L.A. Hit List

By Lisa Sweetingham

If you’re planning a visit for the U.S. Open, be sure to avail yourself of LACC’s spectacular location at the juncture of Beverly Hills, Westwood and Century City. Following are a few suggestions for a quick but well-rounded swing through the City of Angels

Culture

Already an L.A. institution, the not-yettwo-year-old Academy Museum of Motion Pictures spans three floors dedicated to the magic of filmmaking: iconic memorabilia (Dorothy’s ruby slippers, the Rosebud sled from Citizen Kane, Bruce the shark from Jaws, an H.R. Giger–designed Alien creature head); early audition reels (Jon Voight’s screen test for Midnight Cowboy, Hilary Swank’s for Boys Don’t Cry); and special exhibitions honoring legendary films and filmmakers. Be sure to visit

Chris Burden’s majestic Urban Light sculpture next door at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the largest art institution in the western U.S. One door down from LACMA on the Miracle Mile, explore Ice Age bones at La Brea Tar Pits & Museum, an active excavation site where scientists are still finding fossils of animals and plants that were trapped in sticky asphalt between 11,000 to 50,000 years ago, when mammoths and saber-toothed tigers roamed L.A.

Cuisine

In the 1960s, Frank Sinatra convinced his actor-turned-chef pal Johnny Harlowe to open a clubby Culver City steakhouse and cocktail bar so that he’d always have a place to hang out near the major film studios. The Rat Pack vibe still animates Dear John’s, thanks to a 2019 update from hospitality veteran Patti Röckenwagner, her husband chef, Hans Röckenwagner, and co-chef Josiah Citrin. Sinatra would have loved the tableside Caesar salad and chicken parm; current celebs (we hear you, Jamie Lee Curtis) swoon over the Bougie Tots—tater tots topped with caviar and crème fraiche. In neighboring Palms, chef Niki Nakayama’s n/naka sets the standard for California kaiseki cuisine. Meanwhile, the new Barcelona import Telefèric is turning heads in Brentwood with its pintxos and paellas. Back in Beverly Hills, grab lunch at JeanGeorges Vongerichten’s Rooftop by JG at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, where you’ll have views over LACC to the Santa Monica Mountains and Pacific beyond.

Accommodation

The Waldorf Astoria’s location—across the street from LACC and next door to the famed Beverly Hilton—makes it the ideal choice for U.S. Open fans. Sealing the deal are the hotel’s polished Beverly Hills glamor, La Prairie Spa and terracelined suites with views all over L.A. On the Westwood side of the golf club, the W Los Angeles is the preferred L.A. address for two of the last three U.S. presidents. If oceanfront is more your style, settle in at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, where you can spend a classic Southern California day surfing out front, strolling to the nearby pier or biking along the boardwalk.