1. Wilshire Grand Center
The Los Angeles skyline was changed in late June with the opening of the Wilshire Grand Center, a 73-story, 1,100-foot skyscraper developed by Korean Air that is now the tallest structure west of the Mississippi. The $1.35-billion downtown complex is still being developed, but it will eventually include more than 350,000 square feet of office space and five restaurants. Already open is the 889-room InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, which occupies over 30 floors of the skyscraper; the luxury hotel has 95,000 square feet of event space, including the massive Wilshire Grand Ballroom—which seats 1,779 banquet-style or holds 3,054 for receptions—and 33 additional meeting rooms. The hotel has five food and beverage options; standouts include the French-focused steakhouse La Boucherie on 71 (pictured), which holds 125; and Spire 73, a rooftop bar and lounge that offers fire pits and signature cocktails and is the tallest open-air bar in the Western Hemisphere. Spire 73 holds 480 people for events.