Where else but in Los Angeles do the cultural, the culinary and the cutting edge collide so beautifully with California’s characteristic blend of high-strung and carefree?
L.A. is home to Hollywood, which has pumped billions of dollars into new development, including the massive Hollywood & Highland Center next to the Kodak Theatre – itself host to the Oscars and other star-studded events – where the hordes pull up by the busload to catch a glimpse of someone famous and wander along the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard.
The City of Angels also offers round-the-clock entertainment, including shows, music, dining and nightlife rivaling anything New York can bring. Meanwhile, the sun shines, the beaches are but a hop-skip away and, really, just about anything can be had for a price.
GET THERE
All of the major airlines fly into Los Angeles International Airport, affectionately referred to by its code, LAX.
GET AROUND
No sane person wants to tackle L.A. traffic, but cab service is sporadic – sometimes it’s great, sometimes you wait an hour (and don’t even think about trying to flag one down on the street). If you’re staying downtown and aren’t at a hotel that offers shuttle service, you can access the FlyAway bus that serves Union Station. Head to the lower-level “Arrivals” area at the airport and look for the green FlyAway/Buses/Vans signs. The bus picks up every 30 minutes 5 a.m.-1 a.m. and hourly 1 a.m.-5 a.m. Cost is $3. Because the bus uses the HOV lanes, it moves quickly at any time of day, usually taking 25 to 45 minutes. You then can walk or grab a taxi from Union Station to your destination.
STAY
work it out: Los Angeles Athletic Club, 431 W. Seventh St., 800-421-8777, laac.com. Some parts feel dated rather than historic, but overall the place is worth checking out, particularly if working out while traveling is a priority. The property includes a lap pool, a children’s pool, rooms for every indoor sport imaginable, restaurants, meeting facilities and spacious rooms. Rates start at $200.
lifestyles of the not-so-famous: Hollywood Celebrity Hotel, 1775 Orchid Ave., 800-222-7017, hollywoodcelebrity.com. The name is hokey, but this is a cool and reasonably priced spot, especially considering that it’s just a block from the Chinese Theatre and all the other Hollywood action. The rooms are simple and vaguely art-deco style. Rates start at $129; for about $10 more, get a kitchenette in a room that sleeps four.
disney not: The Magic Castle Hotel, 7025 Franklin Ave., 800-741-4915, magiccastlehotel.com. It sounds like Disney but it isn’t; this spot in the middle of Hollywood is connected to the Magic Castle Club, the private club of the Academy of Magical Arts, which hotel guests over 21 will enjoy (the Club also does an all-ages weekend brunch). Families love it because the apartment-style rooms are roomy and sport full kitchens, handy for leftovers from pricey restaurants and for pulling off other meals, and the pool is nice and big. Rates start at $214 for a one-bedroom suite, $300 for two bedrooms.
DINE
the don’t-miss meal: Sona Restaurant (401 N. La Cienega Blvd., 310-659-7708, sonarestaurant.com). The best meal I ate in L.A. (and actually the best one I’ve had in a while) was here; you’ll run out of superlatives quickly during one of the degustation tasting menus, and that’s definitely the way to go with chef/owner David Myers’ Asian-kissed modern French food ($89 for six courses); say yes to wine pairings, which will hook you up with the whole brilliant staff.
sweet emotion: Boule Pastry Shop, 420 N. La Cienega Blvd., 310-289-9977. Across the street from Sona and owned by its partner, Michelle Myers, is Boule, a sweet little boutique bakery that makes such beautiful confections, they look like something you’d wear, not consume, but then you take a bite, and ooo la la. Try the lemon chiffon marshmallows, and get anything that has chocolate in its soft center.
itza nice: Pizzeria Mozza, 641 N. Highland Ave., 323-297-0101, mozza-la.com. Nancy Silverton (of La Brea Bakery and Campanile) and N.Y. Big Man Mario Batali have joined forces, and if you can get in the place, it’s as top-notch as you’d expect, with crackery-crusted, bubbly-edged pies topped with things such as pork fat (lardo!) and funghi misti. The littleneck clam version is killer (have it with a nice Italian red), and the rich housemade gelato is the only way to end.
she wore …: Blue Velvet, 750 Garland Ave., 213-239-0061, bluevelvetrestaurant.com. Forget David Lynch and instead concentrate on the beautiful people slinking around this chi-chi joint at The Flat, which sports two lounges and the most inviting red leather seating. Former Grace and AOC chef Kris Morningstar makes a late-night menu worth staying up for: blue cheese beignets and beef tartare with mushroom chips and smoked eel.
real food for real people: BLD, 7450 Beverly Blvd., 323-930-9744, bldrestaurant.com. After 10 meals of foie gras-foam-filled froufrou elsewhere, sidle up to the counter and plop your tired bottom onto a red leather stool to take down a luxurious version of breakfast, lunch or dinner that looks like what it’s supposed to be – say, a burger or eggs Benedict. Service can be snooty and slow, but it’s fun to people- watch, and you can linger.
unreal food for real people: Haru Ulala, 368 E. Second St., 213-620-0977, haruulala.com. Not everyone is up for slow-cooked cow tongue, and that’s OK. But for those who are, an izakaya, sort of a Japanese tapas place, like this casual one downtown is the ideal place for it. The rest of the menu is just as superb: small plates of things such as conch sashimi, pork belly in a sweet soy ginger sauce, yellowtail with stewed daikon, sardines with spicy cod roe. Decent sake and beer lists.
