where GUESTBOOK
LOS ANGELES
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WELCOME TO LOS ANGELES
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A LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
AMAZING LOS ANGELES In the past few years, I’ve had many travel experiences worth writing home about. I’ve walked on the peaceful beaches of Tahiti and felt the hot black sand underfoot, experienced the bustling urban life of Tokyo and visited the holy sites of Jerusalem. I’ve marveled at the sprawling flea markets of Buenos Aires and centuries-old paintings in Rome. I’ve feasted on chipotle barbecue in Santa Fe, fish tacos in Cabo, Wisconsin cheddar in Madison and thin-crust pizza in New York City. But I always return home to the best place in the world: Los Angeles. I’m not alone in this feeling. The city where I was born and raised is often described as the “entertainment capital of the world” and “culture capital of the 21st century” and as a “foodie paradise” and “fashion center.” Each of those descriptions is true, and your hotel puts you in proximity to it all. And the excitement builds. L.A.’s sports star is on the rise: The Dodgers have made the World Series twice in a row, and LeBron “King” James suited up for the L.A. Lakers. Los Angeles Football Club started scoring goals in the new Banc of California Stadium, and Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park—the future home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers—is nearing
I love that my hometown is full of promise, that creativity is fostered and that dreams come true. Big dreams.”
completion in Inglewood. On the fashion front, the Beverly Center and Westfield Century City both recently underwent massive makeovers, cementing L.A.’s status as a destination for the most stylish shoppers. Meanwhile, Los Angeles International Airport is in the midst of a multibilliondollar modernization program that’s bringing fresh dining and retail options to travelers. And L.A.’s rapidly expanding public-transit system makes experiencing it all a cinch.
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And then there’s the stuff that doesn’t change, the things I’ll forever love about L.A. I love the contrasts—I love being able to ski in the morning and enjoy an ocean swim in the afternoon. I love going to a farmers market in a T-shirt, then to a theater opening in a tuxedo.
EXPLORE Peruse volumes and marvel at the beaux-arts architecture of the historic Central Library, a downtown landmark.
I love the urban splendor and eccentricities of L.A.’s neighborhoods.
SHOP
I love that if I were to go to an art exhibition every day of the year, I still could not see them all. I love the smell of garlic and basil in a trattoria and watching a sushi chef shape his exquisite treats.
Indulge in retail therapy at the iconic Beverly Center—fresh from a $500 million reimagination.
I love the Hollywood Bowl on a summer night. I love seeing my city as the backdrop in all those
Taste the many flavors
Jeopardy! right here.
of L.A. at dining destina-
I love that my hometown is full of promise, that creativity is fostered and that dreams come true. Big dreams.
tions, from taco trucks to temples of gastronomy like Wolfgang Puck’s
Most of all, I love helping fellow travelers discover everything that L.A. has to offer. Whether you’re looking for the glamour of Rodeo Drive or the edginess of Abbot Kinney Boulevard—it’s here. Whether you seek the richest museum in the world (the Getty) or the hippest nightlife on the planet—it’s here. Legendary beaches? Amusement parks? Hiking trails? World-class performing arts? Exceptional dining? Studio tours? Here. You also might spot a celebrity or two. Suffice it to say, it’s no wonder to me that so many people gravitate to L.A. There’s no better place for living the fabulous life—or having a fabulous vacation.
—Jeff Levy, Publisher
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DINE
movies and TV shows. I love that Alex Trebek hosts
Spago.
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AMAZING LOS ANGELES
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B E V E R L Y
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LOS ANGELES
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contents
L.a. essence 38 classique et moderne
photo essay A fine art photographer turns his lens on downtown Los Angeles’ changing landscape.
home sweet home Architect William Hefner is fluent in dual design languages. By joseph lemoyne
by felipe dupouy
Q&A The multitalented Josh Groban talks songwriting, life on the road and his favorite places in L.A.
42 refashioning L.A.’s Treasures shopping and style
58 a bite of the big apple the dining scene
By vicki arkoff
32 balancing act
The city’s architectural gems are getting a second, stylish life. By danielle directo-mestoN
34 Brewed in L.A. In the biz
48 pop up L.A. Icons
Have you heard the buzz? L.A. is home to an ever-growing number of craft breweries. By roger grody
Several of the city’s examples of “pop architecture” are back in the roadside spotlight. By andrea richards
52 classical centennial history A look back at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s first 100 years. By Vicki arkoff
Major players in the New York culinary and nightlife scenes are making their mark in L.A. By Roger Grody
Cover and opening spread: The view from Griffith Observatory. Photos by Dale Berman
from left: Brian Bowen Smith; dustin downing; dylan + Jeni
24 portrait of Los Angeles
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l.a. essentialS 12 FIRST LOOK
must-see SPOTS Get glimpses of the city-defining destinations that captivate locals and visitors alike.
66 NEIGHBORHOODS CITY GUIDES Explore Los Angeles County’s many cities and communities, from Santa Monica to Pasadena and from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach.
73 SPENDING TIME SHOPPING
87 CHOW TIME DINING
74 LOOK BOOK See what’s in store at some of the area’s finest retailers.
76 RETAIL DETAILS Find your style at the region’s major shopping centers and at select boutiques and galleries.
Hungry? Check out our guide to the best restaurants in the county.
101 PLAY TIME aTTRACTIONS Get out! The best things to do and see in L.A.: studio tours, theme parks, the arts, sports, nightlife and more.
from left: Danielle Directo-Meston; Laura Hull; courtesy artisanal brewers collective
contents
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SHOPPING DINING ENTERTAINMENT
BEST VIEW OF HOLLYWOOD SIGN WALK OF FAME • TCL CHINESE THEATRES DOLBY THEATRE – HOME OF ACADEMY AWARDS®
R E C E I V E E X C LU S I V E D I S C O U N T S O N S H O P P I N G , D I N I N G A N D E N T E RTA I N M E N T WI T H O U R N E W V I P AC C E S S P RO G R A M . V I S I T T H E L.A . V I S I TO R ’S C E N T E R O N LE V E L 2 TO R E C E I V E YO U R FR E E C A R D TO DAY.
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HollywoodandHighland.com
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where GUESTBOOK
Los Angeles publisher Jeff Levy EDITOR Gillian Glover ART DIRECTOR Carol Wakano PRODUCTION ARTIST Diana Gonzalez Contributing designer Heidi Schwindt Contributing EDITOR Suzanne Ennis copy EDITOR Aja Hoggatt contributing WRITERS
Vicki Arkoff, James Bartlett, Danielle Directo-Meston, Roger Grody, Andrea Richards contributing photographers
Dale Berman, Lisa Corson, Felipe Dupouy, Edwin Santiago Regional Advertising Director
Jessica Levin Poff ACCOUNT MANAGERS
Tim Egan, Joel Gilliam, Walter Lewis, Kerry Brewer, Sara Kemp, Christine Penning, Heather Price BUSINESS MANAGER Leanne Killian Riggar CIRCULATION and special events MANAGER Kelsey Bauder marketing/PRoduction manager Dawn Kiko Cheng DIGITAL editor William Yelles Administration
Whitney Lauren Han, Eva Scattergood NATIONAL SALES Joy Lona 213.596.7211 Director of national digital SALES Bridget Cody 706.821.6663 MVP CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER Haines Wilkerson honorary president Ted Levy
3679 Motor Ave., Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90034 Phone: 310.280.2880 Fax: 310.280.2890 EMAIL ADVERTISING Jeff.Levy@SoCalMedia.com Editorial Gillian.Glover@SoCalMedia.com Art Art@SoCalMedia.com Production Ads@SoCalMedia.com WEBSITE Web@SoCalMedia.com Circulation Kelsey.Bauder@SoCalMedia.com Where GuestBook® publishes editions for the following U.S. cities and regions: Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Florida Gold Coast (Fort Lauderdale & Palm Beach), Fort Worth, Hawai‘i Island (the Big Island), Houston, Jacksonville/St. Augustine/Amelia Island, Kansas City, Kaua‘i, Los Angeles, Maui, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Northern Arizona, O‘ahu, Orange County (CA), Orlando, Philadelphia, Reno/Lake Tahoe, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle/The Eastside/Tacoma, Southwest Florida (Naples), Tampa Bay, Tucson, Virginia, Washington D.C. Copyright© 2019 by Southern California Media Group. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, in whole or in part, without the express prior written permission of the publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility to any party for the content of any advertisement in this publication, including any errors and omissions therein. By placing an order for an advertisement, the advertiser agrees to indemnify the publisher against any claims relating to the advertisement. Printed in the United States. Circulation audited by Alliance for Audited Media.
On the Web:
socalpulse.com
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s s
contRIBUTORS felipe dupouy
• Portrait of Los Angeles, page 24 Chilean-born Felipe Dupouy is an established fine artist based in L.A. He received his fine art degree in photography from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 2000. His body of work includes mural-scale photographic prints, as well as limited-edition furniture pieces. He has been photographing Los Angeles obsessively for the past 20 years and is convinced it’s the best city in the world. His work has been featured on popular TV programs, including Heroes and The Closer; in films such as I Am Legend, Duplicity and Burlesque; and in more than 50 feature stories and several covers for Los Angeles Times Magazine and Los Angeles magazine.
Danielle Directo-Meston
s s
• Refashioning L.A.’s Treasures, page 42 Born-and-raised Angelena and writer Danielle Directo-Meston is the founder of UncoverLA.com, where she shines a light on her city’s most stylish people, places and things. Her work has appeared in The Hollywood Reporter, Where Los Angeles, C, Racked LA and Curbed LA. When she’s not busy writing about the City of Angels, you can find her exploring it with her husband and two young kids.
ROGER GRODY
• Brewed in L.A., page 34, and A Bite of the Big Apple, page 58 Pasadena-based Roger Grody is a regular contributor to Westways, Unique Homes, Performances and Where magazines; he has also written for Fodor’s and DK travel guides and the Los Angeles Times, Travel + Leisure and Gayot websites. A foodie and former city planner, Grody enjoys exploring L.A.’s culinary and architectural treasures.
s s
ss Roger Grody, photo by vladimir perlovich; Andrea richards, photo by Teena Apeles
s s
vicki arkoff
• Balancing Act, page 32, and Classical Centennial, page 52 Hollywood-born Vicki Arkoff writes about the good life—travel, food, drink, adventure, entertainment— for Atlas Obscura, Chicago Tribune, CNN, The Daily Meal, JustLuxe, Lonely Planet, Los Angeles Times and Where Los Angeles, and she’s a member of the Usual Gang of Idiots for MAD magazine. Her books include Sinatra, Inside MAD and Virgin Los Angeles, and she’s an authorized biographer for pop icons such as the Beastie Boys, Paul McCartney, Megadeth, Donny Osmond, Radiohead, Tina Turner and Frank Sinatra.
ANDREA RICHARDS
• Pop Up, page 48 Andrea Richards is the author of The 500 Hidden Secrets of Los Angeles and Los Angeles Cocktails: Spirits in the City of Angels. She also wrote the book Girl Director: A How-To Guide for the First-Time, Flat-Broke Filmmaker. A founding member of the L.A.-based publishing collective Narrated Objects, she lives in Los Angeles and unabashedly loves her city.
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LOS ANGELES IS A LAND OF PLENTY, BOASTING ICONIC BEACHES, OUTSTANDING ARTS VENUES, CUTTING-EDGE BOUTIQUES AND MUCH MORE. HERE ARE THE ATTRACTIONS YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS.
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Getty Center & Getty Villa
The J. Paul Getty Museum’s two venues, the Getty Center and the Getty Villa, are among the county’s cultural crown jewels. Perched atop a hill in Brentwood and accessible via tram, the Getty Center (pictured here) is a modernist, Richard Meier-designed complex featuring expansive views, travertine-clad buildings and a beautiful Central Garden reminiscent of a labyrinth. Exciting temporary exhibitions and special events complement its collection of European and American paintings, drawings, sculptures, illuminated manuscripts and photographs. Overlooking the ocean in the Pacific Palisades, the Getty Villa is a re-creation of an ancient Roman country house surrounded by lush gardens. Visitors (who must book tickets in advance) follow the evolution of Greek and Roman art over approximately 6,000 years in the villa’s recently reinstalled galleries. Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A., 310.440.7300; Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Hwy., Pacific Palisades, 310.440.7300, getty.edu
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Hollywood & Highland
Paramount Pictures is the only remaining major studio in Hollywood, but Tinseltown is still full of lights, cameras and action. At its heart is Hollywood & Highland (pictured right), a shopping, dining and entertainment center that hosts movie premieres, live performances and, at Dolby Theatre, the annual Academy Awards. The TCL Chinese Theatre and El Capitan Theatre are steps away, as is the Hollywood Walk of Fame: arguably the world’s most famous side323.467.6412, hollywoodandhighland.com
Grand Avenue
Downtown visitors can’t miss the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, which opened on Grand Avenue between Temple and 3rd streets in 2003. The stainless-steel-clad, curvilinear building strikes a dazzling pose against the city’s blue skies and adds a contemporary element to the midcentury Music Center complex, also home to the Ahmanson Theatre and the Mark Taper Forum—where Center Theatre Group presents worldclass dramas and musicals—as well as the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, home of the L.A. Opera. Of course, music is the Disney Hall’s raison d’être, and, accordingly, its hardwood-paneled main auditorium is an acoustically sophisticated complement to the iconic exterior, as well as to the talents of its resident companies, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and L.A. Master Chorale. A block away, the Broad museum (pictured left) draws lines of people, who wait their turn to take in the contemporary-art collection of philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. Kitty-corner from the Broad is the Arata Isozaki-designed MOCA Grand Avenue, one of three venues that comprise the artist-founded Museum of Contemporary Art.
from Top: Dale Berman; Edwin Santiago. opposite: Dale Berman. Opening spread: lisa corson
walk. 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood,
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Griffith Observatory
The Griffith Observatory (pictured here) has been a leader of public astronomy since 1935, allowing millions of visitors to see the cosmos through its telescopes. Its facade has also had its own star turns in Rebel Without a Cause, La La Land and hundreds of other films and television shows. Visitors can tour the grounds, explore the universe at the state-of-the-art Samuel Oschin Planetarium, take in expansive views of the L.A. Basin and the Hollywood sign and search the sky via telescope at a public “star party,” held monthly. The dome-topped observatory is the main draw of the 4,310-acre Griffith Park, which is also home to the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens, a merry-go-round, the Autry Museum of the American West, Travel Town, pony rides, the Greek Theatre and a 53-mile network of popular hiking trails. 2800 E. Observatory Road, L.A., 213.473.0800, griffithobservatory.org
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The Huntington
Spanning 120 landscaped acres, the 16 themed gardens and 15,000 plant varieties of San Marino’s Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens (pictured here) are a sight to behold. Equally impressive is the art collection, housed mainly in the Huntington Art Gallery (the former residence of railroad magnate Henry E. Huntington and wife Arabella) and the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art. Bookworms will want to check out the Huntington Library, whose collections comprise more than 7 million manuscripts, rare books, photographs, historical prints and other works, including one of 11 surviving copies of Gutenberg’s Bible printed on vellum. On the dining front, the Rose Garden Tea Room offers a memorable experience (reservations are recommended), and noteworthy chefs Susan Feniger, Mary Sue several casual concepts. 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, 626.405.2100, huntington.org
DALE BERMAN
Milliken and Kajsa Alger helm
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Universal Studios Hollywood & Universal CityWalk
One of Los Angeles’ most popular entertainment destinations, Universal Studios Hollywood is both an amusement park and the world’s largest working movie studio. The legendary studio tour takes you through recognizable movie and TV sets, scares you with director Peter Jackson’s King Kong 360 3-D and thrills you with its Fast & Furious—Supercharged finale. Other attractions include Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and the adjacent Super Silly Fun Land, as well as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (pictured right), which enchants muggles with rides, restaurants and shops including Honeydukes. A new water attraction, Jurassic World Ride, makes a splash this year. Neighboring entertainment, dining and shopping promenade Universal CityWalk is a destination unto itself, where visitors can enjoy eateries including Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville and Voodoo Doughnut, as well as a high-tech cinema, nightlife, indoor-skydiving facility iFly Hollywood and more. Universal Studios Hollywood, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, 866.258.6546, universalstudioshollywood.com; Universal CityWalk, 818.622.9841, citywalkhollywood.com
Third Street Promenade & Santa Monica Place
Santa Monica not only has a popular beach and fun-packed pier but also features top-notch shops and restaurants. The pedestrian-only Third Street Promenade (pictured left) occupies three city blocks, where street performers and venof bars, restaurants, theaters and boutiques. On Wednesday and Saturday mornings, the city’s famous farmers market intersects the promenade at Arizona Avenue. Anchoring the complex at Broadway is Santa Monica Place, an open-air shopping center that boasts Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, dozens of boutiques, ArcLight Cinemas and a rooftop Dining Deck. Third Street Promenade, 3rd Street from Broadway
to Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, 310.393.8355, downtownsm.com; Santa Monica Place, 395 Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica, 310.260.8333, santamonicaplace.com
dale berman (2). opposite: Lisa corson
dors ply their trades while visitors and locals filter in and out
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The Beaches
Synonymous with L.A. in many a mind, the county’s beautiful beaches stretch 25 miles along the Pacific coast, from the Malibu/Ventura County border down to Long Beach. Along the way, you’ll find volleyball players, windsurfers, stand-up paddleboarders, swimmers and beachcombers enjoying the sun. Just off the sand, at Will Rogers State Beach, you can hop on a bike path and cruise to Santa Monica State Beach (pictured here), where an attraction-packed pier (best viewed from Pacific Park’s Ferris wheel) offers hours of entertainment. Beyond Santa Monica is Venice Beach, home to the world-famous Boardwalk. In the South Bay, the trail (known locally as the Strand) continues along idyllic Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach before reaching its southern terminus just past the Redondo Beach Pier.
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Rodeo Drive
Style, splendor and sightseers converge on a legendary three-block stretch of Rodeo Drive at the heart of Beverly Hills. Louis Vuitton (pictured right), Chanel, Gucci and Prada are just a few of the esteemed fashion houses with flagship stores in this prestigious shopping district. Stroll up the cobblestoned Via Rodeo to visit Jimmy Choo and Galerie Michael in the European-inspired Two Rodeo shopping complex. But first, pause at the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way to admire the Robert Graham sculpture Torso, the centerpiece of the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style. The south end of Rodeo is anchored by Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills (A Four Seasons Hotel), which houses Wolfgang Puck steakhouse Cut and the sumptuous Spa at Beverly Wilshire. Rodeo Drive between Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards, Beverly Hills, rodeodrive-bh.com
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The Grove & The Original Farmers Market
The Grove is an open-air shopping, dining and entertainment mecca masquerading as a quaint downtown. Favorite stores at the popular center include American Girl Place, Ray-Ban, Apple, Barneys New York, Diane von Furstenberg and Elizabeth and James. Other draws include fashion-forward pop-ups, Pacific Theatres cinema and a fountain that dances to tunes by crooners like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. Refuel at one of several eateries, such as French macaron mecca Ladurée or 189 by Dominique Ansel, a full-service restaurant by the creator of the Cronut (his bakery is downstairs).
