Los Angeles is one of those cities where there is always something new going on, whether it's a recently opened restaurant where celebrities have been spotted, or a cutting edge art exhibition at one of the many fine art institutions. But the irony is that in amongst all the brand new and funky places to go, are the tried and true locales that keep attracting crowds year after year. With Los Angeles' most eagerly anticipated event mere days away (for those of you who are living under a rock -- that would be the Academy Awards), this may be the right time to consider your first, or next trip to the City of Angels. Try something old and something new for a well-rounded LA vacation experience.
One such "old" and traditional venue that hasn't lost any of its charm, or its ability to lure the rich and famous is the Ivy, on North Robertson Boulevard. Here celebrity spotting is down to a fine art, and people are happy to pay $20 plus for a salad for a chance to rub shoulders with the latest "it" girl or guy. The bathrooms are always a good spot to strike up a conversation with the latest Oscar nominee and remember lunch is the right time for optimal spying.Robertson Boulevard is also famous for its fashion boutiques and if you have to ask how much something costs, you probably can't afford it. Of course Melrose Drive is another street you should visit for its shopping and people watching.
Those in the know still go to the Mondrian Hotel (tel. 323/650-8999; www.mondrianhotel.com) to stay or play. If you can't afford to stay at this Ian Schrager property (and let's be honest, room rates start at around $335 per night -- room only), at least visit and pretend you are staying there. Their Asia de Cuba restaurant is still one of the places to be seen, and the Skybar is a quintessential LA nightlife experience. Being particularly good looking is often the best way to ensure that you get in.
For those on a more realistic budget, the recently (April 2005) opened Belamar Hotel (tel. 888/235-2627; www.thebelamar.com) in Manhattan Beach, is a stylish boutique property that may be that touch of glamour without the price tag that you are looking for. Phoning the hotel is an experience -- the hold music and trivia is highly entertaining and check out the website to find out which celebrities may have slept in your bed, or swum in the same pool. Room rates start at $149 in a Skyline View room, $169 in a Tranquility room or $179 in a Tranquility room with terrace (winter and spring rates). Check out their restaurant -- Vibe and the Vibe lounge bar for that post swimming pool martini or late night rendezvous.
Another recent addition to the LA hotel scene is The Mosaic Hotel (tel. 800/463-4466; www.mosaichotel.com) in Beverly Hills. A luxury boutique hotel with just 49 intimate rooms, the Mosaic offers a "Sleepless in LA" special. Stay two or more nights at the Mosaic Hotel (just two blocks from Rodeo Drive) and enjoy complimentary breakfast for two, each morning of your stay -- for a cost of $275 per room per night. All Mosaic rooms include free high speed Internet access, Frette Linens (you gotta love the 500+ thread count) Wolfgang Puck Coffee, BVLGARI bath products, rain forest showerheads and an oversized workspace (if you insist on sitting at the computer). Regular Internet room rates start from $265 per night. For $350 per night in a deluxe guestroom enjoy the use of a Mini Cooper S or a Mercedes C Class each day of your stay (including complimentary pickup from baggage claim at LAX, or if you prefer the car will be waiting for you when you arrive at the hotel).
You will never be starved for nightlife in Los Angeles -- New York may be the city that never sleeps, but Los Angles would have to be the city that never stands still. Newer Hollywood clubs like Cabana Club (www.cabanaclubhollywood.com) will undoubtedly be a huge draw card for a while, whereas, established venues like LAX (www.laxhollywood.com) is still a very hot lounge and both make excellent star spotting opportunities. A new up and coming area is Atwater village, near Silver Lake. Try the Big Foot Lodge bar (www.bigfootlodge.com) for a dose of low key celebrities and one of the many eateries. Dolce Entoteca (www.dolceenoteca.com) on Melrose is a happening scene, largely due to the fact that it was designed by renowned LA interior guru Dodd Mitchell and is owned by Ashton Kutcher and half the cast of That 70's Show. The private dining room is celebrity central.
For something a little different, and a chance to see some alternate celebrities and rock stars, Rock & Roll Bingo (www.rocknrollbingo.org) at Crane's Hollywood Tavern on El Centro Avenue in Hollywood takes place on the third Thursday of every month from 6pm to 10pm. Bingo is no longer the domain of the retirement home -- in fact it has become rather cool amongst the fashionable young crowds in Hollywood. Rock and Roll Bingo features a different guest rock star co-host each month and all money raised from the $5 per bingo card benefits local community organizations and charities.
