Discover downtown Los Angeles: what's up in our own backyard?

For today's business traveller, there is more to "Downtown" L.A. than meets the eye. "Downtown" is one of the oldest sections in the greater Los Angeles area. Great renovations have created a picturesque, almost New York-like, skyline to attract businesses and travellers. Besides the external facelift of "Downtown", an internal package has been developed offering all the services and cultural treasures of a true city.

"Downtown" now houses businesses and headquarters of major corporations which is gaining it respect as the business district of Los Angeles. Even further, it is a financial center of the Western Region and the gateway to the Pacific Rim.

The continuous growth in the financial district has spawned many new cultural attractions. The California Plaza's Watercourt Amphitheater, with its several fountains and four performing arts stages, co-exists nicely with the solidarity of some of the mainstays. For instance, the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion orchestrates a symphony of sounds from the L.A. Philharmonic to the debute of whiz kid composer/conductor, Esa Pekka Salonen who innovatively recreates the classics. While the Museum of Contemporary Art (the only institution in Los Angeles devoted exclusively to art from 1940 to the present) features paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints photographs, installations and environmental work, as well as, dance, theatre, performance, film, video, and music of regional, national and international importance. You can grab a bite to eat while getting lost in the architectural surroundings of MOCA, as it is an artform in its own right, designed by world-famous architect Arata Isozaki.

As the Convention Center makes great headways towards it's renovation as one of the largest exhibit spaces in the country, it is influencing the construction of new hotels. The Inter Continental hotel will soon be joining the ranks of properties like the Los Angeles Hilton and Towers, who have programs geared toward the business traveller.

According to Ted Davis, Sales Director of the Los Angeles Hilton and Towers, "...we have developed packages to meet the needs of our clients, making them feel comfortable, whether an individual, business or corporate traveller. We found that service is the key for any traveller which is why our executive business service program is a growing success."

Along with award winning dining, convenient shopping is also available in the hotel ranging from a unique and unusual art store to eloquent boutiques and clothiers.

Other department and specialty stores are conveniently located just walking distance from your office. For example, Talbots specializes in merchandising distinguished and classical lines of clothes for business women. "With the metrorail, high-rise office buildings, and newly planned urban residential developments, we find it's an exciting time to be working in the middle of it all," says Beth Sears, Store Manager of Talbots.

To enhance your downtown shopping experience, you can hop on the DASH busline. For a small fortune of 25 cents, you can hit any one of the shops in the famous garment district or discover treasures in one of the largest jewelry districts in the country.

After shopping, take an international journey just minutes to the north by touring Chinatown, where you can sample everything from Dim Sum to Sam Woo's Barbeque Duck. Just minutes to the east, you can also enjoy the flavors of Little Tokyo, while carousing the Doizaki Gallery at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center.

Travelling back to your office or hotel you'll enjoy some of the historic landmarks like the recently renovated Biltmore Hotel built in 1920's. It is highlighted by modernistic skyscrapers accented with the Eric Orr sculpture outside the Sanwa Bank building (on Wilshire and Figueroa), which masterfully pushes the elements of fire and water to an artful extreme.

The "Downtown" community has also expanded with the opening of many new mouthwatering restaurants. "I am happy to be part of the development of downtown as a community," says Ron Salisbury, owner of The Original Sonora Cafe. "I've taken my background with traditional Mexican food and introduced a cuisine with a finer dinning experience.

This provides the perfect setting for the given type of individual who works and lives downtown."

As you may or may not have already noticed, there is a different world that exists just outside of your office. The multi-culturalism of Los Angeles on the whole is spilling over into the business arena of "Downtown". With its range of art exhibits, shopping, and restaurants, area merchants who cater to the "Downtown" business population, recognize the importance of diversity in suiting the tastes of its various cultures.

Susan Garland Forte is President of Forte Communication: business development, special events and public relations.