From top: courtesy the original Farmers Market; Andrey Bayda/Shutterstock.com. Opposite: Edwin Santiago
Or hop on the electric trolley to the Original Farmers Market (pictured left), an L.A. institution dating back to 1934 that’s packed with more than 100 stalls, boutiques and restaurants, including the classic 24-hour diner Du-par’s. The Grove, 189 The Grove Drive, L.A., 323.900.8080, thegrovela.com; The Original Farmers Market, 6333 W. 3rd St., L.A., 323.933.9211, farmersmarketla.com
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, holding over 135,000 works, from Edo-period paintings in the Pavilion for Japanese Art to a Richard Serra sculpture in the 60,000-square-foot Broad Contemporary Art Museum. The Renzo Piano-designed Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion hosts captivating shows. Peruse galleries—don’t miss Chris Burden’s kinetic sculpture Metropolis II— then catch a matinee of a classic Hollywood film in the Bing Theater, or head outdoors for a cocktail and nibbles at Ray’s and Stark Bar. Afterward, visit Burden’s streetlamp installation Urban Light (pictured right) and Michael Heizer’s Levitated Mass, which consists of a 340-ton granite megalith perched atop a passable “slot” built on the Resnick North Lawn. LACMA’s 20-acre campus is adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits and the home of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which debuts this year across from the Petersen Automotive Museum. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 323.857.6000, lacma.org
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THE ULTIMATE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
AN EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTION OF 250 BOUTIQUES AND 30 RESTAURANTS
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Alexander McQueen · Bally · Bottega Veneta · Brunello Cucinelli · Burberry Cartier · Céline · Chanel · Chloé · Christian Louboutin · COS · Dior · Dior Men Dolce&Gabbana · Fendi · Givenchy · Gucci · Harry Winston · Hermès · John Hardy Louis Vuitton · Maje · Max Mara · Porsche Design · Prada · Rimowa · Saint Laurent Salvatore Ferragamo · Sandro · Stella McCartney · Tiffany & Co. · Valentino AnQi by House of An · Din Tai Fung · Seasons 52 · Terrace by Mix Mix · Vaca · Water Grill Saks Fifth Avenue · Bloomingdale’s · Nordstrom · Macy’s partial listing
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portrait of Los Ang e PHOTOGRAPHS BY FELIPE DUPOUY
Originally from Chile, fine art photographer Felipe Dupouy now focuses his lens on his adopted hometown of L.A. For this project, he took to the streets of downtown to capture the intricate details of its historic buildings over a span of 10 years. “I stumbled onto one of these empty streets and was immediately struck by the beauty and silence of the place. The buildings seemed so grandiose, as if they had personalities,” he says. “They were screaming at me to shoot their portraits.” Using a 4x5 film-plate camera set up on a tripod and perched underneath a dark cloth, he set out to capture a sense of these buildings and streets’ “lingering lives.”
FROM LEFT: VIEW OF THE 110 LEADING INTO DOWNTOWN; DUPOUY SHOT THE ORPHEUM THEATRE’S SIGN AFTER BEING LURED BY ITS BEAUTY. IT TOOK ABOUT THREE YEARS FOR HIM TO GET ACCESS TO THE ROOF.
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g eles
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THE OLD BANK DISTRICT FEATURES LUXURY, LOFT-STYLE RESIDENCES THAT ARE BOTH HISTORIC AND MODERN. OPPOSITE: SHOOTING THE BEAUX-ARTS CONTINENTAL BUILDING LED TO DUPOUY’S 10-YEAR PROJECT.
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“Many times I got to thinking that the craftsmen who had worked on these buildings were more artists than most artists. I felt kind of transported to another time when I was there,� Dupouy says.
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A RARE SHOT FROM BEHIND THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN, WHICH “WATCHES OVER THE CITY,” SAYS DUPOUY
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ONE OF THE KRKD RADIO TOWERS, WHICH HAVE SAT ATOP THE SPRING ARCADE BUILDING FOR NEARLY 90 YEARS. OPPOSITE: A VIEW OF BROADWAY WITH THE ART DECO EASTERN COLUMBIA BUILDING AT THE END
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Q&A
BALANCING ACT L.A. native Josh Groban embraces harmony in the therapeutic power of music. by Vicki Arkoff
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Brian Bowen Smith
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olden-voiced Josh Groban was a talented and terrified 17-year-old senior at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts when his big break came. His vocal coach introduced him to megaproducer David Foster, who needed someone to stand in for opera star Andrea Bocelli for a Grammys duet rehearsal with Celine Dion. Bocelli went on to do the awardsshow broadcast, and Groban went back to history class. Twenty years and 30 million album sales later, the humble Hancock Park native is still on a winning streak. He starred in his first Broadway musical, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; co-hosted the Tony Awards; played The Good Cop in his first TV series; released a coffee-table book, Stage to Stage; launched his own arts-education foundation; and has sung everything from Puccini to “Baby Shark” (in one of his edgy talk-show satires). Having already headlined the world’s most prestigious venues, he again took over arenas on tour in 2018, accompanied by his BFF Sweeney, a friendly Wheaten Terrier. To the delight of his devoted fans (hello, Grobanites!), Groban recently released Bridges, his eighth studio album and the first to feature his songwriting in five years. “I wanted to find a balance,” Groban says. “The songs and musical guests bridge my musical worlds, old and new.” The album contains a song he co-wrote for a special bucket-list occasion: his 20-yearsin-the-making duet with Bocelli on
“We Will Meet Again.” “Here’s to more full-circle surprises,” says Groban. “They don’t come easy or often, but they sure are fun.” What messages did you want to convey with the songs you wrote for Bridges? The single “River” seems to touch on loneliness and depression. Music can be very therapeutic for the person writing and for the person listening. Specifically, for that song, I’ve gotten so many great responses from people who shared with me their stories of mental illness. Stories of what their river has been, so to speak. What they’ve had to do to get through their struggles. That song aside, this has been a common theme that has been the most rewarding for me throughout my career: when people tell me that one of my songs has become a part of their personal story. Part of their healing process, or their grief, or a celebration. That takes me out of my bubble and makes me realize that I’ve reached people on a deep level. That’s a very special thing. When a song can breathe and have a life of its own, I get to see the impact it has on people. My strategy for the last eight albums is to just make music that gives me the chills and hope other people will feel that way, too. What music by other artists gives you the chills? I’ve always liked great voices. I grew up listening to great vocalists, like Streisand and Mel Tormé and Plácido Domingo. I’ve loved
great storytellers like Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, Björk. I was also a teenager in the ’90s, a great era for grunge and hip-hop like LL Cool J, Pearl Jam, Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana and all that cool stuff. And I loved world music, particularly African music. There’s something about all the different styles in South Africa, Benin and Cameroon, which kind of made its way into my Awake record. There’s so much to listen to. You’ve accomplished so much. What’s still on your to-do list? There’s always more to do. I think I’d love to achieve a vacation at some point. [Laughs] Honestly, the things I’ve yet to achieve have more to do with my personal life than my work. Finding some balance would be great. I’d like to do some film scoring. I’d like to write music long-form—something in service to a film without thinking about lyrics and singing. I’d like to go back to Broadway. I had the most amazing time; playing Pierre in Comet was like my inner rock star, getting wasted and yelling at God every night. I had a great time doing it. I love the community and the work ethic. I love the music. That’s a place that I feel very welcomed. And then you finish an album and you think you’re spent, then you find yourself at the piano coming up with new stuff again. What’s keeping you from completing your personal goals? If you’re going to be a musician, travel is just part of the job. Packing your suitcase and con-
stantly being on the road is a part of music now because that’s an enormous part of connecting with your fans. Promotion requires you to be everywhere—in every city, in every country—so you’re constantly saying goodbye. That’s the biggest challenge in my personal life. It’s constantly having to say, “I’ve gotta go.” Unfortunately, if you’re going to find a way to set roots down, it means having to sacrifice things you’ve got to do for your job. I’m 37 now, and I’ve been doing this for 20 years. It’s time I think about the balance more. Work smarter, not harder. I don’t want to just see the world through a hotel window. What do you miss most about L.A. when you’re in NYC or on tour? To me, L.A. always represents family and home. The first thing I do when I get back is go to my parents’ house and barbecue on the grill. My dog runs around, and it’s so great to see my parents and my brother again. We’re such a close-knit family. Then for brunch on the weekend, I’ve got to go to Nate’n Al deli to get my omelet from a cranky waitress who’s been there for ever and ever and ever. Augustine Wine Bar in Sherman Oaks is my wine place. Runyon Canyon for views of the whole city. And for good Mexican food, I’ll go to El Cholo, which has been my birthday spot since I was a kid. I’ve gone to the Hollywood Bowl forever, too. It’s one of the great wonders of L.A. Every time I set foot on that stage as a performer, it’s the most full-circle moment for me.
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BREWED IN
A VIBRANT FOOD SCENE AND CREATIVE CULTURE THAT VALUES ARTISANAL PRODUCTION HAVE FUELED A BURGEONING COMMUNITY OF CRAFT-BEER BREWERS IN L.A. BY ROGER GRODY
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N L.A.
A BEER AT ARTISANAL BREWERS COLLECTIVE’S 6TH AND LA BREA. OPPOSITE: IMPERIAL WESTERN BEER COMPANY AT UNION STATION
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ABOVE, FROM LEFT: THE BOUQS CO.’S JUAN PABLO MONTUFAR AND JOHN TABIS BELOW: THE ACE BOUQUET FROM
I ABOVE, FROM LEFT: A POUR AT ARTS DISTRICT BREWING COMPANY; BELGIAN BREWPUB BLUEBIRD BRASSERIE
N THE MID-19TH CENTURY, a hundred wineries were located in Los Angeles, and what is today the city’s downtown was blanketed in vines. Of course, they have long been paved over, but with world-class viticultural regions a short drive away, L.A. is usually assumed to be a city obsessed with wine. Beer, however, has its place here, and as craft brewing has exploded across the country, L.A. has emerged as a dynamic center for artisanal beer production. Craft brewing—which is such a dominant trend in the beer industry that even MillerCoors and Budweiser are acquiring microbrewers—fosters diversity, innovation and a commitment to high-quality ingredients in brewmasters as passionate as Napa Valley winemakers. No longer satisfied with their fathers’ Pabst Blue Ribbon, trend-conscious L.A. imbibers are embracing this movement and celebrating the arrival of new craft breweries. In fact, when it comes to beer stats, the state of California ranks first in the nation with more than 900 such breweries, and its numbers are swelling in Greater L.A. Although Seattle, Denver and Portland, Oregon, receive considerable attention for their craft-beer scenes, L.A. is slowly but surely emerging as an important player in the craft-beer industry. Leading beer authority Stephen Beaumont—his 13 books include The World Atlas of Beer and Premium Beer Drinker’s Guide—reports that L.A. brewers have historically been disadvantaged by geography.
“Much of L.A.’s problem in getting attention for its breweries are its neighbors to both the north and south,” says Beaumont, citing prominent beer cultures in the Bay Area and San Diego. He notes that increasingly elaborate tasting rooms and brewpubs, definitely a trend developing in L.A., are becoming a major part of the industry, with many brewers selling more than 75 percent of their product on-site. Downtown L.A.’s Arts District, with its industrial heritage and suddenly trendy status, is a natural location for distilleries (e.g., Lost Spirits, Greenbar) and craft breweries. One of the city’s best-known beer makers is Angel City Brewery, founded in 1997 and moving into the A.D. in 2010. The brewery currently produces an IPA (India Pale Ale), Double IPA, Pilsner and SaazBerry beer flavored with raspberry, blueberry and elderberry. In all, Angel City usually offers 19 different varieties on tap at a spacious brewpub lined with art from the nonprofit Art Share L.A. “We love traditional beers—the classics that people recognize—but we also try to come up with cool ingredients to add,” says head brewer Layton Cutler. “It’s fun for us to be innovative and step out of our comfort zone,” he adds. Results include limited releases like Avocado Ale and sprucetip-infused Faux Snow Pale Ale. Events including Taco & Trivia Tuesdays, yoga classes and even floral-arranging workshops fully integrate Angel City with the community. A few blocks away is Arts District Brewing Company,
FROM LEFT: RAINBEAU THARP; COURTESY ARTISANAL BREWERS COLLECTIVE. OPENING SPREAD, FROM LEFT: WONHO FRANK LEE; COURTESY ARTISANAL BREWERS COLLECTIVE
THE BOUQS CO.
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operated by 213 Hospitality, whose portfolio of hip DTLA nightspots includes Seven Grand, the Varnish and Caña Rum Bar. Devon Randall has served as head brewer at Arts District Brewing since its founding in 2015, ramping up production to an impressive 2,000 barrels annually, most of it consumed on-site. A native of L.A. who left for San Diego to learn her trade, Randall is delighted to see more craft-brewing opportunities in her hometown now. “It’s harder to start a business in L.A., so the people who open breweries here tend to be better prepared,” she observes, noting a sense of community among those brewers who overcome the barriers to entry. Randall also serves as brewmaster at Imperial Western Beer Company in downtown’s historic Union Station, one of 213 Hospitality’s most ambitious projects to date. Imperial Western occupies a space that once housed the Fred Harvey Restaurant at Union Station and showcases the seafood-centric cuisine of acclaimed chef David Lentz (the Hungry Cat in Hollywood). “Pairing a beer with uni presented an odd challenge, but I discovered a Vienna lager had just the right sweetness and bitterness,” reports Randall. She suggests an IPA as a natural complement to oysters, but adds that gose, a German-style beer whose tasting notes sometimes include the adjectives “sour” and “salty,” has just the right acidity for those bivalves. The names of Randall’s handcrafted beers—Union Lager, Harvey (a Kristalweizen) and Pullman (a dark stout)—pay tribute to the space’s truly magnificent art deco setting. Artisanal Brewers Collective has been opening brewpubs throughout Southern California at breakneck speed, each venue providing a pub experience and on-site-brewed beers that suit the personalities of their respective neighborhoods. ABC’s 6th and La Brea has a modern, minimalist vibe; West L.A.’s The Stalking Horse feels like a classic British pub; and the Valley’s Bluebird Brasserie is evocative of a Belgian monastery. Co-founder Tony Yanow insists these places are designed for drinking beer, not tasting beer, so exotic creations like black-truffle- and yuzu-infused brews are not typically poured. Rather, his brewmasters concentrate on exceptional versions of traditional styles (e.g., IPAs, lagers) that most beer drinkers are familiar with. Food is also an important component of ABC’s formula. At Westwood Village’s Broxton, which is quickly becoming one of the city’s most popular brewpubs, an ambitious but approachable menu includes Buffalo-spiced cauliflower, burgers, ribs and even blackened tofu for vegan beer enthusiasts. At 6th and La Brea, you can wash down a 12-ounce USDA prime rib-eye or pan-roasted salmon with a Mid-City Stout or Miracle Mile IPA. ABC was born after Yanow and his partner sold Golden
Road Brewing to AB InBev—the Belgian conglomerate owns Budweiser and 400 other brands—and he invested his earnings into creating inviting pubs offering handcrafted beers. “The first time someone drinks a truly fresh beer, and a good one at that, it’s a really sensual experience,” enthuses the passionate entrepreneur. “We serve some of the freshest beer to ever cross a bar, literally just 30 feet from where it was brewed,” says Yanow of the essence of his business model. Torrance may be a bit off the beaten track, but in addition to offering exceptional Japanese restaurants, the laid-back community has established itself as a major hub for craft brewing. Among its dozen breweries—the highest concentration in the South Bay—are Smog City Brewing Company (which has expanded to Long Beach) and Absolution Brewing Company. The names and logos of Red Car Brewery & Restaurant’s English-style beers are inspired by the former Pacific Electric Railway “red cars” that connected the Torrance community to all of Southern California in the first half of the 20th century. At Pasadena’s Craftsman Brewing, founder/brewmaster Mark Jilg brews three different beers year-round, plus about a dozen seasonal varieties and some barrel-aged beers, all delivered in his signature 1946 Studebaker truck. Craftsman has no on-site brewpub, but chef Andre Guerrero’s Maximiliano restaurant in Highland Park has become an unofficial tasting room, offering about seven Craftsman products on tap, including its Heavenly Hefeweizen and 1903 Lager. Jilg reports that Craftsman, founded in 1993, is the oldest continuously operated craft brewery in Los Angeles County. Offering perspective on the industry, he suggests it initially attracted people who were fanatical about their craft but not necessarily adept at business. “After a while, a bit of the soul and passion gets replaced by the hard cold realities of commerce,” says Jilg. As for his assessment of the beer scene in L.A., the veteran brewer states, “There are a lot of highly regarded breweries here, but beer culture isn’t a part of the city’s fabric, like in Portland or San Diego.” Gary Magnone, co-founder of Hopped LA, a website and blog covering the region’s rapidly evolving craft-beer scene, is more bullish about the local industry. “The growth of craft beer in L.A. was inevitable,” he argues, citing the size of the market and its proximity to brewing talent in San Diego. “It was just a matter of time before things trickled their way up north,” adds the commentator. Encouraged by increasing access to talent and technology, Magnone suggests, “There’s still room for a lot of growth, both in volume and quality,” adding that, as the craft-brewing environment becomes more competitive, “The brewers that build direct relationships with their customers will be rewarded over time.”
ABOVE: DEVON RANDALL, HEAD BREWER AT ARTS DISTRICT BREWING COMPANY AND BREWMASTER AT IMPERIAL WESTERN BEER COMPANY BELOW: BROXTON BREWPUB IN WESTWOOD VILLAGE
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CLASSIQUE ET M O
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M ODERNE Architect William Hefner
is best known for a massive French château in Bel-Air, but it is a mistake to typecast his work based on that single high-profile commission. Authoring both traditional and modern designs, this soft-spoken professional demonstrates impressive range through expressions as diverse as L.A. itself. Incorporating architecture, landscape architecture and interior-design services under a single roof is Studio William Hefner, making it a onestop shop for high-end residential design. From Wilshire Boulevard offices overlooking the La Brea Tar Pits and Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Hefner oversees a multidisciplinary staff of 35 that includes his wife, principal interior designer Kazuko Hoshino. Hefner arrived in Los Angeles from Northern California to study at UCLA and founded his current practice in 1989. Earlier in his career, he worked for megafirm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, but found its specialty of high-rise commercial buildings not entirely fulfilling. “I was creating spaces for attorneys and accountants, but it was difficult to establish any personal connection with the ultimate users of those spaces,” laments Hefner. He was, therefore, drawn to the more
Celebrating the diversity of residential architecture in Los Angeles, architect William Hefner finds inspiration in both classical and modern themes. B y J o s e p h L e M oy n e
intimate and accountable specialty of residential architecture, eventually earning commissions for ultraluxury properties. One might argue that the architect’s 60,000square-foot Chateau des Fleurs, occupying 10 precious acres in Bel-Air, is hardly intimate, but Hefner has demonstrated an ability to bring intimacy to large-scale residences. The original design concept was inspired by his client’s visit to the Hôtel du Cap on France’s Côte d’Azur, and one of Hefner’s challenges was to create grand rooms for entertainment while ensuring more informal, family-friendly spaces throughout the home. When Chateau des Fleurs was completed in 2013, it was the largest home in the city, and the project is lavishly memorialized in Hefner’s book Chateau des Fleurs (Pointed Leaf Press, 2016). The book showcases an impressive level of historically accurate detailing incorporated into the home, a meticulous approach that is a signature of all Hefner’s traditionally themed residences. Despite its size—it is, in fact, so massive that most comparable properties are hotels, not residences—there is very little repetition in the home, as Hefner clearly eschews shortcuts. “We wanted to make sure each room was special and unique,” explains Hefner of
the house, whose 31 bathrooms provide a sense of its imposing scale. Despite the Chateau’s true-to-period design elements, Hefner also created a house that is technologically and spatially suited to the lifestyles of 21st-century L.A. families. While the home’s design is rooted in authentic French traditions, its gilded, ornate details are tempered by a seamless intersection of indoors and out—part of its Mediterranean inspiration that translates well to L.A. Every room has a museum-like quality, thanks to Hefner’s prolific research, but not even the most formal and palatial spaces feel cold. Furthermore, subterranean parking for staff, multiple kitchens and elevators make the size of the residence more manageable and bring additional modernity to the home. “One of my goals was to not let the technology of the house intrude with the purely classical experience,” says the architect. Despite the legacy of Chateau des Fleurs, Hefner appreciates a diversity of design, drawing inspiration from L.A. traditionalists like Wallace Neff and Paul Williams, as well as midcentury-modern masters Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra. He reports that approximately 60 percent of his commissions are currently modern, a share that has
This sleek modern home in Pacific Palisades is oriented on its site to maximize views.
