Los Angeles has always been synonymous with cinematic glamour. However, apart from spotting celebrities in their natural habitats, L.A. has a lot more to offer.
With 75 miles of sunny beaches, flourishing neighborhoods, genre-bending restaurants, and trend-setting art scenes, Los Angeles has something for everyone. New restaurants and bars have made the city the world’s culinary capital. L.A. has been inviting visitors to plan their holiday in the Southern Californian city and experience the seemingly endless new attractions, hotels, restaurants and more that are opening around the city.
Restaurants
L.A. has one of the most dynamic dining scenes in the United States, offering everything from casual diners to Michelin-starred restaurants. Chefs continued to innovate dishes throughout the pandemic. Visitors can now explore these culinary delights during their next visit to Los Angeles.
Low-carbs be damned, pizza is here to stay. Hip-hip royalty lives on in Juicy Pizza’s kitchen. Tyra Myricks, the daughter of Jam Master Jay, and Tyana Wallace, daughter of the late Christopher Wallace (a.k.a The Notorious B.I.G.), opened Juicy Pizza this year to bring the NYC-style pizza they felt was missing from the L.A. food scene.
Location: 615 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036, United States
Perfectly positioned in the heart of downtown Culver, the Citizen Public Market is ready to serve up whatever you are craving. Opened during the pandemic, the food hall has an airy rooftop patio space and a bunch of exciting eateries like Louella’s Cali Soul from Alta Adams’ Chef Keith Corbin, and Pizzette, Nancy Silverton’s casual pizza-sandwich joint.
Location: 9355 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
The SoCal-inspired restaurant nestled inside Hauser & Wirth property, Manuela, gave a new addition to garden patio dining with Garden At Manuela. The menu spans from Chile de Arbor rubbed chicken and garlic shrimp to sides like fries and churros for dessert.
Location: 907 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
In Silver Lake, VTree, opened its doors in March, becoming one of the trios of vegan restaurants in the neighborhood. Owned and operated by Chef Velvet, the restaurant was initially a pop-up serving vegan soul food.
Location: 3515 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026
High-quality, fresh ingredients define this Mexican restaurant; ALMA Cocina de Mexico. It is the first U.S. restaurant from Mexico’s Grupo Hunan to open at The Grove. ALMA incorporates authentic ingredients and cooking techniques into its menu to satisfy the cravings of locals and tourists alike.
Location: 189 The Grove Dr Suite H – 10, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Drawing inspiration from Hollywood’s Golden Era, Chef Lincoln Carson returned with Mes Amis. The restaurant is reminiscent of bustling cafes, bistros, and brasseries from Paris to Lyon. Located in Thompson Hollywood, the place aims to put a Californian reinterpretation of French classics.
Location: 1541 Wilcox Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Museums and Exhibitions
In addition to its glamourous and thriving music and gallery scene, Los Angeles has more museums and exhibitions than any other city in the United States. Many of the city’s museums have finally opened their doors after a gruesome pandemic year. It is best to check the websites and book tickets in advance before visiting.
Explore African American art, history, and culture, focusing on California and the West, at the California African American Museum (CAAM). CAAM is the first African American museum of art, history, and culture, fully supported by a state. Located in Exposition Park, the museum reopened with five exhibitions on view. New exhibitions include: “Nikita Gale: Private Dancer” “Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth.,” “Enunciated Life,” and “Sanctuary: Recent Acquisitions to the Permanent Collection.”
Aspiring to stimulate curiosity through fun and memorable experiences, California Science Center reopened its doors after the pandemic. Some new exhibitions include “Covid-19: All in This Together” and “Life! Beginnings.”
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) reopened with six new exhibitions. Some of the new exhibitions include the much-awaited “Yoshitomo Nara,” a retrospective of the popular Japanese artist that had been scheduled to open last year, “Cauleen Smith: Give It or Leave It,” “Bill Viola: Slowly Turning Narrative,” Not I: Throwing Voices (1500 BCE-2020 CE),” “Vera Lutter: Museum in the Camera” and “View From Here: Recent Acquisitions.”
Explore the past and present world at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Visitors can check out the “Rise Up L.A.: A Century of Votes for Women” in person. The work was opened last year but was only on view digitally. Another new exhibit is “Spiky, Hairy, Shiny: Insects of L.A.,” an exhibition of insect macrographs.
Next is the Hammer Museum, which reopened with the launch of “Made in L.A. 2020: a version.” The exhibition had works of 30 Los Angeles-based artists and was presented jointly with The Huntington. Visitors also received free passes the view The Huntington’s half of the exhibit.
If you are a music lover, do not miss the GRAMMY Museum. The museum opened with three new exhibitions after the pandemic. “Dave Matthews Band: Inside and Out,” “Y Para Siempre,” spotlighting five-time Latin Grammy winner Marco Antonio Solís, will run until February 2023. The last of the trio of new exhibitions is “Motown: The Sound of Young America.” More information on the special and permanent exhibits can be found on the museum’s official website.
