20 Apr 2012
Experience LA's Hybrid of Culture,
Couture and Cuisine
Step into Top Museums, Designer Shops and a Historic Outdoor Market
LOS ANGELES (April 22, 2012)—When it comes to culture, Los Angeles has widespread appeal. Take LA's Museum Row, now home to a collection of cultural destinations, where ancient works of art, classic automobiles, international folk art and even prehistoric fossils recovered from nearby tar pits are all on display within a few blocks of one another. Of course, shopping and dining are also considered art forms in LA, and nowhere is this better illustrated than at The Grove, a nearby shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and The Original Farmers Market, an open-air emporium at Third and Fairfax.
Participants on this walking tour of the area will get an insider's look at all of these landmarks. Moreover, each participant will receive a $50 gift card that they can use at The Grove and sample food and beverages from a variety of restaurants and cafes.
The tour's first stop is Museum Row, located along a stretch of Wilshire Boulevard in an area known as the Miracle Mile, so named for its prominence and for its former stature as home to the City's upscale department stores.
Anchored by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, more commonly known as LACMA, the encyclopedic collection contains more than 100,000 pieces of art dating from ancient times to the present. From Asia, Latin America, India, Europe and America, visitors enjoy art from all around the world. The most recent addition to the museum's twenty-acre campus is the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion, designed by Renzo Piano, which dramatically expands the museum's exhibition space. The single-story, 45,000 square foot structure is the largest purpose-built, naturally lit, open-plan museum space in the world. LACMA also has several outdoor exhibits and is a popular destination for free evening concerts.
The Craft and Folk Art Museum, which champions international folk art and contemporary craft, offers a rotating display of innovative exhibitions coupled with family programs, artists' lectures and special film screenings. Sasha Ali, the museum's exhibitions coordinator, will escort tour participants through the exhibitions.
Angelenos are known to have a penchant for cars, and the Petersen Automotive Museum celebrates the automobile with its multi-level exhibit of automotive themes that include hot rods and celebrity vehicles. The ground floor pays homage to LA and its love affair with cars, offering a display of vintage vehicles and long-forgotten buildings that once graced city streets. Additional displays include dioramas and an interactive learning center that explains the fundamental functions of a car.
Nearby, The Grove, a 20-acre Caruso Affiliated property that opened in 2002, resembles an outdoor European street scene, featuring a park-like environment, a "town square" with a dancing fountain set to music, an art-deco-style multiplex cinema, and a collection of upscale shops and restaurants, including a Nordstrom department store and California's only American Girl store. Each year, The Grove attracts more than 18 million visitors from around the world. And on weekdays, the entertainment news show "Extra!" with Mario Lopez is filmed live on The Grove's cobblestone streets. Tour guests will meet Galit Shokrian, Caruso Affiliated's senior vice president, marketing and communications, and enjoy a "Taste of The Grove" with food samplings from the celebrated restaurants at the property. They'll learn about The Grove's new retail and restaurant openings as part of its milestone 10-year anniversary, as well as groundbreaking technological innovations and the property's award-winning Concierge Program. Afterward, they will hop onto The Grove's signature, double-decker trolley, which will take them to The Original Farmers Market, located next door.
The Original Farmers Market started in July 1934, when local farmers parked their trucks at the corner of Third and Fairfax to display their wares and produce. Eventually, permanent stalls were erected, and today the open-air Farmers Market features a collection of restaurants, shops, gourmet markets and wine bars, plus fruit and vegetable stands. David Hamlin and Sydney Weisman, partners at WHPR, and Matt Stayton, tourism and marketing planner for the Market, will help participants navigate through the Market's nearly 100 stalls and shops. The tour will conclude with a sampling of wine and cheese at Monsieur Marcel wine bar and gourmet market at Farmers Market. Monsieur Marcel offers an exceptional selection of artisanal products in a small shop, with an adjacent, open-air café.
Contacts:
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
001-323-857-6000
www.lacma.org
Media contact:
Miranda Carroll
001-857.6543
mcarroll@lacma.org
Public Relations Department
001-323-857-6522
press@lacma.org
Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
001-323-930-2277
www.petersen.org
Media contact:
Chris Brown
Information & Marketing Manager
001-323-964-6320
cbrown@petersen.org
Chris Brown
Chris Brown, information and marketing manager for the Petersen Automotive Museum, is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif. He has a background in automotive design and hot rod building, which gives him a unique perspective on the museum's exhibits. Chris was part of the cast of the TV show Wrecks to Riches on the TLC network, which featured the restoration and modification of American Muscle Cars.