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strates Hefner’s comfort level with modern expressions. Reminiscent of L.A.’s influential Case Study Houses from the midcentury era, it was commissioned for a client with an extraordinary modernart collection. “Accommodating art is always a challenge in a view house,” says Hefner, who notes the requisite expanses of glass naturally limit available wall space. In suburban Sierra Madre, a considerably more rustic community than Beverly Hills, Hefner created a thoroughly contemporary residence in an environment where Craftsman bungalows and Spanish Revival homes are the prevailing architecture. But through a generous use of stone and wood, he was able to infuse the property with considerable warmth, softening the impact of its modernist theme. An 8,000-square-foot Pacific Palisades residence —a study in concrete, metal and glass—features expansive windows and a constant blurring between indoors and out. Hefner reports that the
HOA imposes a requirement for pitched roofs to discourage modern architecture, which led to a distinctive roofline that floods the home with even more light. “There were days when I cursed that requirement, but the soaring volumes resulting from it made the house more interesting,” concedes the architect. Studio William Hefner’s landscape-architecture practice reflects his perspective on modern design and indoor-outdoor lifestyles. Infinity pools, a de rigueur amenity for modern homes in L.A., double as reflecting ponds, and the aforementioned Palisades home includes a fountain-laden stone courtyard that assumes the serenity of a Zen garden. With contemporary architecture that can sometimes appear austere, thoughtful attention to landscaping—even when that landscaping is itself very contemporary—can soften the sharp edges. Hefner characterizes traditional and modern styles as demanding two different languages, and he is clearly fluent in both.
Laura Hull. opposite: Roger Davies (3). Opening spread: James Ray Spahn
doubled over the past decade as tastes of high-networth individuals have evolved. “In my practice, I try not to have a ‘signature’ style but strive toward quality design and execution in different genres,” he says. Like many of his peers in L.A., Hefner recognizes that modern design maximizes coastal or hillside views and suits the region’s indoor-outdoor lifestyle. “I personally prefer a look that is more tailored and simplified than Baroque designs, so I’m pleased trends have moved in that direction,” he states. “My philosophy, in both traditional and modern homes, is to introduce spaces for indoor-outdoor living, which is a reason we offer landscape architecture among our services,” says Hefner. “In Southern California, the entire site becomes a living space, with large patios, covered outdoor living areas and landscaped courtyards that people can use throughout the year,” he explains. An approximately 7,000-square-foot home in Beverly Hills’ coveted Trousdale Estates demon-
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: THE MAIN ENTRANCE, DINING NOOK AND “FLOATING STAIRCASE” OF A CONTEMPORARY HOME NEAR THE RIVIERA COUNTRY CLUB—A GRACEFUL STUDY IN CONCRETE, METAL AND GLASS OPPOSITE: THE 60,000-SQUAREFOOT CHATEAU DES FLEURS IN BEL-AIR IS ONE OF L.A.’S MOST EXTRAORDINARY HOMES.
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Refashioning L.A.’s
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Treasures
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THE CITY OF ANGELS’ ARCHITECTURAL GEMS ARE GETTING A SECOND, STYLISH LIFE. BY DAN I ELLE DI R ECTO-MESTON
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f
ASHION AND ARCHITECTURE
are no strange bedfellows, and Los Angeles is a haven for both. Despite what stereotypes will have everyone believe, the City of Angels is not a desert filled with beige strip malls and athleisure enthusiasts. In fact, L.A. actually boasts a Mediterranean climate, and its dynamic design landscape is home to the Frank Gehrydesigned Walt Disney Concert Hall; the modernist manses of Richard Neutra; and a downtown district dotted with art deco landmarks—many of which are becoming home to the style world’s most innovative names. L.A. may not hold the same pedigree as Paris, Florence, Italy, or other international style metropolises with dozens of
centuries of history under their belts—but it does have a reputation for being a West Coast wonderland of reinvention (not to mention it’s a mecca of midcentury-modern design). Given that European luxury labels like Saint Laurent, Dior and Burberry have all staged star-studded runway shows in some of our city’s most famous places (the Hollywood Palladium, a Calabasas wildlife preserve and the Griffith Observatory, respectively), our sprawling cultural destination has clearly solidified its status as a capital of fashion-world-approved cool. When it comes to buying fashion in our city, forwardthinking retailers aren’t necessarily making their L.A. debuts in sleek, newly constructed buildings. Instead, they’re looking
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FROM LEFT: COURTESY VISVIM; COURTESY NIKE. OPPOSITE: COURTESY COS. OPENING SPREAD: COURTESY ERIC STAUDENMAIER/DOVER STREET MARKET
to the past and reinvigorating some of our most beloved architectural treasures—including many in downtown. “L.A. is so underrated when it comes to its history,” especially when compared to major cities in Asia and Europe that are thousands of years old, says Brigham Yen, a downtownbased realtor and blogger behind DTLA Rising. “Because of the suburbanization of L.A., people only focus on the youngest part of the city, the Westside,” and they often overlook culturally rich downtown, he says. The CliffsNotes of L.A.’s historical narrative goes like this: L.A. was officially founded by colonial Spaniards in 1781; long before that, the Tongva and Chumash tribes made the land their homes. Though the exact location of the very first pueblo is long-lost, local historians agree that modern-day Chinatown was the epicenter of L.A. when Mexico ruled California from 1821 to 1848. Following the Golden State’s unionization, many of the buildings erected in the late 1870s during California’s Wild West days through World War II rose up in what we know as the Historic Core of downtown. Fast-forward to today, and many of those buildings that were influenced by Spanish, Moorish, Italian Renaissance, Egyptian and Byzantine architecture are now considered architectural classics. Yen explains that, when compared with other cities, “Architecturally, L.A. compares very favorably [because] people have such low expectations.” “When people come here, there’s a little bit of shock,” he says, adding that most visitors don’t expect to see the same styles of architecture in L.A. as they would in San Francisco. “So many of us [millennials] now are really just interested and appreciate the history of these beautiful, historic structures,” says Yen. Whether they’re locals or tourists, today’s shoppers are seeking authenticity—and that’s something that L.A.’s storied edifices can offer. Perhaps that’s why Visvim, one of Japan’s coolest exports,
has settled into one of L.A.’s most recognizable locations—at least, from the inside. The Tokyo-born brand set up shop last summer inside the iconic Bradbury Building, which is the oldest commercial structure still standing in the city center, according to the L.A. Conservancy. Located in the Historic Core, the 1893-built gem’s bricked interiors, sun-drenched Victorian courtyard and ornate wrought-iron railings might be familiar to film fanatics as the futuristic apartments in the 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner. Visvim founder and designer Hiroki Nakamura is himself a newly minted California transplant and even drew inspiration from his new home state’s majestic national parks for a recent capsule collection with online menswear retailer Mr Porter. At his 3,000-square-foot L.A. boutique (named Visvim Exposition), the gallery-esque space isn’t shy about its Americana influences. There’s a vintage Airstream trailer that displays the brand’s exclusive collection of quilted patchwork jackets and indigo-dyed denim pieces, as well as an olive green army tent that showcases utilitarian menswear staples inspired by the trailblazing Native American soldiers of WWII. There’s also a pair of larger-than-life moccasins that somehow blends in seamlessly with the store’s Japanese decor (which includes a carp streamer and a bonsai tree). Farther south on Broadway, at the intersection of 9th Street, slow but steady redevelopment in recent years has revitalized the Historic Core’s long-dormant shopping scene. A vibrant retail district from the ’20s through the ’40s (before suburban sprawl and freeways drew L.A. dwellers out of DTLA), the corridor’s transformation picked up speed five years ago with the arrival of Ace Hotel, which renovated and restored the former United Artists Building and its attached theater. Down the street is the Eastern Columbia Building, an art deco jewel that opened in 1930 and that’s now home to Berlin-bred eyewear brand Mykita and Swedish label Acne Studios—the latter of which was recruited by real
FROM LEFT: VISVIM’S GALLERY-ESQUE L.A. BOUTIQUE; JUMPMAN LA, THE FLAGSHIP FOR NIKEOWNED JORDAN BRAND OPPOSITE: COS’ STORE IN DOWNTOWN’S OLYMPIC THEATRE OPENING SPREAD: DOVER STREET MARKET LOS ANGELES
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ABOVE: A CDG BRAND SPACE AT DSMLA OPPOSITE: ACNE STUDIOS, IN DOWNTOWN’S ART DECO EASTERN COLUMBIA BUILDING
estate firm Tungsten Property (the Ace’s co-owner) to join Broadway’s retail revival. “The buildings back in the day were just built better; they used materials that would never make economic sense today,” says Yen of the movie palaces of Broadway. “They have marble, really intricately carved plaster, terra cotta—the amount of attention to detail that went into these buildings is not available in today’s craftsmanship. I think a lot of these [modern-day] companies are really smart because if you’re really trying to sell your products and convey quality, then what better way to do that than also be in a building that’s also [considered] high-quality.” That explains why so many traditional mall brands are now looking to cash in on what today’s marketers might call the “experiential” quality of historic spaces, including on Broadway. Case in point: Shopping for Korean beauty products and bohemian wardrobe staples at Urban Outfitters inside the Rialto Theatre (which opened in 2013) is a decidedly different experience than browsing at the hip retailer’s store at the Americana at Brand in Glendale. The same goes for COS, H&M’s minimalist-chic label that took over the 1927-built Olympic Theatre for its third L.A. store two years ago, followed by another location at Westfield Century City last year. For COS, “L.A. has always been a city of huge importance, and the architecture, art and design scene here are all points of inspiration for our creative team,” which was influenced by L.A. buildings designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as the Eames House, says managing director Marie Honda. The Sweden-based company was “committed to maintaining and restoring the original features of its buildings, and
with this store, we undertook the restoration of the iconic ‘Olympic’ sign, using photographs from when the theater was first opened,” says Honda. “[We also] preserved some of its original charms whilst also giving it a new lease of life with a modern COS store interior.” Also new to Broadway is Nike-owned Jordan Brand’s nearly 25,000-square-foot experimental flagship Jumpman LA, which turned a 1928-built landmark into a two-story athletic training ground—complete with a state-of-the-art performance testing lab, a clothing customization bar and even a regulation-size rooftop basketball court. That’s not all: A massive Apple flagship is headed to the Tower Theatre nearby, and rumors are swirling that the tech giant plans to completely encase the building in glass. (We’ll believe it when we see it, as the Silicon Valley company is known for its secrecy.) Over in the Arts District is Dover Street Market, yet another noteworthy DTLA arrival. The legendary multibrand designer boutique debuted its first West Coast outpost last fall, but the showstopper isn’t the 15,000-square-foot space’s history or its stark white exterior—it’s the inside that devotees of interior and fashion design will find mind-blowing. Dubbed DSMLA, the store takes up two side-by-side industrial warehouses just steps from where the historic (and now demolished) Sixth Street Bridge once stood. It’s only the second U.S. outpost for the avant-garde concept retailer, which was designed by co-founder and Comme des Garçons designer Rei Kawakubo—a pioneering experimental fashion force in her own right. When dreaming up the L.A. store, the Tokyo- and Parisbased Kawakubo—who has referenced renowned Swiss architect Le Corbusier as an influence in the past—was guided by the concept of an “ongoing atmosphere of beautiful chaos.” It’s the same approach that’s steered the designs of her five other carefully curated Dover Street Markets in London (where the first location opened), New York, Tokyo, Beijing and Singapore. Shoppers can zigzag their way from a corner devoted entirely to Gucci on one end of the store to a streetwearhappy section on the opposite side that’s stocked with logo hoodies from Off-White, tees and sweaters from Nike, and sneakers from Converse. Spanning across one floor and with no street-facing windows, the store is defined by “two massive white translateral huts” that contain fitting rooms, cash wraps and concept spaces, the retailer says in a statement. Surrounding the “huts” are shops-in-shop for Chanel Fine Jewelry; luxury labels including Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs and Vetements; rising designers like Marine Serre and Melitta
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COURTESY ACNE STUDIOS. OPPOSITE: COURTESY ERIC STAUDENMAIER/DOVER STREET MARKET
Baumeister; and streetwear brands like Palace and Noah, among others. It all may seem like a disjointed labyrinth at first, but a glossy printed floor guide lays out a deliberate floor plan designed to impress stylish visitors at every turn. Dividing walls made of corrugated sheet metal and chain-link fencing punctuate the space, while white ceramic subway tiling and chic marble flooring are a nod to L.A.’s “light and openness.” Should exhausted, well-heeled guests need to kick up their feet, the in-store Rose Bakery boasts a menu of sweet and savory scones, melted-cheddar and chutney sandwiches, and espresso sips from Demitasse Coffee Roasters. Not all of the action is happening in downtown these days, though. Superfans of Dover Street Market are likely wellacquainted with Opening Ceremony, the designer concept boutique that made its L.A. debut over 10 years ago in West Hollywood. Founded in New York by friends Carol Lim and Humberto Leon (who met as undergraduates at UC Berkeley), the bicoastal brand has become a vanguard of cult-cool
style: It was an early champion of designer labels like Alexander Wang, Rodarte and Proenza Schouler (they’re now all regulars in the closets of fashion folks), and it now boasts its own in-house collection. The two-story shop pays homage to its co-founders’ Southern California upbringings in the form of a mini-mall—one that stocks a mix of cult-favorite designers and laid-back staples that fit right in with the store’s playful-yet-luxurious aesthetic. You might find esteemed labels like Kenzo (where Lim and Leon are also creative directors), Raf Simons and Jacquemus commingling with slip-ons from Vans, chic socks and cheeky tchotchkes. True to its creative, against-the-grain spirit, the brand eschewed trendy Melrose Avenue for a low-key space not far from the buzzing shopping stretch. That space? None other than the former dance studio of silent-film superstar Charlie Chaplin—and now, a decade later, many more are discovering that L.A.’s the perfect stage to march to the beat of their own fashion drum.
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POP UP GIANT DOUGHNUTS? BURGERS THAT EAT ENTIRE CITIES? L.A. PAST AND PRESENT BOASTS SOME CRAZY ARCHITECTURE—IT’S A DISTINCTIVE LANDSCAPE FULL OF BUILDINGS YOU JUST CAN’T MISS. BY ANDREA RICHARDS
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from left: courtesy TASCHEN; Gonzales Photo/Alamy Stock Photo. opposite: valeriy eydlin/Shutterstock.com
Anyone who has spent more than five minutes in Los Angeles remarks on the wild preponderance of architectural styles—from quaint Arts and Crafts bungalows and masterworks of midcentury modernism to apartment buildings based on Moorish castles and the ubiquitous Spanish Colonial Revival strip malls. It’s a city whose buildings are as diverse as its inhabitants. And, as most everything about Los Angeles does, some of the city’s quirkiest examples of architecture have inspired a love-or-hate response. For some, Randy’s Donuts’ massive-doughnut-topped drive-thru is something to praise—for others, it’s an object of ridicule. No person has done more to raise the profile of the city’s most outlandish buildings than Jim Heimann, a writer, cultural historian and collector whose book California Crazy first documented “programmatic architecture”—the giant doughnuts, shoes, fruits, barrels and bulldogs that once dotted the roadside of Southern California, capturing the attention of passersby and letting them know by the very shape of the building what was offered inside. “‘Programmatic’ is more of a snooty architecture term,” says Heimann. “The terms ‘pop architecture’ or ‘bizarro architecture’ are more common. In France, they call it ‘trash
FROM LEFT: Jim Heimann’s California Crazy is the go-to resource for the history of roadside structures; THE FRANK GEHRY-DESIGNED BINOCULARS BUILDING IN VENICE. OPPOSITE: RANDY’S DONUTS IN INGLEWOOD
architecture.’” Whatever this wild architecture is called, Heimann’s book, which was published over 30 years ago and has been rereleased in a gorgeous, expanded and updated edition by art publisher Taschen, makes one thing clear: These are buildings that, in their heyday, could not be missed.
A Wonderland of Whimsy Programmatic architecture came into existence alongside the automobile in the 1920s and ’30s. Perhaps the most well-known example is the flagship Brown Derby restaurant once located on Wilshire Boulevard—a Hollywood hot spot during the movie industry’s golden era that was shaped like a derby hat. When it was built in 1926, the Derby’s structure wasn’t as
strange as it seems; L.A. dwellers at the time were regularly beckoned along the city’s major commercial streets by freezer-shaped buildings selling ice cream, a florist that resembled a flower pot, or a coffee shop topped by a giant coffeepot. While similar types of roadside attractions appeared across the U.S., Heimann explains, “The concentration of those kinds of buildings was really a Southern California phenomenon.” Indeed, Los Angeles had more oddball buildings than anywhere else in the country, due not only to its car culture but also to the presence of Hollywood—for folks living in the midst of filmdom, with decaying film sets on street corners, fantastic buildings just felt like home.
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Preserving the Pop The process of restoring Idle Hour tapped into Green’s passion for programmatic architecture. “My family moved from Oklahoma to L.A. when I was 10. … Los Angeles was like a fantasyland. In 1980 there were still tons of 1950s cars cruising around Ventura Boulevard—pink Cadillacs and Chevys, yellow hot rods—just total eye candy. And there was still a good amount of programmatic architecture as you drove around. … Tail o’ the Pup, the front of a Cadillac on Ventura Boulevard, the Burger That Ate L.A. on Melrose, the Cadillac sticking out of the Hard Rock Cafe at the Beverly Center,” says Green. “You saw these weird things that were so uniquely Los Angeles.”
from left: dale berman; Jim Heimann Collection/Courtesy TASCHEN
“I always describe L.A. as just a giant movie set,” says Bobby Green, a bar owner whose 1933 Group has overseen the historical restoration of several landmark buildings, including the barrel-shaped Idle Hour bar in North Hollywood. Tipped off in 2010 by local preservationist Chris Nichols that the decrepit 75-year-old building was up for sale at public auction, Green and his partners decided to purchase and restore it. Designed for a film tech from Universal Studios in 1941, the whiskey-barrelshaped building was originally a taproom—and after a $2 million restoration, the historical cultural monument has returned to its original function: serving thirsty visitors an ice-cold beer (and cocktails) inside a giant cedar barrel.
