Friday, July 29, 2011

LOS ANGELES

(does not include Malibu, Pasadena or Santa Monica; includes, among other places, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Encino, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley, Studio City & Venice)

BAKERIES, COFFEE, ICE CREAM, JUICE & TEA
Beverly Hills (includes Bel-Air, Beverly Crest & Beverly Grove)
Bouchon Bakery – 235 North Cañon Drive; 310-271-9910; bouchonbakery.com/beverly-hills; try kouign-amann (Bretagne croissant).
Carmela Ice Cream Artisan Creamery – 7920 West 3rd Street (Beverly Grove); 323-944-0232; carmelaicecream.com; try dark chocolate cacao nib or lavender honey.
Sprinkles Ice Cream – 9631 South Santa Monica Boulevard; 310-274-7890; sprinklesicecream.com; open until 3 a.m.; slow-churned, traditional ice cream in traditional and untraditional flavors.

Boyle Heights
Guisados Tacos – 2100 East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue; 323-264-7201; guisados.co; aguas fresas & breakfast tacos.

Culver City & Venice
Gjusta – 320 Sunset Avenue; 310-314-0320; gjusta.com; artisanal bakery in sprawling, warehouselike space.
Jazz Bakery – 3233 Helms Avenue; 310-271-9039; jazzbakery.com; among LA’s most beloved venues.

Downtown (includes Brentwood, Century City, Chinatown, Elysian Park, Fairfax, Little Tokyo, Mid-City, Mid-City West, Westlake & Westwood)
Caffe Luxxe – 11975 San Vincente Boulevard; 310-394-2222; caffeluxxe.com; coffee shop with excellent pastries; across from Brentwood Country Mart; try candied-orange-infused espresso.
Dominique Ansel Bakery – 189 Grove Drive (Fairfax); 323-602-0096; dominiqueansella.com; inventor of Cronut.
Du-Par’s – 6333 West 3rd Street; 323-933-8446; du-pars.com; coffee shop; open 24 hours; also, bakery.
Fonuts – 8104 West 3rd Street; 323-592-3075; fonuts.com; just few counter seats at this grab-&-go donut shop; new takes from pastry master Waylynn Lucas (Patina, Bazaar by José Andrés); flavor choices for baked-not-fried confections range from banana chocolate and strawberry buttermilk to rosemary olive oil and chorizo cheddar, while coffee comes from Lamill; gluten-free and vegan choices, as well as ice cream sandwiches.
King’s Road Espresso Bar-Café – 8361 Beverly Boulevard; 323-655-9044; kingsroadcafe.com; supposedly LA’s best coffee; major industry hangout.
Pressed Juicery – 860 South Los Angeles Street; 213-688-9700; pressedjuicery.com; chain.
Sweet Rose Creamery – 225 26th Street, Suite 51 (at Brentwood Country Mart); 310-260-2663; sweetrosecreamery.com; organic ice cream, including malts and shakes.
UMAMICatessan – 852 South Broadway; 213-413-8626; umami.com/umamicatessen; high-concept dining hall with umami burger station, koster-style deli, coffee joint, doughnut shop, and pork “temple.”

East (Arcadia, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Monterey Park, San Gabriel & San Marino)
Auntie Em’s Kitchen – 4616 North Eagle Rock Boulevard (Eagle Rock); 323-255-0800; auntieemskitchen.com; breakfast; baked goods.
Garden of Flowing Fragrance Tea Shop – 1151 Oxford Road (San Marino); 626-405-2100; huntington.org; different teas (Jade Spiral Spring Tea, Flowing Fragrance Oolong, White Peony, Silver Dragon Jasmine, as well as Cha Dian sampler (standard or vegetarian)); sit in exquisite Hall of Jade Camellia, small enclosed teahouse that sits on lake.
Half & Half Tea House – 120 North San Gabriel Boulevard (San Gabriel); 626-309-9387; facebook.com/pages/Half-and-Half-Tea-House/115478325141251; gorgeous décor and excellent boba; exotic teas, hot and iced; also, tasty snacks; open late.

Griffith Park, Los Feliz & Silver Lake (includes Atwater Village)
Lamill Coffee Boutique – 1636 Silver Lake Boulevard; 323-663-4441; lamillcoffee.com; choose bean and brewing method; hot breakfasts.
Proof Bakery – 3156 Glendale Boulevard (Atwater Village); 323-664-8633; proofbakeryla.com; brioche loaves, chocolate croissants, and lemon chiffon cakes.
Trails Café – 2333 Fern Dell Drive; 323-871-2102; thetrailslosfeliz.com; pit-stop on trail that leads to Griffith Observatory; Stumptown coffee, baked goods, etc.

Hollywood (includes Melrose, Hollywood Hills & West Hollywood)
Ed’s Coffee Shop – 460 North Robertson Boulevard (West Hollywood); 310-659-8625; facebook.com/pages/Eds-Coffee-Shop/118024741546550; among city’s finest short-order establishments; try roast beef hash.
101 Coffee Shop – 6145 Franklin Avenue; 323-467-1175; the101coffeeshop.com; Formica paradise attended, on any given night, by children, stars, and/or strippers; try nut-and-honey shake (made with peanut butter).
Pressed Juicery – 8714 Santa Monica Boulevard (West Hollywood); 310-854-4407; pressedjuicery.com; chain.
Urth Caffe – 267 South Beverly Drive (West Hollywood); 310-205-9311; urthcaffe.com; great breakfasts; glass displays reveal giant cookies and sticky buns.

Inglewood
Randy’s Donuts – 805 West Manchester Avenue (near LAX); 310-645-4707; randysdonuts.com; buttermilk and crumb raised donuts are crowd-pleasers; has iconic donut out in front.

Malibu (includes Calabasas)
Grom – 3888 Cross Creek Road (at Malibu Village); 310-456-9797; grom.it; gelateria.

Pacific Palisades
Pressed Juicery – 13050 San Vicente Boulevard, #120 (corner of 26th Street in courtyard); 310-451-1010; pressedjuicery.com; chain.

Playa Del Rey
Playa Provisions (Small Batch) – 119 Culver Boulevard; 310-683-5019; playaprovisions.com; tucked inside this restaurant is excellent ice cream vendor, specializing in Choco Tacos.



BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
Beverly Hills (includes Bel-Air, Beverly Crest & Beverly Grove)
Bar Nineteen 12 – 9641 Sunset Boulevard (at Beverly Hills Hotel); 310-273-1912; barnineteen12.com; inspired design (including backlit, white onyx bar), dangerously inventive spirit options (cherry martini popsicles), and palm-tree studded views from terrace.
Bouchon – 235 North Cañon Drive; 310-271-9910; bouchonbistro.com; Chef Thomas Keller; brasserie-style atmosphere; great drinks and wine list; great nibbles, too.
Boulevard Bar – 9500 Wilshire Boulevard (at Four Seasons Hotel); 310-275-5200; fourseasons.com; 18' illuminated onyx bar; nibbles better than most.
Honor Bar – 122 South Beverly Drive; 310-550-0292; thehonorbar.com; stop in for cocktails and be sure to get there early for seat near jazz trio in back.
Polo Lounge – 9641 Sunset Boulevard (at Beverly Hills Hotel); 310-276-2251; thebeverlyhillshotel.com; has lighted terrace; favored watering hole for generations of stars & Hollywood deal-makers; in evening, many specialty cocktails.

Culver City & Venice
Alibi Room – 12236 Washington Boulevard; 310-390-9300; alibiroomla; lounge with great Korean Tex-Mex food.
Bottle Rock – 3847 Main Street; 310-836-9463; bottlerock.net; wine bar; buzzy, casual, boasting eclectic fare & happy-hour deals; near Staples Center.
Lukshon – 3239 Helms Avenue; 310-202-6808; lukshon.com; from Father’s Office group; Asian beers and cocktails.
Mandrake – 2692 South La Cienega; 310-837-3297; mandrakebar.com; like party in high school (concrete floor, cold, work-in-progress kinda place); garage-cool feel; in Culver City’s gallery district; pretzels alone worth trip; hidden away.
Otheroom – 1201 Abbot Kinney Boulevard (Venice); 310-396-6230; theotheroom.com.
Venice Beach Wines – 529 Rose Avenue (Venice); 310-606-2529; venicebeachwines.com; wine bar and shop; also charcuterie and cheese plates.

Downtown (includes Brentwood, Century City, Chinatown, Elysian Park, Fairfax, Little Tokyo, Mid-City, Mid-City West, Westlake & Westwood)
Angelina Osteria – 7313 Beverly Boulevard (Mid-City West); 323-297-0070; angeliniosteria.com; minimalist spot serving homey Italian; famous for green lasagna.
Angel City Brewing – 216 South Alameda Street; 213-622-1261; angelcitybrewing.com; murals by Shepard Fairey and Ron English cover outside; local artists’ work inside.
AOC Wine Bar & Restaurant – 8022 West 3rd Street (Mid-City West); 323-653-6359; aocwinebar.com; lovely venue.
Bar Centro – 465 South La Cienega Boulevard (Mid-City West, at SLS Hotel); 310-246-5555; slsbeverlyhills.com; surrealist-chic lounge, complete with fortune teller; avant-garde drinks are made with ingredients like liquid nitrogen, cotton candy and “olive brine air.”
Bar Toscana – 11633 San Vicente Boulevard (Brentwood), #10; 310-820-2448; toscanabrentwood.com; adjacent to Toscana Restaurant; small plates and Italian-inspired cocktails.
Border Grill Downtown – 445 South Figueroa Street; 213-486-5171; bordergrill.com; restaurant and bar; bar specializes in rum and tequila drinks; very good, both for drinks and food.
El Carmen – 8138 West 3rd Street (Mid-City West); 323-852-1552; elcarmenrestaurant.com; kitschy, Mexican restaurant; ask for sake with venom (kept hidden under bar).
Edison – 108 West 2nd Street; 213-613-0000; edisondowntown.com; world class lounge that retains architectural and mechanical artifacts; homage to its history as 1st private power plant in LA.
Bar Hayama – 1803 Sawtelle Boulevard (Mid-City West); 310-235-2000; barhayama.com; two intimate bars in one space; delicious small plates.
Joan’s on 3rd – 8350 West 3rd Street (Mid-City West); 323-655-2285; joansonthird.com.
Little Door – 8164 West 3rd Street (Mid-City West); 323-951-1210; thelittledoor.com; hidden, intimate, romantic restaurant.
Ray’s & Stark Bar – 5905 Wilshire Boulevard (at Los Angeles County Museum of Art); 323-857-6180; raysandstarkbar.com; lovely.
Tavern – 11648 San Vicente Boulevard (Brentwood); 310-806-6464; tavernla.com; casual but modish bar-restaurant with good bar food.
Bar Toscana – 11633 San Vicente Boulevard (Brentwood); 310-826-0028; bartoscana.com; sleek, cocktail-centric spot; psychedelic video-art projections match edgy soundtrack; small plate snacks.
Varnish – 118 East 6th Street; 213-622-9999; thevarnishbar.com; city’s best cocktails in speakeasy atmosphere; try “Holland Red Light,” made with Dutch Genever gin.
Villains Tavern – 1356 Palmetto Street; 213-613-0766; villainstavern.com; bar and music venue; feels like cross between Prohibition speakeasy and Dust Bowl carnival; for drinks, try Belladonna (blackberries, bourbon, citrus, and mint).

