RSPV and Meal Selection

We did things differently this year, using a form which included meal selection. After submiting the reservation guests were taken to our payment info.

The Menu

Starter – you choose one upon reservation

1. Insalata Cesare — Romaine heart, shaved parmesan, and truffle croutons
2. Minestrone di Verdure — Mixed vegetable soup served with grilled focaccia (vegetarian: no meat, poultry, dairy)

Main Course — you choose one upon reservation

1. Spaghetti alla Bolognese
   Spaghetti with minced beef in tomato ragout
2. Ravioli di Zucca
   Pumpkin and ricotta filling, sage, butter and parmesan
   (Vegetarian. Can be made without butter if you require a vegan meal. Indicate on your reservation.)
3. Soppressata di Pollo
   Pan-roasted chicken, soppressata di Calabria, capers, lemon, cheese polenta, grilled asparagus and sauce di nonna
4. Salmone Grigliato
   Grilled salmon fillet, cheese polenta, herb zucchini and lemon-thyme sauce

Dessert

Gelato Artigianale — Italian homemade ice cream, made on location

Beverages

The waiters will offer each of us several non-alcoholic beverage options such as Iced Tea, Iced Coffee, Lemonade, Tea, Coffee, and Decaffeinated Coffee. Alcoholic drinks will be available for purchase from your waiter.

Parking & Transport

Car parking:

• Hotel Valet, enter on Grand, just south of 5th. (Grand runs southbound only.)
  $8 flat rate covering up to 4 hours. The fee is $4.75 for every 15 minutes past that 4 hour period, maximum $45.
  Credit cards accepted.
  The Biltmore does not have self-parking
• Pershing Square garage across from the hotel under Pershing Square. Enter on Olive immediately after you pass 6th Street. You can also enter on 5th or 6th.
  $7 flat rate entering after 5:00 pm
  Credit cards accepted, fully automated, 24-hour security.
• Pacmutual Garage, next door to the Rendezvous Court entrance. The garage entrance is on Olive. Travel north on Olive, pass 6th Street, and it’s on the left, just after you pass the entrance to the Pershing garage on the right.
  $5.00 after 3 p.m. There is a live person at the entry and you can pay with cash (fastest) or credit card. The entrance closes at 10 but the garage has 24-hour security and an exit gate that opens as you approach it, so you can leave anytime. After the party, you’ll leave by the Biltmore front door, turn left on the street and enter the garage where a valet and/or security guard should be present.
• Other nearby private lots and garages.

By train:

• The Red Line and Purple Line stop at Pershing Square station. Exit/Entrance at corner of 5th and Hill.
• The Expo Line from Santa Monica and the Blue Line from Long Beach end at the 7th Street/Metro Center where you can transfer for free and travel one more stop to Pershing Square or enjoy a .3 or .4 mile walk.
• The Gold Line from the San Gabriel Valley comes into Union Station where you may transfer for free to the Red Line and Purple Line stop at Pershing Square.

By bus:

• Buses that stop on Olive across from the Rendezvous Court entrance:
  4, 70, 71, 76, 78/79/378, 770, Sliver Streak
• Buses that stop on 5th across from the Valet entrance:
  37, 60, 70, 71, 76, 78, 79, 96, 378, 442, 460, 487, 760, 770

Carpool:
If you’d like to carpool consider posting on our Yahoo discussion group or on our Facebook page.

This photo slideshow will show some of the parking options.

Some Biltmore History

Originally known as the Los Angeles Biltmore hotel, it was the largest hotel west of Chicago when it opened with 1500 rooms in 1923. (As rooms have changed, it now has hotel 683 rooms.)

This elegant Biltmore, designated as a California historic-cultural landmark in 1969, has a lot of history.

It has played host to Presidents, celebrities, dignitaries, and more. Among other things:

• Eight Academy Awards ceremonies (1931, 1935–39, and 1941-42) were held there.
• WWII military stayed there on their R&R.
• The 1960 Democratic National Convention, which selected JFK was held there. JFK have his acceptance speech there. He and his VP, Lyndon B. Johnson, had campaign headquarters there.
• The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded there, in the Crystal Ballroom, May 1927.
• In 1964 The Beatles stayed in the Presidential Suite during their first U.S. tour. Because of the fan mobs they had to use the roof-top heliport. (You can see it on Google maps.)