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Heritage Image Partnership Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo; courtesy CitySpin
clockwise from top left: Jim Heimann Collection/Courtesy TASCHEN (2);
Along with Idle Hour, Green’s 1933 Group has saved a 1960s reproduction of the 1928 Bulldog Café—a small, pipe-smoking-bulldog-shaped building—which sits on the patio of Idle Hour, and it has also recently acquired the 1946 hot-dog-shaped hot-dog stand known as Tail o’ the Pup that originally stood on the corner of La Cienega and Beverly boulevards. “As a kid, Tail o’ the Pup was, to me, as iconic as the Hollywood sign. Any tourist who came to L.A., that’s what they’d remember: Tail o’ the Pup and maybe the Hollywood sign, the Capitol Records Building and maybe the Observatory,” says Green of his company’s newest project. Why do these oddball buildings matter? First, there are few left. With the development of faster cars and freeways after World War II, programmatic buildings became less practical—even if drivers saw, say, a great-looking huge chili bowl offering fresh chili, they’d be hard-pressed to stop in time. Aside from practical concerns, aesthetics shifted, and these vernacular structures took on a marginalized status as folksy and old-fashioned. California Crazy notes that there was a minor resurgence in the 1980s (the Hamburger That Ate L.A.). That was followed by a postmodernist spin in the 1990s by major architects like Michael Graves, who capped Disney’s animation building in Burbank with the hat worn by Mickey Mouse in Fantasia, and Frank Gehry, whose Binoculars Building, originally the Chiat/Day Building, in Venice uses Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: the La Salsa man, built in 1988, in malibu; A re-creation of the 1928 Bulldog Café is located on the back patio of Idle Hour; All that remains of the famed Brown Derby restaurant is its dome, now part of a strip mall on Wilshire; THE 1933 GROUP RECENTLY PURCHASED THE HISTORIC, 17-FOOT-LONG TAIL O’ THE PUP HOT-DOG STAND. opposite, from left: The restored Idle Hour in North Hollywood; The 1932 Hoot Hoot I Scream stand, located in the San Gabriel Valley, served ice cream topped with pun.
artwork Giant Binoculars as its facade. Contemporary examples are few—as Green says, there was a “slow fade” into a wave of more homogeneous buildings. But it’s not just the historical significance of these structures that has led people like Heimann and Green to preserve and protect them—it’s that these oddball structures also seem to speak to the soul of what it means to visit Los Angeles. Just as eating a taco from a truck is an iconic activity in L.A., so too is drinking a beer in a barrel or getting a doughnut from Randy’s. “I call it the Pink’s Syndrome,” says Heimann, comparing the renewed popularity of the doughnut spot to the perpetual queue at the legendary Pink’s Hot Dogs stand. Randy’s, an over-55-year-old chain of doughnut shops best known for its landmark building in Inglewood, has been featured in films, TV shows and even Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” video. “There’s a constant line there—locals and tourists—everybody now wants Randy’s Donuts,” Heimann continues. In fact, Randy’s is in the process of expanding with several new SoCal locations—including one at Hollywood & Highland. Could this mean a resurgence of the style? Could programmatic architecture actually make a comeback, even as L.A. becomes denser and hopefully less reliant on automobiles? Green posits an interesting idea: “If you start looking around at L.A. today, these Bird scooters are going about 15 mph, so I actually think, with people whizzing around on these little contraptions, it’s more like 1930 than it’s been since.”
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Classical
CENTENNIAL The Los Angeles Philharmonic turns 100.
BY VICKI ARKOFF
THE WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL LIT UP DURING REFIK ANADOL’S WDCH DREAMS LAST YEAR
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HOW DOES ONE ORCHESTRATE A 100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FOR A CULTURAL INSTITUTION LIKE THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC? With a 2018/2019 season filled with an all-star lineup of conductors and soloists performing classical music’s greatest works by Beethoven, Bach and Brahms (naturally), plus a nine-day Stravinsky festival. By kicking things off by closing down L.A. streets from the Walt Disney Concert Hall to the Hollywood Bowl for Celebrate L.A., a daylong festival of street concerts culminating with a free concert by Katy Perry, rock-star conductor Gustavo Dudamel, Youth Orchestra Los Angeles and the L.A. Phil. By exploring the virtuosity of the L.A. Phil musicians and its own charismatic composers, Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen and Andrew Norman. And with ambitious nonclassical programming including cuttingedge collaborations with pop and jazz artists including Moby and Herbie Hancock. With a deep dive into 50 newly commissioned works by John Adams, Philip Glass, Steve Reich and young musical pioneers. With an opera revival, a global tour and in/SIGHT concerts that expand the horizons of music. And with a cutting-edge 3D light show projected onto the steel walls of the iconic Disney Concert Hall. To hell with sheet cakes and speeches. The L.A. Phil is the music of our city, and it’s as intent on making history this year as it is on celebrating how it got here.
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The masterful two-volume book retrospective Past/Forward combed the L.A. Phil’s archives to tell its forgotten stories. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra was born in 1919, the year President Theodore Roosevelt died and Prohibition was introduced. Los Angeles was home to just 500,000 people. An eccentric violin-playing son of a copper baron decided to fund a full-size ensemble to rival the city’s “deficient” Los Angeles Symphony, which was 20 years old but lacking both in skill and double-reed instrumentalists. “It should be a first-class organization,” declared founder William Andrews Clark Jr., who initially paid $100,000 to hire full-time players. “The programs [are] to be of the highest and most varied type, with soloists, and the prices of admission modest.” He hoped to rival respected orchestras in New York, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia. But would there be an audience for two orchestras in the same city? After both Sergei Rachmaninoff and Alfred Hertz turned down the role, the elegant Walter Henry Rothwell was engaged as the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra’s first music director. Rothwell had previously led two opera tours across America and pioneered the concept of classical concerts for children, so he knew how to quickly recruit talent from established groups. In just 11 days, he managed to whip his new ensemble into shape for their concert debut at Trinity Auditorium in downtown L.A. on Oct. 24, 1919. “I shall play the Dvorák ˇ New World Symphony,” Rothwell told the audience, “first, because it is a magnificent work of much popularity, and then, too, because Los Angeles and the Philharmonic Orchestra open for me a veritable ‘new world’ of art, a world in which I believe I can realize my musical ideals.” Critics raved, calling it “the birth of the most prodigious infant in symphonic history.” The orchestra soon moved to the 2,700-seat Clune Auditorium on Pershing Square. Violinist Sven Reher noted that the venue was in shambles, “but the sound in that auditorium! Magnificent!” Clark was accused of stealing the Clune from the L.A. Symphony Orchestra, which folded later that same year, making the argument a moot point. The venue was renamed Philharmonic Auditorium and housed the L.A. Phil for 44 years. For their first concert tour, the entire orchestra and staff traveled and slept in a rented train. “In a small town in Colorado there were very few people in the auditorium,” principal violinist Philip Kahgan recalled. Clark canceled the concert, gave the small audience their money back and shouted to the musicians, “Fellows, let’s go on to Colorado Springs and take a bath.” The Phil embarked on just one more train tour after that and didn’t tour again until 1956.
ABOVE: THE TWO-VOLUME COFFEE-TABLE BOOK PAST/FORWARD: THE LA PHIL AT 100
OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: DOROTHY CHANDLER AUTOGRAPHING PROGRAMS WITH WILLIAM SEVERNS; POSTER FROM 1967 WORLD TOUR FEATURING ZUBIN MEHTA AND PIANIST ANDRÉ WATTS; ANDRÉ PREVIN CONDUCTING; POSTER FOR ESA-PEKKA SALONEN’S INAUGURAL SEASON; EXTERIOR VIEW OF DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION; POSTER FROM PREVIN’S SECOND SEASON IN LOS ANGELES; CARLO MARIA GIULINI CONDUCTING AT DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION; DIE FLEDERMAUS PROGRAM COVER; AN EARLY VERSION OF THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL SHELL
Meanwhile, interesting things were starting to happen at home. A group of musical-arts patrons found a site for an outdoor theater in the Hollywood Hills on private property known as Daisy Dell. It had outstanding natural acoustics, as evidenced by a contralto singer who was pleased with the way her voiced carried across the natural “bowl” landscape. They dragged a grand piano and a kettle drum into the hills for further tests and held a few recitals. Then on Easter Sunday 1921, the L.A. Phil made its debut on a rickety platform at what was by then called the Hollywood Bowl. The sunrise service was attended by 800 guests on wooden benches, and at least 2,000 more circled the orchestra on picnic blankets. Rothwell hated conducting outdoors, so he agreed to the orchestra’s return to the Hollywood Bowl in 1922 for summer concerts called Symphonies Under the Stars, but hired his friend Alfred Hertz, conductor of the San Francisco Symphony, to take his place. Hertz became known as the “Father of the Hollywood Bowl,” the place that democratized music by selling tickets for as little as 25 cents. Soon, the world’s leading conductors and soloists were clamoring to perform there. Proper bench seats were installed, and four acoustic “shell” stages were built over four years. The second and third were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s architect son Lloyd Wright. The 1929 version lasted until 2003. The L.A. Phil went on to forge new paths for an old art form. In 1925, the L.A. Phil became the first major U.S. orchestra to broadcast a symphony concert on the radio. It was one of the first orchestras to include female musicians; harpist May Hogan played in the group’s first season and until 1936. By 1939, the orchestra had performed 64 concerts with the esteemed Otto Klemperer on the podium, followed by a string of guest conductors from Bruno Walter to Sir Thomas Beecham. Then the irascible Alfred “Wally” Wallenstein stepped up in 1943. He hired bassist Henry Lewis, the first black musician to play in a major orchestra, and refused to fire players accused of being communists by Sen. Joseph McCarthy. The L.A. Phil made more than 250 recordings with classical stars like Igor Stravinsky, Leopold Stokowski and Leonard Bernstein conducting. “Sometimes it was recorded under the name Columbia Symphony Orchestra so they didn’t have to pay the entire Los Angeles Philharmonic,” laments Zubin Mehta, the music director from 1962-1978. Mehta too actively hired women, “something that you wouldn’t find in Berlin, Vienna or the London Symphony in those days.” Standout recordings include Carlo Maria Giulini’s Falstaff, Esa-Pekka Salonen’s recording of Arvo Pärt’s commissioned Symphony No. 4 Los Angeles and Gustavo Dudamel
COURTESY L.A. PHIL. OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MUSIC CENTER ARCHIVES—OTTO ROTHSCHILD COLLECTION; LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ARCHIVES; LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ARCHIVES, BETTY FREEMAN; LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ARCHIVES; MUSIC CENTER ARCHIVES—OTTO ROTHSCHILD COLLECTION; LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ARCHIVES (3); MUSIC CENTER ARCHIVES. OPENING SPREAD: DUSTIN DOWNING
A MUSICAL PROLOGUE
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I learned firsthand that music has the power to change people’s lives.
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THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE: VERN EVANS
conducting John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary. Most of the orchestra members also played for movie soundtracks. “Most of the time they were fairly idiotic films, but the orchestral playing was incredible,” says André Previn, who served as music director from 1985 to 1989. The L.A. Phil finally had a true home of its own when Southern California Symphony Association Chair Dorothy Chandler built a dedicated orchestra hall at the Los Angeles Music Center. She raised a nationwide record of $400,000 in donations at a “wingding of a party” featuring a Christian Dior fashion show, a Cadillac Eldorado raffle and special guests such as Jack Benny, Danny Kaye and Dinah Shore. The Pavilion—later named the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion against her wishes—opened in 1964, instantly becoming the keystone of Los Angeles’ first centralized arts center. Designed by architect Welton Becket, the elegant Grand Hall was draped in midcentury-modern chandeliers and muted Byzantine tile columns. Patrons wearing tuxes and ball gowns were greeted by ushers in white gloves and red silk Nehru jackets in honor of Mehta’s Indian heritage. All 3,200 seats were filled on opening night, and most were filled for symphonies and operas for the next nearly 40 years. In 2003, the orchestra moved next door to its current home at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the fourth venue in the Music Center. It was designed by Frank Gehry, who believes that “architecture should speak to its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.” The orchestra started experimenting with concert programming under Ernest Fleischmann’s mandate to “break down some of the barriers between classical music and rock.” Mehta’s star power led to unique collaborations with pop artists such as Joni Mitchell and Frank Zappa. They introduced the idea of a 12-hour marathon concert for Beethoven’s 200th birthday where listeners could come and go as they pleased for $1. Thousands of UCLA students sang the “Hallelujah” chorus with the orchestra at its Peace Concert to honor the tragic deaths of anti-war protesters at Kent State. The nowfamous Star Wars concerts—with lasers, smoke and costumed characters—started as a children’s matinee to fill the time when a Japan tour fell through. The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s New Music Group and Green Umbrella concert series began in the ’80s to spotlight the work of trailblazing living composers such as Pierre Boulez, John Cage and Peter Sellars.
CODA The 2009 appointment of Gustavo Dudamel as music and artistic director received a Beatlemania-level reaction. The young Venezuelan conductor is so dynamic and so devoted to music education for underserved youth that he has created
ABOVE: L.A. PHIL PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR SUSANNA MÄLKKI OPPOSITE: L.A. PHIL MUSIC AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR GUSTAVO DUDAMEL CONDUCTING THE ORCHESTRA
a child army of new classical-music lovers. Founded by the L.A. Phil, Youth Orchestra Los Angeles gives free orchestra instruction to more than 1,200 students. “I learned firsthand that music has the power to change people’s lives,” Dudamel says. “Now the L.A. Phil is doing just that through YOLA.” Together, they hope to double the number of students by establishing a permanent home for the program: a $14.5 million project in Inglewood also designed by Gehry. “I designed the [YOLA] Center to be a world-class instrument for the community,” says the architect, “and I can’t wait to see how they use it.” Construction will begin before the 2019 centennial celebration ends. Following in the footsteps of the dynamic Michael Tilson Thomas and Simon Rattle, Finnish conductor and cellist Susanna Mälkki is the L.A. Phil’s current principal guest conductor and is only the third to hold the post in the orchestra’s history. From where she stands on the podium, she sees an orchestra that has evolved into a unique artistic unit. “There are no limits to their abilities, but being a professional today is larger than just the ability to play,” she says. “To be an intelligent musician and a sincere artist is more than technical skills, and this is what I feel from this orchestra. There’s a real engagement, and that’s something that has grown along with its history. L.A. Philharmonic is a great example of seeing change as a positive challenge, rather than a threat.” What will symphonic music sound like 100 years from now? It’s impossible to say, but there’s no doubt it will continue to lean toward eclecticism, as Leonard Bernstein suggested in his final 1973 Norton Lecture at Harvard University. “Since then, music has gotten more diverse,” says opera and theater director Elkhanah Pulitzer, who recently oversaw L.A. Phil productions of Bernstein’s Mass, Adams’ Nixon in China and the centennial season’s Opening Night Concert & Gala. “Algorithms on Spotify and iTunes don’t yet know how to categorize certain musicians or sound worlds.” Leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic into its second century is the daunting task of CEO Simon Woods, who was preceded by Ernest Fleischmann and Deborah Borda, whose combined tenures lasted nearly half a century. “The Los Angeles Philharmonic has become the organization that literally is refining what it is possible for an orchestra to be,” says the veteran orchestra executive and former EMI Classics producer. “I don’t think another orchestra has had the courage to think about doing things so differently—moving the art form forward in new ways. That combination of courage, incredibly bold thinking and very strong sense of ambition has turned the L.A. Phil into a unique organization. It’s without parallel in the world.”
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A Bite of the
Big Apple AFTER DECADES OF DISMISSING LOS ANGELES AS UNWORTHY, NEW YORK CHEFS AND RESTAURATEURS ARE RUSHING HERE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CITY’S HOT DINING SCENE. BY ROGER GRODY
The respective food cultures in New York and Los Angeles remain very different. Despite generational preferences, New Yorkers still generally value formality and a European connection, resulting in a wealth of fine-dining establishments. L.A. restaurants reflect the city’s proximity to the Pacific Rim and Latin America, as well as a more laid-back vibe. Some New Yorkers continue to cast doubt on L.A.’s culinary clout, but a parade of their hometown’s celebrity chefs are opening restaurants here.
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Photo credit gotham book 5.5/9pt
Honey-glazed Half Duck at the nomad restaurant. opposite: the entryway at tao los angeles
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FROM LEFT: THE DINING ROOM AND AHI TUNA RIBBONS AT JEAN-GEORGES BEVERLY HILLS
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this page and opposite: William Rust. opening spread, from left: warren jagger; liz clayman
J
ean-Georges Vongerichten, one of New York’s most honored culinarians, opened restaurants in Las Vegas and Miami Beach before the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills finally lured him to L.A. Considering a Michelin three-star chef’s name is on the door, Jean-Georges Beverly Hills is a relatively approachable restaurant, a light and airy space with a wavy bronze-inlaid terrazzo floor, long leather banquettes and boxed lemon trees. Yearround alfresco dining—something few restaurants in the Big Apple can offer— is available on a Mediterranean-gardeninspired patio that captures Southern California’s easygoing lifestyle. At Jean-Georges, one might begin with caviar paired with sea urchin or a blacktruffle-fontina pizza before indulging in steak au poivre or poached cod in dashi, then finishing with a butterscotch soufflé. Lighter, more casual fare (think hamachi sashimi, avocado toast and lobster burgers) from the chef can be found at the Rooftop by JG, along with awesome 270-degree views. “L.A. was already part of our restaurants in New York, because six months of the year we buy most of our produce from the West Coast,” reports Vongerichten, who was intrigued by the city whenever he came to L.A. for culinary events. “So when the opportunity to open JeanGeorges at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills came up, I had to say yes,” explains the chef. “Most importantly, the multiculturalism is similar to New York, only more spread out, with maybe even greater variety,” he adds. After an excruciating tease, NoMad Los Angeles—an exciting boutique hotel with a collection of dining and drinking venues—finally opened downtown last year. The original NoMad in New York’s Flatiron District is where chef/partner Daniel Humm translated the ultra-fine dining offered at his Michelin three-star Eleven Madison Park into a more attainable experience. Here, in the historic Giannini Place, a neoclassical structure that once housed the Bank of Italy, he reprises some of his Big Apple hits with executive chef Chris Flint at the NoMad Restaurant. Other dining and drinking opportunities at the hotel, where the 1922 building’s gilded details have been restored, include the Library, Giannini Bar and Rooftop. The NoMad Restaurant sits beneath the building’s ornate ceiling, which is among the landmark’s most daz-
zling architectural elements. A mezzanine level reserved for special events offers the best views of both the architecture and the scene. Among the most notable dishes is NoMad’s signature chicken, in which the pedestrian bird is elevated to unforeseen heights. After black truffles and foie gras have been rubbed beneath its skin, the chicken is roasted to a rich mahogany color and presented to the table before carving. The more decadent dark meat arrives in miniature cast-iron crocks with a brown-butter sabayon and crispy chicken skin. Ramzi Budayr, general manager of NoMad Los Angeles dining and a veteran of Eleven Madison Park, reports being drawn to downtown L.A., as opposed to Hollywood or the Westside, because of the city center’s boundless potential. “We’ve loved embracing the challenge of finding the rhythm of the neighborhood, especially as it continues to evolve,” says Budayr. “It’s exciting to be a part of such a diverse food scene, and to be a part of L.A.’s dining fabric.” Anybody who’s ever stood in line outside Momofuku in New York’s East Village for one of chef David Chang’s addictive pork-belly buns was long dreaming of the day when the wunderkind chef/restaurateur would open a restaurant in L.A. Thankfully, that day arrived last year in the form of Majordōmo, tucked into a long-neglected corner of Chinatown. Occupying a former warehouse, the restaurant has an industrial-chic vibe dressed up with the work of street artist David Choe.
