California Newspaper Publishers Launch LA.com

Posted on April 9, 2004

LA.com is a new insider's guide to Los Angeles. LA.com was founded by a team of Angelenos with show business, journalism and dot.com backgrounds. The service was developed by MediaNews Group's California Newspapers Partnership which includes MediaNews Group, Gannett and Stephens Media Group. LA.com combines editorial features and search functions to help people do everything from purchasing a plane ticket and booking a hotel, to planning an itinerary for the day or week.

"LA.com is more than just a city guide, it's a cultural and leisure lifestyle destination," said Lynda Keeler, LA.com President. "In addition to opinionated and witty guides, people can trust LA.com to give them all the 'inside' news about what's going on in this city, such as event ticket giveaways, exclusive sales, parking secrets, and even the latest gossip. People can not only find a local restaurant or boutique shop, but also build a complete itinerary around a day, a weekend, an evening or a vacation. For instance, if you want to visit Grauman's Chinese Theater, a Hollywood classic, we tell you how to get there, where to park, what restaurants are within walking and driving distance from the theater, what to do nearby before and after visiting Grauman's, as well as how to obtain free tickets for TV show tapings."

Some of the features on LA.com include:

  • Nightlife. Bars, pubs and lounges, comedy clubs, dance clubs -- LA.com provides the skinny on them all, including atmosphere and parking. And the irreverent nightlife guides are tailored to what people want to do -- check out "Martinis & More" and "Pub Crawl."
  • Attractions. As well as providing fun and informative reviews on arts and performance venues, sightseeing, sports, beaches and recreation, LA.com offers fun and friendly guides for those wanting to do something a little different. The Phat Fitness guide, for instance, lists yoga, the great outdoors, and sexy and aggressive activities.
  • Events. Art, comedy, dance, music, sports, theater, special events, they're all listed at LA.com. And for those overwhelmed or indecisive souls, LA.com even offers "Event Picks For The Week."
  • Dining: When it comes to finding the right restaurant, LA.com has its own menu of choices. Visitors can search for popular restaurants that serve Italian food ... or find the perfect place to go for a business lunch. They can find a healthy and vegetarian restaurant in their neighborhood ... or one that's celebrity owned. LA.com's opinionated restaurant reviews cover food recommendations, decor, odd tidbits -- and insider tips, such as which celebrities have recently eaten there.
  • Shopping. LA.com is a shopper's paradise, listing hundreds of food, home, men's fashions, women's fashions, and specialty stores, and offering guides for such shopping meccas as Abbot Kinney and Vermont Avenue. Additionally, shoppers can check out the Discount Guide to receive discounts, samples and special offers by simply mentioning LA.com.
  • Hotels and travel. LA.com not only helps people figure out where they want to go in the city, the site also helps them get to Los Angeles in the first place, letting them book flights, hotels, cars and packages at the site through its partnership with Expedia.
  • Showbiz. Where do people go to get tickets for TV tapings? Where do celebrities shop? When's the next entertainment awards show? What are Hollywood's "Golden Age" landmarks? The star-struck need look no further than LA.com and its showbiz pages.
  • The gossipy LA.COMfidential blog; a Discount Guide for LA.com members to save money at boutiques, restaurants, and more; and a Small Plates Dining Guide for people intrigued by this new dining trend.
  • 30+ themed Neighborhood Guides, which include information on shopping, dining and nightlife in such neighborhoods as Santa Monica, Downtown and West Hollywood (and LA.com also has an Eye Candy section that lets people view multimedia slide shows of different neighborhoods).
  • No-Brainer Itineraries for popular places that include the Getty Center, Grauman's, the Music Center, and Staples Center.
  • Featured guides for everything from hot sample sales to restaurants that serve what they purport to be aphrodisiacs.
  • The Scoop newsletter, which offers a weekly dose of LA.com's hottest new stories.
  • Insider tips on, for instance, what to order, how to get into an industry-only sample sale, and where to find secret parking spots.

    "Los Angeles is such a trend-setting city in everything from clothes to food to lifestyle, and for many people, that's the part of Los Angeles they want to experience," said LA.com's Editor-in-Chief Laurie Pike, a journalist who has reported on LA's latest trends for magazines and television. "That's why our site includes insider tips on the latest trends: What they are, where they're at, and what the latest clothes and accessories are associated with that scene."


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