 |


Author: Paul Zemanek
Contributor:
Patrick Green
ISBN: 0-9766013-5-4
Price: $17.95

Web Direct Price: $9.95
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Today’s savvy travelers rely on NIGHT+DAY Los Angeles — with its opinionated listings, insightful descriptions, and witty, intelligent writing — to get the sophisticated edge in travel. From the trendiest tables, hippest hotels, top shops and galleries, to the hottest nightspots and coolest attractions, NIGHT+DAY Los Angeles is packed with expert recommendations and insider tips. |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
HOME » DESTINATIONS » LOS ANGELES
NIGHT+DAY LOS ANGELES
Los Angeles is more than a city: It’s a modern
metropolis that’s come to stand for all things cool, hip and trendy. From the finest art museums to the newest dance
clubs and restaurants, LA has it all—and then some.
September Love Letter
The new, improved—and now outdoor—Santa Monica Place has gotten a facelift even Mickey Rourke could appreciate (santamonicaplace.com). Shopping-wise, there’s little that’s groundbreaking. However, the rooftop food court is a must-eat, with chef-driven restaurants like Richard Sandoval’s Zengo the best of the bunch (richardsandoval.com).
On the Westside, check out the Annenberg Space for Photography whose exhibition, “The Year,” features the best documentary photography of 2009. The show is free through Oct. 10 (annenbergspaceforphotography.org).
Finally, there are two new downtown destinations driving LA’s cocktail scene. The first, Villains Tavern, is an Old West saloon with a steampunk edge, offering beer-and-shot combos for $8 ( villainstavern.com). The second is The Falls, a decadent dive bar drawing inspiration from vintage, glam, and rock vibes and featuring a classic cocktail menu that includes fresh-squeezed juices and handcrafted bitters.
Patrick Green
|
 |
 |
 |
LOS ANGELES (2009/10):
Sam Nazarian (Impresario)
In a town full of hyphenates, Sam Nazarian takes the punctuation crown, compiling a list of job titles that make P. Diddy seem like a one-trick pony. The LA native is CEO of the SBE Entertainment Group as well as a real estate financier, hotelier, restaurateur, and film producer. His entrepreneurial drive landed him on the LA Times’s “Top 100 Most Powerful People in Southern California” list, and he was named among “The Influentials” in Los Angeles Magazine.
Not bad for an NYU dropout who left school to start his own telecommunications company, Platinum Wireless. He eventually sold it to diversify his family assets (his father Younes is cofounder of Qualcomm), delving into real estate, where he invested a reported $150 million to $200 million in houses, hotels, and downtown buildings. From there he moved onto nightclubs, using a long-term business plan in an industry built on a “get in, get out” scheme. “[Owning clubs] was an ego thing for investors,” Nazarian says. “They’d be in business for a year, and whether or not they made money didn’t matter.”
Nazarian treats his clubs like investments, running every facet of them in-house at his sleek SBE headquarters on Beverly Boulevard. Instead of renting his venues out to promoters, he joined forces with “it” party promoter Brent Bolthouse (of The Hills) to form the most powerful LA duo since Shaq and Kobe. His nightlife empire (Hyde, Area, S Bar, Foxtail, Katsuya, XIV, and Bazaar) now stretches across the city, not only helping to revitalize Hollywood, but also reshaping the way the world looks at LA.
“When it comes to hotels, clubs, or restaurants, Los Angeles hasn’t always been on par with other cities like New York or Chicago,” Nazarian admits. “People are now taking Los Angeles a lot more seriously on many different fronts. And that’s exciting to me.”
In five short years, the burgeoning mogul has built a brand that attracts the world’s rich and famous, with his white-hot, super-exclusive nightclubs, restaurants, and now hotels. He signed acclaimed designer Philippe Starck to an exclusive, multiyear contract to design SBE hotels and restaurants in North America, and hit another home run with the opening of his first luxury hotel in Los Angeles, SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills.
Check out our choice for the
world's foremost Urbanistas in other cities:
The Urbie Awards.
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|