Griffith Park, Los Feliz & Silver Lake (includes Atwater Village)
Bar Covell – 4628 Hollywood Boulevard (Los Feliz, at Hotel Covell); 323-660-4400; barcovell.com; wine bar.
Golden Road Brewery – 5410 West San Fernando Road (Atwater Village); 213-373-4677; goldenroad.la; craft beers.

Highland Park
Johnny’s – 5006 York Boulevard; 323-551-6959; dimly lit, hole-in-wall bar with Cheers-like vibe; great jukebox.
York – 5018 York Boulevard; 323-255-9675; theyorkonyork.com; stylish gastro-pub with brick walls and chalkboard menu.

Hollywood (includes Melrose, Hollywood Hills & West Hollywood)
Boardner’s by La Belle – 1652 North Cherokee Avenue; 323-462-9621; boardners.com; established dive bar since 1952; last place Elizabeth Short drank; must go here.
Boulevard 3 – 6523 Sunset Boulevard; 323-466-2144; boulevard3.com; large, mansion-style venue that used to house Hollywood Athletic Club.
Cat & Fiddle Restaurant & Pub – 742 North Highland Avenue; 323-468-3800; thecatandfiddle.com; longtime Hollywood scene staple; British pub and restaurant, at new location as of 2017; featured in Ray Donavan.
Eveleigh – 8752 West Sunset Boulevard (West Hollywood); 424-239-1630; theeveleigh.com; ask to sit on patio (cityscape view); small and large plates.
Formosa Café – 7156 Santa Monica Boulevard (West Hollywood); 323-850-9050; formosacafe.com; full Asian-influenced menu, but food comes poor 3rd to history and strong, well-crafted drinks; in business for 7 decades, Formosa is Hollywood aristocracy’s hangout during ‘40s and ‘50s.
Frolic Room – 6245 Hollywood Boulevard; 323-462-5890; facebook.com/pages/The-Frolic-Room/184393974919952; magnificent Al Hirschfeld murals; Black Dahlia was customer; this is where Kevin Spacey’s character leaves $50 tip in L.A. Confidential; classic LA dive bar located next door to Pantages Theatre; pumping, too-loud music from great CD jukebox; Hollywood vampires hang out with rough-around-edges hipsters and old coots getting their fill of stiff, cheap drinks amid Art Deco decor; crowd gets really interesting right before and after shows next door; then you suddenly get way-overdressed Valley and Beverly Hills types who would never normally hang out here; look for Hedy Lamarr’s star out front (“That’s HEDLEY!”).
Good Times at Davey Wayne’s – 1611 North El Centro Avenue; 323-962-3804; goodtimesatdaveywaynes.com; when you drive up to house, looks like garage sale going on; you tell attendant sitting in lawn chair that you’re there to party; then walk into garage and into bar through refrigerator; suddenly in living room, which is 70s bar.
Hemmingway’s Lounge – 6356 Hollywood Boulevard; 323-469-0040; hemmingwayslounge.com; un-Hollywood, library-like ambience; try “Moveable Feast” (whiskey, sage, blackberries, lemon, and honey).
Hotel Café – 1623½ North Cahuenga Boulevard; 323-461-2040; hotelcafe.com; place to go to hear new music; in transient hotel; separate room to drink and talk.
Hungry Cat – 1535 North Vine Street; 323-462-2155; thehungrycat.com; bar and seafood raw bar; primarily restaurant; bar area fairly small, but good-sized outdoor patio includes “cocktail garden” type area with stand-up tables.
Mood – 6623 Hollywood Boulevard; 323-464-6663; moodla.com; Morocco-themed, with candle wall in back smoking area; exotic, sexy, and sleek feel; dance floor usually packed by 11 and stays that way until 2 am.
No Vacancy – 1727 North Hudson Avenue; 323-465-1902; novacancyla.com; speakeasy-themed burlesque joint with live band.
Sky Bar – 8440 Sunset Boulevard (West Hollywood, at Mondrian Hotel); 323-650-8999; mondrianhotel.com; pretty, pool-side bar.
Teddy’s Club – 7000 Hollywood Boulevard (at Roosevelt Hotel); 323-466-7000; hollywoodroosevelt.com; very happening place with patio.
Tower Bar – 8358 Sunset Boulevard (West Hollywood, at Sunset Tower Hotel); 323-654-7100; sunsettowerhotel.com; swank; custom-made banquettes fit directly into windows that showcase unparalleled LA skyline view; dress code; elegant mood; lobster tacos.
Wellesbourne – 10929 West Pico Boulevard (West Hollywood); 310-474-0102; thewellebourne.com; library-themed bar; modeled after British manor house; slightly off beaten path and worth trip.

Griffith Park, Los Feliz & Silver Lake (includes Atwater Village)
Golden Road Brewery – 5410 West San Fernando Road (Atwater Village); 213-373-4677; goldenroad.la.

Hermosa, Manhattan & Redondo Beaches and Palos Verdes
Zinc Lounge – 1221 North Valley Drive (Manhattan Beach, at Shade Hotel); 310-546-4995; shadehotel.com; despite sleek, deep blue sheen, crowd is relaxed and bartenders friendly, albeit busy; try Shade Lemonade.

Studio City
Black Market Liquor Bar – 11915 Ventura Boulevard; 818-446-2533; blackmarketliquorbar.com; new-school gastropub done up with curved brick ceiling, low lights, and long bar where mixologists crank out drinks of moment (assisted by beer and wine sommeliers).



FOOD TRUCKS
Grilled Cheese Truck – thegrilledcheesetruck.com; have to find online; try mac ‘n’ grilled cheese sandwich.
Guerilla Tacos – guerillatacos.com; have to find online; daily menu changes but always has taco & egg something; great for breakfast.
Kogi Korean BBQ-to-Go – kogibbq.com; have to find online; Korean Tex-Mex tacos.



HOTELS
Beverly Hills (includes Bel-Air, Beverly Crest & Beverly Grove)
Avalon Hotel – 9400 West Olympic Boulevard; 310-277-5221 or 800-670-6183; avalonbeverlyhills.com; atmosphere is “3” but location is “5”; could stay here without rental car and walk everywhere you might want to go over long weekend.
Hotel Bel-Air – 701 Stone Canyon Road (Bel-Air); 310-472-1211 or 866-589-3411; hotelbelair.com; Spanish Colonial stucco estate home on 12 acres of gardens; recently renovated.
Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows – 9641 Sunset Boulevard; 310-276-2251 or 800-650-1842; thebeverlyhillshotel.com; 12 gardens acres on Sunset Boulevard; stucco Mission Revival property; Polo Lounge; Bar 1912 has lighted terrace.
Beverly Wilshire – 9500 Wilshire Boulevard; 310-275-5200 or 800-819-5053; fourseasons.com.
Montage – 225 North Cañon Drive; 310-860-7800 or 888-860-0788; montagebeverlyhills.com; unbelievably tacky and over-top; very Las Vegas.
Mr. C Beverly Hills – 1224 Beverwil Drive; 310 or 877-334-5623; mrchotels.com; Cipriani family property; make sure to ask for “Beverly Hills” view so can see hills and Hollywood sign.
SIXTY Beverly Hills Hotel – 9360 Wilshire Boulevard; 310-273-1400 or 800-441-5050; sixtyhotels.com/hotel/beverly-hills; great pool.
SLS – 465 South La Cienega Boulevard; 310-273-1400 or 888-776-9783; starwoodhotels.com.

Downtown (includes Brentwood, Century City, Chinatown, Elysian Park, Fairfax, Little Tokyo, Mid-City, Mid-City West, Westlake & Westwood)
Hotel Angeleno – 170 North Church Lane (Brentwood); 310-476-6411 or 888-796-4694; hotelangeleno.com; sleek modern accommodations; intimate pool area with outdoor fireplace; overhauled rooms are nice although hallways are reminiscent of Holiday Inns; near Getty Center; from floors 7-15, rooms ending in 14 and 15 have Sunset Boulevard views; rooms ending in 09 and 10 face Getty Center.
Hilton Checkers L.A. – 535 South Grand Avenue; 213-330-7500 or 800-445-8667; hiltoncheckers.com; atmosphere removed from “Hollywood”; built in 1927, 12-story hotel is Historic Cultural Monument; polished brass complements neutral sand-colored decor; both accentuate impressive architectural features that remained intact after major renovations; European-style hotel, without many flashy amenities, thus possessing understated luxury; nevertheless, rooms equipped with 42" flatscreen TVs, ergonomic workstations, and spacious marble-floored bathrooms; wood-paneled library, rooftop lap pool, and serene corridors punctuated with Asian antiques; spa.
Hotel Palomar – 10740 Wilshire Boulevard (Westwood); 310-475-8711 or 800-472-8556; hotelpalomar-beverlyhills.com; lower-cost W-type hotel.
Ritz Carlton L.A. – 900 West Olympic Boulevard; 213-743-8800 or 800-542-8680; ritzcarlton.com; on floors 22-26 of JW Marriott building.
Standard, Downtown L.A. – 550 South Flower Street; 213-892-8080 or 877-550-4646; standardhotel.com; hip boutique.

Hollywood (includes Melrose, Hollywood Hills & West Hollywood)
Chateau Marmont – 8221 Sunset Boulevard (West Hollywood); 323-656-1010 or 877-550-4646; chateaumarmont.com; traditional, hipster digs.
Hollywood Hills Retreat – just above Sunset Strip; vrbo.com/835893; mid-century modern in Laurel Canyon, just south of Mulholland Drive; 2.8K' sq on private 1/3 acre; beautiful canyon view with West facing backyard & pool/spa built for entertaining including BBQ, 6 chaise lounges, outdoor sofa sectional & dining; 3 bedrooms & 3 baths; small 4th bedroom with treadmill.
London West Hollywood – 1020 North San Vincente Boulevard (West Hollywood); 310-854-1111 or 866-282-4560; thelondonwesthollywood.com.
Mondrian – 8440 Sunset Boulevard (West Hollywood); 323-650-8999; mondrianhotel.com; high-concept and design; pool.
Redbury – 1717 Vine Street; 323-962-1717 or 877-962-1717; theredbury.com; Griffith Observatory and Hollywood sign views; within walking distance of many restaurants and sights.
Sofitel LA – 8555 Beverly Boulevard (West Hollywood); 310-278-5444 or 800-521-7772; sofitella.com; deluxe rooms facing Hollywood Hills are bigger and quieter; once you leave ground floor (soulless), hotel’s entire character changes; grown-up take on California style; excellent restaurant.
Soho House – 9200 Sunset Boulevard (West Hollywood); 310-432-9200; sohohousewh.com; private members club that sometimes has rooms available.
Sunset Marquis Hotel & Villas – 1200 Alta Lomo Road (West Hollywood); 310-657-1333 or 800-858-9758; sunsetmarquishotel.com.
Sunset Tower Hotel – 8358 Sunset Boulevard (West Hollywood); 323-654-7100 or 800-225-2637; sunsettowerhotel.com; 1st choice in LA; must get Room 1202, preferably attached to 1201.
W Hollywood – 6250 Hollywood Boulevard; 323-798-1300; whollywoodhotel.com; rooftop pool, high-ceilinged lobby, brasserie (Delphine).

