Anchored by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, opening this September with programming curated by filmmakers Spike Lee and Pedro Almodóvar, Los Angeles is starring in its own comeback story. Leading the post-pandemic revival of cultural gathering spaces is the Citizen Public Market (a food hall in Culver City with a leafy rooftop patio space) and an in-the-works 13,000-sq.-ft. brewery and tasting room by the Black-owned South Los Angeles Beverage Company. Downtown L.A. continues to thrive with the arrival of restaurants like Damian, a modern Mexican eatery from chef Enrique Olvera of Mexico City’s Pujol, and its companion backdoor taqueria Ditroit, which churns out fresh tortillas at a clip of over 500 per day. Then there’s Proper Hotel’s latest, 148-room outpost, infused with the neutral tones of Kelly Wearstler’s warm and homey design aesthetic. Sprawling luxury reigns in nearby Beverly Hills at Fairmont Century Plaza, which recently received a $2.5 billion refresh complete with Yabu Pushelberg–designed interiors and one of L.A.’s largest spas, at 14,000 sq. ft. —Julia Eskins
World's Greatest Places 2021
