Red Carpet Season
With the major awards shows on the horizon, Beverly Hills already has Awards Season on its radar. The Beverly Hilton plays host to the much anticipated Golden Globe Awards on January 15, 2012. 30,000 square feet of red carpet will once again be rolled out in front of this iconic hotel, welcoming celebrities and guests to the Hilton’s renowned International Ballroom. For die-hard fans of the silver screen, the hotel offers an exclusive Golden Globes package which includes a two-night stay, two passes for bleacher seats along the Red Carpet, breakfast in the lobby and a box lunch on awards day and a welcome gift bag. The Grammys (February 12) and Oscars (February 26) follow fast on the heels of the Golden Globes, triggering a flurry of pre-show activity at hotels including five-star/five-diamond properties like The Peninsula Beverly Hills, The Beverly Hills Hotel, L’Ermitage Beverly Hills and Montage Beverly Hills. In the days and weeks leading up to the big night, fashion houses and designer boutiques on Rodeo Drive and throughout the city are literally on call for celebrities and the industry elite. Contact Kimberli Samuel, Communications Manager at BHCVB, for details on awards show activities and story ideas.
One of Beverly Hills’ hidden gems, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Margaret Herrick Library, is the perfect place to get in on the excitement of Awards Season. This fascinating library houses more than a thousand collections of Hollywood movie-making documentation and memorabilia including original scripts, screenplays, correspondence, notes, costume design drawings and music scores. Entrance to this landmark facility is free. The new Caulfield’s restaurant at Thompson Beverly Hills has its own connection to the entertainment industry. Named for literary protagonist, Holden Caulfield (Catcher in the Rye), the restaurant also features a huge wall mural that pays tribute to writers, directors, producers and actors blacklisted in Hollywood in the 1950s. Entertainment and literary figures depicted in this masterful work of art include Dorothy Parker, Charles Chaplin, Jack Kerouac, Arthur Miller, Lillian Hellman and JD Salinger.
Your Best You In Beverly Hills
The imminent arrival of a new year usually leads to introspection and a renewed desire to re-invent yourself. From food to fitness to fashion, it’s not too early to start planning the transformation.
Connect mind, body, and spirit at any of the daily yoga sessions offered at Equinox – or focus your efforts on defining your shape at one of their weekly body sculpting classes. Physique 57 takes an alternative approach to fitness by combining isometric exercises with orthopedic stretches, designed to lengthen muscle and create a longer, leaner form. Experts will tell you that getting that toned body requires a change in diet as well as exercise, and several Beverly Hills eateries are prepared to help you do just that. Choose leaner options made with fresh, organic ingredients like the Spinach and Roasted Pepper Quiche at Urban Fresh or Scottish Oatmeal with Dried Fruit Compote and Steamed Milk at The Larder at Maple Drive. For lunch, enjoy the healthy benefits of an Antioxidant Orchard Salad (mixed greens topped with a variety of fruits, walnuts, blue cheese, mint, red onion, cucumbers all drizzled with a pomegranate vinaigrette) at Greenleaf Chop Shop. At dinner, experience a mélange of flavors when you try Pumpkin Seed Encrusted Scallops at Taberna Mexicana or Mesquite Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with Shitake Mushrooms and Green Onion Sauce at Restaurant 111.
Once mind and body have been transformed, it’s time for a wardrobe consultation. Montage Beverly Hills' in-house personal stylist, Joe Katz, will gladly meet with you to assess your wardrobe needs and then will either accompany you on a customized shopping excursion on and around Rodeo Drive or head out on your behalf as your personal shopper. New Year – new you!
Things To Do
Maison De Luxe At Greystone
Beverly Hills invites visitors and guests to tour one of the area’s true architectural masterpieces, Greystone Mansion, as Maison de Luxe, a national Designer Show House event, gets underway at this historic estate in December. Twenty-three of the nation’s leading designers have re-imagined the interior spaces of this grand mansion, showcasing their vision and innovative design talents. The public will not only have a rare opportunity to meander through these beautiful interior spaces, but will also get a sneak peek at the newly renovated mansion and grounds of this registered National Historic Landmark. At more than 46,000 square feet and with 18.5 acres of manicured gardens and landscape, this is the largest, most stately designer show house in the country. The event runs through December 22 (Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am – 3 pm) with special design lectures offered on December 9 and 16.
Rodeo Drive Holiday Tweets
There’s no denying the SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS crystal-accented installation along Rodeo Drive is stunning and a conversation starter for holiday shoppers and passersby, but the display is as functional as it is beautiful. The helix-shaped structure is a technological marvel, designed to receive communications and greetings from well-wishers all over the world. Actress Jessica Alba was the first to share her own personalized greeting during the Illumination Ceremony on November 21. Since then, other celebrities and fashion brands including Margherita Missoni, Stuart Weitzman and Roberto Cavalli have tweeted holiday messages that scroll along the sculpture. Beverly Hills looks forward to receiving holiday texts and tweets from friends all over the world during the month of December as part of Sparkle 90210 festivities. Greetings can be sent from anywhere in the world in nearly any language by using the hashtag, #letitsparkle, on Twitter, or those in the U.S. can transmit a personal message by first texting the word “sparkle” followed by their greeting to 877877.
Promotions
And To All A Free Night
There's still time to enjoy a free night in Beverly Hills. When guests stay the designated number of nights (two or three) at any of ten participating hotels in Beverly Hills now through January 8, 2012, they receive an additional night free. The incredible And to All a Free Night promotion also includes a complimentary holiday cocktail and special offers from each participating hotel and an exclusive holiday shopping card good for discounts, generous savings and gifts from fine restaurants and retailers at Two Rodeo Drive. Visitors to Beverly Hills will have the merriest of holidays when they book a stay here this season.