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opposite: yuzu cheesecake at tao los angeles
A collection of shareable snacks at Majordōmo is accompanied by bing, a fluffy Chinese flatbread grilled to order, while macaroni is tossed with Hozon (Chang’s proprietary fermented chickpea seasoning, akin to miso) and shaved with black truffles. Hozon, sake and mirin impart a slight sweetness to black cod, and a massive, dramatically presented hunk of short rib can feed a table of six. Chang, the ultimate culinary disrupter, appears well suited to L.A., a city obsessed with creativity. Famous for its dazzling decor and Asian-fusion cooking, Manhattan’s Tao Asian Bistro has now become a hot destination in Hollywood. A stunning 20-foot statue of Quan Yin, the goddess of mercy, rises from a koi pond to dominate Tao Los Angeles’ soaring dining room at the Dream Hollywood hotel. In addition to a dramatic, sexy scene, the menu—featuring solidly prepared lobster wontons, Peking duck and miso-glazed black cod washed down with lychee martinis or premium sakes—gives this clubby scene some culinary cred. “Los Angeles is a market we’ve always wanted to be in,” states Rich Wolf, co-founder of Tao Group, who adds, “We’ve been looking for the right opportunity for a while, and once we met with [hotel developers Richard Heyman and Grant King], we knew this was something we wanted to be involved in.” Partner Noah Tepperberg reports, “Our guests are able to enjoy a great dinner at a world-class restaurant, followed by a premier nightlife experience and upscale hotel stay without getting in a car or leaving the block.”
Josh Telles. opposite: Ryan Forbes
above: employees only’s dushan zaric
Located in the same hotel is Tao’s sister restaurant, Beauty & Essex, which features fun, eclectic fare from Chopped judge Chris Santos. Its theatrical decor is consistent with the Tao Group’s DNA. Guests enter the main dining room through a pawn-shop-inspired boutique. Between an upstairs lounge dominated by a pearlstranded chandelier and a Champagne bar in the ladies’ restroom, Beauty & Essex is filled with glamour. Santos’ crossover restaurant-club menu offers starters like steak tartare on sticky rice cakes and grilled cheese sandwich-like dumplings presented in spoons filled with tomato soup—a nostalgic pairing. Main courses include chili-dusted scallops and a rib-eye with truffle hollandaise sauce, followed by riffs on all-American desserts. After finding monumental success in Manhattan, Dominique Ansel, the marketing-savvy inventor of the Cronut, expanded to London and Tokyo. Now, 189 by Dominique Ansel—his establishment at the Grove with a bakery on the ground floor and full-service dining room above it—is the pastry chef’s ambitious foray into L.A. “Our original shop in SoHo is located at 189 Spring St., where everything began for us back in 2011,” says Ansel. “Our L.A. restaurant address also happens to be at 189 The Grove Drive, so it was meant to be.” Restaurantmenu highlights include sweet-corn-infused milk bread served in corn husks that mimic the Mexican street food elote; seared hen-of-the-woods mushrooms; an octopus corn dog with gochujang aioli; and innovative plated desserts. Weekend brunch at 189 is a unique experience, with staff circulating the dining room to deliver fried chicken with biscuits, cast-iron crocks of creamy scrambled eggs and build-your-own lobster rolls consumed family-style. For about 15 years, Employees Only has been one of New York’s most popular bars, and the speakeasy-themed West Village hot spot has also received high marks for its internationally inspired bistro menu. Co-founder Dushan Zaric—who also supervises the cocktail program at downtown’s reimagined Hotel Figueroa—has brought Employees Only to West Hollywood with an expanded food menu. Running the kitchen is Sascha Lyon, an accomplished chef who cooked with Daniel Boulud in New York and Michel Richard in his native L.A. Cocktails at Employees Only include signatures from the New York location, such as the West Side (Charbay Meyer lemon vodka, lemon juice, fresh mint and soda), along with updated interpretations of classics like the Sazerac and French 75. Lyon turns out dishes like bonemarrow poppers, tableside steak tartare, wood-fired
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PHOTO CREDIT GOTHAM BOOK 5.5/9PT
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andrew bezek. opposite: wonho frank lee
pizzas and grilled branzino. Aesthetically, Employees Only is a sumptuous version of a 1920s speakeasy, clad in rich materials like mahogany and bronze, with a tinstamped ceiling and art deco accents. “When I first visited L.A., it felt like Queens with palm trees,” admits Zaric, but adds, “When I got deeper into the culture of the city, I discovered how cool it is.” Now a resident (“I got tired of shoveling snow”), Zaric says that the bar’s WeHo location is tailored to L.A. dwellers’ preferences. “Food and drink have to address local ingredients and be appropriate for the people of L.A.,” he says, noting the cuisine here is lighter than in chilly New York. James Beard Award-winning, Michelin-starred chef April Bloomfield rose to prominence in New York as chef/ partner at the Spotted Pig in the West Village, followed by other Manhattan restaurants and Tosca Cafe in San Francisco. Her first venture in L.A. is Hollywood’s the Hearth & Hound, where dishes like harissa-spiked beef tartare, grilled octopus with melon and chili jam, and pork chop with roasted quince entice diners. The space, previously occupied by pub the Cat & Fiddle (a fitting choice for the Birmingham, England, native), has a rustic elegance to it—a bit like a British hunting lodge, yet clearly a part of contemporary Hollywood. New York City has its share of great pizzerias, and Roberta’s, which was founded in Brooklyn, is certainly one of them. It’s now expanded to Culver City’s Platform, the smash-success shopping center with a compelling collection of boutiques and eateries. “We’ve had our eye on Los Angeles for quite some time,” says co-owner Brandon Hoy, who explains that a West Coast location of Roberta’s seemed like a natural progression for the brand. Chef/coowner Carlo Mirarchi, who has participated in culinary events in California for years, adds, “Opening Roberta’s in Los Angeles felt like a natural next step.” “We’ve been overwhelmed by the incredibly warm welcome from the L.A. community, not to mention the amazing quality and quantity of the ingredients here,” he reports. In addition to the wood-fired New York-style pizzas that made it famous, Roberta’s also offers some Cal-Italian dishes like polenta with sea urchin and clam broth, butter beans with kale and bottarga, and roasted porchetta with escarole and fennel pollen. The space’s intriguing design is based on the geometry of a pizza slice, with every major element—from custom concrete blocks to furniture—paying homage to the triangle. Chef Christina Tosi created the first dessert menu for David Chang’s original Momofuku in New York, and she
eventually opened Milk Bar in the space next to another Chang restaurant. There are now Milk Bars in New York, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and Toronto—and, as of last year, on Melrose Avenue in L.A., just around the corner from Pink’s Hot Dogs. Favorite sweets include Tosi’s trademark-protected Crack Pie and Compost Cookie. Among the savory items are her Bagel Bombs, including a classic New York deli-inspired rye-bagel dough dome filled with pastrami, sauerkraut and Russian dressing. At two elegant locations in Midtown Manhattan, the place to go for upscale Greek cuisine is Avra Estiatorio, and now the restaurant has expanded to Beverly Hills. While Avra is hardly a rustic taverna, it lacks the overthe-top decor of some New York transplants like Tao or Beauty & Essex and is the epitome of contemporary good taste. A 1,500-pound wall sculpture and dramatic drapery are the only features disrupting a neutral palette and generously spaced, linen-clad tables. In addition to staples like saganaki and Greek salad, diners are able to select their catch from a market-like display of fresh, iced seafood. The offerings, ranging from Maine lobster to Mediterranean varieties like branzino, tsipoura and fagri, are then grilled whole over charcoal. Hollywood is not Greenwich Village, nor is the Arts District Williamsburg, but New York chefs and restaurateurs are starting to feel at home in L.A. While their differences should be celebrated, the culinary crosspollination occurring between these cultural capitals benefits everybody.
above: fried butterball potatoes ¯ at majordomo opposite: The Hearth & HounD in hollywood
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NEIGHBORHOODS
DOWNTOWN A blend of urban grit and edgy sophistication defines downtown L.A. Grand Central Market lures foodies with gourmet vendors, and the Broad museum, the Music Center, Grand Park (above) and MOCA attract culture-seekers to Grand Avenue. Sports and entertainment venue Staples Center anchors L.A. Live, also home to Microsoft Theater and the Grammy Museum. The Wilshire Grand Center, L.A.’s tallest building, houses an InterContinental hotel and open-air bar Spire 73. Olvera Street, Chinatown and Little Tokyo are draws, as are the Arts District’s warehouses-turned-cool shops and restaurants (Bavel and Simone are newer hits). Nearby, Row DTLA offers more hip retail and dining options, plus an outdoor food market on Sundays, and ICA LA hosts art exhibitions and public programs.
LONG BEACH & SAN PEDRO In the county’s southerly reaches, Long Beach—California’s seventhlargest city by population—has a bustling waterfront (above) with a busy port, an expanded cruise terminal and the famed (and supposedly haunted) Queen Mary ocean liner, now a floating hotel. Other attractions include the Aquarium of the Pacific and the annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Lively dining and nightlife spots beckon in Belmont Shore, gondolas glide through Naples Island’s canals, and vintage shops pack East 4th Street’s “Retro Row.” Neighboring Long Beach is San Pedro, where the L.A. Waterfront at the Port of Los Angeles boasts the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, brewery Brouwerij West, marketplace Crafted, the Battleship Iowa Museum, Point Fermin Lighthouse and other points of interest.
FROM LEFT: EDWIN SANTIAGO; DALE BERMAN; LISA CORSON; COURTESY LONG BEACH CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
BEVERLY HILLS Beverly Hills remains the ne plus ultra of glamorous living and luxury shopping. Alexander McQueen and Pomellato recently joined Louis Vuitton on palmfringed Rodeo Drive (above); Creed and Hanro of Switzerland have new stores nearby. At the retail district’s south end are Barneys, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue—as well as the Beverly Wilshire, of Pretty Woman fame. To the west, the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills boasts culinary concepts by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Neighboring Westwood is home to UCLA and the Geffen Playhouse. To the south, Culver City offers dining and shopping, perhaps best enjoyed at the trendy Platform complex. Steps away, a stop on the Metro Expo Line provides easy access to Santa Monica and downtown L.A.
MALIBU Despite last year’s devastating wildfire, Malibu’s natural beauty endures. Zuma and Surfrider are just two of the iconic beaches that belong to the city’s 21-mile coastline. Also hugging the coast’s curves is Pacific Coast Highway, along which impressive homes rub shoulders with waterfront restaurants including Mastro’s Ocean Club, Nobu Malibu and, on the Malibu Pier (above), Malibu Farm restaurant and café. The ’Bu is a shopper’s playground, too, boasting boutique mall Malibu Country Mart, whose Cali-chic tenants include Paige and Madison, and the adjacent Malibu Lumber Yard, home to Intermix and Maxfield. Also enticing are nearby Topanga and Pacific Palisades, where visitors enjoy upscale shopping and dining at new Palisades Village and the splendid Greek and Roman art and gardens of the Getty Villa, sister venue to the Getty Center.
© TRACIE SPENCE PHOTOGRAPHY
LOS ANGELES COUNTY COMPRISES MANY CITIES AND COMMUNITIES. HERE ARE THE MOST VISITED.
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EXPOSITION Park
the crossroads of the Los Angeles community California Science Center
Š TRACIE SPENCE PHOTOGRAPHY
Embark on a journey of discovery as you explore over 150 interactive exhibits in our galleries including Ecosystems – a free permanent gallery featuring live animals, seven immersive exhibits, and a 188,000 gallon kelp tank. Complete your visit by seeing Space Shuttle Endeavour in the Samuel Oschin Pavilion. See the orbiter up close and discover the science behind this amazing vehicle. Admission to permanent exhibits is FREE. (Excluding IMAX and special paid exhibitions.) We are located in beautiful Exposition Park, just south of Downtown Los Angeles.
700 Exposition Park Drive Los Angeles, CA 90037 323.SCIENCE (724.3623) californiasciencecenter.org
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Discover 4.5 billion years of history under one roof at the largest natural history museum in the Western United States. NHM features grand mammal dioramas, rare dinosaur fossils, a spectacular gems and minerals hall and exhibits of pre-Columbian and Los Angeles history. Explore natural landscapes of Africa and North America, 3.5 acres of Nature Gardens, an interactive Nature Lab, and tour permanent exhibits such as Age of Mammals and the Dinosaur Hall, one of the best dinosaur exhibits in the world. Each week find activities for children, families and adults that inspire wonder, discovery and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds. 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 213.763.DINO (3466) nhm.org
Exposition Park, a premier destination set on a 160-acre campus, is home to world-class museums, the historical landmark Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and a wide variety sports, culture and entertainment. Explore Exposition Park today. expositionpark.ca.gov
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VENICE A century ago, Venice was a resort town modeled after the Italian city of the same name. Its surviving canals have since been joined by more modern attractions like Muscle Beach, performer-packed Ocean Front Walk, a beachfront bike path (above), the Venice Skatepark and a fishing pier. But today, the coastal neighborhood is equally renowned for its trendy shops and restaurants. On Abbot Kinney Boulevard, alongside quaint bungalows and contemporary lofts, independently owned boutiques such as Bazar, Tortoise and Heist mix with global chains like Aesop and Adidas Originals. Favorite eateries include Travis Lett’s Gjelina and chef Evan Funke’s acclaimed pasta destination, Felix. A few blocks north, quieter Rose Avenue offers luxury bedding at Parachute and seasonal fare at new Makani and Rose Café-Restaurant.
SANTA MONICA Santa Monica’s constellation of neighborhoods offers diverse delights. Coastal draws include the Santa Monica Pier (with Pacific Park and its iconic Ferris wheel, above) and the pool, beach courts and Marion Davies Guest House at the Annenberg Community Beach House. Shops and cafés abound on laid-back Main Street, swanky Montana Avenue and trendy Third Street Promenade, a three-block pedestrian stretch terminating at Santa Monica Place shopping center. The Broad Stage is tops for the performing arts, and stars on the dining scene include Dialogue, Lunetta, Cassia, Native and Tar & Roses—plus casual Bay Cities Italian Deli downtown, whose Godmother sandwich is legendary.The Metro Expo Line terminus is nearby.
SILVER LAKE & LOS FELIZ Many cool creatives (who bristle at the term “hipster”) reside in the hilly Eastside neighborhoods of Silver Lake (above) and Los Feliz. Accordingly, indie boutiques, bars, coffee shops and restaurants abound, including acclaimed Mh Zh, Jessica Koslow’s Sqirl and Middle Eastern-inspired Kismet. Sunset Junction, with its smattering of shops, is Silver Lake’s funky epicenter, and a similarly eclectic vibe reverberates along Vermont and Hillhurst avenues in Los Feliz. To the north, Griffith Park offers miles of trails, Travel Town, the L.A. Zoo, the Autry Museum, the Greek Theatre and the Griffith Observatory. Design lovers appreciate the area’s array of homes by renowned architects Richard Neutra and Frank Lloyd Wright, whose Hollyhock House is located at nearby Barnsdall Art Park.
WEST HOLLYWOOD Fun, food and fashion: West Hollywood has it all. Fashion insiders frequent Melrose Avenue and Melrose Place, trendy Robertson Boulevard is on the rebound, and West 3rd Street hosts indie boutiques and cafés. The Grove and the adjacent Original Farmers Market make up an outdoor dining, shopping and entertainment destination, and the nearby Beverly Center is fresh from a major revamp. The Pacific Design Center anchors the showroom-packed West Hollywood Design District. To the north, Santa Monica Boulevard’s nightlife and dining draws include Norah and Employees Only, and the fabled Sunset Strip buzzes with celebrity-frequented clubs, restaurants and shops, including a recently opened flagship from retail icon Fred Segal (above).
FROM LEFT: LISA CORSON (3); MARK LIPSKI
NEIGHBORHOODS
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Up, Up And A Way Easier Whether you’re traveling to or from Southern California, Hollywood Burbank Airport makes your travel experience an easy one.
Convenience Elevated
@fly_BUR @hollywoodburbankairport HollywoodBurbankAirport.com
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PASADENA Pretty Pasadena is packed with attractions. In addition to the annual Tournament of Roses, which draws more than 700,000 spectators, the Crown City boasts fine-art destinations the Norton Simon Museum and the USC Pacific Asia Museum; family-friendly Kidspace Children’s Museum; and the architecturally significant City Hall and Arts and Crafts-style Gamble House. The science-minded can tour Caltech, as well as NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, while treasure hunters scour the Rose Bowl Flea Market (above). Downtown, in historic Old Pasadena, are the One Colorado shopping district and top dining spots including Union. In nearby San Marino, the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens encompasses 120 acres and houses Thomas Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy.
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY The San Fernando Valley—nicknamed the “Valley of the Stars” and simply “The Valley”—is home to some of the biggest studios in the entertainment industry. Free tickets to tapings of TV shows like The Ellen DeGeneres Show and studio tours at Warner Bros. in Burbank grant behind-thescenes access. Universal Studios Hollywood is a must-see, thanks to its thrill rides and attractions like the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Next door, Universal CityWalk offers dining, shopping and entertainment. Beyond the biz, visitors will find charming shopping and dining in downtown Burbank, vintage haven Magnolia Park, North Hollywood (above) and Studio City and Sherman Oaks along Ventura Boulevard.
HOLLYWOOD Hollywood is the land of photo ops: Don’t-miss stops include the Hollywood Walk of Fame (above); the Forecourt of the Stars at the TCL Chinese Theatre; the Dolby Theatre, site of the Academy Awards; and the Hollywood sign, easily viewed from atop multistory shopping and dining complex Hollywood & Highland. But there’s more to do in Tinseltown than take selfies. A “new Hollywood” crowd chills at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt hotel and Dream Hollywood’s dining and nightlife concepts: Tao, Avenue, Beauty & Essex and the Highlight Room. During the summer, outdoor amphitheater the Hollywood Bowl is the place to hear the L.A. Philharmonic, attend sing-along movie screenings and rock out to headliners like Beck and Ozzy Osbourne. DISCOVER MORE BY PICKING UP WHERE LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE OR VISITING SOCALPULSE.COM
SOUTH BAY Life is good in the seaside cities of Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach. Miles of wide, pristine beaches connected by an oceanfront bike/pedestrian path offer copious coastal diversions (surfing and beach volleyball are especially popular). Steps from the sand in Manhattan Beach, shops like Pages: A Bookstore, Gum Tree and Wright’s entice shoppers, and diners enjoy topnotch restaurants including the Strand House, Fishing With Dynamite and Love & Salt. A lively bar and club scene near Hermosa’s and Redondo’s piers keeps the “Beach Cities” humming at night. Inland, near LAX, the Point in El Segundo offers trendy dining and shopping; farther south rise the rugged bluffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula (above).
