Menu
Log in
Forgot password


Log in


RESTORATIONS AND REPAIRS:

Lives and Landscapes Across Many Wests




HOTEL: WESTIN BONAVENTURE

Book Here

Student Block: CLOSED--FULL

UPDATE: UNITE HERE! UNION STRIKE IN L.A.


WHA Announcement on Westin Bonaventure:


Last summer a few of our members inquired about the ongoing labor union strike of hotel workers in Los Angeles. We have been following the situation closely and welcomed the news that, last June, the Westin Bonaventure "reached a historic agreement with its workers." As reported by UNITE HERE! Local 11, the "Westin Bonaventure emerges as the leader in fair wages and benefits for its workers" (see full press release here). 


Just this week UNITE HERE! called for a boycott of conventions in downtown L.A. We reached out to our contacts through UNITE HERE! about what this could mean for the WHA's 2023 Conference. They responded and confirmed that their call for a convention boycott does not include events scheduled at the Westin Bonaventure, and we are welcome to advise our members and attendees of that.

The WHA staff is happy to take additional questions or hear your concerns on this matter. Please feel free to email us at any time with inquiries: wha@westernhistory.org Thank you for your interest and engagement as we inch closer to the conference in L.A.

WESTIN BONAVENTURE, LOS ANGELES


Room rates are $210/night. The WHA has a small block of discounted rooms at $126/night  for *students only* (the staff will review these reservations to ensure eligibility). Book today!


Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites

404 South Figueroa Street

Los Angeles, California 90071

1-800-937-8461

The WHA's 2023 Conference will be held at the Westin Bonaventure in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Comprised of sleek glass tower, The Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites has become an international symbol of Los Angeles and an architectural landmark.  Learn more about the hotel and its amenities through the link below:


WESTIN WEBSITE


WHA TOURS*

LOS ANGELES CHINATOWN FOOD HISTORY TOUR

Thursday, October 26, 1:00 P.M. Meet inside the hotel lobby at 1:00pm near the Figueroa Street Exit.

Cost: $30 | Transportation: Shuttle service provided | Capacity: 20

Eugene Moy, Vice President of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California will lead a 2-hour walking tour of Chinatown departing from Union Station that will feature at least three tasting stops at restaurants and other local food-purveyors who represent the past, present, and future of Chinese cuisine in the neighborhood. Since the late nineteenth century, Los Angeles Chinatown has been home to restaurants specializing in Cantonese and Hong Kong-style dishes but over time, has welcomed a wider array of Chinese, Southeast Asian, and fusion cuisines.

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORIES BY THE SEA IN THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA

Thursday, October 26, at 1:00 P.M. Meet inside the hotel lobby at 1:00pm near the Flower Street Exit. You will then take a seven minute walk to the assigned Metro stop (7th/Figueroa).

This tour will be led by historian and heritage conservation consultant Alison Rose Jefferson. She was not included in the tour description in the program. To learn more about Jefferson's expertise in memory, public history, and African American history, visit her website: https://alisonrosejefferson.com/

Cost: $25 | Transportation: Participants will be provided with a 1-day Metro pass to take public transportation | Capacity: 25

The tour will explore the African American histories of the Santa Monica Beach community during the Jim Crow era (1900s-1960). The tour will visit a new permanent outdoor exhibit of 17 history interpretative panels and a large monumental sculpture that is a part of Belmar History + Art, a multifaceted remembrance and commemorative justice project funded by public money situated in a new park. Participants will take public transportation from downtown Los Angeles to the end of the line at the Pacific Ocean and walk to tour the exhibit situated a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean and nearby sites featured. The BH+A project’s historian will led this tour sharing some of the hidden stories of Los Angeles’ beach communities and how this unique applied history project came to pass.

THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART MUSEUM, AND BOTANICAL GARDENS

Wednesday, October 25, 1:00 P.M. Meet inside the hotel lobby at 1:00pm near the Figueroa Street Exit.

Cost: Free | Transportation: Shuttle service provided | Capacity: 30

Join Huntington curators for a special glimpse into our Library and its collections, including a special show-and-tell of highlights related to Western American and Pacific Rim history. Tour attendees will receive complimentary admission to The Huntington’s gardens and galleries following the session until 5:00 P.M.

AUTRY RESOURCES CENTER

Thursday, October 26, 1:00 P.M. Meet inside the hotel lobby at 1:00pm near the Figueroa Street Exit.

Cost: Free | Transportation: Cars/Rideshares provided and/or reimbursed | Capacity: 10

Stephen Aron, President and CEO of the Autry Museum of the American West, will offer a behind-the-scenes tour of the Autry Museum’s Resources Center. The tour will focus on Native American materials and the museum’s new protocols that govern the care, conservation, access, and exhibition of these collections.

KOREATOWN HISTORICAL WALKING TOUR

Thursday, October 26, 1:00 P.M. Meet inside the hotel lobby at 1:00pm near the Flower Street Exit. You will then take a two minute walk to the assigned Metro stop (5th/Flower).

Cost: $25 | Transportation: Participants will be provided with a 1-day Metro pass to take public transportation | Capacity: 20

On this 90-minute walking tour, we will visit sites with significant cultural ties to the Koreatown neighborhood. Docents will lead guests down an eight-block stretch of Olympic Boulevard, stopping at sites including the beloved restaurant Guelaguetza, the Korean Pavilion, and Hannam Market. Along the way, we will discuss the neighborhood’s formation, evolution, and its future.

LOS ANGELES PLAZA/UNION STATION WALKING TOUR

Thursday, October 26, 1:00 P.M. Meet inside the hotel lobby at 1:00pm near the Flower Street Exit. You will then take a ten minute walk to the assigned Metro stop (Pershing Square).

Cost: $25|Transportation: Participants will be provided with a 1-day Metro pass to take public transportation | Capacity: 20

This two-part walking tour begins at Union Station to be accessed by participants via public transportation using Metro Rail. Participants will gather at the Information kiosk adjacent to the main entrance and ticket concourse and be led on a tour of the historic station and grounds by WHA President William Deverell. After the first portion of the walking tour, attendees will cross Alameda Street to the grounds of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument and be met by Edgar Garcia, Assistant General Manager of El Pueblo. Gathering in the historic Los Angeles Plaza, participants will be provided tours of various museums, buildings, and sites including the Olvera Street Marketplace. Food and beverage is available at both the Union Station and Los Angeles Plaza portions of tour but the tour organizers recommend attendees bring water. Many Olvera Street stalls prefer cash instead of credit cards.

*TOURS, TRANSPORTATION, AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

The L.A. Metro is accessible to all wheelchair riders. Please consult the Metro's Accessibility website for more information or to request an accessibility modification: If you need accommodations for tour transportation and you are not sure what is available, please contact the WHA staff with your inquiries. 


L.A. METRO ACCESS FAQS 

2023 LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS COMMITTEE


  • Steve Aron (Chair), Autry Museum of the American West
  • Alice Baumgartner, University of Southern California
  • Laura Dominguez, University of Southern California
  • Edgar Garcia, El Pueblo Cultural Monument, City of Los Angeles
  • Jessica Kim, California State University, Northridge
  • Kelly Lytle Hernández, University of California, Los Angeles
  • Karla Nielsen, The Huntington Library
  • Tamara Venit-Shelton, Claremont McKenna College


Western History Association

University of Kansas | History Department

1445 Jayhawk Blvd. | 3650 Wescoe Hall

Lawrence, KS 66045 | 785-864-0860

wha@westernhistory.org 


The WHA is located in the Department of History at the University of Kansas. The WHA is grateful to KU's History Department and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for their generous support!