Los Angeles is an ever-evolving city full of fresh concepts and new experiences to discover. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a returning friend, the City of Angels has seen countless exciting new offerings emerge in recent years. Across the region, new places to stay, award-winning dining experiences, vibrant attractions, advanced infrastructure and more make up “LA 2.0” offering all-new places to explore.
The Hollywood Sign’s Centennial
Throughout this year, the iconic Hollywood Sign will celebrate 100 years of larger-than-life lettering perched atop the Santa Monica Mountains. Originally reading “Hollywoodland” in its early days, the Sign is now an enduring symbol of Los Angeles as a place where magic is possible and any dream can come true.
Hollywood enthusiasts can celebrate throughout the centennial year leading up to the official 100th birthday on December 8, 2023. There are many ways to experience Hollywood’s past and present including the upcoming opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ Hollywoodland exhibit chronicling the founding of the Hollywood studio system. Visitors can also step into Hollywood history with a stay at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, a martini at the 100-year-old Musso & Frank Grill, or a show at the Pantages Theatre.
For spectacular views of the cityscape and the Sign itself, travelers can hike through the Mt. Hollywood Trail, Brush Canyon Trail, and Cahuenga Peak Trail or even ride horseback on the Mulholland Trail. Visitors can also enjoy delicious food and drinks at rooftop venues such as the Highlight Room atop the Dream Hollywood Hotel or Mama Shelter Los Angeles with the Hollywood Sign as a backdrop. From past to present, there are so many exciting ways to experience the evolution of Hollywood beneath the century-old Sign.
Hotels
Los Angeles has added over 5,000 new hotel rooms in the last two years with options at virtually every price point, and the city has also seen a boutique hotel boom featuring unique new hotel concepts. Some exciting new properties across the region include The Conrad Los Angeles, Fairmont Century Plaza, Thompson Hollywood, The Shay, and Downtown LA Proper. New properties continue to open their doors in many different areas of the city including the upcoming Moxy & AC Los Angeles in Downtown LA opening in March 2023 and Kensho Ryokan in the Arts District, welcoming guests to stay across LA’s 30 diverse neighborhoods.
Emerging Neighborhoods
The Vinyl District
With a long, rich history as the entertainment capital of the world, Hollywood has welcomed film lovers and star searchers to its iconic landmarks such as the Walk of Fame and Grauman’s Theatre for close to a century. There’s a reason travelers are drawn by “Old Hollywood,” but the Vinyl District is setting out to breathe new energy into the neighborhood while preserving its storied past.
Situated around the intersection of Selma and Wilcox just blocks away from Sunset Blvd., this emerging neighborhood was recently named the “Vinyl District” as a tribute to the area’s long history in the music industry with recording studios, record shops, and entertainment labels making their home on its blocks throughout the years. The Vinyl District has witnessed a major development boom, with several glamorous hotels reminiscent of Hollywood stardom such as the Thompson Hollywood and Dream Hollywood, new dining concepts from famed LA chefs like Mother Wolf and Ka’teen as well as venues that pay homage to old Hollywood’s music scene while spinning the latest tracks. The Vinyl District is about paying tribute to Hollywood’s storied history while revitalizing the area for a new generation of Angelenos and visitors, with a multitude of ways to spend your day all in one exciting neighborhood.
The Arts District
A creative neighborhood flourishing with hubs for the arts, award-winning dining experiences, and unique shopping, the Arts District in Downtown LA invites visitors to discover an area rich with cultural gems. A haven for artists in the 1970s, the neighborhood’s artistic landscape today includes murals around every corner by famed street artists such as Shepard Fairey, RETNA, and WRDSMTH as well as curated galleries like Hauser & Wirth.
Culinary experiences are also a jewel of the Arts District with a variety of restaurants opening in the neighborhood. Several have been recognized on a global stage with French bistro Camphor receiving a MICHELIN Star and Brazilian restaurant Caboco receiving Bib Gourmand distinction, as well as LA Cha Cha Chá, Girl & the Goat, kodō, Yangban Society and Yunomi Handroll receiving MICHELIN recommendations.
Just blocks away, ROW DTLA transforms industrial buildings into over 30 boutique shops, a weekly outdoor market, and dining offerings including MICHELIN-Starred restaurants Hayato and Kato as well as Bib Gourmand award recipient Pizzeria Bianco.
Slated to open in spring 2023, Kensho Ryokan will turn a historic firehouse into a thoughtfully designed Japanese-style hotel, offering an all-new home base for experiencing the neighborhood.
Arts & Culture
LA’s arts and culture landscape continues to thrive with more museums and performing arts venues than any other city in the US. An exciting addition will be Destination Crenshaw, the largest public/private Black art program in the nation stamping Crenshaw Boulevard with a transformative infrastructure project that will boost the community through economic development, job creation, and environmental healing while elevating Black art and culture. Spanning 1.3 miles of Crenshaw Boulevard, Destination Crenshaw will transform the area into a thriving corridor including beautiful community spaces, parks, newly planted trees, and over 100 commissioned works of art later this year. The Hammer Museum will also complete its two-decade-long project transforming the building with a new entrance experience, 60% more gallery space, and an outdoor sculpture courtyard in March 2023. True to Los Angeles’ ever-evolving nature, there is, even more, to come for the arts in LA with the new NHM Commons wing at the Natural History Museum in 2024, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art slated to open in 2025, and an exciting revamp of the La Brea Tar Pits taking visitors on a journey from prehistoric times to today expected in 2028.
