The Montrose Monthly Newsletter

In the early 1970s, two UCLA graduate students got this crazy idea to open an independent bookstore in West Hollywood (a neighborhood not necessarily known for its literary devotion). Thus, in 1975, Book Soup opened on Sunset Boulevard between a strip club and a head shop. The latter two venues are no longer around, but Book Soup is still going strong all these years later. The store is especially inclined to stock international, university, and small publishers, and the floor-to-ceiling shelves pack an astounding variety of new, used, and rare books. Celebrity sightings are fairly common, both because celebs love to shop at this iconic store and also because Book Soup regularly invites noted personalities to give talks and sign their latest work. The many luminaries hosted there over the years include Hunter S. Thompson, Muhammad Ali, The Doors, Gore Vidal, and Tom Stoppard, just to name a few. Plus, when it comes to friendly, well-read staff eager to help you locate just the right book for you, you can’t do better than a heaping helping of Book Soup.

Address: 8818 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Join your favorite Cheftestants from season 17's Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. as they compete in a live Quickfire Challenge. Take advantage of the meet and greet to ask your best culinary questions. Treat yourself to craft beers and fine wines along with cocktails you can only try at the festival. Pair your sips with high-end bites inspired by Top Chef. Sit in on a special panel of Top Chef alumni, including Shirley Chung, where you can learn about the making of the show and what fuels their culinary passions. Make sure to snap some pics with the Top Chef-themed photo areas throughout the festival and maybe bring home some brand new kitchenware. Tickets are available for both days online, including a Day/Night Combo pass allowing admission to Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park after 12 pm. It’s time to fulfill those cravings!

Enjoy a 2-hour guided tour around the lot, plus an additional hour for yourself to explore. While at Warner Brothers Studio, you’ll be able to visit the sets of The Big Bang Theory and of course Central Perk, made famous on Friends. At The Wizarding World: Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts, you’ll find real props and costumes, and when you enter the Batcave, a.k.a the Batmobile Collection, you’ll soon recognize the iconic vehicles from the many Batman films. From exploring the DC Universe exhibition to walking through backlots and soundstage of the most current popular shows, a tour throughout this studio will leave you starstruck. Purchase your tickets now!

Investing in a startup? Head to the free StartOut Los Angeles Networking Post-Holiday Mixer on January 11th to talk and share goals with like-minded individuals about their startup companies. Rooftop shenanigans are always appreciated under the L.A. sky, and if you want to familiarize yourself with international relations, try attending the InterNations Business Networking 2020 New Year on January 15th at Formosa Cafe. Finally, if you’re interested in manifesting all your dreams and desires for this new decade, make sure to check out the 3rd annual Dream Bigger 20/20 Vision Mapping Event, where lunch will be provided as you create vision boards and receive life coaching. With the fast lifestyle of West Hollywood, we want you to stay on track for the new year. Get your tickets in advance and get ready to take on all of your goals in 2020!

When you visit L.A.’s Descanso Gardens this December, you can recapture the magic of your childhood when you peruse The Enchanted Forest. Don’t you miss your childhood holiday season? When you and your loved ones piled into the family car and drove around your neighborhood to marvel at everyone’s holiday displays? There were tacky blow-ups, perfectly-coordinated twinkling lights, and odd yard ornaments. Well, when you visit L.A.’s Descanso Gardens this December, you can recapture the magic of your childhood when you peruse The Enchanted Forest. Each year, the park hosts this interactive, nighttime light display and enables guests to walk a mile-long path down memory lane with a dazzling, yet playful aesthetic that’ll spark the holiday magic. 

From November 17 through January 5, guests may visit the botanical gardens in the evening where they can manipulate the sound and colors of most of the large-scale light displays. Dress for cool weather and allow yourself at least an hour to marvel at this winter wonderland of lights. 

This Thanksgiving weekend, if you find yourself staying with us in West Hollywood, we got just the event to put you in a festive mood. Head over to Pasadena, about a 30-minute drive from our hotel, for their 2nd Annual Rose Bowl Turkey Trot. 

