City Page Type: Destination

The Museum of Contemporary Art was established in 1979. They are the first artist-founded museum in Los Angeles and are dedicated to collecting and exhibiting contemporary art. Housing one of the most compelling collections of contemporary art in the world, the MOCA has roughly 7,000 pieces for visitors to enjoy. Their historically-significant exhibitions are diverse and ground-breaking. The Museum collects, presents, and interprets art after 1940 in a variety of media.   There are actually three separate locations within Los Angeles. The main location is in Downtown Los Angeles. There is another location known as the Geffen Contemporary in the Little Tokyo district. This was meant to be the temporary exhibit space for the museum while the main facility was built, but still remains part of the museum system. The third is known as the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.

The Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden is located in the southeastern corner of the University of California, Los Angeles campus. It is named after a noted American botanist and currently managed by Arthur C. Gibson. It spans seven acres. It started as an academic laboratory in 1929 along with the Westwood campus. The garden features over 1,500 different species and plant varieties.   Mildred E. Mathias oversaw the garden’s growth from 1956 to 1974. She helped to develop it into the “university garden” and prepared it for public tours. The garden is frost-free so it can accomodate tropical and subtropical plants, including ferns, palms, eucalyptus and figs. This beautiful landscape is free for visitors to come and explore. Visitors enjoy strolling through the unique plant species and finding a quiet spot to meditate surrounded by greenery.

The Los Angeles Convention Center was designed by Charles Luckman and opened in 1971. Since then, it has been expanded upon three times. The green glass and white steel frames featured on the Convention Center Annex were designed by architect James Ingo Freed. In 1983 a tornado damaged the roof and upper-level panels. It took $3 million to repair the damage.

In September of 2008, the Los Angeles Convention Center was certified as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building. It was the first building of its age and size in Los Angeles to be LEED certified and the first convention center in the US to be certified. Since then, they have also become a plastic straw-free facility, leading the charge in sustainability efforts.The Anschutz Entertainment Group now manages the Convention Center.

Founded in November of 1966, the LA Zoo and Botanical Gardens are now home to more than 1,100 mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Over 250 different species are represented, 29 of which are currently on the endangered list. In addition to the vast amount of fauna represented, the Botanical Gardens section boasts vasts amount of flora as well. Walking through the gardens, you’ll see several planted areas with over 800 different plant species and more than 7,400 individual plants.

There are a number of shows and exhibits to enjoy while you’re there as well. The Flamingo Mingle gives you a chance to feed these bright and beautiful birds. You’ll also learn about their care and discover how flamingos groom themselves and each other. You can also feed the giraffes for an up close and personal experience with one of nature’s gentle giants.

Since its opening in 1923, LA Memorial Coliseum has hosted countless teams and world famous personalities, including Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Pope John Paul II, and Martin Luther King Jr. It was the site of two Olympiads, two Super Bowls, and one World Series. These days, it’s home to the USC Trojans, the LA Rams, and is prepping for the 2028 Olympics. It’s kind of a big deal! Besides hosting big ticket events, LA Memorial Coliseum is a place to contemplate and honor great Americans. Its iconic architecture is a monument to the U.S. Armed Forces who served in World War I. Throughout the Peristyle Arches, you’ll find 61 commemorative plaques that honor people and events in sports and beyond. It’s a place that celebrates history with a long and impressive past of its own.

Chinatown in LA has been a commercial center for Chinese and Asian businesses located in Central Los Angeles since 1938. But it was opened that year under the label of “New Chinatown,” as its previous location had been razed to make way for the incoming Union Station and its surrounding infrastructure. It is the first such neighborhood in the U.S. that was owned by Chinese residents.

Today, LA’s Chinatown is experiencing its own sort of renaissance. It is home to some of the city’s hottest new restaurants and art galleries. It is also the famed home of Bruce Lee’s former studio. It’s a colorful urban setting that features a number of annual events, including Chinatown Summer Nights, Moon Festival, CicLAvia, and, of course, the celebration of the Chinese New Year.

Although the Getty Center and the Getty Villa are part of the same organization, they are worlds apart. The Getty Villa, located in Malibu, is dedicated to the art of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. The museum’s design was inspired by the Villa dei Papiri, a building discovered in 1750, long after it was buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 70 A.D. Take an eleven minute bus ride two thousand years in the future to the Getty Center. The Center’s modern design is vastly different from the Villa’s, but just as impressive. It was built to feature natural light, using sun rays to illuminate the halls of its galleries. Browse its collection of European art, take the 45-minute architecture tour, or wander the gardens to take in views of the Pacific Ocean, the San Gabriel Mountains, and the City of Angels.