Walt Disney Concert Hall

Walt Disney Concert Hall stands on Grand Avenue at the top of Bunker Hill, part of the Music Center campus. Frank Gehry wrapped it in curved sheets of stainless steel that look like sails from the corner of First and Grand. It opened in 2003 as the home of the LA Phil, and the hall has 2,265 seats.

Inside, the auditorium is all warm wood, and the audience sits on every side of the stage, including in sections behind the orchestra. Yasuhisa Toyota and Minoru Nagata shaped the acoustics alongside Gehry. The calendar is mostly the LA Phil's own classical season, with jazz, baroque, contemporary and chamber series mixed in, a KCRW series, Symphonies for Youth mornings and the Holiday Sing-Along. Before many concerts there's a free talk called Upbeat Live, starting an hour before the music.

Nobody dresses up unless they want to. Most concerts run two to two and a half hours with a 20-minute intermission, and some programs have no break at all, which means no late seating. Kids under 6 can't attend most series, and everyone needs a ticket. Food stays outside the theater, but bottled water is fine.

The garage under the building is the easy option for drivers, and valet runs $23 at the Hope Street entrance. Rideshare cars can drop you right on Grand Avenue out front. If you have a free afternoon, the Music Center runs free self-guided audio tours most days, starting in the Grand Avenue lobby.