The last bottle of Moët & Chandon has long been drained and the shiny pieces of hardware tucked away in their forever homes. But as rolls up the red carpets on another glitzy awards season, the city is also hard at work opening stadium doors to a new era in sports entertainment.
On a recent quick trip to L.A., I counted one brand-new sports facility, one oldie undergoing a makeover and one –- at a sprawling 120 hectares –- under construction. There’s much to cheer about off field too in the way of new and improved digs and dining options. All of which is spot-on timing, with the on the way and the city already having welcomed a record 50 million visitors in 2018 –- including 780,000 Canucks, the highest from our country yet. Here’s how my stay played out.
Stadium gazing
I first check into the historic , an inviting mix of vintage charm and modern flair. Built in 1912, the 12-storey downtown landmark once let only men into its gym, courts, pool and sauna. Today the club welcomes a diverse membership of 3,500 to its newly renovated spaces, including a women’s locker area with lounge, the porcelain-floor-tiled Famous Players bistro, the legendary and its Prohibition-era hallway and full-service spa.
Though I’m just passing through as a guest in the nautically appointed Yacht Club Suite (the top three floors comprise a 72-room boutique hotel), I too have membership privileges during my stay. “I like to tell people we have everything here except golf and tennis,” says Valeska Frueholz, associate director of hotel sales, on a tour of the property.
While I’d love to try a kickboxing class or swim a few laps in the original sixth-floor pool where Olympians used to train, lunch at the new is calling my name. Next door to the equally new in the city’s Exposition Park neighbourhood, this elevated food hall is the perfect place to eat, drink and be merry –- or melancholy, depending on the score. That said, the 290-seat, three-floor space with patio is open every day, not just game day.
Choosing from the main level’s eight chef-driven culinary stations, I go for a pepper-jack-laced Malibu sandwich from C.J. Boyd’s Fried Chicken –- the brainchild of local chef Tim Hollingsworth.
Winner of Netflix’s , he also runs upstairs. Dashing up for a peek at the retro-themed restaurant and bar, the eighties girl in me beams at the beanbag-chair-dotted den, arcade games and neon-lit vinyl DJ booth. In another throwback, the refurbished sign from the property’s predecessor –- the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (1959-2016) –- hangs along the floor-to-ceiling window.
A connecting hallway takes me to the 22,000-seat Banc of California Stadium. Opened in April 2018, this $350-million world-class home to the Los Angeles Football Club counts the likes of Magic Johnson, Mia Hamm-Garciaparraand Will Ferrell among its celebrity owners. The soccer-specific space also boasts North America’s first safe-standing rail section and some of Major League Soccer’s steepest seating at 34 degrees.
“You literally feel like you’re on the pitch,” says Ben Goldman, manager of brand and community, as he shows me around. “It’s a very European idea, to build up as opposed to out. We didn’t want to have a bad seat in the house.”
Single-match tickets start at $20 US and go up depending on premium level. Indeed, catching the action on the natural Bermuda grass field is just part of the fun here, with cushy club spaces, private suites, rooftop lounges and field-level boxes rounding out the game-day experience.
Next time I’m in town, I’m going to splurge for the Sunset Deck, a Palm Springs-esque outdoor living room with pillowed couches, tiled water feature and panoramic city views. This August’s Mumford & Sons concert would look good from here, as would a women’s soccer match during the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Prepping for those Olympics is already underway at the storied just across the road. Site of the 1932 and 1984 opening ceremonies, the National Historic Landmark will be the world’s only three-time Summer Olympics host come the 2028 games.
Standing beneath the 96-year-old coliseum’s signature peristyle arch (which Evel Knievel famously roared through on his motorcycle in 1973), I stare out at construction cranes, excavators and a dirt field.
To be complete this summer, the $315-million renovation will give rise to a seven-storey suite tower, club seats, loge boxes and 500-person rooftop terrace, as well as Wi-Fi, two new video boards and wider seats throughout (capacity 78,000). All the better for watching longtime home football team, the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans, and more history-making events to come.
Meanwhile, the dirt’s also flying in the south L.A. neighbourhood of Inglewood. Where thoroughbred horses such as Seabiscuit once raced, the new is now taking shape. Dropping by the presentation centre, I can’t help but gape at the expansive three-piece scale model before me.
Slated to open in 2020, the 70,000-seat open-air stadium will be the largest in the NFL at 280,000 square metres (3 million square feet) and home to both the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. Cool features include a hi-tech plastic canopy for outdoor-like viewing and a first-of-its-kind halo-shaped video board.
Fast-forward three years, and the $5-billion complex will also comprise a hotel, residences, parks and retail/office space. Already booked: Super Bowl LVI in February 2022 and the LA 2028 opening and closing ceremonies (co-hosted with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum).
Seaside ambling
For the second half of my trip, I step up my own game in L.A.’s breezy South Bay region. A one-speed cruiser from proves to be the perfect ride – and the entertaining Kevin Wilkerson from the perfect guide – for a jaunt along the flat paved path fondly known as The Strand.
Officially named the Marvin Braude Bike Trail, the 35-kilometre walk-run-or-roll-it route stretches from Torrance Beach in the south to Will Rogers State Beach just north of Santa Monica. Though we only pedal the few klicks between the Hermosa and Manhattan Beach piers, I still get to glimpse the local beach volleyball scene on one side and assorted oceanfront dwellings on the other.
“If you travel anywhere in the world, you’re not going to see any bike path that goes along the beach like this,” drawls Wilkerson. “It’s true California lifestyle.”
A resident of Hermosa Beach for 20-plus years, the Tennessee transplant points out Hollywood hot spots tucked among old-school cottages and new multi-level vacation homes. There’s the grey, white and blue house from Beverly Hills, 90210 – remember Kelly and Donna’s most awesome college apartment ever? – and the beach abode where Mel Gibson’s ex-drug dealer struggles to stay straight in 1988’s Tequila Sunrise.
Wilkerson doles out dining tips too, such as the hole-in-the-wall “has the best hamburgers in Los Angeles, probably on the entire West Coast.” And that where we stop for lunch was once home to the much-loved La Paz dive beer bar and patio. “I don’t care who you were, you could be the president of the United States, you weren’t getting a spot there after 3 p.m.,” he recalls.
Standing in its place today, the sleek, window-lined overlooks the 280-metre-long Manhattan Beach Pier and sweeping Pacific beyond. But it’s also bright, offers a farm-fresh menu and pours a lot more than beer – I’ll have the Maine lobster roll and a glass of Château La Gordonne rosé, please.
If someone said naptime, then it’s off to the . Opened just a year ago, the 393-room hotel gleams with a coastal palette of roller-wave whites, ocean blues, sea-grass greens and sandy tans. Nostalgic beach images add pops of colour to hallways and suites, while water-themed murals seemingly bubble across lobby walls.
Sinking into a seat on my room’s balcony, I gaze out at a golf course, ponds and fountains below, and palms fanning the horizon. One last peek at the California lifestyle, yes, but a blissful way to wind down a sporty trip to L.A. too.
Sheila Hansen was a guest of Discover Los Angeles, which did not read or approve this article in advance.
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