FROM LEFT: DALE BERMAN; LISA CORSON; DALE BERMAN; HEIDI SCHWINDT
NEIGHBORHOODS
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E L E VAT I N G T H E E X P E R I E N C E OF SHOPPING AND DINING
along the coast
OVER 60 FINE STORES AND RESTAURANTS INCLUDING:
APPLE
MAC
MACY’S
MERCADO
GODIVA
HOLLY & HUDSON
CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN POTTERY BARN/KIDS VICTORIA’S SECRET
SEPHORA
TOMMY BAHAMA
ORIGINS
OLIVE GARDEN
WILLIAMS-SONOMA
ShopManhattanVillage.com Rosecrans & Sepulveda Blvd. | Manhattan Beach, CA
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FOR MORE STORE LOCATIONS VISIT
JEWELRY & ACCESSORIES
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spending time
VERONICA BEARD, PHOTO BY ERIK MELVIN
SHOPPING WHAT SEDUCES HOLLYWOOD SEDUCES THE WORLD—A FACT NOT LOST ON INTERNATIONAL FASHION HOUSES. ACCORDINGLY, DESIGNERS TO THE STARS POSITION THEIR BOUTIQUES ACROSS LOS ANGELES’ TONIEST SHOPPING DISTRICTS, FROM RODEO DRIVE TO MELROSE PLACE AND BEYOND. THE GLOBAL INFLUENCE OF THE COUNTY’S HOMEGROWN BRANDS COMPLETES THE L.A. STORY.
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LOOK BOOK
A block from Rodeo Drive, North Beverly brims with blogger-beloved boutiques. New to the trendy stretch is the first West Coast brick-andmortar store from Ba&sh, whose feminine pieces, like this floral Malawi blouse, ooze Parisian chic. 404 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.734.7370, ba-sh.com L.A.-born jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer chose the charming new Palisades Village development for her first stand-alone store. Meyer's wear-everywhere pieces, including this sparkly Good Luck charm, are all made in L.A., too. 1050 N. Swarthmore Ave., Pacific Palisades, 310.230.1271, jennifermeyer.com Founded in 1948, Heath Ceramics is renowned for its commitment to craftsmanship, community and good design. In the Sausalito-based company's L.A. showroom, find seasonal pieces—like these hand-thrown vases—alongside signature Heath tile, tabletop and dinnerware designs, plus products from like-minded makers. 7525 Beverly Blvd., L.A., 323.965.0800, heathceramics.com
B A & S H M A L AW I B L O U S E
H E AT H C E R A M I C S M U LT I - S T E M VA S E S
J E N N I K AY N E PONY HAIR MULES
WA R B Y PA R K E R TILLEY SUNGLASSES
Specs specialist Warby Parker is seeing growth throughout L.A. County. Our favorite location may be the WeHo Design District store, which has a green-screen studio where anyone can shoot and share silly 15-second films. 8618 Melrose Ave., L.A., 310.299.2269, warbyparker.com For refined fashion and home goods with an edge of California cool, look no further than L.A. designer Jenni Kayne. Her wild-but-wearable leopard-printed mules are a top seller at her Brentwood Country Mart shop (one of two locations in L.A.). 225 26th St., Suite 30B, Santa Monica, 424.268.4765, jennikayne.com
VASES, COURTESY HEATH CERAMICS/JEFFERY CROSS. ALL OTHER IMAGES THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE COURTESY PHOTOS
JENNIFER MEYER DIAMOND GOOD L U C K N E C K L AC E
L.A.'s top retail destinations have fresh vitality. Check out these picks from some of our favorite places to spend our time—and our paychecks.
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TED BAKER M A R I B O J AC K E T MIANSAI M 2 4 WAT C H
Dapper gents will appreciate details like the signature printed lining of this velvet Ted Baker jacket. Among the British luxury lifestyle brand's local outposts is a Magic Castleinspired store at the recently reimagined Westfield Century City mall. 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 1840, L.A., 310.843.9877, tedbaker.com Meticulous attention to detail also describes the approach to design and production at Miansai. The brand's L.A. store is a cool oasis on one of the city's hottest shopping streets, offering minimalist jewelry and timepieces like this leatherstrapped stainless-steel watch, which boasts a two-handed Japanese quartz movement and a mineralglass face. 1116 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310.683.0060, miansai.com It's easy to miss cult-favorite shop Bodega, which "hides in plain sight" at downtown's uber-hip Row DTLA mixed-use complex. The store is a celebrity secret for limitededition, hard-to-find and collectible streetwear, sportswear and sneakers, like these recently dropped Puma basketball shoes. 1320 E. 7th St., Suite 150, downtown, bdgastore.com Perhaps best known for its heirloom-quality axes, Best Made Co. stands behind the quality of all of its products, including this handsome carryall (a collaboration with chef Francis Mallmann). The brand's first West Coast store, on streetwear-heavy La Brea, appeals to urbanites and frontiersmen alike. 145 S. La Brea Ave., L.A., 323.579.1657, bestmadeco.com
T O M D I XO N E C L E C T I C C A N D L E S
P U M A C LY D E C O U R T D I S R U P T S H O E , AT B O D E G A
BEST MADE CO. MALLMANN'S L E AT H E R T R U G
British designer Tom Dixon opened his sole West Coast shop at Culver City's Platform. The modern furniture, lighting and accessories, including these candles in copper, nickel and brass vessels, look right at home at the cutting-edge mixed-use development. 8820 Washington Blvd., Suite 101, Culver City, 424.341.0878, tomdixon.net
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SHOPPING
THE AMERICANA AT BRANDCL9000006279 The Americana, from the creators of the Grove and inspired by a 1930s downtown, comprises some 40 retailers, more than a dozen restaurants and a Pacific Theatres. Notable offerings include Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak and David Yurman, Tory Burch and Toms boutiques. 889 Americana Way, Glendale, 818.637.8982, americanaatbrand.com
FRONT AND CENTER For nearly four decades, the Beverly Center has been an iconic shopping destination in Los Angeles. And the landmark, eight-story mall is still keeping up with the times, recently completing a $500 million reimagination. The result was an expanded selection of luxury and contemporary fashion (new retailers include Balenciaga, Longchamp and L.A.'s largest Zara) and stellar dining offerings—fried-chicken favorite Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, chefs Adam Sobel and Michael Mina's Cal Mare and restaurateur Jeremy Fall's Easy's diner are all destinations in their own right. Inside the mall, natural-light-filled walkways and sweeping views of the city are joined by artwork—including the first-ever solo and permanent L.A. installation of well-known media artist Refik Anadol, playing on the 35-foot-tall LED screen in the Grand Court (pictured above). See listing at right.
H BEVERLY CENTERCL0000022205 A top Southern California fashion destination emerging from a dramatic face-lift, Beverly Center features more than 100 specialty boutiques, including luxury retailers Gucci, Burberry and Salvatore Ferragamo; contemporary brands COS, Sandro and Maje; trendy favorites Uniqlo and H&M; and department stores Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s. Eateries including Cal Mare, Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, Farmhouse and Eggslut enhance the offerings. 8500 Beverly Blvd., L.A., 310.854.0070, beverlycenter.com BRENTWOOD COUNTRY MARTCL9000006282 The collection of cool boutiques at this barn-styled shopping center makes it a frequent stop for the celebs who live in the tony neighborhood. Among winning picks are delicate baubles at Pippa Small Jewellery and curated styles at Intermix. 225 26th St., Santa Monica, brentwoodcountrymart.com H CITADEL OUTLETSCL904031 Los Angeles’ only outlet center, Citadel Outlets boasts 130 premium stores including Michael Kors, Hugo Boss, Nike, Levi’s, Ann Taylor, Coach
and Kate Spade New York, as well as extensive VIP experiences. 100 Citadel Drive, L.A., 323.888.1724, citadeloutlets.com THE GROVECL0000022207 Inspired by a grand old downtown, complete with a trolley and central fountain, this popular outdoor center has more than 50 shops, including Elizabeth and James, Vince and Nordstrom; several eateries, including 189 by Dominique Ansel, Ladurée and new Halo Top Scoop Shop; and a cinema. The Original Farmers Market is adjacent. 189 The Grove Drive, L.A., 323.900.8080, thegrovela.com H HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND Home of the Dolby Theatre and the Academy Awards, this Tinseltownthemed retail, dining and entertainment center features high-tech bowling, restaurants, a nightclub, state-of-the-art cinemas and specialty shops including Lucky Brand and Sephora. 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.467.6412, hollywoodandhighland.com MALIBU COUNTRY MARTCL9000006282 New shops are constantly being added to the list of around 40 boutique tenants at this longtime shopping favorite. Pick up boots at Bed|Stü, gifts at Burro, jeans at Paige, T-shirts at Michael Stars, lotion at L’Occitane, shades at Oliver Peoples and edgy jewelry at Chrome Hearts. 3835 Cross Creek Road, Malibu, 310.456.7300, malibucountrymart.com MALIBU LUMBER YARD0133 This small collection of upscale retailers is adjacent to Malibu Country Mart and includes Alice +
Olivia, Maxfield, James Perse and Intermix. 3939 Cross Creek Road, Malibu, themalibulumberyard.com H MANHATTAN VILLAGE This premier shopping center just completed a $12 million interior renovation and now boasts luxe seating areas and a new, 168,000-square-foot Macy’s. Dining options include California Pizza Kitchen and other healthy, casual options. 3200 Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach, 310.546.5555, shopmanhattanvillage.com ONE COLORADO0133 A top Old Pasadena destination, One Colorado occupies a charming collection of 17 historic buildings featuring cobblestone walkways and wrought-iron details. Equally beguiling is its mix of retailers and eateries, which includes Finn + Willow, Gold Bug, Place Vendôme, Oska and Prawn by chef Mark Peel. 41 Hugus Alley, Old Pasadena, 626.564.1066, onecolorado.com PALISADES VILLAGE Caruso, the company behind the Grove and Americana at Brand, recently unveiled this idyllic shopping destination in upscale coastal community Pacific Palisades. The over 40 specialty and boutique retailers include the first West Coast location of A.L.C., L.A.-born-and-raised jewelry maker Jennifer Meyer’s first-ever boutique and Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon’s first permanent store. They’re joined by similarly compelling dining and entertainment options. 15225 Palisades Village Lane, Pacific Palisades, 310.525.1380, palisadesvillageca.com
COURTESY BEVERLY CENTER
SHOPPING DESTINATIONS
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A California Tradition Since 1921 Made from scratch with the finest ingredients for almost 100 years, See’s brings joy to birthdays, holidays and every day in between. Stop by for a free sample! Find a shop near you at sees.com/shops
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SUNSET PLAZACL0000022212 “Chic” is the word at this upscale row of designer boutiques, sidewalk cafés and specialty shops. Browse high-end stores such as Calleen Cordero, H. Lorenzo and Wildfox, then get pampered at Ole Henriksen Face/ Body Spa, Eden by Eden Sassoon and Jessica—the Clinic. 8600-8700 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.652.2622, sunsetplaza.com
THE NEW PALISADES VILLAGE (P. 76)
PLATFORM Architectural landmark Hayden Tract now houses this curated collection of hip merchants, brands, pop-ups and restaurants that includes shops Bird Brooklyn, the Edit by Freda Salvador + Janessa Leoné and Reformation; eateries Roberta’s, Loqui and Hayden; design store Tom Dixon; and Tenoverten nail salon. 8850 Washington Blvd., Culver City, platformla.com THE POINTC0000022215 This South Bay shopping center features on-trend retailers including Planet Blue, Madewell and Lucky Brand, as well as top L.A. eateries such as Umi by Hamasaku and Superba Food + Bread. It’s all centered around a family-friendly outdoor plaza. 850 S. Sepulveda Blvd., El Segundo, 310.414.5280, thepointsb.com ROW DTLA This mixed-use development adjacent to the Arts District boasts mod-
ern design stores Poketo and A+R, clothing companies dRA and Parisbased 13 Bonaparte, independent boutique Myrtle, menswear brand Banks Journal and more cult-favorite businesses—many L.A.-based. Smorgasburg, a food-market import from Brooklyn, pops up at the on-site 7th Street Produce Market every Sunday, and an outpost of San Francisco’s Tartine Manufactory is due open soon. 777 S. Alameda St., downtown, rowdtla.com SANTA MONICA PLACECL9000006920 A glittering three-level, open-air center anchors Third Street Promenade. The growing list of upscale retailers includes a Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom and some 50 specialty boutiques, such as Nike and Johnny Was. The rooftop Dining Deck features a food court, restaurants and a gourmet marketplace, and ArcLight Cinemas is a draw for movie lovers. 395 Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica, 310.260.8333, santamonicaplace.com
THIRD STREET PROMENADECL0000022203 This cobblestone, pedestrian-only shopping zone spans three blocks, from Broadway to Wilshire Boulevard. Watch talented street artists perform, dine at a street-side restaurant and shop in stores including Zara, Anthropologie and Sephora. 1351 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, 310.393.8355, downtownsm.com TWO RODEOCL0000022214 In the heart of Beverly Hills’ worldrenowned shopping district is Two Rodeo, an ensemble of restaurants and boutiques offering distinctive dining, fine wares and haute fashion. Luxury brands include Lanvin, Versace, Tiffany & Co., Jimmy Choo and Agent Provocateur. 9480 Dayton Way, Beverly Hills, 310.247.7040, 2rodeo.com THE VILLAGE AT WESTFIELD TOPANGAC0000022215 This gorgeous open-air lifestyle destination directly across the street from Westfield Topanga shopping
center (with trolley service connecting the two) offers trendy shops, restaurants with alfresco dining, a full-service gym, a spa, a yoga studio, a children’s play area and much more. 6250 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Canoga Park, 818.594.8732, westfield.com/topanga WESTFIELD CENTURY CITYC0000022215 Fresh from a $1 billion redevelopment, this pleasant open-air mall offers Nordstrom’s three-level L.A. flagship store, the first West Coast Eataly, dozens of stylish boutiques (including Oak + Fort, Equipment, Caudalie, R.M. Williams, Compartes Chocolatier and the city’s first Anthropologie & Co.), 8 acres of manicured outdoor space designed by Kelly Wearstler and a new outdoor dining district. 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., 310.277.3898, westfield.com/centurycity WEST HOLLYWOOD DESIGN DISTRICT The epicenter of the West Coast’s design industry, this lively, walkable cultural destination boasts more than 1.5 million square feet of showrooms, shops and galleries. More than 15 art galleries; 100 antique and contemporary furniture stores; over 25 restaurants and cafés; two dozen top salons and spas; and 40 high-end fashion and lifestyle boutiques line the boulevards. Melrose Avenue and Robertson and Beverly boulevards, West Hollywood, westhollywooddesigndistrict.com
SHOPS + BOUTIQUES217 H ABUNDANCE This feminine, upscale boutique for women size 12 and up carries classic clothing with flair. Alembika, Cheyenne and Sympli are among the featured designers. For dressy occasions, look for eveningwear from brands such as Damianou and Soulmates. Please visit website for current address. 818.990.6128, abundanceplussizes.com
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H SOUTH COAST PLAZACL0000022212 The renowned shopping destination, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, is the highest-grossing planned retail venue in the U.S. It includes high-end department stores Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s; hundreds of boutiques, including new Alexander McQueen and Givenchy; and more than 30 restaurants, all within walking distance of major performing-arts venues. 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, 800.782.8888, southcoastplaza.com
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BALMAINCL9000006286 The famed French fashion house, led by creative director Olivier Rousteing, opened its first West Coast boutique in 2017 on Melrose Place, joining such esteemed company as the Row, Chloé and A.P.C. Fans of the luxury brand include Kim Kardashian West and Rihanna. 8421 Melrose Place, L.A., 323.230.6364, balmain.com
MYRTLE AT ROW DTLA (P. 78)
ACNE STUDIOS The arrival of this cult-favorite Swedish retailer in downtown L.A.’s historic Eastern Columbia Building— the brand’s largest store—signaled a retail renaissance along Broadway. Find accessories, denim staples and experimental fashions for men and women, plus an in-store Il Caffè coffee bar. A second L.A. location recently opened in a former West Hollywood art gallery with an outdoor courtyard patio. 855 S. Broadway, downtown, 213.243.0960; 8920 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 310.734.7157, acnestudios.com ALEXIS BITTAR Alexis Bittar’s jewelry designs for his eponymous line always make a splash, whether the statement is colorful and whimsical or minimal and practical. Two boutiques, opened simultaneously in L.A., illustrate his dichotomous design sense. 8383 W. 3rd St., L.A., 323.951.9803; 1612 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310.452.6901, alexisbittar.com
AMERICAN RAG CIE This legendary one-stop shop outfits men and women in complete L.A.chic ensembles. Clothing includes carefully chosen vintage, as well as premium Levi’s Made & Crafted and cult-favorite Japanese label Comme des Garçons Play. The wide range of designer denim, shoes, bags and sunglasses can be mesmerizing. Adjoining Maison Midi offers French home decor, furniture, gift items and a café. 150 S. La Brea Ave., L.A., 323.935.3154, americanrag.com THE APARTMENT BY THE LINE N.Y.-based online retail store the Line chose Melrose Place for its second offline home. Designed as an elegant residence, the rooms offer chic, minimalist fashion and home, beauty and art goods such as jewelry by Sophie Buhai, lighting by Apparatus and beautiful textiles from the store’s home-goods label, Tenfold. 8463 Melrose Place, Second Floor, L.A., 323.746.5056, theline.com
BROKEN ENGLISHCL9000006286 A refreshing alternative to massmarket competition, this gem boasts jewelry from cutting-edge designers including Celine Daoust, Xiao Wang, Anita Ko and Smith + Mara, as well as vintage finds. Brentwood Country Mart, 225 26th St., Suite 17, Santa Monica, 310.458.2724, brokenenglishjewelry.com BURNING TORCH The L.A.-based lifestyle brand known for its bohemian-luxe clothes and accessories looks right at home in its flagship boutique on Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Find washedleather jackets and cozy cashmere alongside antique and vintage home goods. 1227 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310.399.1920, burningtorchinc.com CHARIOTS ON FIRE Embracing “modern as an attitude rather than a style,” this lovely specialty shop boasts jewelry by Polly Wales and Grainne Morton, ceramics by Makoto Kagoshima, and much more. Looking for a made-in-L.A. gift? Many makers and artists represented here are
locals. 1342 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310.450.3088, chariotsonfire.com CLARE V. Clare Vivier’s Silver Lake flagship and Santa Monica and Melrose outposts feature her brightly colored, minimalist handbags, accessories and gadget cases, made locally since 2008, plus a small selection of soft T-shirts, jewelry and other lifestyle items. 3339 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A., 323.665.2476; 1318 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, 310.395.3079; 619 N. Croft Ave., West Hollywood, 323.592.3115, clarev.com DAVID WEBB The iconic American jewelry house—in business since 1948—is known for its rich tradition of design, craftsmanship and creativity. Over the years, its pieces have been spotted on luminaries including Elizabeth Taylor and Jacqueline Kennedy. Beverly Wilshire Hotel, 9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.858.8006, davidwebb.com DECADESCL0000022229 Serving celebrities and fashionistas alike for more than 20 years, Decades offers the best of vintage and recent years’ designer clothing and accessories, including Chanel earrings, Hermès bags, John Galliano separates and Yves Saint Laurent dresses. 8214 Melrose Ave., L.A., 323.655.1960, decadesinc.com FRED SEGAL The iconic Southern California brand’s 13,000-square-foot global flagship on Sunset Boulevard houses multibrand boutiques including Hartel and Collective; “shops-in-shops” from labels like Libertine and RRL; a pop-up and event space; plus a café and bakery. A new Fred Segal Malibu is due to open this year, boasting a curated selection of women’s apparel, accessories, jewelry, a focused men’s assortment and a separate beauty shop. 8500 Sunset Blvd.,
COURTESY MYRTLE
ASSEMBLY LOS ANGELES Inside the austere white walls of this bicoastal shop from Greg Armas (who also designs the store’s eponymous label) are racks of modern, minimalist looks by independent designers such as Baserange, Shaina Mote and Jorge Morales. 7977 Melrose Ave., L.A., 323.746.5090, assemblynewyork.com
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THE GREAT. Emily Current and Meritt Elliott, the duo who started the Current/ Elliott denim empire, are behind this Americana-inflected lifestyle brand, which opened its first shop last year. Shop the complete collection of women’s ready-to-wear, as well as vintage finds, home goods, antique jewelry and more. 8575 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 424.302.0558, thisisthegreat.com
EMILY CURRENT AND MERITT ELLIOTT’S THE GREAT.
