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Explore Los Angeles Like a Tourist with Atlas Obscura's New Guide
Samson Amore
Samson Amore is a reporter for dot.LA. He holds a degree in journalism from Emerson College. Send tips or pitches to samsonamore@dot.la and find him on Twitter @Samsonamore.
The Los Angeles Tourism Department partnered with curiosities and travel website Atlas Obscura for a first of its kind digital interactive map of L.A. County’s top attractions, just in time for the summer influx of tourists.
Visitors to L.A. – or locals looking for a fun reason to leave their apartments – can scroll the interactive map on a browser or download the app.
Image courtesy of the L.A. Tourism Dept.
The “Discover Los Angeles” map can be broken down by neighborhood or by a series of “guides,” which all feature as part of the larger promotional campaign roll-out known as the Explorer’s Guide to L.A
Atlas Obscura and the Tourism Department also published a hardcover edition of the Explorer’s Guide, along with several other speciality breakout guides, including the Meeting Planners Guide, artistic Visitor’s Map and, for those with more expensive tastes, the L.A. Luxury Guide to the city’s pricier pursuits. The paper versions of the guides have QR codes for travelers to scan and take information with them on the go.
This year’s collaboration with Atlas Obscura gives the Tourism Department’s previous guide a much-needed update – it was previously a whopping 136-page PDF document created in 2020.
The Explorer’s Guide includes a mix of places you’d expect to see on the map, like Griffith Park and the museum at the La Brea Tar Pits. It also has some unlikely spots sourced from Atlas Obscura’s network of local explorers who recommended their favorite places to visit: the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Venice Canals or the Watts Towers, a stunning, monumental public art exhibit of mosaic steel towers that was built by one Italian immigrant over a 34-year period.
30 neighborhoods are discussed in the guide, from classic tourist destinations like Hollywood and beach cities like Santa Monica and Venice to lesser-known but still exciting enclaves like Leimert Park, Frogtown and Little Ethiopia. There’s also several maps for specific interests – taqueria lovers will find new spots to nosh with the taco map, and there’s also a map of the Downtown Arts District, spots to stargaze and sports venues.
“For myself and the writers and editors on this project, many of them L.A. natives, getting to write and curate the official visitors guide to the city of L.A. was an absolute dream,” Atlas Obscura co-founder Dylan Thuras said in a statement. “We hope that these guides will inspire all the curious travelers arriving in L.A., to try new things, as well as providing new adventures for longtime L.A. residents. There is really no limit to what L.A. has to offer.”
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Samson Amore
Samson Amore is a reporter for dot.LA. He holds a degree in journalism from Emerson College. Send tips or pitches to samsonamore@dot.la and find him on Twitter @Samsonamore.
https://twitter.com/samsonamore
samsonamore@dot.la
Newly Rebranded Car Subscription Startup Autonomy Will Offer Tesla’s Model 3
04:42 PM | January 20, 2022
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Autonomy—the Santa Monica-based automobile subscription service until recently known as NextCar—is getting into electric vehicles via Tesla’s popular Model 3.
The startup, which provides customers monthly vehicle subscriptions for an all-in price that includes maintenance costs, said Thursday that it will offer the Tesla Model 3 as part of a range of electric and zero-emission vehicles.
NextCar, which was launched in 2020 by former TrueCar CEO Scott Painter, rebranded as Autonomy late last year after acquiring the defunct Hewlett-Packard software brand and its intellectual property. Having recently raised $83 million in debt and equity financing, Autonomy is now ramping up its platform by including the best-selling electric car in history.
Autonomy customers will be able to subscribe to a Model 3 for a three-month minimum term, and then on a month-to-month basis afterward. Fees range anywhere from $550 per month (with a $5,500 start fee) to up to $1,000 per month (with a $1,000 start fee), plus a $500 security deposit. The service, which plans to add an insurance offering to its all-in bundle in the coming weeks, is currently available only in California.
“Electric vehicles have reached a tipping point, and it’s clear that the Tesla Model 3 is this generation’s [Toyota] Prius,” Painter, who serves as Autonomy’s CEO, said in a statement. He said Autonomy’s subscription model is meant to appeal to consumers in an era when “financial responsibility and the avoidance of debt” has prompted many to reconsider purchasing a car.
The startup also pitches an easy-to-use customer experience through its mobile app; it says customers can order a vehicle in only 10 minutes by providing their driver’s license and payment information, while the process of picking up the car or getting it delivered to them should take no more than 20 minutes. They can also manage their subscription through the Autonomy app.
Autonomy isn’t the only way drivers can get their hands on a Tesla short-term. In October, Hertz announced that Teslas would comprise more than 20% of its rental car fleet by the end of 2022 after it ordered more than 100,000 vehicles from the Elon Musk-led automaker. The news saw Tesla’s market capitalization surge above $1 trillion.
Correction, Jan. 21: A previous version of this article reported that Autonomy is in beta testing and currently includes insurance with its all-in subscription price. It has been corrected to reflect that the service is now commercially available and plans to add an insurance offering in the coming weeks.
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Molly Wright
Molly Wright is an intern for dot.LA. She previously edited the London School of Economics' student newspaper in the United Kingdom, interned for The Hollywood Reporter and was the blogging editor for UCLA's Daily Bruin.
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AmazeVR Wants You To Attend K-Pop Concerts Virtually
01:57 PM | September 28, 2022
Photo courtesy of AmazeVR
Virtual reality startup AmazeVR now has $17 million to further expand its VR concert experience.
The West Hollywood-based company’s latest funding amounts to a bet that virtual shows, a staple of the pandemic, are here to stay. Mirae Asset Capital led the Series B funding round, with Mirae Asset Financial Group subsidiary (Mirae Asset Venture Investment), CJ Investment, Smilegate Investment, GS Futures and LG Technology Ventures investing again. Mobile game maker Krafton joined the group—but South Korean entertainment company CJ ENM’s stake reveals AmazeVR’s plans to expand into K-pop world.
AmazeVR intends to use the cash infusion to hire more engineers and visual effects artists and to fill out its content offerings. The money will also help the company bolster its artist roster—which already includes Megan Thee Stallion—and produce more virtual concerts.
CJ ENM has certainly made a name for itself through a broad range of content. Forming K-pop groups and producing K-dramas, the company also oversees music TV channels, award shows and fan conventions. Previously, CJ ENM launched a company with K-pop phenomenon BTS’ label to foster new music talent.
Even as in-person concerts come back, their virtual counterparts have permeated pop culture. Even award shows have started to recognize the burgeoning performance method. In August, the MTV Video Music Award introduced the Best Metaverse Performance, which K-pop girl group Blackpink won.
Technology has helped many K-pop groups explode in popularity, with bands amassing very passionate international audiences through social media platforms. SM Entertainment, the media company behind groups like EXO and Red Velvet, launched a streaming platform to host virtual concerts and interviews with its talent roster. BTS’ online show in June brought in 1.3 million viewers—a slight increase from its 2020 virtual production.
This isn’t AmazeVR’s first time exploring the K-pop space. In July, it partnered with SM Entertainment to produce concerts for its talent roster through Seoul-based Studio A.
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Kristin Snyder
Kristin Snyder is dot.LA's 2022/23 Editorial Fellow. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.
https://twitter.com/ksnyder_db
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