A 36-hour city break in Los Angeles

“How’s LA today?” I asked the taxi driver. “The weather’s beautiful – it always is. You have to look a little harder to find the beauty in the city,” he said. Challenge accepted – and I found beauty, in the culture, the architecture, and the entertainment. —Aileen Lalor

The hotel: I stayed in the Marriott Courtyard LA Live in the heart of Downtown LA. My (huge) room had all mod cons – TV with sofas in a small lounge area, coffee-making facilities, the comfiest bed ever, and a shower big enough for a small family, complete with Paul Mitchell toiletries. The one downside? The world’s most unflattering mirror/bathroom lighting combo – I mean, I was tired, but I don’t actually look like a wizened old crone. I checked out the pool. The receptionist had warned me that it tended to get busy at midday, and indeed, as the clock struck 12, a man came and sat on a sun lounger and quietly read his book. Party central, this is not. There’s no restaurant in the hotel – there’s a café/bar that serves breakfast and light evening meals. But that’s no big deal. The hotel’s biggest strength is its location – everything you want is just a few minutes away.

The neighbourhood: I was under the impression that in LA, a car was a must. But the Downtown area is surprisingly walkable and it’s easy to have an enjoyable city break without a vehicle. The Courtyard is two minutes from LA Live, an entertainment complex stuffed with eateries from Starbucks to Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill. My pick: Katsuya, which has a fantastic selection of fresh sashimi and sushi. Venture further afield into the Downtown area to explore more foodie delights: Italian restaurant Bottega Louie is 15 minutes walk away and famous for its brunch; for dinner, there’s Otium, which is all about sustainable produce and is 25 minutes away on foot. 

Entertainment-wise, LA Live has The Grammy Museum, plus concert venue Microsoft Theater and also an outdoor courtyard space that hosts occasional events (of which, more later). The Staples Center is a major sports venue, whose tenants include the LA Lakers, Clippers and Kings. It’s also an entertainment arena (recent performers include Adele, Justin Bieber and Carrie Underwood) and the venue for the annual Grammy Awards. 

If sports and music aren’t your bag, there’s plenty to do and see. Downtown LA has the reputation of being dirty and ugly, and indeed, there’s an enormous amount of construction taking place in the city. In and amongst that, though, there are some architectural gems including the glamorous Biltmore Hotel, Pershing Square, an outdoor concert venue, and the historic Los Angeles Theatre. Get a dose of culture at The Museum of Contemporary Art or the Ahmanson Theatre, and grab bargains in the city’s jewellery and fashion districts. All these are within 35 minutes walk from the hotel.

The gig: The real reason for my LA visit was a Demi Lovato and DNCE concert for Marriott Rewards members, held at a courtyard area of LA Live. Via its Experiences Marketplace, the hotel chain released 1,000 tickets, which were available free, exclusively to rewards members, on a first-come-first-served basis. This is part of an ongoing partnership with Demi’s record label, UMG – past member-only concerts include Ellie Goulding in London.

Full disclosure: I’m not what you might call a typical DNCE or Lovato fan. I’m too old to have been a Jonas Brothers fan (DNCE is Joe Jonas’s band). I’ve heard of Lovato – I know she’s so influential that when she cuts her hair, a thousand millennials reach for the kitchen scissors. And I know her music, though to be honest, the song with which I’m most familiar is her version of Let it Go. It occasionally flips on when my three-year-old and I are listening to the Frozen soundtrack on YouTube and I have to swiftly switch it off because, “She’s not real Elsa.” In my mind Demi Lovato’s firmly in the Disney pop bracket aimed at women 15 years younger than me.

So my first surprise was the audience at the concert. There was a huge age range, from little kids to people far older than me, dressed in board shorts, suits and everything in between. The atmosphere was fab – everyone was just out to have a good time. The fact that there were just 1,000 people meant things felt intimate and special.

The first performer was DJ Prince Fox, who got the crowd going with a mixture of new and old tracks including a little bit of Rick Astley, which pleased me. Then DNCE took to the stage for a polished set that included a cover of No Scrubs. It closed out with summer hit Cake by the Ocean, insanely infectious, though lyrically troubling (surely there would be sand in the buttercream?).

And then, the main event. Lovato has recently announced that she’ll be taking a break from performing, and that’s a shame: She was born to do this. No more Disney princess – she’s a developed diva in the Mariah mould, complete with soulful voice and vocal acrobatics. She underlined this with an excellent cover of Adele’s When We Were Young. Her set included all her hits – Confident, For You and Stone Cold, and a duet of Toothbrush with Jonas, though alas, no Let it Go. She finished, dead on time, with Skyscraper, as a thousand fans swayed and filmed her on smartphones (at the last live gig I went to, people were still holding up lighters). It was a genuinely beautiful end to a beautiful trip.

More intimate concerts with as-yet unannounced artistes are planned under the Marriott Rewards x UMG partnership. Click hereto sign up for free membership with no obligation. Rooms at the Marriott Courtyard LA Live start at US$294 a night for members. Click herefor full rates. Taxis from the airport to the hotel are around US$70 each way, depending on traffic.