West Hollywood, 310.432.0560; Malibu Village, 3835 Cross Creek Road, Malibu, fredsegal.com GARDE “Gift shop” seems too pedestrian a label for Garde, which exudes an earthy sophistication and a gallery-like air. Yet each item here, including Nancy Newberg jewelry, Faye Toogood earthenware and Michaël Verheyden marble home goods, is perfect for giving and getting. 7418 Beverly Blvd., L.A., 323.424.4667, gardeshop.com H GEARYS BEVERLY HILLS A Beverly Hills tradition for 89 years, GEARYS discovers and showcases a medley of luxury brands from around the world. Find fine china, crystal, home decor and gifts, as well as the most sought-after jewelry and watches. GEARYS also offers designated Rolex and Patek Philippe boutiques just blocks away. Find additional GEARYS Rolex boutiques at Westfield Century
City and Santa Monica Place. 351 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.273.4741, gearys.com GOOP LAB The first brick-and-mortar store from the burgeoning modernlifestyle brand founded by Gwyneth Paltrow offers homewares, beauty and wellness products and fashionable attire. Roman and Williams designed the 1,300-square-foot “bungalow” to feel like a private home, complete with a fully functioning kitchen and greenhouse. Brentwood Country Mart, 225 26th St., Suite 37, Santa Monica, 310.260.4072, goop.com GRATUS Upon entering this elegant atelier through a European-esque courtyard, you’ll find luxury and contemporary brands such as Rosetta Getty, Rochas, No. 21, Lena Lumelsky and Re/Done. Amid comfy couches and scented candles, expert stylists await to help you put your
GUM TREECL9000006294 Housed in a quaint bungalow, the Hermosa Beach location of this husband-and-wife-owned boutique is as refreshing as a sea breeze. Find beachy modern housewares, adorable toys for kids and a pitchperfect selection of accessories including Zoë Chicco earrings and Chan Luu scarves, then break for a flat white at the adjoining café. A Manhattan Beach outpost is also beguiling. 238 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach, 310.376.8744; 324 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach, 310.318.2990, gumtreela.com HELMUT LANGCL0000333553 The U.S. flagship of Helmut Lang, renowned for its elegant, pared-down aesthetic, houses the men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections, footwear and the brand’s signature fragrances. 8808 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 310.623.1900, helmutlang.com H. LORENZOL0000022236 Carrying cutting-edge designers such as Issey Miyake and Y/ Project, two stores on Sunset (one for men and another for women) offer one of L.A.’s most comprehensive shopping experiences while maintaining a boutique atmosphere.
H.L.N.R., on Robertson, carries merchandise for both men and women. 8660 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.659.1432; 8770 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.652.7039; 474 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.652.0064, hlorenzo.com HUSET43 Gain a fresh perspective on Scandinavian design at this sunny, modern shop, which showcases an array of furniture, home decor and kitchenware—Swedese Ivy shelving, Ferm Living rugs, Hay desk accessories—plus kids’ items and bohemian clothing. 1316 ½ Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 424.268.4213, huset-shop.com JENNI KAYNE Classic silhouettes and luxurious natural materials characterize this L.A. designer’s clothing, accessories and home collections (signatures include her D’Orsay flats and mules). Her eponymous boutiques also carry her picks from other designers, such as Victoria Morris pottery and Sophie Buhai jewelry. 614 N. Almont Drive, West Hollywood, 310.860.0123; Brentwood Country Mart, 225 26th St., Suite 30B, Santa Monica, 424.268.4765, jennikayne.com JUST ONE EYE This “future concept store” brings together creative minds from the worlds of fashion, art and design to create an ultraluxe retail experience in a building once home to Howard Hughes’ headquarters. International and local designers, artists and brands represented include Daniela Villegas, Allison Read Smith, Puiforcat, Off-White and Sami Hayek. 7000 Romaine St., L.A., 323.969.9129, justoneeye.com KELLY WEARSTLER In this flagship boutique from the renowned designer, find fine lifestyle products, luxury goods, furniture, curiosities, scented candles,
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look together. Meredith Kaplan, the visionary behind the boutique, wants shoppers to feel “styled, not simply shopped.” 427 N. Cañon Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.276.8200, gratus.com
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vintage books and one-of-a-kind and bespoke designs from Wearstler’s own collections. 8440 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 323.895.7880, kellywearstler.com H KING BABY STUDIO An on-site jewelry factory (available for tours) in a cool industrial space featuring reclaimed Venice Pier planks makes a trip to this Santa Monica boutique no ordinary shopping experience. Skilled craftsmen create a variety of sterling-silver jewelry designs that have been worn by celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Tom Cruise. Visit website for additional location. 1621 12th St., Santa Monica, 310.828.4438, kingbaby.com LE LABO This parfumerie’s hand-blended fragrances, developed from essences from Grasse, France, enjoy a cult following; now you can enjoy finding your signature scent at several L.A. locations. Black-and-white labels on the brand’s candles, lotions and perfumes share the boutiques’ apothecary-chic aesthetic. 189 The Grove Drive, L.A., 323.933.3305; 3531 Sunset Blvd., L.A., 323.522.6352; 1138 ½ Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310.581.2233; 8385 W. 3rd St., L.A., 323.782.0411, lelabofragrances.com
Original Works of Native American Indian Jewelry and Art
legend, hosting names such as Céline, Saint Laurent and Libertine. 8825 Melrose Ave., L.A., 310.274.8800; Malibu Lumber Yard, 3939 Cross Creek Road, Malibu, 310.270.9009, maxfieldla.com MOHAWK GENERAL STORE Find your own artsy look at this hip line of stores, overseen by husbandand-wife owners Kevin and Bo Carney. Gems include Issey Miyake bags and Rachel Comey shoes. Men can shop clothing from top-tier and emerging designers (think Engineered Garments and Dries Van Noten) at the guys’ store, steps from the Silver Lake women’s shop. 4011 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A., 323.669.1601; (men’s) 4017 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A., 323.669.1602; 2929 Main St., Santa Monica, 424.268.4848, mohawkgeneralstore.com
Visitors from around the world seek out Taos Indian Trading Co. for unique, quality jewelry, pottery, sculptures, paintings and a variety of other artifacts representing 57 tribes.
NEIL LANE JEWELRYCL9000006297 All that glitters is gold, white gold, platinum or even diamond pavé at Neil Lane Jewelry. The upscale jeweler most often cited on awards-ceremony red carpets (and on the Bachelor Taos_GBLA15_v1.indd franchise) showcases celeb-worthy stunners at his flagship boutique off Melrose Place. 708 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A., 310.275.5015, neillanecouture.com
LOST & FOUND6 The beloved Hollywood store (actually six little storefronts under one roof) has expanded to Santa Monica. Find artisanal, globally inspired home goods and women’s fashions, plus clothes for men and kids. 6320 Yucca St., Hollywood, 323.856.5872; 2230 Main St., Santa Monica, 310.450.9565; 2000 Main St., Santa Monica, 310.450.9782, lostandfoundshop.com
OKCL9000007022 Owner Larry Schaffer’s love of modern and Japanese design shines in a diverse but aesthetically harmonious assortment of ceramics, tableware, jewelry, art books and more. Some great finds: Lizzie Mandler floatingdiamond earrings and Comme des Garçons wallets. 8303 W. 3rd St., L.A., 323.653.3501; 1716 Silver Lake Blvd., L.A., 323.666.1868, okthestore.com
MAXFIELDCL0000022249 Asked to pick his favorite stores in the world, Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld named the exclusive Maxfield, a Melrose standout with a newer Malibu outpost. The boutique is a
OPENING CEREMONYCL9000006298 Taking its name and mission statement from the Olympics’ opening ceremony, this store showcases both American and international clothing designers. Lines include Rodarte,
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403 Santa Monica Blvd. TaosIndianTrading.com
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The only upscale boutique in greater Los Angeles for women size 12 and up. From comfortable to casual or dressy—classic to funky & fun. Abundance has it all!
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THE ROWCL9000400166 Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen chose the upscale Melrose Place as the location for their high-end brand’s first boutique. Shop the designers’ relaxed and timelessly elegant ready-to-wear pieces, handbags and eyewear in a space that feels like a Cali-cool home. 8440 Melrose Place, L.A., 310.853.1900, therow.com
MADDOX GALLERY LOS ANGELES (P. 85)
Acne Studios, Helmut Lang and the shop’s own collection and collaborations. 451 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.652.1120, openingceremony.com REBECCA MINKOFFCL0035 The SoCal-raised, New York-based designer pairs her cool handbags, accessories, timepieces, footwear, apparel and athleisure line with smart technology (like a video wall and interactive touch screens in the dressing rooms) at her West Hollywood boutique. Also find a shopalongside-shop that serves as brother Uri Minkoff’s first flagship for his men’s accessories. 8335 Melrose Ave., L.A., 323.451.7414, rebeccaminkoff.com RIMOWA The high-end luggage brand—established in Germany in 1898—remains one of Europe’s leading luggage manufacturers. Rimowa’s designs are unmistakable, due to the groove structure of its case shells. Shop
the brand’s traditional aluminium cases and light luggage made with high-tech polycarbonate at its Rodeo Drive store. 201 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.888.8686, rimowa.com RON HERMANCL0000022256 This minichain’s three local outposts offer a snapshot of casual, chic style. Browse for fetching dresses by the GREAT., Tibi and A.L.C., men’s denim from J Brand and Ron Herman Denim and jewelry by Carbon & Hyde. 8100 Melrose Ave., L.A., 323.651.4129; 11677 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood, 310.207.0927; 3900 Cross Creek Road, Malibu, 310.317.6705, ronherman.com RON ROBINSONCL0000022256 Since opening four decades ago, Ron Robinson has been discovering designers and setting trends worldwide. Find an eclectic, compelling mix of fashion and accessories brands for men and women (Chaser, Christian Lacroix), home (Tom Dixon, Misso-
H TAOS INDIAN TRADING CO. These fourth-generation Native American art dealers have amassed arts and crafts from artisans representing more than 57 tribes in North America. Nothing is mass-produced or commonly available—the store carries only one-of-a-kind handmade jewelry, pottery, paintings, rugs and sculptures. 403 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, 310.395.3652, taosindiantrading.com VERONICA BEARD This Meghan Markle- and Gwyneth Paltrow-approved brand opened its first West Coast boutique last year. Beyond the shop’s pink facade, soak in a tropical-vacay vibe while you browse feminine, flattering dresses, tailored separates, shoes and madein-L.A. jeans, plus limited-edition designs and special collabs. A second location in Palisades Village is due open this spring. 8471 Melrose Place, L.A., 323.968.0125, veronicabeard.com VIOLET GREYCL0000022234 This petite boutique, which is styled like a sophisticated boudoir, boasts hard-to-find skin care, hair-care and cosmetic lines, including Dr. Barbara Sturm, Hanacure, RMS Beauty, Vintner’s Daughter, Utowa and Windle & Moodie. The products are handpicked and rigorously
tested by Hollywood’s top makeup artists, experts and influencers. 8452 Melrose Place, L.A., 323.782.9700, violetgrey.com H WESTIMECL0000022266 Family-owned Westime is a premier destination for top-of-the-line timepieces. It offers a range of classic mechanical watches, including rare and limited-edition styles. Luxury brands offered include Greubel Forsey, Harry Winston, Bulgari and Audemars Piguet. Its West Hollywood location employs a full-time watchmaker. 8569 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.289.0808; 206 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.888.8880, westime.com H WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUNDCL0000022266 WGACA’s opulent West Coast flagship in the heart of Beverly Hills is the celeb-beloved shopping destination’s largest location. Find designer vintage clothing, including dedicated Chanel and Hermès departments housing the rarest collectibles. The exclusive VIP salon lets discerning clientele shop comfortably and discreetly. 9520 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, 310.858.0250, whatgoesaroundnyc.com WITTMORE It’s a good time to be a fashionable man in L.A. Witness: Wittmore, an online menswear retailer known for its global brands that now has two local brick-and-mortar shops. Levi’s Vintage Clothing, Reigning Champ and Patagonia are just a few of the three dozen top-notch lines stocked. 8236 W. 3rd St., L.A., 323.782.9791; the Yards at One Santa Fe, 300 S. Santa Fe Ave., Suite 10, downtown, 213.626.0780, shopwittmore.com
GALLERIES BLUM & POE CL0000022267 Within the walls of the Culver City Arts District’s original settler and flagship gallery, you may find
WONHO FRANK LEE
ni), kids (Sol Angeles, Munster) and vanity (Apothia, Kat Rudu, Retrouvé and Alba 1913). 1327 5th St., Santa Monica, 310.458.1160; 8118 Melrose Ave., L.A., 323.651.1935, ronrobinson.com
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works by emerging artists, as well as by the likes of art-scene all-stars Sam Durant, Jim Shaw and Takashi Murakami. The gallery is famed for its festive openings. 2727 S. La Cienega Blvd., L.A., 310.836.2062, blumandpoe.com GAGOSIAN GALLERYCL0000022271 The Los Angeles Times calls the venerated, Richard Meier-designed Gagosian Gallery “a Mount Olympus of the Los Angeles art world.” Blue-chip artists shown include Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein, Pablo Picasso and Ed Ruscha. 456 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.271.9400, gagosian.com H GALERIE MICHAELCL0000022272 Galerie Michael specializes in European paintings, drawings and original prints from the 17th century to the present, including works by Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró. The gallery also carries works by significant painters of the Barbizon school. 224 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.273.3377, galeriemichael.com HAUSER & WIRTH International gallery Hauser & Wirth is known for museum-caliber exhibitions of contemporary and modern art, representing more than 60 emerging and established artists, including notable L.A. artists Mark Bradford and Diana Thater. At its downtown Arts District outpost, gallery space is complemented by a sculpture-filled courtyard, L.A.’s first Artbook store, a special Book & Printed Matter Lab, a public garden and the on-site restaurant Manuela. 901 E. 3rd St., downtown, 213.943.1620, hauserwirthlosangeles.com LACECL0000022274 Recently celebrating its 40th anniversary (including 25 years in Hollywood), Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions—L.A.’s longest-running
artist space—fosters innovative artists (Mike Kelley was among those who received early support from the nonprofit venue). 6522 Hollywood Blvd., L.A., 323.957.1777, welcometolace.org LAXART0022274 This leading nonprofit gallery, which was founded in 2005 and relocated from Culver City to Hollywood in 2015, is a platform for emerging and under-recognized contemporary artists, architects and designers. Its experimental exhibitions and publicart initiatives increasingly engage with pressing social issues. 7000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, 323.871.4140, laxart.org MADDOX GALLERY LOS ANGELES Petra Ecclestone’s massive, new 3,000-square-foot L.A. outpost of Maddox’s international group of galleries regularly features work by superstar artists including Banksy, Damien Hirst, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Bradley Theodore. The new-age gallery is known for its goldbug_GBLA18.indd extravagant opening parties. 8811 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood, 424.303.7664, maddoxgallery.com SPRÜTH MAGERS Across the street from LACMA is this European-based gallery, founded by German art-world feminists Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers. Known for their fierce devotion to their artists, the two have an impressive roster of up-and-coming, midcareer and senior artists—including many based on the West Coast, which contributed to Sprüth and Magers’ choosing L.A. as the gallery’s first stateside home. 5900 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 323.634.0600, spruethmagers.com
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DINING
PRIME OF LIFE One of L.A.'s most iconic restaurants turns 100 this year. The Musso & Frank Grill (pictured above) has been serving up its legendary martinis and steaks to movie stars and renowned authors since 1919. A few of the waiters, all consummate pros, seem like they have been there since opening night, and Musso & Frank remains a great spot to score old-fashioned dishes like turkey à la king or Welsh rarebit. Meanwhile, newcomer APL Restaurant repackages the spirit of Hollywood for the 21st century. Celebrity chef/owner Adam Perry Lang draws inspiration from nostalgic chophouses like Musso & Frank, offering an all-American menu that features sophisticated renditions of old-school staples and Lang’s signature short rib and steaks. The restaurant, housed in a historic building, is a contemporary reimagination of the mahogany- and leather-clad steakhouses of old Hollywood. See p. 93.
