Tour Los Angeles
|
Travel Tips
|
 |
Yes, that really is snow in Los Angeles |
After breakfast at your hotel, head into the heart of Hollywood to begin your day as the stereotypical L.A. tourist. Hollywood was probably never as glamorous as much of the world would have liked to believe, but sometime between the end of the Golden Age of Cinema and the end of the millennium, Hollywood went through a period of significant deterioration. Fortunately, however, those hallowed grounds are definitely experiencing a comeback. After decades of neglect, theaters are being refurbished, new hotels have sprung up, hot new clubs are constantly opening and massive commercial projects like Hollywood & Highland have risen out of nowhere. Chic lofts carved out of historic landmarks are increasing the neighborhood's full-time residential base, further fueling the renaissance.
|
| Grauman's Chinese Theatre |
Hollywood & Highland, the epicenter of the New Hollywood, is a good place to start, where you can get a glimpse of the historic (and gorgeous) Grauman's Chinese Theatre, adjacent to the development, as well as the Kodak Theatre — home to the Academy Awards when it’s not hosting Iris, a must-see cinematic-themed spectacle from Cirque du Soleil— which is incorporated into the project. Since you're right on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame, you can search for your favorite celebrity's star (about 2,500 have been honored to date) or venture into one of many kitschy but enjoyable attractions. Select from the Hollywood Wax Museum, Hollywood Entertainment Museum, or the Frederick's of Hollywood Lingerie Museum (displaying the undergarments of everybody from Phyllis Diller to Madonna). When you've completed a morning of being a totally unapologetic tourist, enjoy serious steaks and chops for lunch at The Grill on Hollywood. Right down the street, however, is Hollywood's oldest restaurant, famous Musso & Frank Grill, the menu of which is filled with old-fashioned favorites such as crab Louie, beef Stroganoff, Welsh rarebit, and their renowned "flannel cakes" (the latter served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.).
After lunch, you can stay in the general area by scheduling a visit to the Griffith Observatory, or you might want to do something most of the world would never think possible here in L.A.: hop on a subway. That's right, the Metro Red Line boasts clean stations and modern, smooth trains that will quickly (in about 20 minutes) whisk you from Hollywood & Highland or the W Hollywood — the hotel's Station lounge can keep you occupied before boarding your train — into downtown L.A., which is well worth seeing. If trains aren't your thing, you can always drive down the 101 freeway past Dodger Stadium and Chavez Ravine into downtown. The center city has long been an insider secret, but the word is out. The area experienced a dramatic revival, thanks to the Staples Center sports arena, new arts venues and a major infusion of high-end housing for people who are discovering downtown can also be a great residential neighborhood. Suddenly, old warehousing districts are filled with art galleries and bistros, and hip new loft residences accommodate young professionals anxious to enjoy a truly urban environment in the most suburban of major cities. On the second Thursday of every month, a self-guided Art Walk showcases the increasing number of art galleries and cafés downtown, serving as a great introduction to the rapidly awakening art scene along Main and Spring Streets. Staples Center is part of the $2.5 billion L.A. Live, a massive pedestrian complex containing the state-of-the-art Nokia Theatre, a Grammy Museum celebrating all styles of music, nightclubs, restaurants, and other entertainment venues. Rising above it is the megaproject’s final phase: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, a graceful 54-story tower, and the connecting JW Marriott Hotel. On the drawing board for a neighboring site is the $1.1 billion, 68,000-seat Farmers Field, a stadium that would bring NFL football to downtown L.A. in 2016. That project will include substantial improvements to the L.A. Convention Center as well.
