The Downtown Center Business Improvement District is gearing up for the Downtown Los Angeles Open House 2008. The weekend extravaganza, set for June 6–8, will give visitors and Angelenos the opportunity to sample living and playing in Downtown’s eclectic neighborhoods. Thousands of visitors are expected to attend Open House weekend events, which include residential open houses, cultural activities, food samplings and entertainment.

The event will offer residential open houses from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Residential property owners and developers, restaurants, retailers, hotels, bars, nightclubs, museums and art galleries will all be featured on the exclusive Open House web page. The Wilshire Grand Los Angeles is offering a rate of $99 per night exclusive for participants, and other hotels are being encouraged to offer special rates. For more information or to learn how to participate, contact openhouse AT downtownla DOT com.

Ciudad Restaurant in downtown Los Angeles has an amazing late night happy hour from 9pm – 12 midnight on the weekends, and 9pm – 11pm on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Food specials include their signature dishes like Peruvian Ceviche, Argentine Gaucho Steak, Crispy Potato Rajas Tacos, and much more. This happy hour includes $4 drink specials to top it off!

Ciudad also offers a free dessert with purchase of an entrée to Go Los Angeles Card customers.

Get tickets now for a show at the Hollywood Bowl this summer. With dramatic views and beautiful sunsets, the Hollywood Bowl is one of the best places to see a concert in the U.S. Mozart Under the Stars, Les Miserables in concert, Diana Ross, and Gnarles Barkley are just a few of the performances you can catch at the Hollywood Bowl from June to September. Tickets are available online or by calling 323-850-2000. Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl is Friday, June 20.

The Farmer’s Market has been open since 1934 and continues to be the premier market in Los Angeles for fresh groceries and eclectic dining. The Farmer’s Market is attached to a hip and trendy mall called, “The Grove,” which makes for an odd pairing but keeps visitors entertained for hours on end.

There are over 30 restaurants in the Farmer’s Market, including French, Chinese, Korean, and American fare. Parking can be tough in this area, so come early for breakfast and spend the day shopping at The Grove afterward.

The Grove also offers an exclusive discount book with the Go Los Angeles Card.

With sweeping melodies and a magical storyline set in the land of Oz, Wicked: The Musical is the perfect outing for theater-goers of all ages. This Tony-winning musical by Stephen Schwartz follows the surprising friendship between Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West). Wicked’s Los Angeles run is frequently sold out, but you can get tickets by calling TicketMaster at 213-365-3500. You can also stop by the Pantages Theatre Box Office at Hollywood and Vine (open daily at 10 am).  The show runs Tuesday through Fridays at 2 pm and 8 pm; Sunday at 1 pm and 6:30 pm.

Plenty of local charter boat companies are available from Marina Del Rey, a beautiful coastal town close to LAX airport. If you’re looking to enjoy a relaxing day on the water with a private skipper, then VisitMarina.com has information about our local charter boat companies and more.

Blue Pacific Sailing, Bluewater Sailing, Marina Sailing and Paradise Bound Yacht Charters are a few of the companies that provide this service. As the weather heats up, tours will book up in advance so be sure to call ahead before you travel.

If you’re in need of some serious laughs during your visit to Los Angeles, here’s a great list of the best comedy clubs to tickle your funnybone!

First off is the Laugh Factory, features greats like Jon Lovitz, Bob Saget, and Dave Chappelle on All-Star Nights. There’s also the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, which was co-founded by SNL’s Amy Poehler and has seats for just $10, or The Groundlings Theater, which served as the comedic starting point for Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, and Lisa Kudrow.

Also be sure to check out The Ice House, the National Comedy Theatre, Largo, and The National Comedy Theatre, among many others. Here’s to a vacation full of great laughs!

Here at Go Los Angeles Card, we’re thrilled to announce the addition of several new attractions and special offers to the Go Los Angeles Card. As of today, you can enjoy included entry to Six Flags Magic Mountain (express entry), Knott’s Berry Farm (pictured above), Paramount Studios Pictures Tours (adults only), Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tours (adults only), and more! View our complete list of new LA attractions and discounts.

To celebrate, we’re offering 15% off 3, 5, and 7-day cards through Thursday, April 10. This sale is available for a limited time and is offered exclusively online, so don’t miss out on your chance to see LA’s best attractions for this special price.

While you’re in the land of glitz and glamor, be sure and check out the amazing resources for bibliophiles that also exist in the city of Los Angeles!

The downtown area alone boasts of the Caravan Book Store, which is the last of the book shops on what was known as Book Seller’s Row, Dutton’s at REDCAT, complete with 400 titles and a liquor bar, along with Metropolis Books, located in the oh-so-hip Old Bank District, which specializes in fiction, mystery, anime, and film. There’s also Eso Won Books, specializing in African-American works and the Fashion Bookstore at the California Mart.

If you’ve got kids, be sure and head out to the San Fernando Valley to visit Storyopolis, carrying the best in children’s literature and illustrated storybook art. On the Westside, there’s a huge selection of even more specialty bookstores, ranging from Book Soup, known for their awesome book signings, to Hennessey & Ingalls, the largest art and architecture bookstore in the western United States.

If you happen to be in Los Angles during April 26-27, you should definitely check out the 2008 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books! It’s known as the country’s largest celebration of the written word, with over 140,000 attendees and over 450 authors. Check out the information on ticketing here so you don’t miss out on this awesome celebration.

Happy reading!

On March 29 from 1-5 pm is your opportunity to discover the awesome art during the Santa Monica Airport Art Walk!

Sponsored by the airport and the City’s Cultural Affairs Division, more than 60 private art studios and galleries on 23rd Street will be open to the public. Tiny offices and hangars have been converted into creative spaces, allowing the imaginations of artists and the community to take “flight.”

Since this event has been such a hit in the past, we’re thrilled to see it back for its 2nd year!