The Getty Villa (www.getty.edu) and its beautiful gardens, part of the Getty Museum, is located in Pacific Palisades and has just reopened after massive renovations that took place over a period of some eight years. It consists of twenty-three rooms for the permanent collection, and five more for temporary exhibitions such as the villa's initial shows on glassmaking in antiquity, 19th century photography of ancient Mediterranean sites, and the villa's renovation. The museum's focus is on three prolific ancient civilizations -- the Greeks, the Etruscans, and the Romans. It is open Thursdays through Mondays, except for major holidays and admission is free, but reservations are required (no walk-ins), and parking is $7 per car, cash only. To get tickets, which are for allocated times, call 310/440-7300 or visit the website. Being free has its drawbacks. Apparently the villa is sold out through July 31, 2006 -- but it may be worthwhile to call and check.The Museum of Contemporary Art (tel. 213/626-6222; www.moca.org) offers a variety of eclectic art forms on display, with a number of simultaneous exhibitions in its three different venues -- Grand Avenue, The Geffen Contemporary on North Central Avenue and the Pacific Design Center on Melrose in West Hollywood. Currently on display until March 1, 2006 is "Masters of American Comics," a series of installations and drawings by Karl Haendel (until April 17, 2006) and After C¿zanne, a selection of works from MOCA's permanent collection -- all at Grand Avenue. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (tel. 323/857-6000; www.lacma.org) has just launched its LACMA at 40: Gifts in Honor of the Museum's Anniversary exhibition which will be running until April 16, 2006.
To see where much of Los Angles thriving art scene generates its work from, visit the Downtown's Arts District (www.ladad.com), which features over 1,200 live/work lofts and galleries plus several hundred more in the surrounding communities. Abbot Kinney Boulevard (www.abbotkinney.org) in Venice is a thriving area with a fantastic little artist community with lots of galleries, bars and restaurants (especially between California and Westminster Avenues). The website features a great map highlighting all the shops, restaurants and galleries and little blurbs about each. Their annual festival will be held on September 24, 2006.Airfares to Los Angeles are super low at the moment -- in fact you can even bag a discounted fare for weekend travel if you are prepared to shop around online a bit. Travelocity (www.travelocity.com) is always a good place to look if you aren't too particular about which airline you fly. Their March and April midweek fares from New York start at $243 plus taxes on Delta or Northwest. From Chicago, a round-trip flight on Frontier Airline starts from $183 and from Seattle $203 buys your round-trip midweek airfare on America West, US Airways or Frontier from April 1 to May 23, 2006.
JetBlue (www.jetblue.com) is a great option if you'd like to avoid the chaos of LAX and fly into Longbeach instead. They currently have SuperFly fares from Las Vegas from $39, from Oakland from $49, Salt Lake City from $69, Fort Lauderdale from $99 and Washington DC, New York or Boston from $109. (New York and Boston flights also fly into Burbank airport in Los Angeles). Prices are valid for travel until May 24, 2006 and are available for travel on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday only.
A few websites to help you plan your star spotting, dining, drinking and playing on your LA getaway:
- www.frommers.com/destinations/losangeles -- the complete guide to Los Angeles including suggested itineraries, tours, sports, attractions, shopping, nightlife etc from the team of Frommer's LA experts.
- Although not being launched until the summer (or possibly a bit earlier), Menu Pages' (www.menupages.com)LA site will feature up to 3000 restaurants, including the skinny on what to eat, where, and user generated reviews of the hottest places from the Valley to South Bay and everything in between. Don't eat out in LA without visiting this website first.
- LA.com (www.la.com) -- a great resource for all things LA, including reviews, blogs, showbiz news and travel information.
- Seeing Stars (www.seeing-stars.com) is an unabashed website dedicated to giving you the roadmap to a star encounter in Hollywood. Listings includes where stars live, where they died, where they dine, even where they are buried. All that, plus movie shoot locations and what churches they attend.
- Los Angeles Time's Calendar Live (www.calendarlive.com) -- current news on restaurants, nightclubs, music, the arts and more.
- Gridskipper's LA Index (www.gridskipper.com/travel/los-angeles/index.php) rounds up the latest entries from blogs, news and cultural sites in one convenient, snarky list. Read it and wince.
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