Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
164
Fun Facts
T une Time
The organ within the Walt Disney Concert Hall is so complex that it took a full
year to tune.
restaurants (Hard Rock Cafe, Daily Grill, Bubba Gumps, Saddle Ranch), a six-story 3-D
IMAX theater, the 18-screen
CityWalk Cinemas,
a 6,200-seat amphitheater, an indoor
sky-diving wind tunnel, NASCAR vir tual racing, and ev en a bo wling alley ( Take
that,
Disney!). Be sure to stop into the
Zen Zone
(
&
818/487-7889
) where you can get an
inexpensive 20-minute “ aqua massage.” You lay do wn fully clothed in what looks like
a tanning bed, and strong rotating jets of water massage your backside from neck-to-toe
(a r ubber sheet keeps y ou dr y). E ntrance to CityW alk is fr ee; it's open until 9pm on
weekdays and until midnight Friday and Saturday.
Tip:
The sushi at the Wasabi at City-
Walk restaurant (
&
818/763-8813
) was surprisingly good and v ery reasonably priced.
Hollywood Fwy. (Univ ersal C enter Dr. or Lankershim Blv d. exits), Univ ersal Cit y.
&
800-UNIVERSAL
(800/864-8377) or 818/622-3801. w ww.universalstudioshollywood.com. Admission $67 adults, $57 chil-
dren under 48 in. tall , free for k ids 2 and under . Parking $12. Winter daily 10am-6pm; summer daily
9am-7pm. Hours are subject to change.
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The strikingly beautiful Walt D isney Concer t
Hall isn't just the ne w home of the Los Angeles P hilharmonic; it's a key element in an
urban revitalization effort now underway Downtown. The Walt Disney family insisted
on the best and, with an initial gift of $50 million to build a world-class per formance
venue, that's what they got: A masterpiece of design b y world-renowned architect Frank
Gehry, and an acoustical quality that equals or surpasses those of the best concer t halls
in the world. Similar to Gehry's most famous architectural masterpiece, the Guggenheim
Museum in Bilbao, the concert hall's dramatic stainless-steel exterior consists of a series
of undulating curved surfaces that partially envelop the entire building, presenting mul-
tiple glimmering facades to the surr ounding neighborhood. Within is a dazzling 2,273-
seat auditorium r eplete with cur ved woods and a dazzling array of organ pipes (also
designed by Gehry), as well as Joachim Splichal's Patina restaurant, the hip Concert Hall
Cafe, a bookstore, and a gift shop.
The 3
1
/
2
-acre Concert Hall is open to the public for vie wing, but to witness it in its
full glory, do whatever it takes to attend a concer t by the world-class
Los Angeles Phil-
harmonic
(p. 274). Also highly r ecommended are free audio tours, which lead visitors
through the Concer t H all's histor y fr om conception to cr eation. The 45-minute self-
guided tour is narrated by actor John Lithgow and includes interviews with Frank Gehry,
Los Angeles P hilharmonic music dir ector Gustavo Dudamel, and acoustician Yasuhisa
Toyota, among others. O ne big cav eat is that y ou see just about ev erything except the
auditorium: There's almost always a r ehearsal in pr ogress and the acoustics ar e so good
that there's no discreet way to sneak a peek. The audio tours are available on most non-
matinee days fr om 10am to 2pm (be sur e to check their w ebsite for the monthly tour
schedule).
111 S. Grand Ave. (at 1st St).
&
323/850-2000
or 213/972-4399. www.disneyhall.com.
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