Tourists and locals alike are quite keen to the fact that if they saunter downtown after hours in Los Angeles, that they'll pretty much encounter a ghost town with little late-night entertainment to offer.
It is not surprising to hear that the hip with-it set interested in partying-hearty often jet to Las Vegas or Manhattan - especially if they're pining for trendy watering holes to hang out in 'til the wee hours of dawn.
But, the developers behind the billion-dollar Wilshire Grand project have their sights on transforming that boring image to ensure LA LA LAND is a destination city in the future.
For example, along the upper floors of the planned 45-story hotel and 65-floor office tower, architects have hatched up a novel idea to etch a myriad of fanciful images of butterflies, waterfalls, and galaxies of stars by embedding thousands of lights in the building's surface.
The lower floors would feature a dazzling array of commercial ads to enliven the normally-dark canyons of the downtown city core.
Think the Chanel building in Tokyo or the Cira Centre in Pennsylvania.
And, in the end scenario, the landowners expect to transform and revitalize the heart of Los Angeles
Korean Air, the main financial backer, has teamed up with a host of - business entities, high-profile glad-handing politicians (and even unions) - to rustle up the clout necessary to green-light the project with officials and city planners in the corridors of power.
Needless to say, a nasty debate has reared its ugly head over the issue.
Critics argue that the proposed plan will radically alter the city's skyline, for starters.
And, because of it, developers may end up butting heads with established factions in Los Angeles who have their own visionary ideas about what kind of evolution should take place in the future.
Opponents prefer the trend away from excessive signage in the cityscape to one that follows a green policy that is environmental-friendly.
One critic has cautioned that the city shouldn't allow light emitting diodes (LEDS) on dozens of stories of any skyscraper until there is a blueprint in place for regulating the technology.
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Transformation of downtown Los Angeles
