Los Angeles Travel Professionals Guide 2007 - (Page 20) DowntownHighlights To assemble the perfect Downtown itinerary, just mix and match the following attractions, points of interest and tour companies. Downtown’s Architectural Revival • The Walt Disney Concert Hall — One of Frank Gehry’s true masterpieces, this building achieves a level of acoustic, architectural and artistic perfection that hasn’t been seen in Downtown for quite some time. Regularly scheduled tours provide the perfect opportunity for your clients to learn about this building’s fascinating inner workings and the compelling history of its design and construction. • Caltrans District 7 Headquarters — One of LA’s many unlikely pairings, this awardwinning building is an exquisite mash-up of cutting-edge architecture and the conventional needs of a government office tower. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne, it’s the kind of building that could only be built in a city like LA. • The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels — The new home of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is one of Downtown’s finest new buildings. Another Pritzker Prize winner, José Rafael Moneo, designed the building to be a place where all are welcomed and renewal is a regular occurrence. The outdoor plaza is a great place to relax for lunch and enjoy the building’s grand façade. Free guided tours for small groups are available daily. • MOCA — With works by Basquiat, de Kooning, Hockney, Johns, Pollock, Rothko, Rauschenburg and Lichtenstein, it’s like the hall of fame for contemporary art. One of the youngest art museums in LA, it still has a breathtaking collection of contemporary art that’s sure to thrill your clients. The museum is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, but hours of operation are generous the rest of the week. • STAPLES Center – This is home court (and ice) for the Lakers, the Kings, the Clippers and the Sparks. If your clients are sports fans, this is their mecca. Located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center, it’s going to be the future anchor of the LA Live development, which will bring thousands of new visitors to LA’s center for entertainment and year-round events. Urban Attractions • NOKIA Theatre — Destined to become the region’s hippest live performance venue, the new 7,100-seat NOKIA Theatre Los Angeles will be the place to see cutting-edge plays and entertainment when it opens at the end of 2007. Located adjacent to STAPLES Center, the stateof-the-art theater is part of Downtown’s massive new $4.2 billion LA Live sports and entertainment district. Firooz Zahedi/jpgphoto.com 20 “I love LA’s hidden architectural treasures. From downtown’s movie palaces to sleek modernist masterpieces.” Diane Keaton
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