LA's Best Kept Secret - LAX Hotels

More than 55 million people from around the world pass through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) annually. However, what many people do not know is that LAX is located practically on the beach and in the heart of LA County's largest concentration of hotel rooms. The LAX region's 15,000-plus hotel rooms account for more than 16 percent of LA's total rooms (and a sizeable amount of meeting space). In addition, LAX hotels offer what's new in accommodations and meeting facilities. For example, the Westin Los Angeles Airport recently completed an $11 million renovation of its 45,000 square feet of meeting space and its guest room renovation is slated for completion in spring 2009. LAX hotels that have completed major upgrades within the past three years include the Los Angeles Airport Marriott, with 55,000 square feet of meeting space; the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles, with 50,000 square feet of meeting space; and the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel, with more than 18,000 square feet of function space. For LAX area visitors who want to enjoy the beach, the Ocean Express trolley runs daily along Century Boulevard and stops at most LAX hotels en route to Manhattan Beach for only $3 roundtrip. LAX visitors can also stay in nearby Manhattan Beach at the 127-room Belamar Hotel, which recently completed a $2.2 million renovation including a remodeled lobby, new restaurant and 7,095 square feet of expanded meeting facilities. Additional accommodations are also available in nearby Hermosa Beach, Torrance, San Pedro, Marina del Rey, Venice Beach, Santa Monica and Malibu. For more information about LAX hotels and the Beach Cities region, visit LA INC.'s Meetings homepage at www.discoverLosAngeles.com.

Metro Extends Hours during the Holidays

Holiday celebrations in Los Angeles can now be prolonged late into the night with stress-free public transportation. Beginning Nov. 21 and continuing each Friday and Saturday night until Dec. 27, Metro Red Line service from North Hollywood to Downtown will be extended to run approximately every 20 minutes until 3 a.m. Service change is applicable only to the Metro Red Line. For additional service alert information, visit www.metro.net. For evening itinerary options, click here.

La Fonda Reopens as La Fonda on Wilshire

Historically known as the first restaurant in the country to incorporate live mariachi performances with sit-down dining, La Fonda -- which opened in 1969 and closed in October 2007 -- reopened Oct. 1 in its original Wilshire Boulevard location in Downtown Los Angeles following a $1 million renovation. Its modern yet traditional new look is a perfect match for its new high-end Mexican cuisine and twice-nightly live performances by groups including Mariachi Monumental de America de Juan Jose Almaguer. Complete with a happy hour in the fresh-look La Fonda Lounge, this LA landmark is once again a beloved reminder of the fusion of classical Mexican folkloric music and an enticing dining experience. In addition, its new entertainment and cultural center will feature community outreach programs including a joint effort with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to form a mariachi group; revolving art exhibits of local artists; and other Mexican cultural initiatives. The entire Spanish colonial-style building is available for buyouts, offering 20,000 square feet of event space including the second-level cultural center with space for up to 100; the restaurant, which can accommodate up to 200; and the 300-seat Hayworth Theater.

LA Holiday Festivals Abound

From ice skating in Downtown to Hanukkah storytelling at the Skirball Cultural Center, LA's holiday festivals, celebrations, parades, performances and activities offer something for everyone. Click here to view a list of upcoming holiday events.

Cultural Roundup

With more museums than most U.S. cities -- and new ones opening almost every year -- culture plays a leading role in Los Angeles life. Here's a sample of upcoming exhibits:

Heritage Square Museum
Heritage Square is now available for rental. Ideal for corporate, association and social events, Heritage Square offers spacious park-like grounds surrounding historic, beautifully restored Victorian-era structures. Located off the 110 Freeway just north of Downtown, the grounds are easily accessible from throughout LA and can accommodate groups of more than 350 people. As a special "get-to-know us" promotion, Heritage Square is offering meeting professionals free 30-minute "power tours" of the facility.

"Hearst the Collector"
LACMA
Through February 1, 2009
This unprecedented exhibition reunites approximately 170 of William Randolph Hearst's vast and varied holdings including his particularly strong collections of arms and armor, silver, and Renaissance tapestries to provide a better understanding of the media tycoon by exploring what he owned and why.

"Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913 - 2008"
LACMA
Through March 1, 2009
This is the first major exhibition to bring together the magazine's rare vintage prints and contemporary photographs. It is also the only U.S. stop on the exhibition's international tour. Exploring the ways in which photography and celebrity have interacted and changed, the exhibition features portraits from the magazine's early period (1913-1936) displayed in conjunction with works from the contemporary Vanity Fair (1983-present). Photographers represented include Cecil Beaton, Annie Leibovitz and Man Ray.

"Rembrandt in Southern California"
Hammer Museum, Getty Center, LACMA, Norton Simon Museum
Ongoing
Southern California is home to the third-largest assemblage of paintings in the U.S. by Dutch painter Rembrandt (1606-1669). This collaborative presentation features a virtual exhibition of 14 of his works on display in several Southern California museums. Together, they represent nearly every phase of the artist's career.

"Black Chrome"
California African American Museum
Through April 12, 2009
This California-focused exhibit provides an invaluable opportunity to gain a broader understanding of the contributions African Americans have made to motorcycle culture and mechanical technology since World War II. Through photos, interviews, objects and motorcycles ranging from choppers to drag bikes, the exhibit spotlights the innovations and creativity that have significantly changed American motorcycling.

"Within Four Miles: The World of Josh Dorman"
Craft and Folk Art Museum
Through Jan. 11, 2009
While created on antique maps, Manhattan-based artist Josh Dorman's fantasy landscapes speak more to the difficulty of navigating physical and emotional space than to the exactness of cartography. Using old textbooks, vintage maps, scientific diagrams, and more, Dorman collages ambiguous guides for fellow travelers who prefer the loose logic of a dream state to the allusion of reality. Both whimsical and mysterious, this first solo museum exhibit of the last decade of his works tells a million stories at once, while keeping "within four miles" of the artist's personal journey.

"Songs of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom"
GRAMMY Museum
Dec. 6 - December 2009
The new GRAMMY Museum opens Dec. 6 with the debut of the first major exhibition to explore the 200-year history of music and politics in America, and music's role as a political force in society. More than 100 diverse artifacts -- from an 1816 edition of the Star Spangled Banner to the guitars of Bob Dylan and other contemporary anti-establishment musicians -- rare photographs, multimedia kiosks, five specially made documentary films and music, will showcase music as a vital source of information, inspiration and public protest. The exhibit will go on national tour following its Los Angeles run. The four-story GRAMMY Museum is the newest attraction to open at L.A. LIVE (Downtown LA's all-new, 27-acre entertainment district). The museum will feature interactive, permanent and traveling exhibits, with dynamic and engaging multimedia presentations.

Sports Museum of Los Angeles
Nov. 28 - Ongoing
Arguably the largest and broadest known collection of iconic sports memorabilia and collectibles in the world will be unveiled to the public on Nov. 28, when the new Sports Museum of Los Angeles opens in Downtown near STAPLES Center. The new museum features more than 30 galleries packed with memorabilia and collectibles, including items from the 19th century.