2004 Annual General Meeting

Jane Austen Society of North America

October 7-10, 2004
Millennium Biltmore Hotel
Los Angeles, California

Anne Elliot in the City: Interior and Exterior Worlds



LOS ANGELES
Biltmore in downtown

Millennium Biltmore, in downtown Los Angeles

Since its founding in 1781, "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles" has attracted a huge diversity of courageous and creative inhabitants who have built what is today a bustling, eclectic, and exciting city, whose commercial and cultural influence is felt throughout the world.

At the heart of this city is a newly revitalized Downtown, where business flourishes and a commitment to the arts has encouraged a thriving cultural environment.  In addition to restored historical treasures such as the Streamline Moderne Union Station, the colorful Spanish flavor of El Pueblo, and the Beaux -Arts grandeur of the Los Angeles Central Library, the city's skyline is also enhanced by two new architectural masterpieces: the magnificent and fanciful Frank Gehry-designed Disney Concert Hall and the stunning new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. These sites and many other cultural, educational, and commercial enterprises have filled the Downtown streets with tourists and Angelenos alike.

This is indeed a city in which Lady Russell might feel her spirits rise in anticipation of urban pleasures, and even Anne Elliot find unexpected sources of amusement.

Greater Los Angeles is made up of 80 different towns, with a total population exceeding 8.5 million and covering more than 460 sq. miles. Los Angeles is a hub city for many airlines and is easily reached from mid size and large cities all over the U.S. and Canada with many direct and non-stop flights. Los Angeles is also a gateway city for arrivals from Europe, especially London and Manchester. The Downtown area is a cultural melting pot, hosting amid the skyscrapers of the Financial District, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, and historic El Pueblo. Being downtown also has a distinct advantage, in that it is the hub of the entire Los Angeles Freeway System and the new Metro System.

HOTEL
Our conference hotel is the Millennium Biltmore. Designed in the style of the Spanish/Italian Renaissance, with cathedral-like public rooms hand-painted by Italian artist Giovanni Smeraldi, the hotel reflects a rich blending of classical architecture with contemporary luxury and the elegance of European hospitality.
 
Opened in 1923 to national acclaim, the Biltmore was touted as the "host of the coast" from the beginning, and has remained a mecca for film industry czars and stars, presidents, kings, and cross-country travelers.  Among the momentous events held at the Biltmore was the founding banquet for the Academy Awards, and it was on a Biltmore dinner napkin that the concept and design for the "Oscar" was conceived.
In 1969, the Cultural Heritage Board of the City of Los Angeles named the hotel a historical landmark: a truly fitting venue for the JASNA AGM 2004!

JASNA's newly announced special conference room rates are:

Single/double occupancy: Classic Room $119.00 per night
Single/double occupancy: Club Room $169.00 per night
Executive Suites $250 per night
1 Bedroom Suites $360 per night

Classic Rooms include choice of king-sized bed or two double beds and small window side sitting area. Club Rooms are located on the 10th and 11th floors and include access to the Club Lounge, where you can enjoy a continental breakfast, as well as beverages and hors d'oeuvres, compliments of the hotel. Executive Suites are one large room with a sitting area, while 1 Bedroom Suites feature a master bedroom and separate sitting area.

Please view the hotel website at www.TheBiltmore.com for descriptions and photos of the recently renovated bedrooms and function rooms we will be using.

Call now for reservations 800/245-8673 (Continental USA), International callers may call 213/612-1575. The cut-off dates for reservations is September 13, 2004; reservations after this date will only be accepted on a space available basis. To receive the hotel’s reduced conference rate, you must identify yourself as a JASNA attendee.
Olive Street entrance

Olive Street entrance, Biltmore Hotel

Return to Home Page