The Rendezvous Court, where we enjoy conversation and optional drinks before dinner, was originally the hotel’s lobby. Its decor includes a Moorish Revival styled plaster ceiling painted with 24 Carat Gold accents, two original imported Italian chandeliers from 1923, and a grand Spanish Baroque Revival bronze doorway with an astrological clock.

Smeraldi’s is named for Giovanni Smeraldi, the famed Italian artist who, in 1922, with assistance from his team,  hand painted the fresco mural ceilings of the main Galleria and the Crystal Ballroom, His other work includes murals in Vatican and the White House.

You can learn more at:

• Biltmore official website.
• Wikipedia article
• Movies Filmed at Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles
• Los Angeles Conservancy’s Millennium Biltmore Hotel Walking Tour page

Special Thanks to the LA Conservancy

IWOSC offers a special thank you to the LA Conservancy for providing us with excellent tours of the Biltmore for all the years we’ve celebrated there.

The LA Conservancy offers many excellent escorted and self-guided tours of Downtown Los Angeles. The website also offers a wealth of information. And, of course, it works to preserve Los Angeles.

While You’re Downtown

If you’d like to take in downtown before the party there is plenty to see and do. Nearby you will find:

• Visit the Caravan Book Store in the Pacmutual building. It’s got character, collectibles, and class. You might find a great holiday gift for someone you love, or for yourself.
• Pershing Square
• Pershing Square’s real winter-only outdoor skating rink (1-hour sessions all day and evening, $9+$4 skate rental)
• The Central Library
• MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) (.3 miles)
• Disney Hall (.7 miles)
• Grand Central Market (1/2 mile walk)
• Angels Flight (unfortunately not running at this time)
• The Last Bookstore, a uniquely decorated bookstore with great book prices (.3 miles down 5th)
• Complete Historic-Cultural Monuments in Downtown LA

RSPV and Meal Selection

We did things differently this year, using a form which included meal selection. After submiting the reservation guests were taken to our payment info.

The Menu

Starter – you choose one upon reservation

1. Insalata Cesare — Romaine heart, shaved parmesan, and truffle croutons
2. Minestrone di Verdure — Mixed vegetable soup served with grilled focaccia (vegetarian: no meat, poultry, dairy)

Main Course — you choose one upon reservation

1. Spaghetti alla Bolognese
   Spaghetti with minced beef in tomato ragout
2. Ravioli di Zucca
   Pumpkin and ricotta filling, sage, butter and parmesan
   (Vegetarian. Can be made without butter if you require a vegan meal. Indicate on your reservation.)
3. Soppressata di Pollo
   Pan-roasted chicken, soppressata di Calabria, capers, lemon, cheese polenta, grilled asparagus and sauce di nonna
4. Salmone Grigliato
   Grilled salmon fillet, cheese polenta, herb zucchini and lemon-thyme sauce

Dessert

Gelato Artigianale — Italian homemade ice cream, made on location

Beverages

The waiters will offer each of us several non-alcoholic beverage options such as Iced Tea, Iced Coffee, Lemonade, Tea, Coffee, and Decaffeinated Coffee. Alcoholic drinks will be available for purchase from your waiter.

Parking & Transport

Car parking:

• Hotel Valet, enter on Grand, just south of 5th. (Grand runs southbound only.)
  $8 flat rate covering up to 4 hours. The fee is $4.75 for every 15 minutes past that 4 hour period, maximum $45.
  Credit cards accepted.
  The Biltmore does not have self-parking
• Pershing Square garage across from the hotel under Pershing Square. Enter on Olive immediately after you pass 6th Street. You can also enter on 5th or 6th.
  $7 flat rate entering after 5:00 pm
  Credit cards accepted, fully automated, 24-hour security.
• Pacmutual Garage, next door to the Rendezvous Court entrance. The garage entrance is on Olive. Travel north on Olive, pass 6th Street, and it’s on the left, just after you pass the entrance to the Pershing garage on the right.
  $5.00 after 3 p.m. There is a live person at the entry and you can pay with cash (fastest) or credit card. The entrance closes at 10 but the garage has 24-hour security and an exit gate that opens as you approach it, so you can leave anytime. After the party, you’ll leave by the Biltmore front door, turn left on the street and enter the garage where a valet and/or security guard should be present.
• Other nearby private lots and garages.

