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As the crown jewel of the Music Center, Disney Hall opened in 2003 to rave reviews. The novelty hasn’t yet worn off: Both inside and out, this is a terrific venue. Designed by the late Frank Gehry, the hall is the home of the L.A. Philharmonic (who head over to the Hollywood Bowl in the summer) and the L.A. Master Chorale, but the schedule is surprisingly varied throughout the year; Björk, Patti Smith, John Legend, Kraftwerk, the Roots and Paul Simon, among many others, have all graced the stage here, and you might catch a screening of Home Alone or an organ-accompanied silent horror film around the year-end holidays.
The acoustics are impeccable, and of course best appreciated during a performance, but if you simply want to gawk at that spectacular pipe organ and peek inside the 2,265-capacity auditorium, you can take a self-guided tour for $10. Without even spending a dime, you can still appreciate the hall’s lovely Blue Ribbon Garden (enter on Grand Avenue near 2nd Street, or on 1st Street near the corner of Hope Street), a quiet, leafy refuge with a stair climb that hugs the reflective metallic exterior.
The southwest corner of the structure is also home to the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT for short), a 250-seat space for experimental performances. And just on the other side of 1st Street sits the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (the L.A. Phil’s former venue, now home to the L.A. Opera) and the rest of the Music Center Campus.