December 2017 News & Notes

Zagat, the highly popular restaurant review platform, just named Los Angeles the number one most exciting food city in America for 2017! Food editors from 30 cities around the country made cases for the city they believe had the biggest year in food by evaluating the following areas: number of exciting new restaurant opening, award recognition and national media attention.

Editor Lesley Balla remarks, “It’s no surprise to us that the rest of the country finally caught up with just how great the food scene is in Los Angeles. We've known it forever. It's no secret we're blessed with amazing weather and produce, and that the cross-section of culture and cuisines feeds our souls and our chefs' inspiration. If we had to sum up 2017 in one sentence: Every chef wants to cook here, every chef wants to devour it. We say bring it on. Even in this crowded, grand expanse of a city, there's room for more.”

To see Zagat’s full review on L.A.’s exciting food scene, visit: https://www.zagat.com/b/30-most-exciting-food-cities-in-america-2017
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Los Angeles, one of the world’s most welcoming destinations, will be reimagined in a vibrant, floral-studded float showcasing the City’s cultural diversity, creativity and youthful energy in the 129th Rose Parade® on January 1, 2018. The ‘Everyone is Welcome’ float presents an open invitation for inspired exploration of The City of Angels, bringing to life the thriving destination’s iconic ‘only-in-L.A.’ activities and experiences.

Created by the City’s official tourism marketing organization Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (L.A. Tourism) with inspiration from its newest brand campaign, the ‘Everyone is Welcome’ float features animated oversized paper planes decorated in colorful textures reflecting the tapestry of cultures of L.A. residents and visitors alike. Champions for diversity, youths representing the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles - Watts/Willowbrook Clubhouse, will ride the float on New Year’s Day. No local taxpayer dollars were used in the creation or production of the City of L.A.’s float.

Designed by the renowned Fiesta Parade Floats, the float will be adorned with more than 18,000 pink and orange roses, 1,000 Birds of Paradise as well as natural materials such as seeds and rice. At the front of the float, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the west coast’s preeminent gateway, and its iconic pylon lights serve as a welcome sign for all arriving to Los Angeles. The float showcases the destination’s cherished cultural attractions such as the Getty Center with its stunning botanical gardens as well as the Griffith Observatory, a national leader in public astronomy. One of the most recognized symbols in the world, the Hollywood sign represents the aspirational place that is L.A., where dreams can come true.

The float marks L.A.’s 120th consecutive year collaborating with Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, making it one of the longest running float entries in Rose Parade history.

Discover Los Angeles announced the dates of Winter dineL.A. 2018, taking place January 12-26, 2018. The 15-day dining event kicks off a celebratory year commemorating the program’s landmark 10th anniversary, showcasing the diversity of culinary talent and dining excellence across Los Angeles, spanning the last decade. Visitors and locals can enjoy specially-priced lunch and dinner menus at more than 300 dineL.A. restaurants. The value-driven lunch menus range from $15, $20, and $25, with dinner menus priced at $29, $39, and $49, and beginning at $95 for the Exclusive Series. Back by popular demand, the Exclusive Series presented by American Express offers diners a chance to enjoy some of L.A.’s most luxurious restaurants across the city, including Providence, Spago Beverly Hills, The Royce, BOA Steakhouse, and The Arthur J. Diners may visit the dineL.A. website to book reservations starting today.

The campaign for Winter dineL.A. 2018 showcases 10 notable restaurants and chefs that have played a large role in the evolution and innovation of the city’s diverse and distinctive dining scene over the past 10 years. Among the list of more than 300 restaurants participating in the Winter dineL.A. program include veteran restaurants, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken’s Border Grill, which has participated in dineL.A. from the very first season, along with Mélisse, which was among the first to join dineL.A.’s Exclusive Series. Many dineL.A. bastions who have arguably shaped the city’s dining scene over the past decade include Michael Cimarusti’s Providence, Suzanne Goin’s Lucques and a.o.c., and Roy Choi’s Kogi Taqueria. Some of L.A.’s newest restaurants that are participating in Winter dineL.A. include the Nozawa Group’s new HiHo Cheeseburger and Uovo, Lunetta Dining Room and Bar by Chef Raphael Lunetta, and Quinn and Karen Hatfield’s The Mighty.

Courier, the official magazine of the National Tour Association, has announced the winners of its 2018 Distinguished Dozen awards. Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board won Bronze for Best North American DMO Partner (City/Region)

Tour operators voted for NTA-member destinations and tour suppliers to determine gold, silver and bronze awards in 12 categories.

The Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission will hosts its 14th annual Lakers All-Access at the brand new UCLA Health Training Facility on February 7, 2018. Get an exclusive, insider’s look at the Los Angeles Lakers and their new state-of-the-art practice facility. Whether you’re a diehard fan or just want to enjoy a great evening on the court, you won’t want to miss Lakers All-Access. Net proceeds from the event support the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation and the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC), both nonprofit organizations.

Experience Lakers All-Access:
•    Tour the new Lakers Practice Facility for a behind-the-scenes look at where the team practices, where they train and watch film, where the trainers stretch and rehabilitate the players, and learn more about the players daily routine
•    Take your photo at the ESPNLA Broadcast Booth
•    Make your own Lakers shirt at the Spectrum SportsNet station
•    Meet, greet and have your photo taken with Lakers greats, current players, the Laker Girls and the World Championship trophies
•    Bid on exclusive Lakers experiences and memorabilia
•    Test your skills in our exclusive Lakers All-Access basketball clinic with the current Lakers coaches
•    Compete in the 2018 NBA All-Star Los Angeles Free Throw Competition
•    Enjoy a buffet dinner in the court
•    Hear from head coach Luke Walton, Lakers President Jeanie Buss and other front office executives on how they put this roster together and what they expect from each player
•    Enter prize drawings, giveaways, contests and more!

Lakers All-Access confirmed participants to date include:
•    Jeanie Buss, President, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Rob Pelinka, General Manager, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Jordan Clarkson, Guard, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Brandon Ingram, Forward, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Bill Macdonald, Play-by-Play Announcer, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Brian Shaw, Associate Head Coach, Los Angeles Lakers; former Guard, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Luke Walton, Head Coach, Los Angeles Lakers; former Forward, Los Angeles Lakers
•    James Worthy, Studio Analyst, Spectrum SportsNet; former Forward, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Kyle Kuzma, Forward, Los Angeles Lakers
•    Additional Lakers players, alumni and front office participants to be named. Participants are subject to change.

For more information, please visit: http://www.lasec.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Lakers-AA-Sponsorship-2018-CRE.pdf

Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) formally unveiled the first five Automated Screening Lanes to be installed as part of a $12.3 million project to upgrade 14 lanes in the Tom Bradley International Terminal Security Screening Check Point at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The new ASLs provide the foundation for future security enhancements and assist in decreasing the overall passenger transit time, thus providing faster processing times and superior customer experience. They allow as many as five guests to place their items in trays simultaneously and submit them for screening without waiting on the first person to complete the process. Guests then line up at the body scanner or metal detector.

Hong Kong Airlines’ celebrated the launch of its first route from the continental U.S. to Los Angeles and the first landing of an Airbus A350 at LAX on Dec. 18, 2017.

AAA expects up to 108 million Americans will take planes, trains, automobiles or other modes of transporation during the year-end holiday period beginning Dec. 23 to Jan. 1.