Sports, Entertainment & Attractions
A highly anticipated attraction coming to Los Angeles on February 17 is Super Nintendo World, an innovative and immersive themed land opening at Universal Studios Hollywood. This all-new, dynamic land will be a visual spectacle of vibrant colors and architectural ingenuity located within a newly expanded area of Universal Studios Hollywood, sweeping guests into the 360-degree world of Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach. Super Nintendo World will feature the groundbreaking “Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge” ride seamlessly fusing augmented reality with projection mapping technology and actual set pieces to take guests on through creative courses inspired by the popular Mario Kart™ video game series to compete for the Golden Cup in a repeatable attraction with a variety of outcomes. In addition, the signature restaurant Toadstool Café will serve a gourmet menu by Chef Toad including Super Mushroom Soup, Mario Bacon Cheeseburger, and Princess Peach Cupcakes. Guests can commemorate their visit with a trip to 1-UP Factory for collectible memorabilia from apparel to iconic character hats and an array of plush characters.
Sports and entertainment venues are also ready to welcome major events including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympic & Paralympic Games at new venues such as Super Bowl LVI host SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome arriving in 2024. The new women’s pro soccer team Angel City Football Club brings Los Angeles to a total of 11 professional sports teams, the most in the United States. With iconic teams such as the Rams, Lakers, Dodgers, Clippers, Kings, and more, Los Angeles is a global epicenter of sports and entertainment. The city’s legendary teams have venues to match with spectacular arenas including Dodger Stadium, Crypto.com Arena, Banc of California Stadium, and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum celebrating its 100th anniversary this year ready to welcome fans to major sporting events across the city.
Dining
LA has also established itself as a global dining capital with 26 Angeleno restaurants receiving Michelin Stars across the city in neighborhoods such as Downtown LA, the Arts District, Hollywood, and beyond. 10 Los Angeles restaurants also made their debut on the Bib Gourmand list, recognized for their exceptional food at a great value. LA’s unique culinary offering spanning over 400 food trucks to high-end dining experiences is a result of the 140 different nationalities that call Los Angeles home, with many cultures reflected in LA’s dining scene. From modern French at Camphor and Southern-inspired American at Hatchet Hall to European-style Gwen and contemporary fare at Manzke, Los Angeles continues to captivate the imagination of the culinary world, offering world-class cuisine from our ever-evolving street food to fine dining in iconic settings.
This year, Dine LA Restaurant Week will be celebrating its 15th anniversary beginning with Spring Restaurant Week from April 28 to May 12, 2023. With hundreds of restaurants participating each season, the 15-day program showcases Los Angeles as a premier dining destination where Angelenos and visitors alike can enjoy more than 30 global cuisines across LA County. Since its inception in January 2008, Dine LA Restaurant Week has grown to be one of the largest restaurant weeks in the country with more than 350 restaurants participating last Fall. The program continues to stimulate business for the local culinary community by bringing new diners through their doors and reminding locals to discover the breadth of culinary offerings within their neighborhoods. From casual dining to Michelin-starred restaurants and longstanding partners to new crops of restaurants added each season, we invite everyone to try a new culinary experience during Dine LA Restaurant Week this May and October to celebrate this culinary event’s 15th anniversary.
Outdoors & Wellness
With over 300 days of sunshine each year, Los Angeles has plenty of outdoor activities to allow visitors to enjoy the beautiful weather.
Los Angeles is home to Griffith Park, the largest city park in the country, with 400 square feet of recreational space and 50 miles of hiking trails that lead to some of the most spectacular views of the city and Hollywood Sign. Visitors can hike to the Griffith Observatory or even travel on horseback to experience the best sights. Runyon Canyon also offers great space for visitors to hike, bike, and walk. The 106-acre park sits in the middle of Hollywood and offers several great hiking trails and a dog park. LA is also home to over 431 miles of bikeways, including the beautiful 22-mile Marvin Braude coastline bike trail connecting LA’s gorgeous beaches for a scenic ride through Will Rogers State Beach, Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey, and the South Bay beaches. Plus, Los Angeles is one of the few cities in the world where it’s possible to ski in the morning and surf in the afternoon.
Transportation & Infrastructure
The Automated People Mover (APM) is the centerpiece of LAX’s $5.5 billion Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP) which will enhance the traveller experience, give guests time-certain access to terminals and provide the long-awaited connection to the regional transportation system. This project is a key portion of LAX’s $14 billion modernization program, considered the largest public works program in the history of the City of Los Angeles. The APM is an electric train system on a 2.25-mile elevated guideway with six stations total – three inside the Central Terminal Area (CTA) and three outside the CTA. Los Angeles International Airport broke ground on the APM project in March of 2019 and will begin testing this year with a targeted opening date in 2024. During peak hours (9 a.m. to 11 p.m.), the APM will run nine trains, each with four cars, and will be capable of carrying up to 50 passengers and their luggage, with a total of 200 passengers per train. Train speed will top out at 47 mph. The APM will be free for all users and operate 24/7.
LA’sMetro system is also seeing several projects in motion, including the recently opened K Line serving the Crenshaw, Inglewood, and Westchester areas with eight new stations. Upcoming updates also include the Regional Connector Transit Project improving connections between East Los Angeles and the Beach Cities with three new stations and the Purple (D Line) Extension Transit Project expanding the rail system to the Westside. These improvements will help equip our city to serve global visitors with more efficient, sustainable transportation options.
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