Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SANTA MONICA & THE BEACHES
When you're strolling the historic canals and str eets of Venice, be sure to check out the
Chiat/Day
offices at 340 Main St. What would otherwise be an unspectacular contem-
porary office building is made fantastic b y a
three-story pair of binoculars
that frames
the entrance. The sculpture is modeled after a design cr eated by Claes O ldenburg and
Coosje van Bruggen.
When you're on your way in or out of L AX, be sure to stop for a moment to admir e
the
Control Tower
and
Theme Building.
The spacey
Jetsons-
style Theme Building,
which has always loomed o ver LAX, has been joined b y a mor e recent silhouette. The
main control tower, designed by local architect Kate Diamond to evoke a stylized palm
tree, is tailored to present Southern California in its best light. You can go inside to enjoy
the view from the Theme Building's observation deck, or have a space-age cocktail at the
Technicolor bachelor pad that is the
Encounter at LAX
restaurant (p. 110).
Constructed on a broad cliff with a steep face, the
Wayfarers Chapel
in Rancho Palos
Verdes enjoys a fantastic spot o verlooking the wav es of the P acific. It was designed b y
Lloyd Wright, son of celebrated ar chitect F rank Llo yd Wright. Kno wn locally as the
“glass church,” Wayfarers is a memorial to Emanuel Swedenborg, an 18th-century Swed-
ish philosopher who claimed to have visions of spirits and heavenly hosts. The church is
constructed of glass, redwood, and native stone. Rare plants, some of which are native to
Israel, surround the building. The church is open daily from 8am to 5pm and is located
at 5755 P alos Verdes D r. S. Call
&
310/377-1650
(www .wayfarerschapel.org) in
advance to arrange a free escorted tour.
181
7
L.A.'S WESTSIDE & BEVERLY HILLS
In addition to the sights belo w, don't miss the
Beverly Hills Hotel
(p. 80), and be sur e
to wind y our way thr ough the wide r ural streets of B everly Hills between Sunset and
Santa Monica boulevards.
Church of the G ood Shepherd
Built in 1924, this is B everly Hills's oldest house
of worship. The relatively small church (seats only 600) is in the Spanish Colonial Revival
style, and its two striking steeples and lo vely exterior are noticeable from any direction.
In 1950, Elizabeth Taylor and her first husband, N icky Hilton, were married here. The
funerals of Alfred Hitchcock, Gary Cooper, Eva Gabor, and Frank Sinatra were all held
here as well.
505 N. Bedford Dr. (at Park Way), Beverly Hills.
&
310/285-5424.
www.shepherd.catholicweb.com.
Pacific Design Center
The bold architecture and overwhelming scale of the Pacific
Design Center, designed by Argentine architect Cesar Pelli, aroused controversy when it
was erected in 1975. Sheathed in gently curving cobalt-blue glass, the seven-story build-
ing houses more than 750,000 square feet of wholesale interior-design showrooms and is
known to locals as “ the B lue Whale.” When the pr operty 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 fr ont of the center,
successfully resisted the wr ecking ball. I n 1988, a second bo xlike str ucture, dressed in
equally dramatic Kelly green, was added to the design center and surr ounded by a pro-
tected outdoor plaza. A third building, the Red Building, will open in 2010.
8687 Melrose Ave. (at San Vicente Blvd.), West Hollywood.
&
310/657-0800.
www.pacificdesigncenter.
com.
