Los Angeles International Airport Dedicates New Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Facility

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) officials have dedicated a new Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) facility at LAX. The $13.5-million Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Station 80 replaces a 25-year-old building that no longer accommodates the size of today's firefighting apparatus and materials. With approximately 28,000 square feet of space on two floors, the new station is double the size of the previous one and includes seven bays to house and maintain all the station's rescue and firefighting vehicles and other large emergency-response equipment, such as mass casualty decontamination units, some of which had been previously stored outdoors in a coastal environment. There is also ample living, administrative and training areas for 14 firefighters assigned to each 24-hour shift. One of the bays has a hydraulic lift capable of raising 100,000-pound firefighting apparatus so that maintenance can be performed more quickly on-site rather than at the LAFD's maintenance facility in Downtown Los Angeles. The $13.5-million construction project, which helped create nearly 200 jobs, was supported by a $10,832,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The remaining costs were covered by airport revenue bond proceeds. No funding came from Los Angeles City's general fund. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the seventh busiest airport in the world, offering more than 565 daily flights to 81 destinations in the U.S. and over 1,000 weekly nonstop flights to 65 international destinations.
www.lawa.org

Disney Wonder® to Call Los Angeles Home in 2011 and 2012

For the first time on a regular basis, West Coast residents won't have to fly to Orlando to enjoy Disney cruise magic. Beginning in 2011, Disney Cruise Line's Disney Wonder will use the Port of Los Angeles as its home port. The 2,400-passenger vessel, sporting twin signature red smokestacks with Mickey Mouse logos, will make 24 seven-night voyages from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera from Jan. 23 to April 10 and Sept. 25 to Dec. 18, 2011. Each floating vacation will stop at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas. Several special cruises are also planned to depart from LA, including an eight-night holiday cruise on Dec. 18; and a 10-night Mexican Riviera voyage on April 17, with stops in Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas. A special six-night cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver will depart LA on April 27. In 2012, the Disney Wonder will offer 17 seven-night cruises from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera from Jan. 2 to April 22, 2012. For its West Coast debut, the Disney Wonder -- one of the two original Disney Cruise Line ships -- has been outfitted with the new Outlook Café. Located high atop deck 10, it features floor-to-ceiling curved glass windows for spectacular views. Geared for families and fun-loving couples, the Disney Wonder has numerous adults-only areas as well age-specific programs for kids from 3 months to 17.
www.disneycruise.disney.go.com

New Elephant Exhibit Opens at the Los Angeles Zoo

The much-anticipated "Elephants of Asia" exhibit opened Dec. 16 at the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens. Designed with the health, welfare and enjoyment of the elephants in mind, the state-of-the-art facility also gives viewers an entertaining look at these magnificent pachyderms, as they romp and play in the tropical landscape. Bathing pools, a waterfall, river sand, sandy hills and varied topography offer plenty of activity for the three new residents - Billy, a 25-year-old male Asian elephant and a long-time resident of the LA Zoo, and two female Asian elephants from the San Diego Zoo: Tina, 30 some years old, and Jewel, 40-something. Both the females were born in the wild and have been together for nearly 30 years. The stunning new exhibit features a leading-edge barn that is capable of caring for elephants of all ages. Elephants of Asia will focus on the rich connection between elephants and the cultures of Thailand, India, China and Cambodia. The exhibit will familiarize guests with the challenges Asian elephants face in the wild, including their shrinking natural habitat, and give visitors the opportunity to directly contribute to conservation programs that support elephants in their native countries. "Seeing the elephants explore and engage inside their new habitat is an amazing and rewarding sight," said Los Angeles Zoo Director John Lewis. "We are excited to share this incredible new exhibit and these stunning animals with everyone." Asian elephants are smaller overall than African elephants and have smaller ears. Only the male Asian elephants grow tusks.
www.lazoo.org

dineLA to Kick Off Winter 2011 dineLA Restaurant Week

Los Angeles area chefs and restaurateurs are gearing up for another two weeks of mouth-watering meals and incredible deals during the annual dineLA Restaurant Week, Jan. 23-28 and Jan. 30-Feb. 4, 2011. During the two consecutive weeks, residents and visitors will have the opportunity to indulge in specially priced three-course menus for lunch or dinner at more than 250 of LA's best restaurants. In 2011, American Express is offering a special $20 Restaurant Week statement credit incentive to Cardmembers. Participants need only register any eligible American Express® Card beginning Jan. 7, 2011 through Feb. 4, 2011, and dine at three or more participating Restaurant Week venues. Cardmembers spending at least $21 on each purchase, while using their registered American Express Card, will receive a $20 credit on their statement. In Fall 2010, LA's Restaurant Week became the largest restaurant week in the country, generating record-breaking revenues.
www.dineLA.com/RestaurantWeek

LA INC. in Partnership with Wells Fargo Present "Discover the Arts"

From theater and live concerts to innovative art exhibitions, Los Angeles is a creative mecca boasting an astounding collection of world renowned museums, theaters and cultural attractions. From Jan. 5 through April 30, 2011, art aficionados, theater lovers and culture seekers can enjoy exclusive deals at more than 30 acclaimed venues and 10 premier hotels throughout the city with the "Discover the Arts" program spearheaded by the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau (LA INC.) in partnership with Wells Fargo. The program offers deals such as two-for-one general admission, complimentary gifts and services and discounts of up to 50% off regular prices. A selection of hotels throughout the Los Angeles area will offer "Discover the Arts" booklets, with descriptions of all cultural deals, to all their guests. Visitors, and locals, may also download the offers online.
www.discoverLosAngeles.com/thearts

Participating organizations include:

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Two-For-One General Admission

The Getty Center and Getty Villa
Discount of 20% in the Museum Store at the Getty Center and Getty Villa

The GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE
Buy One Ticket, Get One Free and a 15% Discount in the GRAMMY Museum Store

Los Angeles Philharmonic
A Discount of 20% off Chamber and Celebrity Concerts, In Select Sections