Hermosa, Manhattan & Redondo Beaches and Palos Verdes
Shade Hotel – 1221 North Valley Drive (Manhattan Beach); 310-546-4995 or 866-742-3377; shadehotel.com; ultracomfy and intriguing; rooftop pool and Skydeck with views of Catalina Island.
Terranea Resort – 100 Terranea Way or 6610 Palos Verdes Drive South (Rancho Palos Verdes); 310-265-2800 or 866-802-8000; terranea.com.

Venice
Rose Hotel – 15 Rose Avenue; 310-399-1850; therosehotelvenice.com; Todd says give it shot.



RESTAURANTS
Beverly Hills (includes Bel-Air, Beverly Crest & Beverly Grove)
Bazaar – 465 South La Cienega Boulevard (at SLS Hotel); 310-246-5555; thebazaar.com; 4 stars; expensive; extraordinarily visual; Philly cheesesteak.
Bouchon – 235 North Cañon Drive (at Montage Hotel complex); 310-271-9910; bouchonbistro.com; Chef Thomas Keller; brasserie-style food; try gnocchi a la Parisienne and/or short ribs.
BLVD – 9500 Wilshire Boulevard (at Beverly Wilshire Hotel); 310-385-3901; fourseasons.com; great lunches.
Crossroads Kitchen – 8284 Melrose Avenue; 323-782-9245; crossroadskitchen.com; vegan & vegetarian.
Culina, Modern Italian – 300 South Doheny Drive (at Four Seasons Hotel); 310-860-4000; culinarestaurant.com; Sardinian-style Italian; ask for patio seating; also, tremendous ice cream desserts, worth visit for alone.
Cut – 9500 Wilshire Boulevard (at Four Seasons); 310-276-8500; fourseasons.com; Wolfgang Puck’s elegant steakhouse.
Grill on Alley – 9560 Dayton Way; 310-276-0615; thegrill.com; harkens back to Chasens, serving seafood on towering ice beds; Dover sole meuniere and liver and onions are great.
Honor Bar – 122 South Beverly Drive; 310-550-0292; thehonorbar.com; focus on cocktails, but can also grab lunch here; try grilled chicken sandwich.
Maude – 212 South Beverly Drive; 310-859-3418; mauderestaurant.com; 25-seat jewel box; unassuming from outside; driven by local availability; small courses.
Mr. Chow – 344 North Camden Drive; 310-278-9911; mrchow.com; Chinese; not worth effort.
Oliverio’s – 9400 West Olympic Boulevard (at Avalon Beverly Hills Hotel); 310-407-7791; avalonbeverlyhills.com; excellent, inventive food, some of which harvested from roof-top garden; eat around pool; limited menu.
Nate & Al’s – 414 North Beverly Drive; 310-274-0101; natenal.com; Jewish deli since 1945; popular with old school A-list.
Polo Lounge – 9641 Sunset Boulevard (at Beverly Hills Hotel); 310-276-2251; thebeverlyhillshotel.com; has lighted terrace; favorite breakfast spot for generations of stars & Hollywood deal-makers; seasoned manager guides guests to indoor and outdoor seating for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night suppers.
Scarpetta – 225 North Cañon Drive (at Montage Beverly Hills); 310-860-7800; montagebeverlyhills.com; high-end Italian food; engaging waitstaff and modern decor; food is peerless; perfect al dente spaghetti rightfully gets accolades; desserts are works of art.
Spago – 176 North Cañon Drive; 310-385-0880; wolfgangpuck.com; LA icon.
Trattoria Amici – 469 North Doheny Drive; 310-858-0271; tamici.com; beautiful and wealthy stomping ground; location has best patio in town (allegedly).
Urasawa – 218 North Rodeo Drive; 310-247-8939; foodiedan.com; LA’s most expensive sushi.
Yu-N-Mi Sushi – 9475 Santa Monica Boulevard; 310-273-7437; strip mall eatery that is absolutely tiny and followed by dedicated, small crowd of in-know locals, such as Jessica Alba; menu is huge; mix of traditional nigiri and flamboyant, native to California-style rolls.

Boyle Heights
Guisados Tacos – 2100 East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue; 323-264-7201; guisados.co; chalkboard menu lists dozen or so guisados (stews), served on homemade corn tortillas; 4 make dinner meal; this is dining destination.

Burbank
Smokehouse Restaurant – 4420 West Lakeside Drive; 818-845-3731; smokehouse1946.com; beside Warner Brothers’ lot; industry hangout.

Culver City & Venice
A-Frame – 12565 Washington Boulevard; 310-398-7700; Pan-Asian joint venture that includes Kogi Truck chef.
Akasha – 9543 Culver Boulevard; 310-845-1700; akasharestaurant.com organic, well-sourced; earthy.
Café Gratitude – 512 Rose Avenue (Venice); 424-231-8000; cafegratitudevenice.com; cult-ish vegan mini-chain; really good.
La Dijonaise – 8703 Washington Boulevard; 310-287-2770; ladijonaise.com; bistro.
Father’s Office – 3229 Helms; 310-736-2224; fathersoffice.com; gastropub with hamburgers; small space; movie star hangout for lunch; try “Office Burger,” caramelized onion, bacon, Gruyere, Maytag blue, and arugula.
Gjusta – 320 Sunset Avenue; 310-314-0320; gjusta.com; bakery, bar, coffee shop, deli, juice bar, and smokehouse; all-day café; try brisket & bone marrow burger.
Gjelina – 1429 Abbot Kinney Boulevard (Venice); 310-450-1429; gjelina.com; great weekend breakfasts; try lemon-ricotta pancakes.
Joe’s Restaurant – 1023 Abbot Kinney Boulevard (Venice); 310-399-5811; joesrestaurant.com; among LA’s top restaurants.
Superba Snack Bar – 533 Rose Avenue (Venice); 310-399-6400; superbasnackbar.com; make sure to try cauliflower.
Tasting Kitchen – 1633 Abbot Kinney Boulevard (Venice); 310-392-6644; thetastingkitchen.com; California-Mediterranean.