By train:

• The Red Line and Purple Line stop at Pershing Square station. Exit/Entrance at corner of 5th and Hill.
• The Expo Line from Santa Monica and the Blue Line from Long Beach end at the 7th Street/Metro Center where you can transfer for free and travel one more stop to Pershing Square or enjoy a .3 or .4 mile walk.
• The Gold Line from the San Gabriel Valley comes into Union Station where you may transfer for free to the Red Line and Purple Line stop at Pershing Square.

By bus:

• Buses that stop on Olive across from the Rendezvous Court entrance:
  4, 70, 71, 76, 78/79/378, 770, Sliver Streak
• Buses that stop on 5th across from the Valet entrance:
  37, 60, 70, 71, 76, 78, 79, 96, 378, 442, 460, 487, 760, 770

Carpool:
If you’d like to carpool consider posting on our Yahoo discussion group or on our Facebook page.

This photo slideshow will show some of the parking options.

Some Biltmore History

Originally known as the Los Angeles Biltmore hotel, it was the largest hotel west of Chicago when it opened with 1500 rooms in 1923. (As rooms have changed, it now has hotel 683 rooms.)

This elegant Biltmore, designated as a California historic-cultural landmark in 1969, has a lot of history.

It has played host to Presidents, celebrities, dignitaries, and more. Among other things:

• Eight Academy Awards ceremonies (1931, 1935–39, and 1941-42) were held there.
• WWII military stayed there on their R&R.
• The 1960 Democratic National Convention, which selected JFK was held there. JFK have his acceptance speech there. He and his VP, Lyndon B. Johnson, had campaign headquarters there.
• The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded there, in the Crystal Ballroom, May 1927.
• In 1964 The Beatles stayed in the Presidential Suite during their first U.S. tour. Because of the fan mobs they had to use the roof-top heliport. (You can see it on Google maps.)

The Rendezvous Court, where we enjoy conversation and optional drinks before dinner, was originally the hotel’s lobby. Its decor includes a Moorish Revival styled plaster ceiling painted with 24 Carat Gold accents, two original imported Italian chandeliers from 1923, and a grand Spanish Baroque Revival bronze doorway with an astrological clock.

Smeraldi’s is named for Giovanni Smeraldi, the famed Italian artist who, in 1922, with assistance from his team,  hand painted the fresco mural ceilings of the main Galleria and the Crystal Ballroom, His other work includes murals in Vatican and the White House.

You can learn more at:

• Biltmore official website.
• Wikipedia article
• Movies Filmed at Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles
• Los Angeles Conservancy’s Millennium Biltmore Hotel Walking Tour page

Special Thanks to the LA Conservancy

IWOSC offers a special thank you to the LA Conservancy for providing us with excellent tours of the Biltmore for all the years we’ve celebrated there.

The LA Conservancy offers many excellent escorted and self-guided tours of Downtown Los Angeles. The website also offers a wealth of information. And, of course, it works to preserve Los Angeles.

While You’re Downtown

If you’d like to take in downtown before the party there is plenty to see and do. Nearby you will find:

• Visit the Caravan Book Store in the Pacmutual building. It’s got character, collectibles, and class. You might find a great holiday gift for someone you love, or for yourself.
• Pershing Square
• Pershing Square’s real winter-only outdoor skating rink (1-hour sessions all day and evening, $9+$4 skate rental)
• The Central Library
• MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) (.3 miles)
• Disney Hall (.7 miles)
• Grand Central Market (1/2 mile walk)
• Angels Flight (unfortunately not running at this time)
• The Last Bookstore, a uniquely decorated bookstore with great book prices (.3 miles down 5th)
• Complete Historic-Cultural Monuments in Downtown LA