By Holding It At A Unique Location!

Train stations, castles, music centers, theaters, churches, ballrooms, country clubs, parks all hold promise as unique venues for your reunion, be it class, family, or military. We will take you from time to time, in this column, city to city describing each metropolis's distinctive locations.

You will find all of these and more at The Los Angeles Conservancy website that are interesting, beautiful, historic, and functional sites.

As examples they list:

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

(1) The impressive Union Station in downtown Los Angeles with its fascinating blend of Mission Revival, Southwestern, Moorish, and Spanish Architecture. (2) There is the Oviatt Building with the Cicada Restaurant with its vast collection of Lalique glass on their ceilings and dark mahogany wood paneling. The Penthouse upstairs has unbelievable views of the City of Los Angeles.(3) The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion — the Music Center of Los Angeles — with its cascading staircase - is available when there are no performances. (4) The Ebell of Los Angeles contains a theatre, two ballrooms and a courtyard garden. Built in 1927, it is an architectural masterpiece.

PALOS VERDES

In Palos Verdes you will find the (1) famous all glass Wayfarers church with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. Special small reunions can be held at this venue. (2) The Venta Inn — a three-acre venue with ocean views, is a restored Mediterranean-style villa.

SANTA CATALINA ISLAND

Santa Catalina Island, situated off the shores of Los Angeles, offers the famous and historic (1) Casino Theatre and Ballroom. Built in the Art Deco style, it can hold up to 1,500 celebrants. There is also (2) The Catalina Vistors Country Club built on a bluff offering beautiful, breathtaking views. It can accommodate up to 240.

LA CANADA

Descanso Gardens in La Canada, amazing gardens, owned by the Los Angeles County Arboreta and Botanical Gardens. It is available for events at certain times of the day and evening.

PASADENA

The city first founded by the westward travelers from the East is populated with stately mansions and spectacular views of the San Gabriel mountains. (1) Castle Green — the castle has ornate furnishings and an elegant ballroom that can hold up to 400. (2) Craven Estate — has elegant living and dining rooms with French doors that open up onto a large patio and beautiful gardens. (3) Pacific Asian Museum — the lovely exotic gardens of this Chinese Mandarin Courtyard style can accommodate up to 200 guests.

HOLLYWOOD

(1) Avalon Hollywood — built in the Spanish Revival Style is made up of the main floor, two balconies, and two opera boxes. The main floor holds 800 and the opera boxes and balconies can hold up to 300. (2) The famous Hollywood Bowl — the patio and adjoining gardens can accommodate events. (3) Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel — Built in 1927, in the classic Spanish Revival style, the hotel has many rooms and poolside and gardens to hold special events. (4) Yamashiro Restaurant — translates to "mountain palace". The terraced gardens provide a sweeping view of the city and glass enclosed Sky View Room also offers a panoramic view of Los Angeles.

There are many additional venues in Los Angeles County—too numerous to mention — that are very special locations for your reunion. There is a different atmosphere and feel to these locations that you won't experience in the hotel ballroom. It adds to the specialness of the occasion. Every city has their unique places to hold reunions and we will spotlight various cities in the coming months. Meanwhile those in Los Angeles County can look at the vast array that the Los Angeles Conservancy lists on their website:

http://www.laconservancy.org/preservation/resources_sites.php4