Downtown (includes Brentwood, Century City, Chinatown, Elysian Park, Fairfax, Little Tokyo, Mid-City, Mid-City West, Westlake & Westwood)
Alma Restaurant – 952 South Broadway; 213-444-0984; alma-la.com; chef-driven, seasonal cuisine with biodynamic and/or natural beers, ciders & wines.
AOC Wine Bar & Restaurant – 8022 West 3rd Street; 323-653-6359; aocwinebar.com; lovely venue.
Animal – 435 North Fairfax Avenue; 323-782-9225; animalrestaurant.com; try hamachi tostada with fish-sauce vinaigrette.
Apple Pan – 10801 West Pico Boulevard; 310-475-3585; applepan.com; great cheeseburger and fries; famous for Cali-style burger, Steakburger (with Tillamook cheese) & Hickoryburger; don’t overlook pies (especially banana cream), though.
Attari Sandwich Shop – 1388 Westwood Boulevard (Westwood); 310-441-5488; Persian food.
Bäco Mercat – 408 South Main Street; 213-687-8808; bacomercat.com; baco is flatbread sandwich stuffed with beef carnitas and pork belly.
Bar Ama – 118 West 4th Street; 213-687-8002; bar-ama.com; chef from Baco Mercat turns to his San Antonio roots for this Mexican restaurant.
Bestia – 2121 East 7th Place; 213-514-5724; bestiala.com; moderately priced, downtown Italian restaurant in gentrified Industrial District south of Little Tokyo; built around brightly-lit open kitchen with blazing wood-burning oven.
Blue Cow – 350 South Grand Avenue; 213-621-2249; bluecowkitchen.com; burgers and sandwiches; cocktails.
Bottega Louie – 700 South Grand Avenue; 213-802-1470; bottegalouie.com; breakfast, lunch, and dinner establishment; Italian.
Caffe Luxxe – 11975 San Vincente Boulevard; 310-394-2222; caffeluxxe.com; coffee shop with excellent pastries; across from Brentwood Country Mart; try candied-orange-infused espresso.
Canter’s Deli & Restaurant – 419 North Fairfax Avenue; 323-651-2030; cantersdeli.com; grandfather of LA’s NY-style delis since 1931.
Carlitos Gardel Restaurant – 7963 Melrose Avenue; 323-655-0891; carlitosgardel.com; Argentinean; intimate; excellent wine selection.
Church & State – 1850 Industrial Street; 213-405-1434; churchandstatebistro.com; bistro; best for lunch.
Cole’s – 118 East 6th; 213-622-4090; 213dthospitality.com/project/coles; circa-1908 Downtown “classic” feels like trip back in time; claims origination of French dips made with beef & lamb; atmospheric, hidden speakeasy in back – Varnish – known for its crafty mixologists, designer cocktails & hipster crowd; sign states that Charles Bukowski pissed here.
La Dolce Vita – 9785 Santa Monica Boulevard (Westlake); 310-278-1845; ladolcevitabeverlyhills.com; Italian; Los Angeles historic establishment that remains when others fail; generally considered 5 stars.
Drago Centro – 525 South Flower Street, #120; 213-228-8998; dragocentro.com; Sicilian food in elegant setting; highly reviewed.
Du-Par’s – 6333 West 3rd Street; 323-933-8446; coffee shop; open 24 hours; also, bakery.
Echigo – 12217 Santa Monica Boulevard; 310-820-9787; excellent sushi; hidden gem.
Empress Pavilion – 988 North Hill Street (Elysian Park); 213-617-9898; empresspavilion.com; LA Chinese food’s Grand Dame.
FarmShop – 225 26th Street, Suite 25 (at Brentwood Country Mart); 310-566-2400; farmshop.com; casual restaurant-cum-market; open for breakfast and lunch.
Il Fico Pizzeria – 310 South Robertson Boulevard (Mid-City West); 310-271-3426; pizzeriailfico.com; whole wheat pizza is worth special trip; good Southern Puglian cuisine, as well.
Guelaguetza Restaurant – 3014 West Olympic Boulevard; 213-427-0608; guelaguetzarestaurante.com; Oaxacan food.
Hinoki & Bird – Century Drive; 310-552-1200; hinokiandthebird.com; Asian fusion in Art Deco luxury building.
Ivy Restaurant – 113 North Robertson Boulevard; 310-274-8303; theivyla.com; Hollywood star see-and-be-seen locale.
Joan’s on 3rd – 8350 West 3rd Street; 323-655-2285; joansonthird.com; unfussy gourmet food.
Kiriko Sushi – 11301 West Olympic Boulevard, #102 (Mid-City West); 310-478-7769; kirikosushi.com; great affordable sushi in family-style portions.
Langer’s Delicatessen – 704 South Alvarado Street (Westlake); 213-483-8050; langersdeli.com; old school deli; #10 and/or 19 (pastrami).
Loteria Grill Farmers Market – 6333 West 3rd Street (at Farmers Market); 323-930-2211; loteriagrill.com; authentic Mexican.
Nickel Diner – 524 South Main Street; 213-623-8301; 5cdiner.com; place that brought bacon doughnut to LA; also has great burgers, pork hash, pancakes.
189 by Dominique Ansel – 189 Grove Drive (Fairfax); 323-602-0096; dominiqueansella.com; inventor of Cronut turns to savory at with refined bistro offering full-service menu of seasonal, globally-inspired salads, veggie-friendly dishes & chops; modern, elegant & slightly whimsical space above bakery below has evergreen view of treetops outside.
Original Pantry Café – 877 South Figueroa Street; 213-972-9279; pantrycafe.com; 24-hour diner (no locks on doors) open 24-7-365 since 1924; near Staples Center; order Portuguese sausage with eggs with griddled sourdough bread on side.
Original Philippe – 1001 North Alameda Street (Chinatown); 213-628-3781; philippes.com; invented French Dip sandwich.
Orson & Winston – 122 West 4th Street; 213-687-0300; orsaandwinston.com; by chef from Bar Ama and Baco Mercat; Tex-Mex.
Pacific Dining Car – 1310 West 6th Street; 213-483-6000; pacificdiningcar.com; “elegant place to hide”; 24-hour spot with elegant décor, full wine list, and celebrated dry-aged beef; while Santa Monica location also open 24/7, this is where historic hideout has been operating since 1923; late-night menu (offered 11 pm-4 am), which includes everything from French toast to filet mignon, all at special prices.
Patina – 1415 South Grand Avenue (at Walt Disney Concert Hall); 213-972-3331; patinagroup.com; uneven food in striking setting.
Petty Cash Taqueria – 7360 Beverly Boulevard (Fairfax); 323-933-5300; pettycashtaqueria.com; go late to boisterous, boozy, taqueria for shot of small-batch mezcal and classic Baja fish taco.
Philippe – 1001 North Alameda Street (Chinatown); 213-628-3781; philippes.com; century-old; home of French dip sandwich; make sure to order lamb version.
Red O – 8155 Melrose Avenue; 323-655-5009; redorestaurant.com; Mexican; expensive; try suckling pig cochinita pibil.
Simplethings Sandwich & Pie Shop – 8310 West 3rd Street (Mid-City West); daily changing menu; great desserts.
Son of Gun – 8370 West 3rd Street; 323-782-9033; sonofagunrestaurant.com; seafood; 50 seats; souped-up New England fishing shack; try mini lobster roll and/or shrimp toast (it’s like croque monsieur stuffed with fried shrimp) or shrimp with mustard-lime dipping sauce.
Sushi Gen – 422 East 2nd Street; 213-617-0552; sushigenla.com; casual and cheap; highly rated; long lines; lunch better shot at efficient seating.
Tacos Tumbras a Tomas – 317 South Broadway, Space A-5 (at Grand Central Market); 213-620-1071; grandcentralsquare.com; best carnitas tacos.
Tavern – 11648 San Vicente Boulevard (Brentwood); 310-806-6464; tavernla.com; casual but modish bar-restaurant with good bar food; make sure to try “Snickers Bar” dessert.
Taylor’s Steakhouse – 3361 West 8th Street; 213-382-8449; taylorssteakhouse.com; since 1953, local favorite; 2 locations; try bone-in rib eye and Molly salad.
Terroni – 7605 Beverly Boulevard; 323-954-0300; terroni.ca; homemade pasta, diverse, Italian wine list, loud but charming atmosphere, with old Italian movies projected on wall.
UMAMICatessan – 852 South Broadway; 213-413-8626; umami.com/umamicatessen; high-concept dining hall with umami burger station, koster-style deli, coffee joint, doughnut shop, and pork “temple.”
Unami Burger – 1520 North Cahuenga Boulevard; 323-469-3100; unamiburger.com; all housemade products, including cheese; rave reviews.
Vincenti Ristorante – 11930 San Vicente Boulevard (Brentwood); 310-207-0127; vincentiristorante.com; among Brentwood’s best Italian restaurants.
A Votre Sante – 13016 San Vincente Boulevard; 310-451-1813; avotresantela.com; cheap, healthy.
WP24 – 900 West Olympic Boulevard (at Ritz-Carlton); 213-743-8824; wolfgangpuck.com; Asian fusion like Honk Kong-style; try marjolasian (dessert like Twix bar).
Water Grill – 544 South Grand Avenue; 213-891-0900; watergrill.com; excellent seafood in slightly corporate setting.
Westside Tavern – 10850 West Pico Boulevard (Mid-City West, in Westside Pavilion Mall); 310-470-1539; westidetavernla.com; chicken liver mousse is outstanding, as is pot roast.
Wurstkuche – 800 East 3rd Street; 213-687-4444; wurstkucherestaurant.com; cavernous industrial space; beer and bratwurst joint; try Filipino Maharlika sausage.

East (Arcadia, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Monterey Park, San Gabriel & San Marino)
Bashan – 3459 North Verdugo Road (Glendale); 818-541-1532; bashanrestaurant.com; superb seafood, in particular.
Din Tai Fung – 1088 South Baldwin Avenue (Arcadia); 626-574-7068; dintaifungusa.com; dumpling house; famous Shanghai original’s American branch.
Auntie Em’s Kitchen – 4616 Eagle Roack Boulevard (Eagle Rock); 323-255-0800; auntieemskitchen.com; breakfast and lunch daily; soups, shepherd’s pie, potpies, and baked goods.
Elite Restaurant – 700 South Atlantic Boulevard (Monterey Park); 626-282-9998; elitechineserestaurant.com; authentic dim sum.
Monterey Palace – 1001 East Garvey Avenue (Monterey Park); 626-280-3571; Cantonese standby famous for crisp-skinned suckling pig and soy sauce chicken (breed and raise own chickens for serving).

Echo Park
Brite Spot Diner – 1918 Sunset Boulevard; 213-484-9800; britespotdiner.com; featured in television series Love; patio; long popular with late-night crowd; diner food on steroids; no ingredients that come from box; resulting food, including juicy cheeseburger, decadent homemade mac & cheese & inventive pulled-pork sandwich made with red wine, is still really rich but in good way.
Elf Café – 2135 West Sunset Boulevard; 213-484-6829; elfcafe.com; poor signage and strange hours make this hidden, meat-free, and tiny Mediterranean restaurant difficult to accommodate; candlelit, romantic setting and excellent food make worth effort; can bring your own wine for $5 corkage fee.
Taquerias El Atacor 6 – 1378 West Sunset Boulevard; 213-481-7579; uses thinly-pressed tortillas that crunch like potato chips; inside, smooth potato purée laced with plenty of cumin, served on lettuce & tomato and doused with green salsa, crema & cheese.

Encino
Sushi Katsu-Ya – 11680 Ventura Boulevard; 818-788-2396; katsu-yagroup.com; most casual and maybe best Japanese.

Griffith Park, Los Feliz & Silver Lake (includes Atwater Village)
Alimento – 1710 Silver Lake Boulevard; 323-928-2888; alimentola.com; Italian; try chopped salad (token Italian antipasti jumble upgraded with chick pea puree & fritters).
Barbrix – 2442 Hyperion Avenue; 323-662-2442; barbrix.com; big-beamed ceiling and stacked wine cases by bar; try polenta with sautéed oyster mushrooms and Gorgonzola fonduta.
Blair’s – 2903 Rowena Avenue; 323-660-1882; blairsrestaurant.com; candlelit tables in quiet bar with regulars and first dates; best short ribs in LA.
Canele – 3219 Glendale Boulevard (in Atwater Village); 323-666-7133; canele-la.com; excellent.
Forage – 3823 West Sunset Boulevard; 323-663-6885; foragela.com; fetch water from cooler, meals served buffet, on cookie sheet tray; fresh, local ingredients.
Golden Road Brewery – 5410 West San Fernando Road (Atwater Village); 213-373-4677; goldenroad.la; sweet potato fritters and banh mi sandwiches; vegan options.
Más Malo – 515 West 7th Street; 213-985-4332; masmalorestaurant.com; historic downtown space with ornate domed ceilings; now hip Mexican joint.
Trails Café – 2333 Fern Dell Drive; 323-871-2102; thetrailslosfeliz.com; pit-stop on trail that leads to Griffith Observatory; sandwiches and soup.

Hermosa, Manhattan & Redondo Beaches and Palos Verdes
Fishing With Dynamite – 1148 Manhattan Avenue (Manhattan Beach); 310-893-6299; eatfwd.com; oyster-focused seafood café with classic & creative eats served amid wainscoting & lobster buoys.
Hostaria Piave – 231 South Pacific Coast Highway (Redondo Beach); 310-374-1000; hostariapiave.com; Northern Italian cuisine pairs with wines in relaxed, wood-filled space with some communal tables.
Kettle – 1138 Highland Avenue (Manhattan Beach); 310-545-8511; thekettle.net; open 24 hours; 1970s Hofbrau-style; try walnut turkey salad sandwich on cinnamon raisin bread; try pomegranate mimosa.
Lemonade – 451 Manhattan Beach Boulevard (Manhattan Beach); 310-545-5777; lemonadela.com; snappy, cafeteria-style restaurant serving healthful, seasonal salads, sandwiches & stews.
Manhattan Beach Post – 1142 Manhattan Avenue (Manhattan Beach); 310-545-5405; eatmbpost.com; creative farm-to-table American chow served in urbane space featuring lots of reclaimed wood.
Strand House – 117 Manhattan Beach Boulevard (Manhattan Beach); 310-545-7470; thestrandhousemb.com; happening destination for farm-fresh fine dining in sleek setting with sweeping ocean views.
Uncle Bill’s Pancake House – 1305 Highland Avenue (Manhattan Beach); 310-545-5177; unclebills.net; café serving basic breakfasts & lunches in homey space, with patio seating & views over ocean; since 1961.

