EXCITING NEW EXPERIENCES AWAITS IN LA 2.0
Los Angeles is an ever-evolving destination full of fresh concepts and new experiences to discover. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a returning friend, the City of Angels has seen countless exciting new offerings emerge in recent years.
Across the region, new places to stay, award-winning dining experiences, vibrant attractions, advanced infrastructure and more make up “LA 2.0” offering all-new places to explore.
Milestones
The Hollywood Sign’s Centennial
Throughout this year, the iconic Hollywood Sign will celebrate 100 years of larger-than-life lettering perched atop the Santa Monica Mountains. Originally reading “Hollywoodland” in its early days, the Sign is now an enduring symbol of Los Angeles as a place where magic is possible and any dream can come true.
For spectacular views of the cityscape and the Sign itself, travelers can hike through the Mt. Hollywood Trail, Brush Canyon Trail and Cahuenga Peak Trail or even ride horseback on the Mulholland Trail. Visitors can also enjoy delicious food and drinks at rooftop venues such as the Highlight Room atop the Dream Hollywood Hotel or Mama Shelter Los Angeles with the Hollywood Sign as a backdrop. Step into Hollywood history with a stay at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, a martini at the 100-year-old Musso & Frank Grill or a show at the Pantages Theatre. From past to present, there are so many exciting ways to experience the evolution of Hollywood beneath the century-old Sign.
100th Anniversary of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The beloved Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum celebrates 100 years of hosting major sporting and entertainment events as a key LA venue in Exposition Park. The Coliseum is an icon of the sports world having served as the home field for Los Angeles professional sports teams including the Rams, Raiders, Chargers and Dodgers in its storied past, and has been home to the USC Trojans since the Coliseum’s opening. The venue has also hosted two Super Bowls, three NFL Championships and one World Series, and is the only venue to host two Summer Olympics—soon to be three in 2028. Sports are not the only major events the Coliseum has seen within its walls, hosting concerts by some of the world’s most famous artists including the Rolling Stones, Prince, U2 and Metallica.
The Coliseum also plays a part in key historical events, dedicated as a memorial to LA County WWI veterans upon opening in 1923. Martin Luther King Jr. also spoke at the venue less than a year after giving his famous “I Have A Dream” speech.
On top of the incredible events that happen at the Coliseum year-round, 2023 is seeing additional centennial events in celebration of the anniversary. The year kicked off with Nascar’s Busch Light Clash in celebration of Nascar’s 75th anniversary season on February 5, with the Super Motocross World Championship on the docket for October 14 as well.
100th Anniversary of Warner Bros. Studios
A global icon of Hollywood moviemaking, Warner Bros. Studios celebrateD its 100th Anniversary on April 4 with a year of exciting centennial celebrations. From fan favorites like When Harry Met Sally and Friends to masterpieces of cinema like Casablanca and Gone With the Wind, Warner Bros. will share the magic of film with audiences in special ways throughout the year.
Film fans can join the celebration through several commemorative experiences, including centennial museum exhibits and screenings at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, a special 100th anniversary exhibit at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood and a celebration of key films and major talent from Warner Bros. Pictures’ history at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood. The centennial exhibit explores 100 years of Warner Bros.’ impact on storytelling, recognizing a range of classic and contemporary productions, including Casablanca, DC Comics, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Abbott Elementary, and beyond. Opened on April 5th, the new exhibit is located in the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Welcome Center, which is open to the public, offering guests a photographic exploration of where it all began.
100th Anniversary of the Millennium Biltmore
The Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles celebrates its 100th anniversary with a centennial logo, a series of anniversary events and updates to maintain the Biltmore’s longstanding grandeur. With previous lives as a prohibition nightclub, Academy Awards venue and feature film set, the Millennium Biltmore Los Angeles was recently declared a “Los Angeles Historic-Culture Monument” dazzling guests since 1923.
The centennial celebrations will include an elegant 100th Anniversary Ball in October 2023, thematic speakeasy events, An Evening with Mermaids event, high teas at the Rendezvous Court and a soon-to-be-announced fashion show, showcasing the Biltmore’s impressive history, ornate design and Old Hollywood style.
