What a busy spring it has been for ADSNY travel! Those of us attending April’s World Congress on Art Deco in Miami barely had time to unpack before repacking for Destination Deco: Los Angeles and Beyond, a memorable week which culminated in a transcendent weekend aboard the legendary ocean liner, the Queen Mary. 

 

Each day was filled with special access, behind-the-scenes tours of Art Deco masterpieces like the stunning Bullocks Wilshire Department Store (now a law school), a private VIP tour of the Art Deco Griffith Observatory, insider access to the stunning Pantages and Alex Deco theaters, a special invitational visit to a spectacular Deco apartment atop the Eastern Columbia office building, now magnificent private residences and so much more!

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Our itinerary included an exploration of architecture in Pasadena and an insider tour of the Gamble House, with stops along the way to see inside Burbank’s incredible Art  Deco City Hall and Water and Power buildings, filled with magnificent WPA murals. A stop at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House and being among the first to see Santa Monica’s newly restored Georgian Hotel added to the excitement. Our visit to the recently reopened Queen Mary included a memorable evening at the famed Observation Bar (in true Prohibition style!), as well as a day exploring Catalina Island, playground to celebrities of Golden Age Hollywood, that featured a private behind-the-scenes tour of the Avalon Ballroom, a true Deco masterpiece. (link to photos from the trip) Lasting friendships were made over relaxing lunches in historic settings, long leisurely dinners, and walks along Hollywood’s famed boulevards.

 

Many of you followed our daily adventures through Facebook and Instagram thanks to ADSNY member Daniel Leventhal, who documented our daily adventures, and our great social media team of volunteers back home, Kiely, Mary and Lynn Shultz and Adela Hurtado.

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