Highland Park
Café de Leche – 5000 York Boulevard; 323-551-6828; cafedeleche.net; Latin-style café.
Good Girl Dinette – 110 North Avenue 56; 323-257-8980; goodgirlfoods.com; American diner meets Vietnamese comfort food; cheap; try curry chicken pot pie.
York – 5018 York Boulevard; 323-255-9675; theyorkonyork.com; stylish gastro-pub with brick walls and chalkboard menu.

Hollywood (includes Melrose, Hollywood Hills & West Hollywood)
Ago – 8478 Melrose Avenue; 323-655-6333; agorestaurant.com; co-owned by Robert DeNiro; perfectly cooked pastas and pizza; try monkfish with polenta.
Ammo – 1155 North Highland Avenue; 323-871-2666; ammocafe.com; locally-sourced, seasonal foods; try pork chop on buckwheat polenta.
Cecconi’s – 8764 Melrose Avenue; 310-432-2000; cecconiwesthollywood.com; Italian.
Cleo’s – 1717 Vine Street (at Redbury Hotel); 323-962-1717; cleorestaurant.com; Persian.
Craig’s – 8826 Melrose Avenue (West Hollywood); 310-276-1900; craigs.la; “scene to be seen”; ’in,’ pricey place from Craig Susser (ex-maître d’ at Dan Tana’s); dark, lounge-y, wood-paneled space with retro touches; offers vegan options.
Ed’s Coffee Shop – 460 North Robertson Boulevard (West Hollywood); 310-659-8625; facebook.com/pages/Eds-Coffee-Shop/118024741546550; among city’s finest short-order establishments; try roast beef hash.
El Coyote Mexican Cafe – 7132 Beverly Boulevard; 323-939-2255; elcoyote.com; among best Mexican food deals in town; cheesy atmosphere; year-round Christmas lights in bar.
Eveleigh – 8752 West Sunset Boulevard; 424-239-1630; theeveleigh.com; ask to sit on patio (cityscape view); small and large plates.
Hatfield’s – 6703 Melrose Avenue; 323-935-2977; hatfieldsrestaurant.com; stylish, fine-dining; not movie star place; must try croquet-madame (yellowtail sashimi, prosciutto, quail, egg, and brioche); among LA’s highest reviewed restaurants; also, vegan options.
Hungry Cat – 1535 North Vine Street; 323-462-2155; thehungrycat.com; bar and seafood raw bar; primarily restaurant.
Ike Sushi – 6051 Hollywood Boulevard, #105; 323-856-9972; in strip mall; unassuming strip-mall eatery lures foodies with traditional sushi, including omakase-style.
Ink – 8360 Melrose Avenue, Suite 107; 323-651-5866; mvink.com; name reflects Chef Michael Voltaggio’s ambition to leave mark on culinary world; rather dark, minimalist space encompassing bar for walk-in diners, private dining room, and main dining room with view to action in kitchen; unusual combinations of ingredients and traditional dishes with twist; environmentally friendly Natura system filters drinking water; service efficient; tiny sandwich shop spinoff nearby.
Jar – 8225 Beverly Boulevard (West Hollywood); 323-655-6566; thejar.com; chophouse that also serves small plates; 2 stars; outstanding brunches.
Jitlada – 5233½ Sunset Boulevard; 323-663-3104; jitladala.com; southern Thai food.
Koi – 730 North La Cienega Boulevard; 310-659-9449; koirestaurant.com; sushi.
Kung Pao Bistro – 11402 Ventura Boulevard (Studio City); 818-766-8686; kungpaostudiocity.com; vegan and vegetarian options.
Lawry’s Prime Rib – 100 North La Cienega Boulevard; 310-652-2827; lawrysonline.com; original restaurant.
Loteria Grill Hollywood – 6627 Hollywood Boulevard; 323-465-2500; loteriagrill.com; “power lunch”; Mexican café with “off road” dishes.
Lucques – 8474 Melrose Avenue; 323-655-6277; Lucques.com; French-Mediterranean; “4 stars”; converted carriage house with free-standing fireplace; excellent panna cotta with blood orange granita.
Madeo Ristorante – 8897 Beverly Boulevard (West Hollywood); 310-859-4903; excellent, traditional, Italian food; sort of “underground,” insider-celebrity location.
Matsuhisa – 129 North La Cienega Boulevard; 310-659-9639; nobumatsuhisa.com; Nobu’s west coast starting point.
Musso & Frank Grill – 6667 Hollywood Boulevard; 323-467-7788; seeing-stars.com; Hollywood’s oldest restaurants; place to go to celebrate having “sealed deal”; order flannel cakes (from 11-3), Welsh rarebit, and sourdough bread; note that “Harrison Ford” whose star is outside door is not current Harrison Ford but silent film star.
Nobu – 903 North La Cienega Boulevard; 310-657-5711l; noburestaurants.com; sushi.
101 Coffee Shop – 6145 Franklin Avenue; 323-467-1175; the101coffeeshop.com; Formica paradise attended, on any given night, by children, stars, and/or strippers; try nut-and-honey shake (made with peanut butter).
Osteria Mozza – 6602 Melrose Avenue; 323-297-0100; mozza-la.com; Italian, see-and-be-seen establishment.
Il Piccolino – 350 North Robertson Boulevard; 310-659-2220; ilpiccolinorestaurant.com; 40-year, Italian mainstay for old Hollywood A-list.
Pizzeria Mozza – 641 North Highland Avenue; 323-297-0100; mozza-la.com; wildly popular with stars; make reservation.
Providence – 5955 Melrose Avenue; 323-460-4170; providencela.com; among LA’s most highly respected restaurants; more than elegant; for dessert, try homemade blood orange lollipop.
Real Food Daily – 414 North La Cienega Boulevard (Mid-City West); 310-289-9910; realfood.com; creative, organic vegan comfort food.
Sur – 606 North Robertson Boulevard; 310-289-2824; sur-restaurant.com; highly regarded bistro.
Trois Mec – 716 North Highland Avenue; 323-468-8915; troismec.com; French.
Unami Burger – 4655 Hollywood Boulevard; 323-669-3922; unamiburger.com; all housemade products, including cheese; rave reviews.
Urth Caffe – 267 South Beverly Drive (West Hollywood); 310-205-9311; urthcaffe.com; great breakfasts; white picket fence surrounds health-conscious Westsiders as soft world music serenades at almost same volume as low-key chatter; lines often spill over onto jam-packed front patio, but once inside, glass displays reveal giant cookies, sticky buns, and full menu of soups, salads and entrees – including many vegetarian and vegan options; customers order at counter and then wait for delivery by servers who move seamlessly through café’s hectic mix.
Wood & Vine – 6280 Hollywood Boulevard; 323-334-3360; woodandvine.com; casual gastropub with backyard patio; dishes are mostly shared plates.
Xiomara on Melrose – 6101 West Melrose Avenue; 323-461-0601; xiomararestaurant.com; California cuisine with Latin inflection; great mojitos.

Inglewood
Paleta – 705 Vesta Street; 310-673-7820; paleta.com; locally-sourced meals; low carb focus.

Koreatown
Guelaguetza Restaurant – 3337½ West 8th Street; 213-427-0601; guelaguetzarestaurante.com; Oaxacan food.
SoBan – 4001 West Olympic Boulevard; 323-936-9106; sobanusa.com; Korean noodle dishes.

Larchmont Village
Gratitude Cafe – 639 North Larchmont Boulevard; 323-580-6383; cafegratitudela.com; vegan; lovely setting.
Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits & Cheese – 223 North Larchmont Boulevard (Mid-Wilshire); 323-856-8699; larchmontvillagewine.com; great sandwiches.

Palms
Chego! – 3300 Overland Avenue; 310-287-0037; eatchego.com; brought to you by Korean “Kogi Truck” folks.
n/naka – 3455 Overland Avenue; 310-836-6252; n-naka.com; among few Japanese restaurants with female chef; vegan options.

Studio City
Asenebo – 11941 Ventura Boulevard; 818-760-3348; asanebo-restaurant.com; worth special trip.
Black Market Liquor Bar – 11915 Ventura Boulevard; 818-446-2533; blackmarketliquorbar.com; mid-priced small-dish menu, which changes daily and includes items like soft-shell crab po’ boy, grits, collard greens, and ham.
Kiwami – 11920 Ventura Boulevard; 818-763-3910; katsu-yagroup.com/kiwami.html; studio-insider business lunch venue; boutique-y, quiet, and small.
‎ ●SunCafé – 3711 Cahuenga Boulevard West; 818-308-7420; suncafe.com; offers vegan menu.

West
Sotto Restaurant – 9575 West Pico Boulevard; 310-277-0210; sottorestaurant.com; southern Italian; in otherwise non-prepossessing neighborhood; worth special trip.

Westchester
Pann’s – 6710 La Tijera Boulevard; 323-776-3770; panns.com; space age architecture makes this retro-diner visit worthy in and of itself; on way to LAX; perfect place to end long evening, start long trip, or recover from hangover.

Westwood
Blvd 16 – 10740 Wilshire Boulevard; 310-474-7765; blvd16.com; stylish lounge-restaurant featuring menu filled with fresh, local ingredients and signature cocktails.
Flame Persian Cuisine – 1442 Westwood Boulevard; 310-470-3399; flamepersiancuisine.com; Persian food.
Shaherzad – 1422 Westwood Boulevard; 310-470-3242; Persian food.



SERVICES
Angels Walk LA – 501 West Glenoaks Boulevard, Suite 10, PMB 742; 213-744-0016; angelswalkla.org; self-guided historic trails.
Beverly Hills Trolley Tour – southeast corner Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way; 310-285-2442; beverlyhills.org; public art and significant architecture tours on Saturdays.
Circa Jewels – 10100 Santa Monica Boulevard, #300; 310-772-2296 or 877-876-5493; circajewels.com; jewelry resale.
City Line – 800-447-2189; metro.net; runs Monday-Saturday along Santa Monica and San Vicente Boulevards.

