PORT OF LOS ANGELES TO UNVEIL EXCITING NEW GATEWAY PLAZA WATER FEATURES THIS FRIDAY EVENING, JULY 25

Evening Community Event Will Feature Live Music on the
Waterfront Promenade and Spectacular Dancing Fountains

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — July 23, 2008 — More water is coming to the Port of Los Angeles -- but not of the briny variety.  This Friday, July 25, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. the Port of Los Angeles will officially unveil several lively water features as part of the Gateway Plaza that welcomes visitors to the Los Angeles Waterfront in San Pedro, home of the west coast’s number one cruise facility by passenger volume.  The fountains were designed and developed by Los Angeles-based WET Design, which created the spectacular Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Adding to the festivities of this free, family event will be live music, refreshments and strolling along the promenade.  The formal dedication ceremony will begin at 8 p.m. and will feature Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn, Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz and other guests.  Featured live bands are: Daddyos, Yetensa Brothers Tamburitzas Orchestra and Mariachi Guadalajara.

“The Port is pleased to officially unveil this exciting and inviting new water feature which links the Cruise Ship Promenade and Harbor Boulevard Parkway Promenade,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D. “The spectacular new fountains are a wonderful public attraction that will bring local residents and out-of-area visitors alike to our waterfront for a fun and entertaining experience that people of all ages will enjoy.”

The “Fanfare” fountain at the Gateway Plaza and a separate interactive children’s fountain located on the Harbor Boulevard Parkway Promenade at Second Street are part of a series of projects completed, under construction or proposed – all collectively shaping an exciting new L.A. Waterfront for the harbor communities and worldwide visitors.

Fanfare at Gateway Plaza, located at the bottom of the Harbor Blvd. exit of I-110 Freeway, features 58 choreographed water jets that build a dramatic waterfront entryway for visitors, whether they arrive by ship, by foot, or by the Port’s popular Waterfront Red Car line that links the Cruise Center to Ports O’ Call. An arc of Canary Island palm trees punctuates the length of the feature, while a fountain perimeter of wooden benches provides a place to relax and an intimate view of the liquid stage.

For an even closer look, a sunken pathway cuts directly through the main fountain, allowing visitors to be surrounded by vertical and fan-shaped jets that move to an eclectic mix of classical, popular and movie soundtrack music. “O Sole Mio” (Luciano Pavarotti), “O Marijana” (John Duda Tamburitzas), and “Fanfare for the Common Man” (Leonard Bernstein / New York Philharmonic) are just a few of the musical standards choreographed to the dancing fountains.

A short walk south on the Harbor Boulevard Parkway Promenade is the interactive fountain at Second Street and Harbor Boulevard. At this location, there is no boundary between people and water, and visitors can get as wet as they like in jets that leap playfully out of the pavement. Over twenty years ago, the fountain builders, Los Angeles-based WET Design, first introduced the then-revolutionary concept of a fountain emitting directly from the ground, not a pool.

These spectacular water features, along with landscape designed by EDAW, Inc. have fashioned a new setting that invites exploration of the boundary between land and sea, between recreation and commerce, and between the community and its relationship with its environment.

The Port of Los Angeles, also known as “America’s Port,” has a strong commitment to developing innovative strategic and sustainable operations that benefit the economy and the quality of life for the region and the nation it serves. A recipient of numerous environmental awards, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2007 Clean Air Excellence Award, the Port of Los Angeles is committed to innovating cleaner, greener ways of doing business. As the leading seaport in North America in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port generates 919,000 regional jobs and $39.1 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. A proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles, the Port is self-supporting and does not receive taxpayer dollars. The Port of Los Angeles - A cleaner port. A brighter future.

WET Design founded in 1983 by Mark Fuller, is a Los Angeles design firm specializing in the design of water features worldwide and is a leader in the development of innovative design and technology. Best known for their 9 acre Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas, WET develops contextually motivated water fountains that create emotion, excitement, and inspiration. For more information or to schedule an interview please visit www.wetdesign.com.