Los Angeles Travel Professionals Guide 2007 - (Page 4) What’sNewinLA Things have changed in LA over the last few years, and things are going to change even more in the next decade. As redevelopment comes to Downtown in the form of LA Live and the Grand Avenue project, the face of LA’s urban core will be totally enhanced. But great things aren’t just happening in Downtown. LA’s other neighborhoods and enclaves are just as vibrant, including the always-hip Hollywood, the ever-elegant Westside, the classic beach cities of Venice and San Pedro and the great San Fernando Valley. Whether your clients are first-time visitors or seasoned LA explorers, figuring out what can’t be missed is the first step in planning their visit. That’s where this list comes in. The new must-sees are all about celebrating the vibrancy of one of the world’s great cities, at attractions you won’t find anywhere else. variety) and galactic exhibits, the Griffith Observatory closed in 2002 for extensive renovations and refurbishing. After reopening its doors in the fall of 2006, the Griffith Observatory instantly became one of LA’s hottest attractions. With a restored planetarium, all-new exhibits and a stateof-the-art star projector, the observatory is definitely back. Walt Disney Concert Hall If your clients have seen it, they already know. And if they haven’t, it’s time. Opened to widespread acclaim in 2003, the Walt Disney Concert Hall is architecture as sculpture, performance space as acoustic perfection and art as civic pride. No visit to LA is complete without a guided or selfguided walking tour of the Music Center’s newest venue. Enjoy the outdoor garden on level three and then head inside to see the garden motif carried throughout the building’s details. The Getty Villa A decade of renovations has given the Getty Villa a new lease on life. Faithfully reproduced from a first-century Roman country house, J. Paul Getty’s Malibu estate is a hidden getaway with a setting that’s almost spiritual in its serenity. Terrazzo floors, grand marble staircases, a stunning atrium entrance and a peaceful outer peristyle make the Getty Villa a spine-tingling aesthetic experience. Inside, visitors get to explore a collection of more than 1,200 antiquities, including Roman, Greek and Etruscan art. The Cafe is the perfect place to relax with its outdoor seating and Mediterranean fare. Admission is free, but parking reservations are required. Wicked at Pantages Theatre After a brief run in LA last year, Wicked is back. And it’s bigger and badder than ever. Even though its rise to fame took place on the East Coast, the roots of Wicked can be traced back to LA’s fertile performing arts environment as the play was developed, written and workshopped locally. The new LA production is now being performed at the legendary Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. Wicked will play in LA as long as there is The Griffith Observatory After 70 years of providing visitors with unprecedented views of the LA basin, spectacular star sightings (of the cosmic 4
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