Beauty
Beverly Hot Springs – 308 North Oxford Avenue (Koreatown); 323-734-7000; beverlyhotsprings.com; natural hot springs, Korean spa; be prepared for full nudity in gender-segregated areas.
Blo – 6250 Hollywood Boulevard (Hollywood, at W Hotel); 323-469-2569; blo-salon.com; hair.
Chris McMillan Salon – 8944 Burton Way (Beverly Hills); 310-285-0088; thechrismcmillansalon.com; Chris is hair colorist specialist and does Brazilian blowouts.
MyBlow LA – 419 North Bedford Drive (Beverly Hills); 310-278-4600; myblowla.com; blow-dry/hair-style salon; adorably styled as contemporary boudoir.
Nine Zero One – 901 Westbourne Drive (West Hollywood); 310-855-9099; ninezeroonesalon.com; hair.
Olympic Spa – 3915 West Olympic Boulevard (Koreatown); 323-857-0666; olympicspala.com; well-priced services and sauna array at this Korean spa; be prepared for full nudity in gender-segregated areas.
Francesca Paige – 9735 Wilshire Boulevard (Beverly Hills); 310-860-0898; francescapaige.com; good facialist.
Pho Siam Thai Spa – 1525 Pizarro Street (Silver Lake); 213-484-8484; phosiam.com; Thai spa (more modest than Korean spas); clean, soothing facility.
Sonya Dakar Skin Clinic – 9975 Santa Monica Boulevard; 310-553-7344; sonyadakarskinclinic.com; must have Fade Away Facial.
Sqirl – 720 North Virgil Avenue (Silver Lake); 213-394-6526; sqirlla.com; if for no other reason than excellent toast; exquisite, expensive, small-batch jams, made from local fruit, sold in handsome hand-labeled jars.
Thibiant Beverly Hills Day Spa – 449 North Cañon Drive (Beverly Hills); 310-278-7565; thibiantbeverlyhills.com; great for manicures.
Wi Spa – 2700 Wilshire Boulevard (Koreatown); 213-487-2700; wispausa.com; massive, 24-hour Korean bathhouse (jimjibang); unisex, as well as gender-segregated (be prepared for full nudity), baths, saunas, and steam rooms.



SHOPPING
Artesia
Cottage Art – 18619 South Pioneer Boulevard; 562-924-6268; cottageart.com; home décor and textile items from around world.
Sona Chaandi – 18301 Pioneer Boulevard; 562-924-7274; facebook.com/SonaChaandiCA; eyebrow threading salon and clothing boutique; Indian goods.

Beverly Hills (includes Bel-Air, Beverly Crest & Beverly Grove)
Gratus – 427 North Cañon Drive, Suite 209; 310-276-8200; gratus.com; under-radar fashion labels.
Maxfield Bleu – 301 North Cañon Drive; 310-275-7007; maxfieldla.com; big label overstock from Maxfield’s.
Panache Floral Designs – 269 South Beverly Drive, #191; 310/274-2720; panachedsn.com; jaw-dropping arrays.
Paper Bag Princess – 8818 West Olympic Boulevard; 310-385-9036; thepaperbagprincess.com; contemporary design and vintage couture.

Camarillo
Camarillo Premium Outlets – 740 East Ventura Boulevard; 805-445-8520; premiumoutlets.com; includes Barney’s, Coach, Sak’s, and Kate Spade, among others.

Chinatown
Thomas Solomon Gallery – 427 Bernard Street; 323-427-1687; thomassolomongallery.com; art.

Culver City & Venice
Blum & Poe – 2727 South La Cienega Boulevard; 310-836-2062; blumandpoe.com; airy, 21K' sq art space.
Curious Palate – 12034 Venice Boulevard; 310-472-1211; thecuriouspalate.com; market-café; deli case highlights include farmstead cheeses.
Golden State – 564 Rose Avenue (Venice); 392-7800; thegoldenstatestore.com; pint-size design and lifestyle store; locally made stuff.
Gjusta – 320 Sunset Avenue; 310-314-0320; gjusta.com; bakery, bar, coffee shop, deli, juice bar, and smokehouse.
Kendall Conrad Design – 1121 Abbot Kinney Boulevard (Venice); 310-399-1333; kendallconraddesign.com; high-end leather goods (handbags, wallets, etc.).
Last Chance Clothing Boutique – 5879B West Washington Boulevard; 310-287-1919; not vintage but outlet and overstock designer items.
Luna Garcia Pottery – 201 San Juan Avenue (Venice); 310-396-8026; lunagarcia.com; ceramics.

Downtown (includes Brentwood, Century City, Chinatown, Elysian Park, Fairfax, Little Tokyo, Mid-City, Mid-City West, Westlake & Westwood)
Acne Studio – 855 South Broadway; 213-243-0960; acnestudios.com/stores-losangeles‎; clothing.
Anzen Hardware – 309 East 1st Street (Little Tokyo); 213-628-2068; cool hardware store; excellent for knives.
Beige – 7274 Beverly Boulevard (Mid-City West); 323-549-0064; beigestore.com; women’s clothing.
Brentwood Country Mart – 225 26th Street; brentwoodcountrymart.com; opened in 1948 as faux farmers’ market; now houses high-end stores, bookstores, etc.
Brentwood General Store – 225 26th Street; 310-394-9225; brentwoodcountrymart.com; flowers, jewelry, gifts.
Calleen Cordero – 7384 Beverly Boulevard; 323-934-5541; calleencordero.com; hand-crafted, luxury women’s accessories and shoes.
California Market Center – 110 East 9th Street; 213-630-3600; californiamarketcenter.com; designer wholesale mart; closed to public except last Friday every month.
CB1 Gallery – 1923 South Santa Fe Avenue; 213-806-7889; cb1gallery.com; housed in former bank along Gallery row; high-ceilinged space showcases emerging & midcareer artists.
Cirrus Gallery – 2011 South Santa Fe Avenue; 213-680-3473; cirrusgallery.com; art by Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari, Donald Judd, etc.
Decades – 8214 Melrose Avenue; 323-655-1960; decadesinc.com; vintage clothing.
Douglas Fir – 8317 West 3rd Street; 323-651-5445; douglasfirstore.com; men’s and women’s clothing.
Downtown – 719 & 725 North La Cienega Boulevard (at La Cienega Design Quarter); 310-652-7461; downtown20.net; modern design & furniture.
EM & Co. – 7940 West 3rd Street; 323-782-8155; emandco.com; cool boutique.
Farmers Market – 6333 West 3rd Street (at South Fairfax Avenue); 323-933-9211; farmersmarketla.com; over 100 stalls, including creperie and wine bar.
Golyester – 450 South La Brea Avenue; 323-931-1339; golyester.com; vintage clothing.
Grand Central Market – 317 South Broadway; 213-624-2378; grandcentralmarket.com; historic farmers’ and food market; must visit experience.
Grove – 189 Grove Drive; 323-900-8080; thegrovela.com; retail, dining & entertainment center.
Hillary Rush – 8222 West 3rd Street; 323-852-0088; hillaryrush.com; NYC women’s clothing boutique.
Japanese Village Plaza – 335 East 2nd Street, #223; 213-680-1930; japanesevillageplaza.net; collection Japanese cafes and shops.
Le Labo Fragrances – 8385 West 3rd Street; 323-782-0411; lelabofragrances.com; perfumes.
Kinokuniya Book Store – 123 Astronaut E.S. Onizuka Street (Little Tokyo); 213-687-4480; kinokuniya.com; bookstore.
Milk – 8209 West 3rd Street; 323-951-0330; shopatmilk.com; boutique, new, and vintage.
Noodle Stories – 8323 West 3rd Street; 323-651-1782; noodlestories.com; minimalist clothing.
OK – 8303 West 3rd Street; 323-653-3501; okstore.la; unusual household stuff.
Paulette Macarons Bakery – 9466 Charleville Boulevard; 310-275-0023; paulettemacarons.com; macaroons almost exclusively.
James Perse – 225 26th Street (at Brentwood Country Mart); 310-394-9160; brentwoodcountrymart.com; clothing.
Pyrrha – 8315 West 3rd Street; 323-424-4807; pyrrha.com; wax-seal impressed pendents and jewelry; all handmade.
Resurrection Vintage – 8006 Melrose Avenue (Mid-City West); 323-651-5516; resurrectionvintage.com; vintage clothing.
Santee Alley – 210 East Olympic Boulevard; 213-488-1153; thesanteealley.com; LA’s fashion district; unlike any other LA pavement stretch; 20' wide, 3 blocks through downtown’s Fashion District, from Olympic Boulevard, south to Pico Boulevard; more than 200 merchants, who hail from Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Pakistan, and Vietnam; around 1:00 p.m. every afternoon, Senegalese drift from alley’s mouth on Olympic for daily prayer; cramped, loud, and visually exotic, like Fez or Tripoli medina; shops don’t have front doors; they have metal shutters that roll up into ceiling; twilight economy, all-cash engine fueled by largest counterfeit fashion merchandise assemblage in US.
Satine – 8117 West 3rd Street; 323-655-2142; satineboutique.com; designer boutique.
Scout – 8021 Melrose Avenue; 323-461-1530; scoutla.net; edgy, new, and vintage.
Shelter Furniture – 7920 Beverly Boulevard; 323-937-3222; also bedding and design books.
Lotta Stensson – 8372 West 3rd Street; 323-852-0520; lottanyc.com; women’s wear.
Stir Market – 7475 Beverly Boulevard (Fairfax); 323-879-8283; stirmarket.com; high-end food market.
Tokyo Japanese Lifestyle Outlet – 2109 Sawtelle Boulevard; 310-914-5320; tokyojlsusa.com; bento boxes, Hello Kitty, Sanrio, etc.
Turpan – 225 26th Street (at Brentwood Country Mart); 310-451-8010; brentwoodcountrymart.com; high-end house-wares.
Way We Wore – 334 South La Brea Boulevard; 323-937-0878; thewaywewore.com; vintage clothes and “inspiration library.”

Griffith Park, Los Feliz & Silver Lake (includes Atwater Village)
Coco’s Variety Store – 2427 Riverside Drive; 354-664-7400; cocosvariety.com; knickknacks and vintage bicycles.
Dream Collective – 1404 Micheltorena Street; 323-660-2000; dreamcollective.com; jewelry in Bohemian atmosphere.
Individual Medley – 3176 Glendale Boulevard (Atwater Village); 323-665-5344; theindividualmedley.com; womens’ wear boutique.
Runway Outlet – 2395 Glendale Boulevard, Suite A2; 323-522-6192; myspace.com/therunwayoutlet; designerwear.
Valerie Confections – 3360 West 1st Street; 213-739-8149; valerieconfections.com; coffee cake is outstanding – 3 layers of chiffon cake, coffee whipped cream, and coffee crunch.
Workshop SK – 3129 1/2 Glendale Boulevard (Atwater Village); 323-913-1318; shopworkshop.com; Serena Kojimoto’s jewelry, which has been shown at museums like Getty and Guggenheim.

Highland Park
Orecul77 – 5159 York Boulevard; 323-254-2600; orecul77.com; hipster tailor shop where owner renovates old dresses into 1-of-kind wearable art pieces.
Society of Spectacle – 4563 York Boulevard; 323-255-4300; societyspectacle.com; fashionable eyewear boutique.

