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During your Los Angeles vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
For more than 50 years the LACMA has been one of the finest art museums in the nation, housing a 110,000-piece collection that includes works by Degas, Rembrandt, Hockney, and Monet. The huge complex -- it's the largest visual arts museum west of the Mississippi -- was designed by three very different architects over a span of 30 years, and though the architectural fusion can be migraine inducing, this city landmark is well worth delving into.The Japanese Pavilion, which has exterior walls made of Kalwall, a translucent material that, like shoji screens, permits the entry of soft natural light. Inside is a collection of Japanese Edo paintings that's rivaled only by the holdings of the emperor of Japan. The Anderson Building, the museum's contemporary wing, is home to 20th-century painting and sculpture. Here you'll find works by Matisse, Magritte, and a good number of Dada artists. The Ahmanson Building houses the rest of the museum's permanent collections. You'll find everything from 2,000-year-old pre-Columbian Mexican ceramics to 19th-century portraiture, to a unique glass collection spanning the centuries. Other displays include one of the nation's largest holdings of costumes and textiles, and an important Indian and Southeast Asian art collection. The Hammer Building is primarily used for major special-loan exhibitions. Free guided tours covering the museum's highlights depart on a regular basis from here.Be sure to visit the museum's website to see what special exhibits are currently on display.
Pacific Design Center
The bold architecture and overwhelming scale of the Pacific Design Center, designed by Argentinean architect Cesar Pelli, aroused controversy when it was erected in 1975. Sheathed in gently curving cobalt-blue glass, the seven-story building houses more than 750,000 square feet of wholesale interior-design showrooms and is known to locals as "the blue whale." When the property for the design center was acquired in the 1970s, almost all of the small businesses that lined this stretch of Melrose Avenue were demolished. Only Hugo's Plating, which still stands in front of the center, successfully resisted the wrecking ball. In 1988, a second boxlike structure, dressed in equally dramatic Kelly green, was added to the design center and surrounded by a protected outdoor plaza.
Petersen Automotive Museum
When the Petersen opened in 1994, many locals were surprised that it had taken this long for the city of freeways to salute its most important shaper. Indeed, this museum says more about the city than probably any other in L.A. Named for Robert Petersen, the publisher responsible for Hot Rod and Motor Trend magazines, the four-story museum displays more than 200 cars and motorcycles, from the historic to the futuristic. Cars on the first floor are exhibited chronologically in period settings. Other floors are devoted to frequently changing shows of race cars, early motorcycles, famous movie vehicles, and celebrity wheels such as Jack Benny's old Chrysler Imperial. On the third floor is the Discovery Center, a 6,500-square-foot interactive "hands-on" learning center that teaches kids and women the basic scientific principles of how a car works. Past shows have included a comprehensive exhibit of "woodies" and surf culture, Hollywood "star cars," and the world's fastest and most valuable cars.
Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel
Nearby Airport: * Los Angeles International Airport - 2 Blocks * Long Beach Airport - 22 Miles * Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport - 27 Miles * John Wayne/Orange County Airport - 41 Miles * Ontario International Airport - 53 Miles Nearby Cities: * El Segundo - 2 Miles * Marina Del Rey - 4 Miles * Manhattan Beach - 5 Miles * Hermosa Beach - 6 Miles * Venice Beach - 6 Miles * Redondo Beach - 8 Miles * Santa ...
The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites
Nearby Airports: * Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport - 15 Miles * Los Angeles International Airport - 25 Miles * John Wayne/Orange County Airport - 50 Miles * Ontario International Airport - 60 Miles Nearby Cities: * Hollywood - 10 Miles * Pasadena - 10 Miles * Beverly Hills - 15 Miles * Century City - 15 Miles * Burbank - 20 Miles * Glendale - 20 Miles * Manhattan Beach - 20 Miles * Marina del Rey - 20 Miles * Santa ...
Wilshire Grand Hotel
Just twenty minutes from the Los Angeles international airport, the Wilshire Grand provides 900 of the most spacious, well-appointed guest rooms conveniently located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to a Metro subway station (with direct links to Hollywood and Universal Studios), the Wilshire Grand Los Angeles' complimentary features include high-speed wireless internet access, two phones lines, a 24 hr fitness center, outdoor swimming pool and spa. Walking distance to the ...
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