La La Land

Downtown LA is going through a period of renaissance, with new attractions, restaurants, and bars opening all the time. The many museums, historic landmarks, and architectural gems on display make a day or two walking around the area a rewarding experience. 

Dream

When visiting LA we often stay in Santa Monica, Hollywood, or Beverly Hills. However, our favorite LA hotel is the Conrad Los Angeles — a striking, new Frank Gehry–designed building which opened in 2022, perfectly situated near The Broad museum and directly across Grand Avenue from the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall. This is the perfect location to stay when attending a concert at Disney Hall, and performers can sometimes be seen relaxing in the hotel bars.

The hotel interiors offer warm, layered elegance throughout its public spaces and guest rooms, with standout dining from chef José Andrés: this is one of our favorite hotel breakfasts in America. The rooms are lovely, with floor-to-ceiling views and luxurious Byredo Mojave Ghost bath products. The hotel also features a serene spa and an excellent gym.

We have previously stayed at the JW Marriott Los Angeles LA Live. It is conveniently located within walking distance of LA Live, the Staples Center, and many restaurants and bars. The hotel is large, with 805 rooms, and accommodates many corporate events and business conferences.

Next door to the JW Marriott at LA Live is the Ritz Carlton. You will find the high-end customer service you expect from the Ritz Carlton chain. And they have a nice lounge on the 24th Floor.

Dine

Looking for a great meal while you’re exploring downtown LA, here are some of our favorites:

• Bestia: Our favorite DTLA restaurant is a fabulous Italian located in a rustic warehouse building in the Arts District. Exposed brick, steel beams and concrete; there is a buzz in the air and the food in this fashionable spot is first rate.

• Damian: When we visit Bestia we like to start with an aperitif across the street at Damian; a trendy Mexican restaurant with a huge tequila selection, serving the perfect Paloma.

• Otium: This restaurant next to the Broad museum, has a long list of farm-to-table options to share; the location is perfect if you’re planning on going to the Broad or Walt Disney Concert Hall.

• Drago Centro: Italian food and a nice wine list served in an elegant setting.

Do

Downtown LA has a plethora of cultural and architectural sites to see. Here are a few of our favorites:

• The Broad Museum: Unique architecture with contemporary artworks by renowned artists including Johns, Kelly, Koons, Hirst, Lichtenstein, Warhol, and Yayoi Kusama’s extremely popular Infinity Mirrored Rooms. You can make advanced reservations for free general admission tickets, or queue in the onsite standby line, where wait times of around 45 minutes to an hour are not unusual.

• Walt Disney Concert Hall: The Frank Geary-designed concert hall at 111 South Grand Avenue, opened in October 2003 and is as visually stunning inside as it is on the outside. Any concert in the hall is an experience to be treasured, with its finely tuned acoustics and dominant 6,134-pipe organ, with external pipes resembling a stack of French fries.

• Architectural highlights: Take a walk downtown to see the many fantastic architectural and engineering highlights the City has to offer, including City Hall, Union Station, the Bradbury Building, Angel’s Flight, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, and the LA Police Department Headquarters. Many of these locations will be well-known to movie-goers and TV viewers alike, having featured in many memorable movies and TV adverts over the years.

• California Science Center and the Colleseum: This area near the USC campus has a lot to offer. The California Science Center, located in Exposition Park, is set to unveil its star attraction in the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center: the retired Space Shuttle Endeavour, displayed vertically in full stack configuration—with a real external tank and twin solid rocket boosters—as if poised for launch. This will be the only authentic shuttle stack exhibit in the world, visible from across L.A. as part of the building’s dramatic stainless‑steel façade. Construction is expected to wrap up in 2025.

  Just steps away from the science center, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, often called simply “the Coliseum,” adds classic grandeur to the area. Originally built in 1923, the historic venue has hosted two Olympics (1932 and 1984) and countless sporting and entertainment events. It’s located adjacent to the science center and enriches the visitor experience with its storied legacy and iconic architecture—from the peristyle arches to the Olympic torch tower.

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