Hollywood (includes Melrose, Hollywood Hills & West Hollywood)
Alpha – 8625 Melrose Avenue; 310-855-0775; alpha-man.com; men’s “furnishings.”
Amoeba Music – 6400 West Sunset Boulevard (West Hollywood); 323-245-6400; amoeba.com; among best record stores in world.
Candle Delirium – 7980 Santa Monica Boulevard (West Hollywood); 323-656-3900 or 888-656-3903; candledelirium.com; luxury candle source.
Decades Two – 8214 Melrose Avenue (West Hollywood); 323-655-1960; decadestwo1.com; vintage.
Flounce Vintage – 718 North Virgil Avenue; 323-913-5922; flouncevintage.com; vintage clothing.
Just One Eye – 7000 Romaine Street (West Hollywood, in Howard Hughes Building); 323-969-9129 or 888-563-6858; justoneeye.com/; men’s and women’s wear; gifts; worth special trip.
Jenni Kayne – 614 North Altmont Avenue (West Hollywood, at Santa Monica Boulevard); 310-860-0123; jennikayne.com; women’s clothing; carries Mannin Studio line jewelry, among others.
Kitson – 115 South Robertson Boulevard (West Hollywood); 310-859-2652 or 800-814-8447; shopkitson.com; celebrity clothing store, low-end.
Les Habitudes – 101 North Robertson Boulevard (West Hollywood); 310-273-2883; leshabitudes.com; bridal and evening wear.
Elaine Kim – 8373 West 3rd Street (West Hollywood); 323-937-0355; elainekim.com; boutique clothing.
Neil Lane – 708 North La Cienega Boulevard (West Hollywood); 310-275-5015; neillanejewelry.com; vintage jewelry in particular.
Mary Norton – 8436 Melrose Place; 323-852-1800 (West Hollywood); marynorton.com; handmade Italian bags.
Plastica – 8405 West 3rd Street (West Hollywood); 323-655-1051; plasticashop.com; home and office goods store.
Pyrrha – 8315 West 3rd Street (West Hollywood); 323-424-4807; pyrrha.com; gold and silver pendent necklaces made from antique wax seals, as well as other jewelry items.
RTH – 537 North La Cienega Boulevard (West Hollywood); 310-289-7911; rthshop.com; boutique with handcrafted elegance; feels like stepping into rustic cabin; handmade bags, belts, and wallets from son of Laramie Boot Co. owner.
Regen Projects – 6750 Santa Monica Boulevard (Hollywood); 310-276-5424; regenprojects.com; museum-like, modern art gallery.
What Goes Around Comes Around – 159 South La Brea Avenue; 323-933-0250; whatgoesaroundnyc.com; vintage thrift shop.

Larchmont Village
Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits & Cheese – 223 North Larchmont Boulevard (Mid-Wilshire); 323-856-8699; larchmontvillagewine.com; gourmet food products.

Pacific Palisades
Black Ink – 873 Swarthmore Avenue; 310-573-9905; blackinklosangeles.com; cards and stationary.
Elyse Walker – 15306 Antioch Street (in Pacific Palisades Commercial Village); 310-230-8882; elysewalker.com; womens’ clothing.

Palms
VMT Los Angeles – 8919 Ellis Avenue; 310-841-2104; vmt-losangeles.com; womens’ accessories & clothing; in Airstream trailer; call first.

San Gabriel
Focus Plaza – 140 West Valley Boulevard (San Gabriel Square); sangabrielsquare.com; huge Chinese “market” (square); grocery stores, movies, salon services, boutiques; spend day here; make sure to visit Focus Department Store, which carries Chinese candies, teas, etc.



SIGHTS & SITES
General
Case Study Housessee below for specific houses; artsandarchitecture.com/case.houses/index.html; “Case Study Houses” were experiments in American residential architecture sponsored by Arts & Architecture magazine, which commissioned contemporary major architects (e.g., Charles & Ray Eames, Craig Ellwood, Pierre Koenig, Richard Neutra, Eero Saarinen, & Raphael Soriano) to design and build efficient, inefficient model homes for US residential housing boom caused by WWII’s end and soldiers’ return; program ran intermittently from 1945-1966; 1st 6 houses (built by 1948) attracted more than 350K visitors; while not all 36 designs built, most of those that were constructed were built in LA, 1 in Phoenix, AZ (of unbuilt houses #19 was to have been built in Atherton, CA, while #27 was to have been built in Smoke Rise, NJ; numerous Case Study houses appeared in magazine in iconic black-and-white photographs by architectural photographer Julius Shulman; of those built, not all remain.
Pacific Surfliner – 800-872-7245; amtrak.com; San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara to Los Angeles to San Diego.

Beverly Hills (includes Bel-Air, Beverly Crest & Beverly Grove)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences – 8949 Wilshire Boulevard; 310-247-3000; oscars.org.
Fields House – 1129 Miradero Road (Beverly Hills); also known as “Case Study House #18(2)”; designed by Craig Ellwood in 1958; house was prefab; components are strongly defined with color: ceiling and panels are off-white and steel framework is blue; remodeled.
Greystone Mansion & Park – 905 Loma Vista Drive; 310-550-4796; greystonemansion.org; largest home ever built in Beverly Hills; 55-room English Tudor Mansion; gift to his son, built for more than $50M; includes 16-acre garden.
Case Study House 16B – 1811 Bel Air Road (Bel-Air); 1953 Case Study House designed by Craig Ellwood; modular steel structure (basic plan is 4' modular rectangle but interior walls stick out past exterior walls to bring indoors out; driving by, you can see almost nothing; positive note – the drive alone is worth it.
Case Study House #17(2) – 9554 Hidden Valley Road (Beverly Hills); designed in 1956 by Craig Ellwood, but governed by specific program set forth by client (contemporary painting collection was factor); living room purposely undersized to work best for small gatherings; house extensively remodeled in 60s by Hollywood Regency architect John Elgin Woolf and his partner, interior designer Robert Koch Woolf; driving by, not only can you see almost nothing but, worse, house looks irredeemably altered; positive note – the drive alone is worth it.
Sheats–Goldstein Residence – Angelo View Drive (Beverly Crest); roadtrippers.com/us/los-angeles-ca/points-of-interest/sheats-goldstein-house; designed & built between 1961-63 by American architect John Lautner; conceived from inside out & built into sandstone ledge of hillside; cave-like dwelling that opens to embrace nature & view; example of American Organic Architecture that derives its form as extension of natural environment & individual for whom built; owned by LACMA; not open to public but may be able to arrange tour.

Brentwood (includes Mandeville Canyon)
Case Study House #3 – 13187 Chalon Road (Mandeville Canyon); designed in 1949 by Theodore Bernardi, Donald Emmons, & William Wurster; 2-acre site opens to views through canyons to distant mountains; currently can see nothing from street; site once was botanical garden; positive note – the drive alone is worth it.

Burbank
Warner Brothers VIP Studio Tour – 3400 Riverside Drive; 818-972-8687; www2.warnerbros.com/vipstudiotour.

La Cañada Flintridge
Case Study House #15 – 4755 Lasheart Drive; designed by J.R. Davidson in 1947; south walls are made out of huge glass panels and flagstone patio and indoor floor are at same level for seamless indoor-outdoor feel; floorplan "basically that of another Davidson house, Case Study House #11, which was demolished.

Culver City & Venice
Binoculars (Chiat/Day) Building – 340 Main Street (Venice, at Rose Avenue); arcspace.com/calif/build/chiat.htm; commercial office building built between 1985-1991 for advertising agency Chiat/Day (now TBWA\Chiat\Day); notable for 3 different styles used in main facade, particularly massive binoculars sculpture that functions as both car and pedestrian entrance; binoculars designed by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen; parking garage entrance is between lenses.
Museum of Jurassic Technology – 9341 Venice Boulevard (Culver City); 310-836-6131; mjt.org; offbeat museum home to many bizarre relics (Russian paintings of dogs in space, mice on toast); dedicated to lower Jurassic; artifact and relict repository re more obscure and poetic aspects of natural history and science-technology history, and their entwined realizations in human artistry and ingenuity; Tula Tea Room, Russian-style tea room where Georgian tea, cookies, and crackers served to patrons, is miniature reconstruction of Tsar Nicolas II’s Winter Palace study.

Downtown (includes Brentwood, Century City, Chinatown, Elysian Park, Fairfax, Little Tokyo, Mid-City, Mid-City West, Westlake & Westwood)
Annenberg Space for Photography – 2000 Avenue of Stars, #1000; 213-403-3000; annenbergspaceforphotography.org.
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels – 555 West Temple Street; 213-680-5200; olacathedral.org.
Corita Art Center – 5515 Franklin Avenue; 323-466-2157; corita.org; upon entering Roman Catholic order of Sisters of Immaculate Heart of Mary (in Los Angeles) in 1936, Kent took name Sister Mary Corita; took classes at Otis (now Otis College of Art & Design) and Chouinard Art Institute and earned BA from Immaculate Heart College in 1941; earned MA at USC in Art History in 1951; between 1938-68 lived & worked in Immaculate Heart Community & taught in Immaculate Heart College, where art department chair; left order in 1968 & moved to Boston, where devoted self to making art; died of cancer in 1986; classes at Immaculate Heart were avant-garde mecca for prominent, ground-breaking artists & inventors, such as Alfred Hitchcock, John Cage, Saul Bass, Buckminster Fuller and Charles & Ray Eames; created several hundred serigraph designs, for posters, book covers & murals; her work includes 1985 Love Stamp and Rainbow Swash (1971) & 150' h natural gas tank in Dorchester neighborhood of Boston.
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion – 135 North Grand Avenue; 213-972-7211; musiccenter.org; 1 of Los Angeles Music Center’s halls (which is 1 of 3 largest performing arts centers in US); Music Center’s other halls include Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall.
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library – 2520 Cimarron Street; 323-731-8529 or 323-735-7605 (tours); humnet.ucla.edu; largest public Oscar Wilde collection, 1st collected editions of Keats and Shakespeare.
Geffen Contemporary at MOCA – 152 North Central Avenue (Downtown); 213-621-1745; moca-la.org/museum/moca_geffen.php?; former police car warehouse in Little Tokyo renovated by Frank Gehry; 40K sq ft exhibition space and MOCA store branch.
J. Paul Getty Center – 1200 Getty Center Drive; 310-440-7300; getty.edu.
Hammer Museum – 10899 Wilshire Boulevard; 310-443-7000; hammer.ucla.edu; Degas, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, etc.
Huntington Library – 1151 Oxford Road (East/San Marino); 626-405-2100; huntington.org; 1st, Arts & Crafts movement exhibits by Greenes, Stickley, etc.; 2nd, tremendous Chinese garden; some 10 years in making, “Garden of Flowing Fragrance” (“Liu Fang Yuan”) open to public; reflects traditional Suzhou-style scholar gardens and features a 1.5-acre lake, pavilions complex, tea house and shop, and 5 stone bridges, set against wooded backdrop of mature oaks and pines.
La Brea Tar Pits – 5801 Wilshire Boulevard; 323-934-7243; tarpits.org; make sure to visit George C. Page Museum, too.
Los Angeles Conservancy – 523 West 6th Street; 213-623-2489; laconservancy.org; historic preservation organization that works to document, rescue, and revitalize historic buildings, neighborhoods, and places; largest in country; produces annual “Last Remaining Seats” film series of classic films in historic movie palaces in downtown LA.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art – 5905 Wilshire Boulevard; 323-857-6000; lacma.org; LACMA is largest encyclopedic museum west of Chicago and attracts nearly 1M visitors annually; more than 100K works spanning art history from ancient times to present.
Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden – Le Conte Avenue at Tiverton Avenue (Westwood); 310-825-1260; botgard.ucla.edu; frost-free, 7-acre garden.
MOCA Grand Avenue – 250 South Grand Avenue; 213-621-7953; moca.org; contemporary art.
Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden – Charles E. Young Drive East; 310-443-7020; hammer.ucla.edu; call for private tour; among most distinguished sculpture gardens in America; good for children.
Museum of Tolerance – 9786 West Pico Boulevard; 310-553-8403; museumoftolerance.com; basically about holocaust but covers other topics, as well.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County – 900 Exposition Boulevard; 213-763-3466; nhm.org; in western US; collections include nearly 33M specimens and artifacts and cover 4.5B years of history.
El Pueblo de Los Angeles – 200 North Main Street; 213-485-6855; ci.la.ca.us/ELP; oldest building in Los Angeles.
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden – 1500 North College Avenue (Claremont); 909-625-8767; rsabg.org; largest botanical garden of native California plants.
Walt Disney Concert Hall – 111 South Grand Avenue; 323-850-2000; laphil.com; designed by Frank Gehry.
Westwood Village Memorial Park – 1218 Glendon Avenue; 310-474-1579; pbwvmortuary.com; movie stars’ burial ground.

