to upscale boutiques, antiques, and shelter shops. Third Street between Crescent Heights and La Cienega is packed with funky and of-the-moment chic boutiques, and lots of sidewalk cafés. Robertson below Melrose has antique and houseware shops; below Beverly there's an ever-growing number of cool clothing stores. Up on Sunset Boulevard, Sunset Plaza is a shopping and outdoor café haven popular with Europeans.
Shopping, Los Angeles
Decades, Los Angeles – This fabulous vintage couture shop has supplied red-carpet gowns for the likes of Cameron Diaz, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and Sheryl Crow. The designers represented here are the best of the best: Yves Saint Laurent, Emilio Pucci, Andre Courreges. Downstairs is Decadestwo (323-655-1960), where designer ready-to-wear—including Prada, Marni, and John Galliano—runs just over half retail price.
8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood , California 90046
Tel: 323 655 0223
Fred Segal - This infamous shop—it's as well-known for its celebrity sightings as it is for its exclusive merchandise—is like a collection of different boutiques under one roof. You can shelter-shop, check out the latest handbags and shoes, and buy men's, women's, and children's clothing—and know that you're getting only the coolest and most luxurious brands. It's one of the best best-edited stores in the United States. There's a second Fred Segal shop in Santa Monica (500 Broadway; 310-458-1160).
8100 Melrose Avenue West Hollywood , California 90046
Tel: 323 651 3698
Iconology West Hollywood - Former Women's Wear Daily editor Michelle Dalton Tyree owns this shop, and she's decorated it just like a Parisian atelier (there are even reproduction Louis XVI chairs). She carries, naturally, women's high-end clothing, by designers like Zac Posen, Behnaz Sarafpour, and Oscar de la Renta. There's also an array of pastel-colored cashmere sweaters from Lutz & Patmos, and hats by Stephen Jones (he made the bridal piece worn by Dita Von Teese when she married Marilyn Manson).
353 S. La Brea, West Hollywood , California, 90036
Tel: 323 965 9666
Closed Mondays except by appointment.
It's a Wrap Production Wardrobe - Clothes worn on television and film shoots are available here. One day this place will have nothing of any earthly interest; the next, there will be a designer suit (perhaps worn once on Guiding Light or As the World Turns) at a fraction of the retail price. It helps to be a small size, since these clothes were fitted for flab-free actors.
1164 S. Robertson Boulevard, Los Angeles , California, 90035
Tel: 310 246 9727
Rose Bowl Flea Market-On the second Sunday of each month, this market, with more than 2,000 exhibitors, draws antique- and collectible-hunters from all over the state—there's everything here from Art Deco furniture to Partridge Family lunchboxes. The market opens officially to the public at 9 am, but dealers pay extra to go as early as 6 am, and so can you.
1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena , California, 91103
Tel: 323 560 7469
Undefeated, Los Angeles - Undefeated is the definitive place where sneaker freakers camp out for hard-to-find kicks. From their own label collaborations with designers like Vans, Adidas, and Nike, to a $2,000 pair of gator-skin Air Force 1's, the store offers something for everyone, though the selection for guys is still much broader than for the girls. Some say the service comes with more attitude than they'd like, but it's a small price to pay for a rare pair of vintage Air Jordan's.
112.5 S. La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles , California, 90036
Tel: 323 937 6077
Open Mondays through Saturdays 11 am to 7 pm, Sundays noon to 6 pm.
Nightlife, Los Angeles
Akbar, Los Angeles - This Moroccan-themed bar on the border of Hollywood and Silver Lake attracts a mixed crowd of casually dressed gays and straights. Often supercrowded, it can get downright suffocating on weekends. There's a great jukebox, with everything from '90s rock to Frank Sinatra, comfortable seating in the lounge behind the bar, and very stiff drinks. Regular themed party nights include Craft Night, where art supplies are provided for people to carve pumpkins, make finger puppets, and color outside the lines while getting soused.
4356 W. Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles , California
90039
Tel: 323 665 6810
Catalina Jazz Club - This dinner club is L.A.'s premier spot for big-name jazz—in the past, the diverse list has included Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, Betty Carter, and Tony Williams. Now in a newer space that's bigger than the cramped original spot, the club can seat 250 and the larger stage can accommodate bigger groups. The vibe is grown-up—think of an elegant supper club with tablecloths on round tables. The acts are the center of attention.
6725 W. Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles , California
90028
Tel: 323 466 2210
Chez Jay - This 45-year-old bar and steak 'n' seafood joint right next to the Third Street Promenade is an institution. The place hasn't changed much since Marlon Brando and Steve McQueen used to drop in; the decor, with its red-and-white overhead awnings, red vinyl booths, and a wooden ship's wheel, is still maritime-funky; peanut shells still crunch underfoot as you walk across the floor. The vibe is completely laid-back, which is why everyone from failed screenwriters to A-listers (Sean Penn, Julia Roberts) still considers it a favorite hangout.
1657 Ocean Avenue
Santa Monica , California
90401
Tel: 310 395 1741
East/West Lounge West Hollywood - A sophisticated lounge on the spot of the old Revolver, East/West has light bamboo floors and intimate seating on couches and plush chairs. The mixed drinks here use fresh ingredients (try the summery Ambrosia cocktail, made with Smirnoff watermelon vodka and wonderfully tangy guava juice). There's a members-only VIP area overlooking the activity downstairs, but the place is just as much fun for nonmembers. The crowd is predominantly gay but has a mix, and celebs like Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore have been known to drop in.
