Los Angeles

We Love the Nightlife!  The "new" Downtown Los Angeles has been called the most vital section of the county - with a bustling local economy, shops galore, multiple dining options, architecture aplenty, and nightlife on a grand scale. Here, the world's hottest DJs play, fads and fashions are created and the celebrity set hangs out. Be it business, entertainment, commercial and residential development, or arts and culture Downtown has it all and everyone has taken notice. Let's explore just a few of the nighttime options - theater, dining and clubbing that may make for a great inclusion or venue or even a free night offering for your next Los Angeles area conference, meeting or incentive travel program.

Theater: In the heart of downtown Los Angeles, the Music Center (Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County) is home to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Ahmanson Theatre, and the Mark Taper Forum. Featuring performances of all varieties, the Music Center can also serve as an event venue with its elegant Grand Hall, Oval Bar, and Plaza. Daytime tour options are also available.

The grand Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, winter home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, features multiple event spaces - the 2,000+ seat main auditorium and two smaller amphitheaters. For opera buffs, a performance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion may be in order. The Ahmanson Theatre continues to present Broadway hits, and with a variable seating capacity from 1,600 - 2,000, offers a great variety of plays from the intimate to the spectacular. Just a few of the 2008 scheduled performances include "The Color Purple," "Sweeney Todd," and "A Chorus Line." The Mark Taper Forum, one of Los Angeles' most iconic public buildings, is in the process of a major interior renovation. This $30 million project will completely replace all the building and theatrical systems with state-of-the-art designs, all accomplished without altering the essential exterior architectural character of the facility.

Dining: Where do we start as the options are many? Located within the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Patina, with its laser-cut walnut and floor-to-ceiling glass panels, offers up delicious cuisine and impeccable service that define luxury dining in Los Angeles. Voted best steakhouse in downtown Los Angeles, Nick & Stef's Steakhouse offers a signature twist on classic steakhouse fare with "twelve of everything" from which to choose. Cafe Pinot, another Patina restaurant, with its unique view of the urban skyline and romantic garden ambience, boasts one of downtown's most cosmopolitan settings. The restaurant features patio and indoor dining to complement an evening at the Music Center.

For Italian, consider Zucca, one of the top Italian restaurants in Los Angeles. Zucca is perfect for pre-theatre dining or casual dinners in a setting reminiscent of an Italian villa. The Palm-Los Angeles Downtown is also known for authentic Italian fare as well as for prime beef and jumbo lobsters and can accommodate groups from 10 to 200 in private dining rooms. Exquisite fresh seafood is a staple at Water Grill with its warm decor, cozy booths and colorful art. Roy's features Chef Roy Yamaguchi's Hawaiian Fusion which blends European techniques with ingredients of Asia and the Pacific in an upscale, casual atmosphere.

We can't forget Ciudad, the Downtown restaurant of the Food Network's "Too Hot Tamales". Here guests can experience the bold and seductive flavors of the Latin world with both authentic Latin dishes and inventive, new dishes inspired by South America's indigenous ingredients. Last, but not least, the much-anticipated Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant debuted recently on the 21st floor of a downtown office building. The 14,200 square foot space includes the adjacent Elevate Lounge and a 7,000 square-foot wraparound patio with views of the downtown skyline. Natural elements such as wood and stone, combined with silk Japanese fabrics, movable glass walls, and fire pits form the perfect environment for a sushi and robata bar as well as a dining area featuring custom-designed modern furniture.

Clubs and Lounges: Following dinner and a theater experience, many will find that the night is still young! Night time's the right time at a variety of downtown area dance clubs, comedy clubs, lounges, poolside bars and sports bars. While the list is endless, let us feature a few of the offerings.

Elevate Lounge, mentioned previously, features a dance floor, V.I.P. booths, the private Kimono Room, movable walls and furniture, and high-end sound and video systems. Combined with the adjacent Takami Restaurant up to 350 guests can be accommodated. Looking for something high-in-the-sky-poolside? Then Downtown's Standard Rooftop Bar is the place to be, providing the quintessential LA experience. The Standard Downtown is the newest version of the very popular Sunset Boulevard hotel. Its exposed Rooftop Bar offers amazing views of the downtown skyline. The Edison, one of LA's newest hot spots, revives the classic hand-crafted cocktail with upscale cuisine. The majesty of a long lost era of glamour and intrigue marks The Edison as one of the nation's most unique lounge spaces and private event venues. The multi-faceted J Restaurant & Lounge features an array of entertaining and dining options. With two stories of approximately 25,000 square-feet of indoor and outdoor space, accommodations to host live music, exceptional cuisine, and a rich color palette, this venue defines Downtown night-life!

There is much to be said about what's happening with the Downtown Renaissance! Let the ACCESS  Los Angeles team help introduce your guests to the exciting new experiences awaiting them in the "new" Downtown!

Contact the destination management professionals at ACCESS Los Angeles for more information on Downtown Los Angeles as well as the surrounding areas and for all of your conference or incentive travel needs.

Orange County

Pelican Hill Golf Club Opens! Two of the nation's most highly rated courses, Pelican Hill Ocean North and Pelican Hill Ocean South have been "re-perfected" by the original course designer, Tom Fazio, and serve as the anchor and first component of the extraordinary Newport Coast resort, The Resort at Pelican Hill, which opens in the fall of 2008.

A few highlights of the golf club include a spacious and stylish new clubhouse, inspired by the work of renowned Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio; an excellent practice facility and state-of-the-art golf academy and Pelican Grill, a beautifully designed restaurant boasting ocean and golf course views complete with open kitchen complemented by richly veined granite countertops and a copper and stainless-steel hood. Some additional features include re-turfed fairways, 25 new bunkers, enhanced natural vistas, a sophisticated water-quality system to conserve and recycle water and much, much more. Allow the team at ACCESS Orange County to showcase this dramatic special event venue while on your next area site inspection.

Pelican Hill Golf Club and The Resort at Pelican Hill sit upon a 504-acre site enjoying one of the most serene coastal settings in Southern California just south of Newport Beach in Newport Coast. Like the golf club, the resort's public areas and every guest room will feature panoramas of this natural bounty. The Resort at Pelican Hill will include 204 private and spacious bungalow rooms and suites; 128 two, three, and four-bedroom villas; a circular pool inspired by Rome's Coliseum; an array of dining choices; a 23,000 square foot spa with private treatment rooms; and detached function space with an array of indoor and outdoor venues.

The Irvine Company Resort Properties, a division of The Irvine Company, owns and manages the finest resort and leisure destinations in Newport Coast and in the City of Irvine.

Let the team at ACCESS  Destination Services keep you up to date on the exciting new developments at both Pelican Hill Golf Club and The Resort at Pelican Hill.

Spice it up with ACCESS

Huevos Rancheros! For a holiday brunch, try Ricardo Montalban's "Huevos Rancheros" as listed in The Sinatra Celebrity Cookbook.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 green onions, minced
• 6 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 Serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 8 corn tortillas
• vegetable shortening or lard
• 2 (16 ounce) cans refried beans
• 8 eggs
• butter or margarine

Directions:

• Combine tomatoes, green onion, cilantro and chiles. Stir in lemon juice and oil. Set aside.
• Heat tortillas in shortening or lard in skillet to soften. Keep warm.
• Cook beans in shortening or lard in skillet, turning with spatula, until somewhat crisp on surface. Keep warm in oven.
• Fry eggs in butter or margarine until white is firm but yolk is still soft, basting with butter.
• Place 1 egg on each tortilla and spoon salsa on egg.
• Serve with beans.

Enjoy!