The “Grande Dame” will also see a restoration of its original fresco ceilings and all new windows and fixtures, and the hotel’s entrance will return to its original location on Olive Street paying homage to the guest experience of the 20th century.
Hotels
Los Angeles has added over 5,000 new hotel rooms in the last two years with options at virtually every price point, and the city has also seen a boutique hotel boom featuring unique new hotel concepts. Some exciting new properties across the region include The Conrad Los Angeles, Fairmont Century Plaza, Thompson Hollywood, The Shay and Downtown LA Proper. New properties continue to open their doors in many different areas of the city including the Moxy & AC Los Angeles in Downtown LA which opened in April 2023 and the upcoming Kensho Ryokan in the Arts District, welcoming guests to stay across LA’s 30 diverse neighborhoods.
Emerging Neighborhoods
The Vinyl District
With a long, rich history as the entertainment capital of the world, Hollywood has welcomed film-lovers and star searchers to its iconic landmarks such as the Walk of Fame and Grauman’s Theatre for close to a century. There’s a reason travelers are drawn by “Old Hollywood,” but the Vinyl District is setting out to breathe new energy into the neighborhood while preserving its storied past.
Situated around the intersection of Selma and Wilcox just blocks away from Sunset Blvd., this emerging neighborhood was recently named the “Vinyl District” as a tribute to the area’s long history in the music industry with recording studios, record shops and entertainment labels making their home on its blocks throughout the years. The Vinyl District has witnessed a major development boom, with several glamorous hotels reminiscent of Hollywood stardom such as the Thompson Hollywood and Dream Hollywood, new dining concepts from famed LA chefs like Mother Wolf and Ka’teen as well as venues that pay homage to old Hollywood’s music scene while spinning the latest tracks. The Vinyl District is about paying tribute to Hollywood’s storied history while revitalizing the area for a new generation of Angelenos and visitors, with a multitude of ways to spend your day all in one exciting neighborhood.
The Arts District
A creative neighborhood flourishing with hubs for the arts, award-winning dining experiences and unique shopping, the Arts District in Downtown LA invites visitors to discover an area rich with cultural gems. A haven for artists in the 1970s, the neighborhood’s artistic landscape today includes murals around every corner by famed street artists such as Shepard Fairey, RETNA and WRDSMTH as well as curated galleries like Hauser & Wirth.
Culinary experiences are also a jewel of the Arts District with a variety of restaurants opening in the neighborhood. Several have been recognized on a global stage with French bistro Camphor receiving a MICHELIN Star and Brazilian restaurant Caboco receiving Bib Gourmand distinction, as well as LA Cha Cha Chá, Girl & the Goat, kodō, Yangban Society and Yunomi Handroll receiving MICHELIN recommendations.
Just blocks away, ROW DTLA transforms industrial buildings into over 30 boutique shops, a weekly outdoor market and dining offerings including MICHELIN-Starred restaurants Hayato and Kato as well as Bib Gourmand award recipient Pizzeria Bianco.
Slated to open this year, Kensho Ryokan will turn a historic firehouse into a thoughtfully designed Japanese-style hotel, offering an all-new home base for experiencing the neighborhood.
Arts & Culture
LA’s arts and culture landscape continues to thrive with more museums and performing arts venues than any other city in the US. An exciting addition will be Destination Crenshaw, the largest public/private Black art program in the nation, stamping a 1.3-mile stretch of Crenshaw Boulevard with an infrastructure project that includes beautifully designed community spaces, landscaping and newly planted trees, and 100 commissioned works by Black artists. While elevating Black culture, Destination Crenshaw will also boost the community through economic development, job creation and environmental healing. The Hammer Museum also completed its two-decades-long project transforming the building with a new entrance experience, 60% more gallery space and an outdoor sculpture courtyard in March 2023. True to Los Angeles’ ever-evolving nature, there is even more to come for the arts in LA with the new NHM Commons wing at the Natural History Museum in 2024, LACMA’s renovations in 2024, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art slated to open in 2025 and an exciting revamp of the La Brea Tar Pits taking visitors on a journey from prehistoric times to today expected in 2028.
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