CWI's SUMMER WEST SURROUNDINGS and ACCOMMODATIONS


About Our Location for CWI's Summer WEST
CWI's Summer WEST Institute on Service-Learning will take place on the Los Angeles campus of Loyola Marymount University (LMU). Voted one of the twenty most beautiful college campuses in the U.S., LMU is situated on a 142 acre breathtaking blufftop campus that overlooks both the city of Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean—with panoramic ocean views from Malibu to Santa Monica. Loyola Marymount is an energetic, student centered university with a strong tradition of service and social justice. LMU's Center for Service and Action takes a lead role in that campus wide effort. see local maps

Loyola Marymount is adjacent to the city of Los Angeles, a world center of business, communications, the arts, entertainment, and technology, LMU's campus provides a quiet retreat like setting for professional development and community building work. LMU is also a quick ten minute ride from LAX, minutes from nearby Marina Del Rey and Venice, and close in to the multitude of arts and cultural destinations along with the many neighborhoods that make Los Angeles truly one of the most most dynamic and diverse cities in the world.

Hotel Accomodations Discounted Rates for CWI Participants!
Discounted and affordable accomodations are available with our partner Custom Hotel-LA. Be sure to request the CWI rate of $109 per night, plus hotel taxes. This rate includes free shuttle and wifi. Custom Hotel tel: 424-223-5561 • phone reservations: 877-287-8601 • make an online reservation

Custom Hotel-LA is a newly renovated LA chic boutique hotel, which is within walking distance of the LMU campus. The hotel was originally built by mid-century architect Welton Beckett, designer of the world-famous Capitol Records building. Custom Hotel rooms come with complimentary wireless high-speed internet access. The hotel features: an outdoor pool; adjacent lounge and sundeck, cabanas and firepit; 2 fitness centers; laundry and dry cleaning service; use of printers in business center; a pet friendly policy; and secure valet parking at discounted fee. ($8 daily) CWI participants will also have access to 4 meeting rooms for small gatherings up to 12 people

Free LAX Shuttle Service
Custom Hotel will provide CWI participants with free shuttle service for LAX, as well as to and from the LMU campus (less than 1 mile). CWI participants arriving by air at LAX should call 424-223-5561 from the baggage claim area for Custom Hotel shuttle service.

Getting Around, Beyond the Institute
Reasonable rates for local transportation around the Los Angeles area will be provided through Custom Hotel for CWI participants. Individually or small groups will have discounted access to Custom Hotel's limousine and van partner for evening trips to nearby destinations such as downtown Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica, Hollywood, and Pasadena. (contact Custom Hotel for details)

The Immediate Neighborhood
Loyola Marymount is located just to the west of downtown Los Angeles in the community of Westchester, which sits atop the Del Rey Hills also known as the Westchester Bluffs. The Westchester community is separated from the Pacific Ocean by Playa del Rey on the west. Its northern border is defined by and includes the area now known as Playa Vista. Westchester is a small residential neighborhood, adjacent to LMU, with many restaurants, cafes, several upscale grocery stores, and a retro bowling alley Eldorado Lanes. From LMU and the Custom Hotel you can be in Venice Beach in fifteen minutes or in Hollywood within a half hour. local maps [click map at right to enlarge]


Featured Partner and Local Educational Arts Project
We highly recommend exploring SPARC The Social and Public Art Resource Center. SPARC, one of the most important educational and cultural resources in Los Angeles,is located in nearby Venice. Founded in 1976 by muralist Judith F. Baca, painter Christina Schlesinger, and filmmaker Donna Deitch. The Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) is an arts center that produces, preserves and conducts educational programs about community based public art works. SPARC espouses public art, particularly community murals, as an organizing tool for addressing contemporary issues, fostering cross-cultural understanding and promoting civic dialogue. Working within this philosophical framework, SPARC has created murals and other forms of public art in communities throughout Los Angeles and increasingly in national and international venues. One of SPARC's latest projects is a collaboration between Miguel Contreras Learning Center High School students and UCLA students to produce a new 18ft x 33ft Digital Mural for permanent placement in downtown LA. The project involves creating a mural commemorating the legacy of Mexican-American labor leader Miguel Contreras while visually representing the issues affecting the students of the Center who come from the local area. more

Los Angeles Area Arts and Cultural Attractions
Los Angeles County is home to 841 museums and art galleries. Los Angeles leads California's cultural growth, with more museums per capita than any other city in the nation. Among the new facilities and institutions are the Getty Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The LA Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Center Theatre Group are among the nation's largest and most respected companies in their disciplines.