There are some who believe L.A.'s only contributions to the world of architecture are the mini-mall and theme park, but the Los Angeles Conservancy can set those naysayers straight. This non-profit organization, dedicated to preserving and showcasing the city's architectural treasures, offers a number of educational walking tours that will surprise even the greatest skeptics. Favorites include the Broadway Theatre District and Spring Street, the so-called Wall Street of the West. With all of its historic and contemporary architecture, it's unfortunate that downtown is an area many tourists make the mistake of omitting from their itinerary. The Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall has helped to bring worldwide attention to L.A.'s underappreciated central core, along with other contemporary projects like the striking Cathedral of Our City of the Angels, designed by acclaimed Spanish architect José Rafael Moneo. Several influential projects are in the on-deck circle, including the Broad Contemporary Art Museum from the hot firm of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the $1 billion Wilshire Grand complex and the mega-sized Grand Avenue Project designed by Frank Gehry. The Conservancy is enthusiastic about landmarks such as the stately, elegant Richard J. Riordan Central Public Library, the masterfully renovated L.A. City Hall (the architectural icon popularized by TV's "Dragnet"), the Grand Central Market (a wonderful place to grab a quick lunch) and the Eastern Columbia Building, a turquoise terra cotta-clad Art Deco masterpiece now converted to lofts (Johnny Depp purchased a unit there). Also worth seeing is the magnificent Union Station and neighboring Olvera Street, the historic origin of the City of Los Angeles and a symbol of its rich Mexican-American heritage.
For dinner, consider the Art Deco restaurant at Union Station called Traxx, or Café Pinot, adjacent to the Central Public Library, whose patio offers one of the most stunning views of the downtown skyline. Both serve excellent contemporary fare. However, if you'd like to survey the area from above, L.A. Prime (atop the Westin Bonaventure Hotel) will offer you panoramic views along with a good steak or Wolfgang Puck’s Chinese-inspired WP24 at the Ritz-Carlton at L.A. Live. For a hip vibe with a killer view, consider Takami Sushi & Robata or the Rooftop Bar at the Standard, which is among the hottest bars in town.
High-end Mexican and Latin American cuisine is offered at Rivera from pioneering chef John Sedlar. Celebrated chef Celestino Drago offers top-flight Italian cuisine in a former bank — its decorating costs could have filled the vault now occupied by a marble-clad demonstration kitchen —at Drago Centro. Located in the historic Oviatt Building is Cicada, an elegant Art Deco jewel loaded with Lalique glass and home to some fine modern Italian and American cooking. For a more exotic affair, you can wander into Chinatown and enjoy a traditional feast at Empress Pavilion, a massive Hong Kong-style restaurant that transports you to the other side of the world. Of course, Latin flavors are also readily available. You'll find terrific Mexican cooking at Olvera Street's La Golondrina, while a branch of the Santa Monica's famous Border Grill offers modern Mexican dishes from celebrity chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger in a lively setting in the heart of downtown. At casual Lazy Ox Canteen, adjacent to Little Tokyo, chef Josef Centeno turns out sophisticated cooking with eclectic international influences. L.A. Live is filled with hot new restaurants, from the reincarnation of the venerable tiki-style Trader Vic's to Rosa Mexicano, a south-of-the-border import from the Big Apple.
Another twenty-minute Red Line journey gets you back to Hollywood, where you can participate in a very happening night life on your last evening in L.A. Hollywood's dynamic renaissance has ushered in a plethora of dining options, including Beso, a collaboration between superchef Todd English and Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, chic Katsuya for contemporary Japanese cuisine, a brasserie with a top-drawer raw bar called The Hungry Cat and Cleo, serving modern Mediterranean tapas and killer cocktails at the Redbury Hotel. At the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel — the first Academy Awards presentations were made there in 1929 — you can score a satisfying meal at Public Kitchen & Bar, a gastropub with hints of fine dining, before moving on to one of the property’s hot nightspots, like the Tropicana Bar.
The Highlands, a 30,000-square foot venue at Hollywood & Highland, is one of the most popular nightclubs in town, while other happening scenes are found at Ritual Restaurant & Nightclub and Avalon Hollywood. DJs spin some of the hottest music at Deep at The Vanguard, one of the neighborhood's premier dance clubs. More intimate environments are found at literary-themed Hemingway's and cozy My House, both on Hollywood Boulevard. And at the W, you can hang out in the Living Room — quite possibly the coolest hotel lobby in town — or on a terrace called Station Hollywood, which offers creative signature cocktails and small plates from the kitchen of Delphine, the hotel's chic brasserie. By the time you get back to your hotel, you'll be beat — but wishing you had another 72 hours in L.A. 
|
MORE LOS ANGELES INFORMATION |
* Disney Concert Hall, Dodger Stadium and Union Station photos by AlphaMedia.
Other photos by LA INC., Los Angeles Convention & Visitor's Bureau. Hollywood & Highland photo by Richard Carroll.
| P121906 |
(Updated: 02/16/12 NW) |
|