East (Arcadia, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Monterey Park, San Gabriel & San Marino)
Case Study House #7 – 6236 North Deerfield Avenue (San Gabriel); designed in 1948 by Thornton M. Abell; has 3-zone living area, with space for activity, relaxation, and study (areas can be separated by sliding panels or combined).

Griffith Park, Los Feliz & Silver Lake (includes Atwater Village)
Ennis Residence – 2655 Glendower Avenue (Los Feliz); ennishouse.com and/or laconservancy.org/locations/ennis-house; not open to public – for information contact Frank Quintero at info@ennishouse.com; residential dwelling designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Charles & Mabel Ennis in 1923 & built in 1924; 4th & largest of Wright’s textile block designs, constructed primarily of interlocking pre-cast concrete blocks; design based on ancient Maya temples (sometimes referred to as Mayan Revival architecture).
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens – 5333 Zoo Drive; 323-644-4200; lazoo.org.
Griffith Observatory – 2800 East Observatory Avenue; 323-660-7827; griffithobs.org.
VDL II House – 2300 Silver Lake Boulevard; 323-953-0224; neutra-vdl.org; Richard Neutra-designed; his own family-home and studio; named for Dutch industrialist Cornelius Van der Leeuw, who gave him $3K to build it because he was so impressed with Neutra’s talent; original burned down in 1963; rebuilt in 1966; visitors encouraged to linger; run by Cal Poly Pomona’s architecture and landscape schools.

Hollywood (includes Melrose, Hollywood Hills & West Hollywood)
Arclight Cinerama Dome – 6360 West Sunset Boulevard (between Vine and Ivar, with DeLongpre to south); 323-464-4226; arclightcinemas.com; designed to present widescreen, 70mm Cinerama films; geodesic structure opened 1963; continues as leading 1st run theater.
Case Study House #17(1) – 7861 Woodrow Wilson Drive (Hollywood Hills); designed by Rodney Walker in 1947; tight budget kept house at just 1.56K'; space gained through glass areas; large front terrace with fireplace that connects indoor living room fireplace; remodeled.
Case Study House #21 – 9038 Wonderland Park Avenue; Pierre Koenig designed in 1958; originally completely surrounded by water, with driveway and walkway spanning moat at carport and front door; house severely messed-with over years, but restored in 90s with help from Koenig.
Chemosphere – 7776 Torreyson Drive (Hollywood Hills, near Harpel House #1); johnlautner.org/Malin.html; not open to public; precariously poised, saucer-home constructed when aerospace engineer Leonard Malin gifted sloped plot from his father-in-law; despite his meager engineer’s income, Malin determined to build on property; to this end, wooed sponsors to help him build innovative, stilted design that would allow home to jut out from hillside; technically home was known as “Malin House”, but 1 sponsors was chemical manufacturer whose polymers & resins used in building, hence nickname, “Chemosphere”; after Malin moved from home, used for events, parties & numerous film shoots (Charlie’s Angels & Body Double; now owned & maintained by Benedikt Taschen.
Comedy Store – 8433 West Sunset Boulevard (West Hollywood); 323-650-6268; thecomedystore.com.
Egyptian Theatre – 6712 Hollywood Boulevard; 323-461-2020; americancinematheque.com/indexegyptian.html; beautiful, restored theater that shows both new and old films.
Garcia House (Rainbow House) – 7436 Mulholland Drive (Hollywood Hills); 323-497-7555 (not open to public but can call & try to set up tour); angelenoliving.com/blog/garcia-residence-by-john-lautner-in-hollywood-hills; private home designed by architect John Lautner; sits on stilts 60' above canyon below; parabolic roof over colored stained glass windows & curved ceiling that rises to 30'; described as among 10 most important residences from midcentury period in Los Angeles; originally designed in 1962 for Russell Garcia; by 2002, had undergone many changes from original design & in need of renovation; in 2002, actor Vincent Gallo sold house for $1.3M to Bill Damaschke, Dreamworks executive, & his partner, business manager John McIlwee; Damaschke & McIlwee then invested another $1M on extensive renovation; ultimately also added fence to obstruct public views from street into glass-sided, transparent house; prominently used as location for film Lethal Weapon 2.
Harpel House #1 – 7764 West Torreyson Drive (Hollywood Hills, near Chemosphere); johnlautner.org/pdf/harpelLA.pdf; not open to public; midcentury architect’s house once written off by preservationists after prior residents added 2nd story & other features ill-suited for 1956 design; but after 2 years renovation, current owner Mark Haddawy has revived Lautner’s original vision.
Hollyhock House – 4800 Hollywood Boulevard; 323-644-6269; hollyhockhouse.net; Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home just below Griffith Observatory; built between 1919-1923; 1st of 5 LA houses Wright built; has concrete door; Wright designed furniture, too.
Lucky Strikes Lanes – 6801 Hollywood Boulevard; 323-467-7776; bowlluckystrike.com; bowling.
MOCA Pacific Design Center – 8687 Melrose Avenue (West Hollywood); 310-289-5223; pacificdesigncenter.com; 1.2M sq ft landmark building designed by Cesar Pelli; showrooms of traditional and contemporary furnishings.
Rudolf Schindler House – 835 North Kings Road (West Hollywood); 323-651-1510; makcenter.org; Viennese architect Rodolf Schindler’s 1-story house.
Spare Room – 7000 Hollywood Boulevard; 323-769-7296; spareroomhollywood.com; bowling and cocktails.
Stahl House – 1635 Woods Drive; 323-744-1635; stahlhouse.com; also known as “Case Study House #17”; named after C.H. “Buck” Stahl, former professional football player; appears to floating over LA due to 3 sides being plate glass; iconic.
Universal Studios – 1000 Universal Center Drive; 818-622-3801; universalstudioshollywood.com.

Little Armenia
Bukowski Court – 5124 De Longpre Avenue; esotouric.com/bukowskicourt; Charles Bukowski lived here from 1963-74; wrote st book, Post Office & used bungalow as setting for Women.

Little Tokyo
Japanese American National Museum – 369 East 1st Street; 213-625-0414; janm.org.

Lynwood
Plaza Mexico – 3100 East Imperial Highway; 310-631-6789; plazamexico.com; shopping market meticulously created to mirror Mexican plazas.

Pacific Palisades
Bailey House – 219 Chautauqua Boulevard; also known as “Case Study House #20(1)”; designed by Richard Neutra in 1948; 2 bedroom house intended to serve young parents; several different kinds of natural wood in house.
Case Study House for 1950 – 1080 Ravoli Drive; designed by Raphael Soriano; rectangular, with living room and bedrooms facing out to view; in eating and kitchen areas, house turns upon itself and living develops around large dining-kitchen plan opening upon terrace leading directly into living room interrupted only by mass of 2 fireplaces; remodeled.
Eames House – 203 Chattaqua Boulevard; 310-459-9663; eamesfoundation.org; reservations required, typically just grounds available to public; also known as “Case Study House #8”; house is mostly clad in glass and is just 1 room deep.
Entenza House – 205 Chautauqua Boulevard; also known as “Case Study House #9”; built in 1949 and designed by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen; purpose was to enclose as much space as possible within reasonably simple construction.
J. Paul Getty Villa – 17985 Pacific Coast Highway; 310-440-7300; getty.edu.
West House – 199 Chautauqua Boulevard; also know as “Case Study House #18(1)”; designed by Rodney Walker in 1948; oriented toward ocean, but set back from cliff edge to avoid noise issues; featured bricked garden room separated from living room by 2-sided fireplace.
Will Rogers State Historical Park – 1501 Will Rogers Park Road; 310-454-8212; parks.ca.gov/?page_id=626; ranch house with equestrian activities.

South
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County – 900 Exposition Boulevard; 213-763-3466; nhm.org; taxidermy.

Thousand Oaks
Janss Dev House – 91 Inverness Road; also known as “Case Study House #28”; designed in 1966 by Buff & Hensman; designed to incorporate facebrick as primary structural material; 2 symmetrical wings join by glass galleries.
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area – 401 West Hillcrest Drive (Topanga); 805-370-2300; nps.gov/samo; nation’s largest urban park.

University Park (includes Exposition Park)
California African American Museum – 600 State Drive (Exposition Park); 213-744-7432; caamuseum.org; African American culture museum, including art.

Watts
Watts Towers – 1727 East 107th Street; 213-847-4646; wattstowers.org; lesson in inner-city life; Watts is high-density neighborhood struggling to survive in gangland; Watts Towers are truly unique attraction; adjoining art gallery; Towers (largest folk art piece created by single person) are colorful, 99' cement and steel sculptures ornamented with mosaics (bottles, ceramic tiles, cups, plates, pottery, and seashells, cups); completed in 1955 by folk artist Simon Rodia, immigrant Italian tile-setter who worked on them for 33 years in his spare time; Rodia’s day job was at Malibu Potteries; tours are by request.

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