Tourism Los Angeles

Noel Irwin Hentschel and her partner, Michael Fitzpatrick, drew on their tourism industry experience when they spotted a marketplace void in the late 1970s: There were no California-based tour companies specializing in providing international travelers with the American experience. They decided to fill the niche and opened a small office at Los Angeles International Airport, employing Hentschel's sister part time.

As eager as I was to get out of college, who'd have thought that three decades later I'd want to go back? UCLA isn't my alma mater. Although I've been on the campus many times and even taken an extension class, I still had missed plenty, including the school's Japanese garden, a concert in Royce Hall and the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History.

My mate, Brian, never makes much ceremony about our anniversary. Sometimes, if he's away, he sends flowers. Once he enclosed a card that read, "In deepest sympathy." Such a kidder. So for our 16th anniversary in September, I was genuinely surprised when he conjured up something magical and managed to keep it secret: a night at the devastatingly romantic Hotel Bel-Air. Hidden high in the hills above Sunset Boulevard, this serene enclave proffers up an authentic touch of old L.A.

In a concerted effort to rejuvenate Chinatown, which for years has suffered from poor retail sales, stagnant property values and image problems, a group of business and property owners Thursday launched a campaign to revitalize the historic district.

As downtown Los Angeles reels from the loss of its last major corporate headquarters, a project introduced Wednesday proposes to reshape the city core with a plan that could draw millions of annual visitors, but that threatens to stir political controversy just as the 2001 mayor's race heats up.

When visitors head to Los Angeles for a holiday, the San Fernando Valley usually doesn't rate high on their lists of places to hang out--or maybe even rate at all. Sure, hordes take in Universal Studios, and some even stay nearby. But although the studio theme park and adjoining CityWalk are in the Valley, they don't have much of a Valley identity--nor do they feed many tourists to other attractions nearby. David Iwata wants to change that.

As their first date night in six years approached, Lenore and Robert Whiteside wanted it to be a memorable one. So, on a recent Saturday night, the Van Nuys couple headed out to Universal CityWalk to check out the highly touted expansion that features 30 new restaurants, shops and attractions. "We're so happy we came. It's been six years since our last visit and it's all wonderful," Lenore Whiteside said. "It's a place I can bring my son to or where we can come back as a family."

Three days before the first runners queue up at the starting line, one winner has already emerged in this Sunday's Los Angeles Marathon: the downtown hotel industry. Local tourist officials say seven central city hotels are expected to sell out rooms to accommodate more than 2,000 overnight stays associated with the 15th annual event--an increase of about 300 marathon-related "room nights" over last year. In 1999, more than 20,000 took part in the 26.

Tourists who lost belongings when a ring of thieves broke into rental cars during most of 1999 may have a crack at recovering some of the possessions. Police are planning to display hundreds of items recovered during their recent sting operation, which led to the arrests recently of three Los Angeles men. Det. Patricia Picker said the men had watched as visitors in rented cars stopped for a meal or sightseeing on their way to or from Los Angeles International Airport.

With the opening of CityWalk seven years ago, Universal Studios Hollywood was at the leading edge of the "shopper-tainment" trend--mixing quirky retail stores with theaters, themed restaurants and nightclubs. With malls around the country copying the concept, CityWalk doesn't quite stand out like it once did. So, like a theme park opening a hot new ride, CityWalk this spring will debut a major expansion that could help it again stand out from the crowd.