8851 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood , California
90069
Tel: 310 360 6186
The Edison, Los Angeles - The Edison, an Art Deco–inspired cocktail spot housed in a revamped power plant, is what the Machine Age might have been if there were better couches back then. You can sit inside an old boiler, hang out between Frankenstein-lab-like gauges and generally feel like Edison himself amid inventive nooks and crannies. It's cavernous (in the sense that it's both big and subterranean) but there are lots of little spots within for closer encounters. Stick around for the Eddies—a lively flapper showgirl revue—on Fridays and Saturdays, but beware the bridge-and-tunnel crowds that sometimes seep in by the night's end.
108 W. 2nd Street
Los Angeles , California
90012
Tel: 213 613 2000
Open Wednesdays through Fridays 5 pm to 2 am, Saturdays from 6 pm to 2 am.
House of Blues Sunset Strip, West Hollywood- Not just blues, but rock, jazz, and gospel too. This flagship of the successful chain, whose exterior has been done up like a raggedy tin shack, hosts performers ranging from reggae legend Lee "Scratch" Perry to emo-hipster James Blunt, and former Pixies frontman Frank Black to now-receding '70s hair bands like Styx. The venue itself has the usual L.A. division between hoi polloi (who stick to the Music Hall and the Porch Restaurant) and VIPs (or "Foundation members," who get to schmooze and booze in a series of swanky private rooms). Much more inclusive is the Gospel Brunch, held every Sunday, where the entry fee gets you a Southern-style brunch buffet and enough live gospel music to satisfy your soul.
8430 Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood , California
90069
Tel: 323 848 5100
Hollywood Bowl, West Hollywood - Open from late May through early October, this famed outdoor venue hosts jazz, rock, and country performers, along with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The shell was originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and later updated by Frank Gehry. There are 18,000 seats—the boxes are jealously reserved, but (shhh, don't tell the A-listers) the acoustics are actually better in some of the cheap seats.
2301 N. Highland Avenue
Los Angeles , California
90068
Tel: 323 850 2000
McCabe’s Guitar Shop, Santa Monica - On weekends, the famed guitar shop hosts singer-songwriters from the worlds of country, folk, jazz, and rock. Many respected musicians (Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt, and Elvis Costello, to name a few) have performed in this funky, modest venue, where the walls and all other available surfaces are covered with hundreds of acoustic and folk guitars, ukuleles, banjos, violins, mandolins, and dulcimers.
3101 Pico Boulevard
Santa Monica , California
90405
Tel: 310 828 4497
Opera, Los Angeles - The dark and sexy Opera has become Hollywood's latest place to be seen. The mega-club impresses with several bars, two smoking patios, and expert mixologists serving up a celeb heavy crowd, featuring big names from Britney to Kanye West. You can pretty much forget about getting in on a Thursday, when Alliance, Hollywood's hottest club promoters, run the show, unless you've got some good names to drop.
1650 Schraeder Boulevard
Los Angeles , California
90028
Tel: 323 960 3300
Open Wednesdays through Saturdays 10 pm to 2 am.
The Roxy Theatre West Hollywood - The roster at this intimate venue features mostly up-and-coming bands, with the occasional big name, and attracts a very young crowd.
9009 W. Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood , California
90069
Tel: 310 276 2222
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Universal Studios Hollywood is the only venue that can offer you a complete working movie studio, a thrilling Hollywood movie theme park and L.A.'s most dynamic and eclectic entertainment district. We have the movie props, locations, production experts, set designers and the world-famous catering of Wolfgang Puck to make Universal Studios Hollywood your premiere choice for an unforgettable themed event.
Universal Studios Hollywood
Theme Park and CityWalk Special Events
100 Universal City Plaza, Building 5511-6
Universal City, CA 91608
Phone: (818) 622-PARTY [7278]
Fax: (818) 622-0171
General Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Pacific, Monday - Friday
Spider Club, Los Angeles - Donovan Leitch's Moroccan-themed and formerly private club is upstairs from Avalon, a Spanish-Deco landmark. Now open to the public, it's a small, romantic spot filled with low banquettes, tossed pillows, ottomans, and Persian carpets. Show up late and you might spot one of the Hilton sisters. The entrance is in the alley.
1735 N. Vine Street
Los Angeles , California
90028
Tel: 323 462 1307
Where to Stay in Los Angeles
LA is the paradise you always dreamed of. It’s all the things you want in one place, the sun always shines and the fun never stops. LA is the best places to relax, dine, shop and party. LA nightlife is known around the world for being one of the best, in other words the party never stops. LA is also the best place for families to have great fun.
LA’s hotels are the vocational paradise you’ve always dreamed of, whether you are looking for relaxation, great dining or family fun, the hotels in LA have it all. Truly the place where your dreams come true, so when deciding where to stay, choose from our unlimited selection of magnificence hotels, such as chic boutique.
Transportation/Airports
To insure an easy arrival LA has boast several airports. You have your pick of landing zones, from efficient LAX Airport to the conveniently located Bob Hope Airport.
