L.A.'s major performing arts venue since its opening in 1964, the Music Center is also now Downtown's centerpiece. Home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Opera, the Center Theater Group, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Music Center is also a former site of the Academy Awards. The center's crown jewel is the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Designed by Frank Gehry, the Hall opened in 2003 and instantly became a stunning icon of the city. The gorgeous stainless-steel-clad structure soars lyrically upward, seeming to defy the laws of engineering. A combination of matte and mirror steel panels gives the building texture that is illuminated by night to give the voluptuous curves a stunning glow. Inside, the Hall will continue to inspire awe with a billowing ceiling of Douglas fir overhead, and an enormous pine-clad organ centerpiece with branches said to have been inspired when Gehry looked at a box of McDonald's french fries and decided to put the wooden pipes out front and the metal pipes in back. The carpet, named "Lily," is a wild collage of petals inspired by Lillian Disney's love of flowers, as is the "Rose for Lily" fountain -- made entirely of bits of Delftware, Mrs. Disney's favorite collectible -- located in the tranquil outdoor public garden. Docent-led and audio tours of the Hall are available for $15. But note, entry to the performance space is subject to rehearsal schedules. Your chances are better in the summer when the Philharmonic moves to the Hollywood Bowl. With the high tour price not offering much more than your own stroll around the venue, you're better off putting your money towards a ticket to an actual performance in this magnificent space. Additional children's performances, lectures, and experimental works are held in surrounding smaller theater spaces: the indoor BP Hall, two outdoor mini-amphitheaters, and CalArts's intimate 266-seat REDCAT Theatre.

The largest of the center's four theaters is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, named after the philanthropic wife of former Los Angeles Times publisher Norman Chandler. The Ahmanson, at the north end, is a flexible venue for major musicals and plays. In between these two sits the round Mark Taper Forum, a surprisingly intimate 700-seat theater, closed for construction until mid-2008. Activity isn't limited to merely ticketed events; free tours of the Music Center are available by volunteer docents "the Symphonians" who provide a wealth of architectural and behind-the-scenes information while escorting you through elaborate, art-punctuated VIP areas.