Some of the attendees grumbled about the location, which was very different from the resorts in San Diego or Palm Springs where the conference is usually held. But I loved seeing this area, which has seen a complete transformation since the days when I was working for the Central City Association of Los Angeles in the early 1980s. At that time, this neighborhood was on the outskirts of the downtown core, and the notion that it would become developed, let alone a magnet for entertainment, hotels, and housing, was beyond our wildest imagination. But that's exactly what's happened and it was fun to walk around and take it all in.