The Broad is an exciting addition to L.A.’s roster of institutions with over 2000 works of art. Reopening after the pandemic, the museum welcomed its visitors with new, single-artist presentations in the skylit third-floor galleries along with a free, special group exhibition in the first-floor galleries. The single-artist presentations include all 13 works of Jean Michel Basquiat, a mini-survey of Roy Lichtenstein with half the 22 of his works on view for the first time at the museum; ten artworks by Kara Walker; and a mini-survey of Andy Warhol that features 26 works of the artist’s works including a major new acquisition. A special exhibition Invisible Sun in the first-floor galleries features works in The Broad collection that echoes our period of rupture (the pandemic) and the collective desire for healing and recovery.
Attractions and Tours
Los Angeles attractions and tours are something for every traveler, whether solo, group, or family. From state-of-the-art rides through walks in historic neighborhoods, L.A. will never leave you bored and out of options.
L.A.’s most famous tour, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood (WBSTH), welcomed back visitors on June 26. The tour revealed new experiences for fans to get closer to the entertainment they love. Upon arrival, the guests will be greeted at the new Welcome Center, behind the lens of movie-making magic, including the “Storytelling Showcase” and a new interactive grand finale, “Action and Magic Made Here.” The new Studio Store provides access to exclusive merch to devoted fans of their favorite film and TV titles. Tickets are available online for $69 for adults (ages 11 and up) and $59 for children ages 5 to 10.
SoFi Stadium tour, an immersive, behind-the-scenes experience, takes the guests on an exciting journey through the creation of the SoFi Stadium. For those who are unaware, the SoFi Museum is the largest stadium in the NFL and also one of the most technologically advanced buildings. The tour puts attendees in the heat of the action, helping them envision what it feels like to be a player on the field on a game day. The tour will also let guests run through a player tunnel onto the field, check out the Rams and Chargers locker rooms and even test out their football skills on the field.
Opening in September, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will be the world’s premier institution dedicated to the art and science of movies. The film center will offer unparalleled experiences to its guests along with unique insights into movies and moviemaking through its six-floored space. The institution includes a Shirly Temple Education Studio, a 288-seat Ted Mann Theater, a spherical 1000-seat David Geffen Theater and the rooftop Dolby Family Terrace with stunning views of the Hollywood Hills.
L.A.’s favorite cinematic experience, the Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, reopened on the Fourth of July with back-to-back screenings and an epic display of fireworks.
New and Upcoming Hotels
Travelers have an incredible number of options to choose from for staying in Los Angeles. Los Angeles might be synonymous with luxury and glitz, but there are hotels throughout the city for the budget traveler. With the reopening of the city, the “post-pandemic boutique hotel boom” has been set into motion. A shortlist of the new and upcoming hotels in L.A. include:
The beachfront hotel, Venice V Hotel from Proper Hospitality, is Venice Beach’s only beachfront hotel opened on June 18th with 30 rooms and six suites. Redeveloped from a 106-year-old building, the hotel includes a rooftop bungalow and is located around five blocks away from Abbot Kinney Boulevard.
Downtown L.A. Proper was opened by Proper Hotels in July. The 13-story property- once the former Case Hotel- was built in 1924. It has 148 rooms, a rooftop pool, and two restaurants overseen by Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne.
The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood, the product of the lifestyle chainlet Godfrey Hotel has brought a new property on Hollywood’s Cahuenga Corridor near Sunset Boulevard. The hotel opened in July with 220 rooms, four bars, and a gastropub/steakhouse called About Last Knife.
A boutique hotel part of the 500,000-square-foot Ivy Station, The Shay is a mixed-up project located in Culver City. The 148-room hotel set to open in September will be operated by Hyatt as a part of its Destination Hotels group. It will feature a 5000-square-foot space with a pool, restaurant, and lounge. It will also include the restaurant, Etta, by Chicago Chef Danny Grant.
The micro-room hotel specialist CitizenM made its West Coast debut in late summer. With 315 rooms, the Downtown site features a restaurant, fitness center, a bar, and a shared lounge.
Wilcox Avenue gets a newcomer, Thompson Hollywood, by the Thompson Hotels between Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards. Built by Dream Hollywood developer Relevant Group, the 200-room hotel also features a rooftop deck with a pool.
The Fairmont Century Plaza, AccorHotels’ Fairmont property, will take over the landmark Century Plaza hotel in September. The hotel will be opened once the property completes its $2.5 billion redevelopment. The hotel will contain over 400 rooms and 63 luxury residences; a 14,000-square-foot spa, 24,000 square feet of private event space; and four food and beverage eateries.
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