Opened in 2016, the on site restaurant at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, Mari Restaurant blends together Japanese and Californian flavours for a truly original menu offering. They serve an evolving menu throughout the day, from breakfast, through to lunch and dinner – every menu getting slightly more Japanese flavoured than the…
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On 11th January, Virgin America made its final flight under the callsign “redwood”. It’s now flying as “Alaska”, as Alaska Airlines moves towards the completion of its merger with the much loved airline. This said, the airlines continue to each fly with their respective branding and flair, at least until April 25th (though it will take…
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Branded as being situated “between Hollywood and the Hills”, the Kimpton Everly – which opened in August- is in an unbeatable location. A block away from Hollywood and Vine, the building sits right behind the classic Pantages Theatre (where Disney’s Aladdin is playing to March 31st) and the iconic Capitol Records building. Right next to…
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If you fly regularly to US with Virgin Australia, as I do, chances are you may have ended up on a Delta aircraft on one of your trips; with the two carriers codesharing services across the Pacific, providing ticketed passengers for either the option to fly with the other. I recently did just that, flying…
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Seriously though, how many hotel rooms do you ever get to stay in that have a spiral staircase? Like, actually in the room? My first thought entering my room at the luxurious Ramada West Hollywood was that I was in a room far fancier than I was used to. The bottom floor of the room is…
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“Oh, rustic,” I murmured as I entered my room at The Farmer’s Daughter on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. The room is indeed rustic. A twin share, the room has more in common with an old world cabin than it does an upmarket hotel room. Nevertheless, the luxuries are there even if they aren’t apparent…
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Most hotels have some kind of unifying design manifesto that ties the entire place together. Hotel Indigo in a departure from the Golden Age Of Hollywood aesthetic that has become so common in LA hotels, is all about the history of the Downtown district in which it is located. Found on Francisco Street, and (at…
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I’d never visited Los Angeles before this week. After 17 hours in the air, a turbulent Auckland-Los Angeles leg and with the jetlag still in that quiet moment before your body realises everything is wrong, I was ready for a moment of quiet. Thankfully, quiet is exactly what the Hotel Palomar in Beverly Hills gave…
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With more museums than any other city in the U.S.A., it seems natural that Los Angeles (California) would need to start thinking outside the box when it started to add new additions to its roster. In the case of a new pop-up museum due to arrive, it seems they started thinking inside the cone, as…
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Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner or a 2am snack, Los Angeles has you covered. It’s not like New York, however, where you can wander the streets on a Sunday morning and eventually stumble across a diner for your brunch – but in LA that’s going to be an unlikely feat. You need a car (or…
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It shows how delicious a hotel is when even after a 15 hour flight you crave exploring its ins and outs instead of falling into the comfort of their beds. SIXTY Beverly Hills combines contemporary glamour with Los Angeles exclusivity. Glass, wood and marble detailing meets you as soon as you step into the foyer, and…
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There’s a scene in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, when Gil, played by Owen Wilson, is reminiscing about a time he never lived in; “Imagine this town in the ’20s,” he said of Paris. There was something forlorn about it, a regret that he was living now instead of then. Though Allen portrays this romanticisation…
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Californian based artist Colette Miller was recently in Australia as part of an event to promote travel to Los Angeles, showing off her iconic “Angel Wings” artworks – one of which she painted at a special event in Sydney. While she was there, I spoke to her about the origins of the piece, which she’s now painted…
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Over the last week, we’ve taken you on board Jennifer Quinlin’s journey from Melbourne to London with Air New Zealand atypical route for Australian travellers, via Auckland and Los Angeles. So far she’s taken us through legs one and two of the journey, as well as her experience in transit in Los Angeles. Now today…
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Yesterday we took you to the beaches of Santa Monica, and now today we take you to the other end of the new Expo Line – the revamped, revitalised and culturally vibrant Downtown LA. At the heart of this is the Ace Hotel, an old United Artists Theatre turned Church (“Los Angeles University Cathedral”) turned 13…
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Canberra three-piece Safia continue to make waves and move to the forefront of Australia’s next biggest musical exports with their blend of indie rock, delicate soul, and various styles of electronica. Last year, the group travelled to the USA for a run of shows that included SXSW, and the trio kept the AU review in the…
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Who says you can’t move forward by looking back? After decades of promises and planning, and years of development and construction, last Friday, the long awaited Expo Line officially launched public service on its expansion from Culver City (which opened in 2012) to the beaches of Santa Monica – connecting the city to Downtown LA via…
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In what will be huge news for people planning on a visit to LA in the coming months, as well as LA locals – Los Angeles Metro’s Expo Line to Santa Monica will officially open this Friday 20th May, connecting Downtown LA to the beachside destination for the first time by rail. Passengers will be able…
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AU Abroad is taken to North America with South Australia’s olivers army from the time they played at Canadian Music Week. They share with us their experiences playing shows in Toronto and the USA, plus reflect on overeating Mexican delicacies and visiting the Smorgasburg Markets for some sausages courtesy of the great… well, actually we’ll let you find out for yourself….
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Before heading to Austin, Texas for SXSW last year, I took a few days to explore Dallas. Flying out from LAX after landing on an early weekday morning from a long-haul flight out of Sydney, I was able to test out Virgin America‘s domestic flight service for the first time! Airline: Virgin America Route: Virgin America…
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Last year, Sunshine Coast’s Selahphonic enjoyed house parties in L.A, had a “rad” three days at Canadian Music Week in Toronto, headed to to Dive Bars and Rehab in San Jose, not to mention big water falls and big bridges… And they treated us all to their experiences in this exclusive Travel Diary. This one’s a…
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I assumed a medical marijauna prescription was difficult to get in LA, a token gesture to avoid the bad press of incarcerating the cancer ward that had no impact on the availability of weed for everyone else. When a friend that worked in a dispensary told me it was much looser than this in the…
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We continue our Flight Review series, this time back in the USA on our way to Texas for SXSW. Instead of flying directly to Austin, I flew in via San Antonio – about 90 minutes drive from Austin – flying Southwest to get there via an affordable direct flight, here’s my review of their service:…
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Along his journey to Canadian Music Week in Toronto last year – which is just about to return for 2016 – Aussie musician Ash Grunwald encountered electric bicycles, cars, plenty of waves and the contrast of rural Nicaragua and the USA. He’s shared these and more stories with us from his time over the pond… Having a beer…
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On AU Abroad, we bring you a birds eye view of the world of travel. In this article series, we let you in on the best airlines to fly with. We continue things in North America with Air Canada’s direct route from Toronto to Los Angeles, which we took as part of our long journey home…
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We continue our Flight Review series, this time flying from Los Angeles to Toronto via Air Canada. Click through to check out Editor Larry Heath’s service review, covering everything from in-flight entertainment and meals to comfort and hot tips for traveling… Airline: Air Canada Route: Los Angeles to Toronto (Pearson International) Seat: 26D (Aisle in…
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As part of our brand new section AU Abroad, we bring you a birds eye view of the world of travel. In this article series, we let you in on the best airlines to fly with. We kick things off in North America with Air Canada’s direct route from Toronto to Los Angeles, which we…
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