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What's On The Block at the Standard Downtown LA?

Where: 550 S. Flower St. [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90071

We continue our What's On The Block: Los Angeles Edition by heading downtown.

So far this week, we’ve taken you to Santa Monica, the Sunset Strip and Beverly Hills, so we thought we’d end our Los Angeles What’s On The Block series with one of our downtown haunts, The Standard.

Sure, there are newer hotels in the area, but we keep coming back to this Andre Balazs property thanks, in no small part, to its central location in the heart of the downtown. At least, the part of downtown that doesn’t get too scary after dark.

Let’s start right behind the hotel at the LA Public Library and Park. The Central Library, which opened in 1926, is a bona fide Los Angeles landmark. Learn more about the architecture and notable art works of the building on a Docent Tour (our favorites are the scary fairy tale sculptures in the children’s court). Try not to get hit by a skateboarder as you cross the little park for a luxe lunch on the patio at Café Pinot.

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What’s On The Block at the Beverly Hills Hotel?

Where: 9641 W. Sunset Blvd. [map], Beverly Hills, CA, United States, 90210

We continue our What's On The Block: Los Angeles Edition with The Beverly Hills Hotel.

All this week, we’ve been telling you What’s On The Block at some famous hotels around Los Angeles, and today we’re going to continue our tour with the city’s great pink dowager empress, the Beverly Hills Hotel.

First the bad news: there’s nothing on the block here. That’s right, the Beverly Hills Hotel perfectly typifies Los Angeles in that you have to drive to get anywhere. Perhaps that is why it is favored by Hollywood royalty and captains of industry. Its secluded location affords unparalleled privacy from prying eyes and paparazzi alike, yet starlets can still dream of being discovered by the pool…and admit it, you’ve always wanted to reenact the sleepover scene from Troop Beverly Hills.

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What’s On The Block at The Beverly Hilton?

Where: 9876 Wilshire Blvd. [map], Beverly Hills, CA, United States, 90210

We continue our What's On The Block: Los Angeles Edition with The Beverly Hilton. This is a view from the hotel looking out on Century City.

Thanks to its prominence as the premier Hollywood awards show venue, not to mention its central location and luxury service, the Beverly Hilton sees its fair share of celebrity guests, but today, we thought we’d take you normal people on a little tour of What’s On The Block to let you see what all us plebes have to enjoy during a stay here.

First, let’s start with the iconic bar, Trader Vic’s, the tiki lounge that has specialized in mai tais and broken dreams for decades, and which has been experiencing a recent renaissance thanks to a revival of South Seas-chic (see Luau below) that has been taking Los Angeles by storm. Wander in for a rum cocktail then…well, let’s be honest, that will probably be the end of you.

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What’s On The Block at the Sunset Tower Hotel?

Where: 8358 W. Sunset Blvd. [map], West Hollywood, CA, United States, 90069

We continue our What's On The Block: Los Angeles Edition with The Sunset Tower Hotel. This is a view from the hotel looking east.

A couple weeks ago, we told you about all the power-plays and deal-making going on at the Sunset Tower Hotel. But this week, we're going to tell you about What's On The Block for you to do after you're done putting together your next movie deal.

Before we begin, we want to preface our little guide by saying that it holds good for all the hotels on this tony strip of Sunset, including The Standard, the Mondrian, and the Andaz West Hollywood. And yes, despite the Los Angeles stereotypes, you can physically walk to all of these spots mentioned below.

So start your jaunt by crossing Sunset and taking a peek around the casual lobby at The Andaz before having a cocktail in the glassed-in bar overlooking the Strip, or a full-on regional French dinner with California twists at the hotel's restaurant, RH. Cross back across Sunset, past the House of Blues to Asia de Cuba inside the Mondrian which is another great spot for a view, but that one is of the whole city spreading out below you while you eat poolside.

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What's On The Block at the Viceroy Santa Monica?

Where: 1819 Ocean Ave. [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90401

We talk about the Viceroy Santa Monica fairly frequently since, as part of the Kor Hotel Group er...Viceroy Hotel Group, it hosts quite a few swanky events and special packages. But this week, we thought we’d throw in some value-added info by telling you What’s On The Block to give you a better idea of all that’s in store when you stay there. And thanks to its location right at the nexus of several different areas of Santa Monica, there is plenty of action for tourist and native alike.

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