Whether you’re feeling a bit guilty about the generous heapings you’ll be indulging in for dinner or you just love some healthy competition, this 5K race is the perfect way to kick-off your Thanksgiving holiday. The route will take you through a scenic golf course and finish on the green grounds of the Rose Bowl. 

To learn more, check out the event page here. Check-in starts at 8 a.m., with the race beginning at 9 a.m. Get ready to gobble, wobble, and race your way to an amazing Thanksgiving this year at The Montrose! 

Indulge your spooky side with a Halloween festival this October, right here in West Hollywood. As our guest, you won’t have to travel far to reach this haunting happening, with the carnival taking place on Santa Monica Boulevard in a one-mile stretch of the well-known street. As a city tradition that began back in 1987, the popular event invites guests to experience the unique diversity and style of the community with artist receptions, exhibitions, crafts, food, music, costumes, prizes, and more devious delights. 

The event starts at 6 p.m. on October 31st and is free for all to attend. Beware though, you may find yourself rubbing elbows with some ghoulish guests once the moon comes out! Visit the event page here for more details. 

Sample hundreds of creamy gelatos at the Gelato Festival America. The delicious event takes place on September 28th and 29th at the Pacific Design Center on Melrose Avenue. 

During the festival, guests will have the opportunity to sample as many gelatos as their stomachs can handle and even get to vote on their favorite ones. The winning chef will go on to the Gelato Festival World Masters 2021 finals. They aren’t kidding around about their artisanal gelato, so you might want to grab a second helping—if only to make sure you picked a real winner! 

Along with the all-you-can-eat deliciousness, tickets include festival games and prizes that the whole family will enjoy. To buy your tickets now, check out the Eventbrite page here. We hope you have the sweetest time during your stay with us!

August brings a reprieve from July’s heat with breezier weather, making it the perfect time to get outside in L.A. Why not enjoy a different way of getting outdoors with a spooky ghost tour around downtown L.A.? Experience the darker side to the star-studded town with walking tours around some of the city’s most haunted sites and streets. The 2-mile, 2-hour tour will cover events such as the L.A. Times Bombing, the Black Dahlia murder and more. It’s a new twist on the Hollywood story, but a vital part of the history that created one of the most visited cities in the country. Check out the Los Angeles walking tours site here for details on the ghost tour and to check out other tours available around downtown. 

Whether you're staying with us for business or pleasure this July, think about using your free time to explore professional development events in West Hollywood. There are plenty of events happening this summer, including job fairs, expos, summits and more. 

One event we’d like to highlight is the Los Angeles Career Fair, happening July 31st, where you can meet, sit down with and get to know nationally known employers around the LA area. This is a great opportunity to explore career options, expand your network, and discover new professional avenues.

When we’re on vacation or traveling for business, we tend to think of professional development as the last thing on our minds. But when you have free time during your trip, you can maximize your stay with events that can benefit you as a professional in your current job and long-term career. 

Experience the rainbow of diversity that represents this annual celebration. No matter what brings you to Los Angeles this June, one of the events you’d hate to miss is this one! Visitors and locals alike come together to support the LGBTQ+ community through a celebration of music. Performances are spread out over three stages during the three-day event, headlined by Years & Years and Meghan Trainor. Additional artists include Paula Abdul, The Veronicas and Ashanti. The opening ceremony, which is free to attend, starts at 6 p.m. on June 7th in West Hollywood Park. The famous Pride Parade will wrap up the weekend of events on Sunday. Check out the official website here for more information, including helpful tips for getting to the event.

Good coffee, mighty sandwiches, and lively music—what’s not to love? Watch as the Cuban-American Music Festival transforms downtown L.A. into a Cuban block party, complete with live music, vibrant culture, and delectable cuisine. The event will be headlined by The Pedrito Martinez Group, with additional support from local Cuban and Latin artists. As you listen to the vibrant sounds of Cuban music, submerge yourself in the culture with cigar hand-rolling demonstrations, domino games, and dance troupe performances throughout the afternoon. All the action takes place on Sunday, May 19th starting at noon and lasting late into the night, to commemorate the formal day that Cuba gained its independence from the U.S. The festival in downtown Los Angeles is just 30 minutes from our hotel, but please ask the concierge for suggested transportation. Check out the event page here for more information.