SHOP
Antiquarius, 8840 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-274-2363, antiquarius.net. Two floors and 25 vendors of cool old stuff, with everything from sterling silver serving pieces to antique toys.
Bodhi Tree Bookstore, 8585 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 310-659-1733, bodhitree.com. Groovy spiritual stuff in a shop with a mellow vibe, an oasis on a street famous for its frenzied commercialism.
Cook’s Library, 8373 W. Third St., 866-340-2665, cookslibrary.com. A whole store devoted to cookbooks, with a passionate, knowledgable staff.
Frederick’s of Hollywood, 6751 Hollywood Blvd., 323-957-5953, fredericks.com. Sadly, the museum of lingerie is closed, but this flagship shop is still a shrine to undergarments, and a hoot to boot.
Hollywood & Highland Center, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., 323-467-6412, hollywoodandhighland.com. The perfect place to get your shot of the Hollywood sign (walk straight to the back of the complex), but otherwise this gigantic shopping mall is more of the same stores you have at home (GAP, Nine West, Skechers), only situated in a re-creation of the 1920s silent film “Intolerance.”
Los Angeles Flower District, 766 Wall St., laflowerdistrict.com. Open to the public 6 a.m.-noon Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and 8 a.m.-noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday ($2 admission), this is the second-largest flower market in the world after Holland’s.
Ron Herman at the Fred Segal Center, 8100 Melrose Ave., 323-651-3342. Several boutique stores in one space, this is a great place to celebrity-spot and find killer shoes (FS Feet), up-to-date clothing and the amazing Jean Bar (Acne and Ksubi).
Wasteland, 7428 Melrose Ave., 323-653-3028, thewasteland.com. If all you’ve known of thrift stores has been Goodwill, Wasteland will be a revelation. Decades of vintage interspersed with couture and pure crapola, and the fun is in the finding. Check out the staggering shoe selection.
ENJOY
Museum of the American West at the Autry National Center, 4700 Western Heritage Way, 323-667-2000, autrynationalcenter.org. Fans of the Western and the West will get a kick out of this place, which mingles art and Hollywood.
Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, 6925 Hollywood Blvd., 323-464-8111, manntheatres.com. It used to be Mann’s, but it’s now called Grauman’s after Sid, who once owned a third of it. Folks flock to check out the handprints and footprints in the cement in the forecour, and it’s still the place to host your movie premiere.
Hollywood History Museum, 1660 N. Highland Ave., 323-464-7776, thehollywoodmuseum.com. Jammed into the old Max Factor building, this is such a campy, fun visit, with 5,000-some displays, including photos, costumes, props and other artifacts from Tinseltown’s past. Open 10 a.m.-5 pm. Thursday-Sunday; $15 adults.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., 323-857-6000, lacma.org. A varied set of collections that rival anything else this country has to offer, divided among multiple buildings. You get your Dutch landscapes, your impressionists, fauvists, cubists, Asian, Egyptian, pre-Columbian, you name it. Closed Wednesdays; $9 adults.
Catch a Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium, which will make you feel like a kid again, especially with a Dodger Dog in one hand (a beer in the other will ruin the kid thing, but it makes the dog taste better). Bleacher tickets start at $10, but you can get into a seat where you can actually see what’s going on starting at $21. Visit dodgers.com and click on “Tickets”.
Red Line Tours (323-402-1074, redlinetours.com) gives you the real tourist experience. “Hollywood Behind- the-Scenes” for $20 a person will get you about 75 minutes of meandering in the general Hollywood Boulevard area. You get a set of headphones that connects you with a guide carrying photo stills from Hollywood past who chats in your ear as you and your group meander about.
Kodak Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., 323-308-6300, kodaktheatre.com. Home to the Academy Awards and other star-studded events. For $15, you can tour the facility, sit in the seat that held Jack Nicholson’s bottom and hear some cool stuff about how the awards extravaganza is pulled off each year.
Look down on Hollywood hype – literally – and get some fresh air by taking the three-mile (round-trip) hike up Mount Hollywood. Don’t do this on the weekends, because it’s crazy-packed, but during the week, it’s a nice getaway and has fab views of the San Gabriels, the Hollywood sign on Mount Lee and the Pacific. The trailhead is in Griffith Park, at the Observatory. You can’t get lost here – just start going uphill (to get there, take U.S. 101 to the Vermont exit and follow signs to Griffith Park).
Check out the nightlife. There are too many great clubs to list, but some favorites include:
The Edison, Second Street and Main Street, 213-613-0000, edisondowntown.com. Newer hotspot in the basement of the historic Higgins building, with a huge dance floor, separate rooms filled with fabulous furniture and an old-fashioned menu of deviled eggs and oysters Rockefeller.
Mood, 6623 Hollywood Blvd., 323-464-6663, moodla.com. Decorated with international knickknacks and a lot of candles, the mood is definitely sexy; popular with celebs, it opens to the boulevard.
Knitting Factory, 7021 Hollywood Blvd., 323-463-0204, knittingfactory.com. A second outpost of the New York industrial-strength music emporium, the Factory always has something for everyone happening on one of its three stages.
Travel editor Kyle Wagner can be reached at 303-954-1599 or travel@denverpost.com.
