As decided earlier in the year, the Swedish Consulate in Los Angeles closed its doors on November 20. The farewell event in early December was hosted by Ambassador Carl-Magnus Hyltenius and his wife Bodil, who have been holding forth since the prior consul general left earlier in the summer. It became a wonderful evening although it was with a somber feeling this mixed crowd of Swedes and Americans met for the last time at the Consulate General. The reasons or motivation to close this outpost for Sweden in one of the most vibrant areas for the global entertainment industry still remains a mystery to most. The venue was the beautiful house rented by the Swedish Foreign Ministry for the past five years.
Among the invited were representatives from the entertainment industry, both Swedish and American, officials from Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce.

Report, photographs: Kerstin Alm