Spring brings flowers, allergies and a lot of food trucks to L.A.! For a limited number of months, Final Fridays is hosting a food truck extravaganza on the last Friday of each month. This month's meetup will take place on April 26th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the lovely grounds of the Rose Bowl Stadium, 5-star The Greens. Break out your sunscreen and loosen your belt a notch, you’ll be needing it after a full four hours of trying these trucks’ hot items. While you grub, there’s plenty of supplemental entertainment including a bounce house, foot golf, photo ops, and even tours of the Rose Bowl Stadium. Best part? Admission is free for all! For more information on parking and a list of vendors, visit the event page the 3rd Annual Cuban-American Music Festival here.

Los Angeles is a city bursting with originality, artistry, and passion for the arts. While your here this March, you have plenty of opportunities to see this for yourself. Starting March 20th, the Rooftop Cinema Club will resume, surprise surprise, rooftop viewings! The club is unique in that guests are provided with everything they need for an outdoor viewing experience: lawn chairs, blankets and plenty of snacks. Best part? Every viewer gets a set of wireless headphones so not a bit of juicy dialogue goes unheard.

Music more your thing? Take a subway ride between March 23rd and 24th and you may just hear a beautiful piece of classical music along with your journey. L.A. is one of a select few cities where classical artists celebrate a holiday that commemorates the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. It’s a uniquely-L.A. experience we can’t wait for you to see.

What’s better than receiving chocolates on the most romantic day of the year? Three hours of chocolate! That’s exactly what lovebirds (and our adventurous singles) can do this V-day with the Chocolate Indulgence Tour of L.A., exploring the best of the best sweet shops in the metro area. The tour includes insightful commentary by the chocoholic tour guide, samples at five of the top chocolatiers in the West L.A. district, and most importantly, an afternoon of fun with your sweetie. Is it just us or did Valentine’s Day just get a whole lot sweeter? Click here to book your tour.

Top off your romantic day with dinner at one of our onsite dining options or, if your bed sounds better, in-suite dining provided from our dedicated chef. We wish the happiest of Valentine’s Days to you and your loved ones!

Los Angeles is well-known for having a thriving Chinese community, rich in culture and tradition. At the end of every January, Monterey Park hosts a two-day festival to celebrate the Chinese New Year in accordance with the Lunar Calendar. The giant street fair will feature authentic Chinese cuisines, firecracker displays, and festive dances. Beware, there may even be a dragon or two dancing in your midsts! This year (the year of the Pig!) will kick-off on Saturday, January 26th at 10 a.m. Festival runs all day until 9:00 p.m. and resumes the following morning at 10:00 a.m. With over 15 performances to check out and vendor stands spanning over 5 blocks, you’ll definitely want to come both days to experience everything! Please check out their website here for a festival map and parking suggestions.

Light shows abound this holiday season in the entertainment capital of the world. There’s so many to choose from, it’s hard to pick just one recommendation for our guests. So we picked two!

Located a 30-minute drive from our property is arguably the best light display in the area, Enchanted: Forest of Lights. If you’re expecting traditional twinkle lights and plastic reindeer lawn ornaments, think again. The Descanso Gardens’ tradition takes on a more whimsical approach to holiday lights with installations that change colors at your touch, trees backlit by a rainbow of colors and spherical shapes dotting your path. This is a one-of-a-kind experience, fun for all ages.

For a more traditional experience, take a drive down Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena. The cedar-lined road becomes a twinkly-light tunnel during this time of year and offers enough displays to stretch an entire mile!

In between trips around town for various displays, be sure to stop by downtown L.A. for some ice skating at Pershing Square or to catch a performance of The Nutcracker.