The Craft and Folk Art Museum
5814 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
001-323-937-4230
www.cafam.org
Sasha Ali
Sasha Ali, exhibitions coordinator at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, is an art historian and graduate of Annenberg Communication School at USC, bringing nearly 10 years of international travel and art gallery/museum experience to CAFAM's programming. With a background in Latin American art and culture, Ali speaks three languages, including Spanish and Urdu (the national language of Pakistan). T: 001-323-937-4230, extension 25 or sasha@cafam.org.
The Grove
189 The Grove Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90036
001-323-900-8080
Toll-free: 888-315-8883
www.thegrovela.com
Galit Shokrian
Galit Shokrian, Caruso Affiliated's senior vice president, marketing and communications, oversees marketing, public relations, media and communications for the entire Caruso Affiliated portfolio of retail centers and luxury residential properties. She has nearly 20 years of experience in the development, construction, sales and marketing of residential and retail projects. Prior to joining Caruso Affiliated, she was an award-winning marketing executive with KB Home.
The Original Farmers Market
6333 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90036
001-323-933-9211 Toll free from the U.S.: 866-993-9211
www.farmersmarketla.com
Public Relations contact:
Sydney Weisman
David Hamlin
Weisman Hamlin Public Relations (WHPR)
001-323-730-0233
sydney@whpr.com or david@whpr.com.
Matthew Stayton
As tourism and marketing planner at The Original Farmers Market, Matt Stayton not only informs tour operators, hotels, agents and CVBs about everything the Farmers Market has to offer, but he also coordinates with those groups to ensure their visitors enjoy their time on the property. When Matt switches his tourism hat for his marketing one, he works with the rest of the Farmers Market marketing team to develop and execute events and promotions throughout the year. T: 001-323-549-2150 or mstayton@farmersmarketla.com
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
Cultural Contact: Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell, Senior Director, Cultural Tourism and Affinity Markets is responsible for promoting Los Angeles as one of the world's leading cultural destinations. As a volunteer, McDowell is immediate past Chairman of the Board of Governors of LA Stage Alliance, the region's largest and oldest performing arts service organization, where he served for nearly a decade. He also is a board member for Arts for LA, the national Cultural and Heritage Tourism Alliance, Film Your Issue, the International Visitors Council of Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles Film Task Force, Los Angeles Sister Cities Inc., the Masters Degree Program in Travel and Tourism at CSUN and the Travel and Tourism Marketing Association of Southern California, among others, and is a past arts grant-award panelist for both the City and County of Los Angeles.
About The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board is a private, nonprofit business association whose primary mission is to market and promote Los Angeles as the premier site for leisure travel, meetings and conventions. Though not part of City government, Los Angeles Tourism is recognized as the City's official tourism marketing organization. For more information, visit the official visitor information website of Los Angeles at www.discoverLosAngeles.com. Please visit our FaceBook page at facebook.com/LosAngelesFan or follow us on Twitter @discover_LA.
Los Angeles International Pow Wow is supported by the following Premiere Partners; Brand USA, Los Angeles World Airports, and Visit California. The Premiere Event sponsors are Cirque du Soleil, Hollywood & Highland and Universal Studios Hollywood. The Platinum sponsors are The GRAMMY Museum, LA Waterfront, Metro, and Wolfgang Puck Catering.
The Gold sponsors are Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau, CityPASS, Coach America, DFS, Downtown Business Improvement District, The Grove, Hollywood Entertainment District, Merlin Entertainments Group, Miles Marketing Destinations, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Original Farmers Market, Palm Springs Desert Resort Communities CVA, Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau, Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau and Film Commission, Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau, Starline Tours & Tour Coach Charters, Temecula Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau. The Silver sponsors are Beverly Center, The Capital Grille, Citadel Outlets, City of Santa Clarita, Joie de Vivre Hospitality, Malibu Family Wines, Premium Outlets, and Visit Mendocino County. The Bronze sponsors are da Vinci Villa, El Monte RV, Integrated Transportation Services, and Japanese Assistance Network.
Media contacts:
Carol Martinez Beth Brett
Vice President, Communications Director, Communications
phn: 213/236-2357, fax 213/425-1457 phn:213/236-2397, fax 213/452-1497
cmartinez@LATourism.org bbrett@LATourism.org
For more information on Los Angeles visit www.discoverLosAngeles.com
Visit us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/LosAngelesFan
Follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/tourism_LA
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(04/12)
