Sunny, warm weather. Palm trees. Endless stretches of beach. Botoxed beauties sporting oversized glasses followed by paparazzi snapping shots behind them. Welcome to L.A.
Many sights and experiences are uniquely L.A., but to shed light on its little-known accolades such as its unprecedented growth spurt and thriving culinary options, L.A. Inc., the Los Angeles CVB, recently hosted a media tour to showcase some of the more heavenly qualities of the City of Angels.
Downtown Looking Up
To claim that Los Angeles is in the midst of a major downtown development renaissance qualifies as quite the understatement.
Although downtown L.A. hasn’t made visitors’ must-see lists for some time, the neighborhood is being transformed into a high-end visitor magnet, starting with the construction of L.A. Live, a massive entertainment district next to the Los Angeles Convention Center and Staples Center.
Though construction cranes are all travelers will see if they visit today, come 2010 the 4 million-square-foot complex will offer something for everyone, with two convention hotels—a JW Marriott and a Ritz-Carlton—a 40,000-square-foot outdoor plaza, the Nokia Theater, a Grammy museum, and plentiful restaurants and retail outlets.
Just two miles away, the city’s Civic Center district, will break ground in October on the Grand Avenue Project. The more than $2 billion development will span Grand Avenue from Fifth Street to Caesar Chavez Avenue, and include a Mandarian-Oriental hotel, residential units, a 16-acre park, and loads of retail and entertainment options.
Phase one, which includes retail and entertainment options as well as the hotel, is slated for a 2011 opening.
Watch Out, Hollywood!
From touring downtown to hearing “Come on Down!” on The Price is Right—and potentially winning that paisley-printed living room set of your dreams—L.A.’s Hollywood-themed activity options are never-ending.
Lucky meeting attendees can grace the stage of The Price is Right, but even if they don’t have the fortune of being picked as a contestant, participating in the audience of crazed (er…we mean really, really excited) Bob Barker fans is prize enough—until he retires later this year. Where else can you see grown men dressed in pink shirts that read “I Love Bob!”?
If game shows don’t ring a group’s buzzer but the thought of witnessing a live show does, contacting Audiences Unlimited may be just the ticket. Meeting planners can phone the company for a group block of ringside seats to the tapings of their favorite sitcoms, from America’s Funniest Home Videos to Two and a Half Men.
Other Tinseltown-flavored activities may include a visit to the famed Kodak Theatre, located on Hollywood Boulevard near High-land Avenue, and home of the Academy Awards as well as available for group gatherings. The intersection is a far cry from its past less-than-favorable reputation, and now with high-end shops, restaurants and attractions, it’s common to see a celebrity stroll by their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
After being sufficiently starstruck, delegates can walk a few blocks south to the Jim Henson Studios and hold receptions in the facility’s Swiss Village-style courtyard or in its soundstage.
Taste of the Town
Groups ready for tasty treats needn’t look far in L.A., because a great meal is right around any corner.
Offering not only stellar accommodations (complete with plush bathrobes and slippers that feel like clouds for the feet), the Omni Hotel Los Angeles at California Plaza also plates up cuisine for every taste, with a focus on organic delicacies.
Venturing out, visitors are bombarded with a wealth of tasty, group-friendly options ranging from a blackened salmon salad at TART to melt-in-you-mouth seafood and desserts in Santa Monica at The Lobster, overlooking the city’s scenic pier.