ANGELINI OSTERIACL00321 Italian. At one of L.A.’s premier Italian restaurants, chef/owner Gino Angelini demonstrates remarkable range and finesse, from sea-saltcrusted whole branzino to the heavenly lasagna in béchamel sauce, whose recipe he inherited from his grandmother. Casual spinoff Angelini Alimentari is steps away. L (M-F), D (nightly). 7313 Beverly Blvd., L.A., 323.297.0070, angelinirestaurantgroup.com A.O.C.CL00421 Mediterranean. Explore a Mediterranean-inspired menu at the eatery that pioneered two L.A. culinary trends: the small-plates format and the wine bar. James Beard Award-winning duo Caroline Styne and chef Suzanne Goin offer addictive bacon-wrapped, Parmesan-stuffed dates and an excellent selection of cheeses and cured meats from a charcuterie bar. L (M-F), D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 8700 W. 3rd St., L.A., 310.859.9859, aocwinebar.com CECCONI’SCL9000006247 Italian. This London-based restaurant caters to the well-heeled, who schmooze over Bellinis and cicchetti (small plates). Pastas and seafood are well-executed. B, L, D (daily); Br (Sa-Su). 8764 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 310.432.2000, cecconiswesthollywood.com GUSTOCL9000400885 Italian. Chef Victor Casanova’s neighborhood ristorante has moved to bigger digs down the
street. Freshly made pastas, pizzas and dishes such as polpette (pork meatballs) plated over chilled, whipped ricotta deserve praise. D (nightly). 8022 W. 3rd St., L.A., 323.951.9800, gusto-la.com THE LITTLE DOORCL9006257 French. For a candlelit dinner in an elegant setting, the Little Door is the reservation ne plus ultra. Dine on rustic French-Mediterranean dishes (the mustard-crusted rack of lamb is a favorite) under the stars or by a crackling fireplace. French brasserie Little Next Door is adjacent. D (nightly). 8164 W. 3rd St., L.A., 323.951.1210, thelittledoor.com LUCQUESCL0000022160 Mediterranean. Chef/owner Suzanne Goin (A.O.C.) delivers the next generation of Cal-Med cuisine, which includes dishes such as braised beef short ribs with potato purée, cipollini onions and horseradish cream. L (Tu-Sa), D (nightly). 8474 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 323.655.6277, lucques.com THE PONTE Italian. Dine on contemporary Italian fare at this newer spot from award-winning chef Scott Conant. The patio, dominated by a magnificent tree and dotted with sparkling lights, is as romantic as they come. D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 8265 Beverly Blvd., L.A., 323.746.5130, thepontela.com PROVIDENCECL0000022181 Seafood. At this elegant restaurant, chef/owner Michael Cimarusti (who’s also behind Connie and Ted’s, fish shop Cape Seafood
and Provisions and Ace Hotel downtown’s Best Girl) transforms sustainable seafood into sublime, oft-changing dishes. Outstanding cocktails complement the Michelinrecognized cuisine. L (F), D (nightly). 5955 Melrose Ave., L.A., 323.460.4170, providencela.com ROSALINÉCL0000022181 Peruvian. Acclaimed chef Ricardo Zarate is back with this sunny restaurant—named after his mother— that introduces the “next phase of Peruvian dining” (think aceitunas, chicharrón de paiche and chaufa paella). Sip cocktails by Jeremy Lake on the beautiful, boisterous back patio, or grab a seat at the ceviche bar. D (nightly), Br (Su). 8479 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 323.297.9500, rosalinela.com SON OF A GUNCL0000333513 Seafood. Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, the meat-loving chefs at Animal, turn to the sea for inspiration here. They cook up small shareable plates (e.g., miniature lobster rolls and shrimp-toast sandwiches), paired with seasonal cocktails, in a nautical space. L, D (daily). 8370 W. 3rd St., L.A., 323.782.9033, sonofagunrestaurant.com
BEVERLY HILLS AVRA BEVERLY HILLS Greek. At the West Coast edition of the renowned Midtown Manhattan Greek restaurant, a beautiful crowd gathers to sip Greco-themed cocktails and sample authentic dishes with progressive notes. The menu showcases fresh seafood from the grill. L (M-F), D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 233 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.734.0841, avrabeverlyhills.com
TINA WHATCOTT
BEVERLY BOULEVARD/ 3RD STREET/ MELROSE AVENUE
H STARRED LISTINGS ARE FEATURED GUESTBOOK ADVERTISERS. 8 8 W H E R E G U E S T B O O K
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such as lobster mashed potatoes, and a melt-in-your-mouth warm butter cake for dessert. D (nightly). 246 N. Cañon Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.888.8782; 2087 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 805.418.1811, mastrosrestaurants.com
H CRUSTACEAN Pan-Asian. A walk-on-water aquarium meanders throughout the length of this modern-Vietnamese Beverly Hills landmark, which recently reopened its doors following a $10 million redesign. Enjoy reimagined Asian-fusion dishes, such as the Tuna Cigar, while still satisfying cravings with the An family’s legendary “Secret Kitchen” dishes. L (Tu-F), D (Tu-Su). 468 N. Bedford Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.205.8990, crustaceanbh.com
MR CHOWCL00000221 Chinese. The L.A. County editions of scene-y restaurants in New York and London serve authentic Beijing cuisine. Beverly Hills: L (M-F), D (nightly). Malibu: D (nightly). 344 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.278.9911; Malibu Country Mart, 3835 Cross Creek Road, 18A, Malibu, 310.456.7600, mrchow.com
CULINA Italian. The Four Seasons’ acclaimed Italian restaurant boasts coastal influences and a sleek crudo bar. Adjacent is Vinoteca, an Italianinspired wine and espresso bar. B, D (daily); L (M-Sa); Br (Su). Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, 300 S. Doheny Drive, L.A., 310.860.4000, culinarestaurant.com CUTCL0000022131 Steak. A collaboration between Getty Center architect Richard Meier and celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, Cut is the place to savor genuine wagyu beef steaks or dry-aged Nebraska beef. D (M-Sa). Beverly Wilshire Hotel, 9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.276.8500, wolfgangpuck.com JEAN-GEORGES BEVERLY HILLSCL0000022131 California. Michelin-rated French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s namesake restaurant at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills is an opulent indoor/outdoor fine-dining destination, perfect for enjoying fresh, local cuisine. B, L, D (daily). Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, 9850 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.860.6566, waldorfastoriabeverlyhills.com H MASTRO’S STEAKHOUSECL0000022161 Steak. Mastro’s serves USDA prime steaks in a sizzling atmosphere. Look for bone-in filet, sides
PRIME STEAKS SINCE 1978
SPAGOCL0000022190 California. An L.A. institution, Wolfgang Puck’s flagship restaurant features a modern dining room and a daily changing menu that may include dishes such as veal “Wiener schnitzel” and spicy tuna tartare. Glimpse some of the 30,000 wine bottles on offer in a glass-ensconced “wine wall.” L (Tu-Sa), D (nightly). 176 N. Cañon Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.385.0880, wolfgangpuck.com
BRENTWOOD PIZZANACL9000006270 Italian. The founders of Sprinkles Cupcakes partnered with Chris O’Donnell and his wife to open this pizzeria, where handcrafted pies from Naples-born pizzaiolo Daniele Uditi feature light but sturdy “slowdough” crusts. A second location in West Hollywood is due to open this year. L, D (daily). 11712 San Vicente Blvd., L.A., 310.481.7108, pizzana.com TAVERNCL9000006270 California. Chef Suzanne Goin’s third L.A. restaurant explores rustic Cal-Med fare in chic environs, including a popular sunlit indoor patio. The frequently changing menu might include “devil’s chicken” with leeks and mustard
Los Angeles 735 South Figueroa St. 213-553-4566
SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills 435 S. La Cienega Blvd. 310-246-1501
Woodland Hills 6250 Canoga Ave. 818-703-7272
Burbank 3400 West Olive Ave. 818-238-0424
South Coast Plaza Village 1641 W. Sunflower Ave. 714-444-4834
Anaheim 1895 South Harbor Blvd. 714-621-0101
Mortons.com
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intriguing housemade pastas. D (nightly). 9575 W. Pico Blvd., L.A., 310.277.0210, sottorestaurant.com
D (nightly). 633 W. 5th St., 71st Floor, downtown, 213.712.2683, 71above.com
CULVER CITY
BAVEL Mediterranean. The Bestia team brings Middle Eastern cuisine into the mainstream at this lively, trendsetting restaurant occupying a former brick warehouse in the Arts District. The menu features a wideranging selection of mezze including silky hummus, eggplant baba ghanoush with puffy fried pita, and sinfully sumptuous foie-gras halva. D (nightly). 500 Mateo St., downtown, 213.232.4966, baveldtla.com
N/NAKA Japanese. Chef/owner Niki Nakayama’s offerings are crafted in the kaiseki Japanese culinary tradition, with classic and modern interpretations. The 13-course menus are prepared with produce from the restaurant’s organic garden; there is an extensive sake and wine list as well. D (W-Sa). 3455 S. Overland Ave., L.A., 310.836.6252, n-naka.com
A DESSERT AT TESSE RESTAURANT (P. 98)
breadcrumbs. B, L, D (daily); Br (Sa-Su). 11648 San Vicente Blvd., L.A., 310.806.6464, tavernla.com
CENTURY CITY/ WESTSIDE CRAFTCL0000022129 American. New York chef Tom Colicchio of TV’s Top Chef brings his signature concept to L.A. The restaurant’s endless à la carte menu of contemporary American dishes includes shareable plates such as Berkshire pork and dry-aged beef rib-eye. L (M-F), D (M-Sa). 10100 Constellation Blvd., L.A., 310.279.4180, craftlosangeles.com
EATALY Italian. Equal parts food hall, marketplace and culinary school, Eataly L.A. (from founder/creator Oscar Farinetti and partners Joe and Lidia Bastianich) is a 67,000-square-foot temple of Italian gastronomy. The concept’s first West Coast location—located at Westfield Century City—offers artisanal products and
fare, top-quality Italian imports and several restaurants, eateries, cafés and bars spread across three floors. Enjoy handmade pasta, pizza, gelato and more. B, L, D (daily). 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., 213.310.8000, eataly.com HINOKI & THE BIRD California. Enjoy Japanese and Southeast Asian flavors in a hip environment inside luxury residential tower the Century. The lobster roll is infused with green curry and accented with Thai basil, while an entrée of black cod is scented with the smoke of the namesake hinoki wood. L (M-F), D (Tu-Sa). 10 W. Century Drive, L.A., 310.552.1200, hinokiandthebird.com SOTTOCL9000400899 Italian. This restaurant specializes in regionally inspired Italian cooking, including beautifully executed rustic trattoria dishes; soft, chewy Neapolitan pizzas cooked in an 8-ton wood-burning oven; and
VESPERTINE Eclectic. Chef Jordan Kahn’s experimental, experiential (and expensive) restaurant disrupted the L.A. dining scene when the Los Angeles Times named it the city’s best restaurant in 2017. Inside the wavy steel-and-glass building, you’ll find a 22-seat dining room, which offers a meal of 18-plus courses—many of which look more like modern art than food. Reservations must be made in advance online. D (Tu-Sa). 3599 Hayden Ave., Culver City, 323.320.4023, vespertine.la
BESTIA Italian. Reservations for this hip Arts District restaurant are among the city’s toughest to get. Chef Ori Menashe, a Gino Angelini protégé, prepares “beast”-focused, multiregional Italian dishes, such as roasted marrow bone with spinach gnocchetti, and a selection of house-cured meats. Menashe’s wife, pastry chef Genevieve Gergis, turns out treats such as a chocolate-budino tart. D (nightly). 2121 E. 7th Place, downtown, 213.514.5724, bestiala.com
DOWNTOWN
BROKEN SPANISH Mexican. The upscale sister of B.S. Taqueria, this “modern Mexican” restaurant near L.A. Live serves classically trained chef Ray Garcia’s innovative twists on traditional dishes (e.g., an oxtail-and-plantain quesadilla). D (nightly). 1050 S. Flower St., Suite 102, downtown, 213.749.1460, brokenspanish.com
71ABOVE9000006267 American. At this restaurant on the 71st floor of the U.S. Bank Tower, expect stunning skyline views, as well as elevated modern-American dishes like a farm egg with crispy potato, chorizo, finger lime and cilantro. À la carte options are available at the bar, and prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus are offered in the main dining room and several private dining spaces. L (M-F),
FAITH & FLOWER California. Art deco splendor meets modern farm-to-table dining and masterfully made cocktails at this restaurant near L.A. Live. An eclectic menu of mesquite-grilled proteins and a raw bar are offered amid a sumptuous setting in the Watermarke Tower. L (M-F), D (nightly), Br (SaSu). 705 W. 9th St., downtown, 213.239.0642, faithandflowerla.com
WONHO FRANK LEE
LUKSHON Pan-Asian. Sang Yoon of Father’s Office is behind this Southeast Asian eatery with a selection of craft beers and a Far East-inspired cocktail program. The crispy whole market fish is not to be missed. L (Tu-F), D (Tu-Sa). 3239 Helms Ave., Culver City, 310.202.6808, lukshon.com
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Not only does the menu impress the palate, the new design truly wows the eye for an all-sensory dining experience. Crustacean’s new menu perfectly redefines modern Vietnamese cuisine. Guests can enjoy classic favorites from its legendary Secret Kitchen’s -- AN's Famous Garlic Noodles™ to innovative new additions, like the Tuna Cigar.
Hearts of Palm Vegan “Crab Cake”
L
auded by USA Today as “best Asian Restaurant in LA for 2018” and described as “Bon Appetit meets Town & Country…”, Crustacean has been a Beverly Hills landmark and a Hollywood hotspot for over 20 years. With its jaw-dropping renovation, it’s a must visit!
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Red Beet “Tom Yum”Lamb Dumplings
Vegan dishes have been a new focus -playfully reinvented as shown in the Hearts of Palm “Crab Cake” and Impossible “Shortrib” Vegan Roll. The sizzling Himayalan Salt Block Ribeye Steak has become a new favorite, rivaling the AN's Famous Roasted Garlic Crab™. Crustacean’s bar program, paired perfectly with the menu, puts a creative twist on classic favorites; like the Artichoke Old Fashioned. The Smithsonian Institute has recognized the An Family as one of the most influential Asian-American families that have contributed to the culinary culture of mainstream America. For almost 50 years, the An Family has given new meaning to gracious hospitality and modern Asian Cuisine.
For reservations: www.CrustaceanBH.com bookcbh@houseofan.com
468 N. Bedford Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
@CrustaceanBH
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GRAND CENTRAL MARKET Eclectic. See and taste L.A.’s international influences at downtown’s oldest and largest open-air market, in business since 1917. About 40 merchants sell delicacies from around the world at the continually evolving market, including pupusas, ramen, tacos, freshly made pasta, oysters and pizza. Eggslut sandwiches are worth the wait. B, L, D (daily). 317 S. Broadway, downtown, 213.624.2378, grandcentralmarket.com H LA PRIME Steak. City views and dry-aged steaks at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites’ 35th-floor restaurant are sure to impress out-of-towners and dinner dates. Classic sides and starters fill an American surfand-turf menu. D (nightly). The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, 404 S. Figueroa St., downtown, 213.624.1000, thebonaventure.com H MORTON’S THE STEAKHOUSECL0000022197 Steak. The upscale steakhouse chain’s clubby ambiance is teamed with a show-and-tell menu and huge portions. Beverly Hills, Woodland Hills: D (nightly). Downtown, Burbank: L (M-F), D (nightly). SLS Hotel Beverly Hills, 435 S. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.246.1501; 6250 Canoga Ave., Woodland Hills, 818.703.7272; 735 S. Figueroa St., downtown, 213.553.4566; the Pinnacle, 3400 W. Olive Ave., Burbank, 818.238.0424, mortons.com ORSA & WINSTON Eclectic. Chef/owner Josef Centeno draws on Japanese and Italian traditions at his acclaimed third restaurant. Select a vegetable, fish or meat grain bowl for lunch; for dinner, enjoy daily changing four- and sixcourse tasting menus with an optional wine pairing. L (Tu-F), D (Tu-Sa), Br (Sa-Su). 122 W. 4th St., downtown, 213.687.0300, orsaandwinston.com
OTIUM9000006267 California. French Laundry alum Timothy Hollingsworth helms this modern restaurant adjacent to the Broad museum, preparing rustic, market-driven cuisine such as hamachi with coriander, avocado, lemon and dill. L (Tu-F), D (Tu-Su), Br (Sa-Su). 222 S. Hope St., downtown, 213.935.8500, otiumla.com PATINACL0000022178 French. With Patina, the Walt Disney Concert Hall pairs classicalmusic offerings with fine dining. The in-house restaurant, from master chef Joachim Splichal, might be the best game in town when it comes to game dishes, which appear frequently on the menu. D (Tu-Su). 141 S. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.3331, patinagroup.com/patina-restaurant REDBIRD American. Chef Neal Fraser’s American cuisine is served in the rectory of the former Cathedral of St. Vibiana. Rack of red wattle pork and chicken potpie are part of an intriguing menu. Updated Spanish Baroque decor and retro-inspired cocktails complete the scene. D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 114 E. 2nd St., downtown, 213.788.1191, redbird.la ROSSOBLU Italian. Sotto chef Steve Samson and wife Dina are behind this gorgeous Italian restaurant in City Market South, a complex in the Fashion District, where he serves Bolognese family favorites. Pastas and salumi are made in workshops visible from the cellar wine room, available for private dining. D (nightly), Br (SaSu). 1124 San Julian St., downtown, 213.749.1099, rossoblula.com WP24CL9000007076 Pan-Asian. From its 24th-floor roost, WP24 proves that Wolfgang Puck, who pioneered Asian fusion, has still got the goods. Highlights include XO seafood dumplings
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and steamed bao filled with pork belly. The restaurant provides one of downtown’s best skyline views. Restaurant/lounge concept Nest at WP24 is adjacent. Dining room: D (Tu-Sa). Nest: D (nightly). The RitzCarlton, Los Angeles, 900 W. Olympic Blvd., downtown, 213.743.8824, wolfgangpuck.com
HOLLYWOOD/ EASTSIDE APL RESTAURANT Steak. At classically trained chef and barbecue expert Adam Perry Lang’s new steakhouse, starters include versions of old-school favorites (e.g., iceberg wedge, shrimp cocktail). The prime attractions—a rib-eye, T-bone, porterhouse and more—are all dryaged on-site. D (nightly). 1680 Vine St., Hollywood, 323.416.1280, aplrestaurant.com CHI SPACCA Italian. At the latest addition to the Mozza complex, owned and operated by Nancy Silverton and Joe Bastianich, expect a family-style, beefcentric menu. The meat portions are mammoth, most notably a 42-ounce bistecca fiorentina that takes nearly an hour to cook and can stuff a party of four. D (nightly). 6610 Melrose Ave., L.A., 323.297.1133, chispacca.com GWEN American. Maude chef Curtis Stone and brother Luke’s restaurant—named after their maternal grandmother—features meat-centric tasting menus served in an art deco dining room and à la carte items served at the bar or on the patio. A European-style butcher shop in the front serves sandwiches. L (M-F), D (nightly). 6600 Sunset Blvd., L.A., 323.946.7513, gwenla.com THE MUSSO & FRANK GRILL Steak. Hollywood’s oldest restaurant (1919). Enjoy flannel cakes and lobster Thermidor with the martini; legend has it that this place
invented the drink. B, L (Tu-Sa); D (Tu-Su). 6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.467.7788, mussoandfrank.com OSTERIA MOZZACL0000022174 Italian. Famed L.A.-based bread maker Nancy Silverton is a co-owner of Mozza’s international group of contemporary Italian restaurants, which includes this sophisticated osteria and its more casual (but also highly acclaimed) neighbor, Pizzeria Mozza. D (nightly). 6602 Melrose Ave., L.A., 323.297.0100, la.osteriamozza.com OTOÑO Spanish. Part of Highland Park’s burgeoning dining scene, chef Teresa Montaño’s new restaurant serves progressive Spanish flavors with an L.A. influence. Standout tapas include the addictive boquerones y mantequilla (tuna and anchovy goat butter) and costillas de elote. The main star here, though, is the paella. After exploring the dish’s origins in Valencia, Montaño dreamed up three innovative iterations for her menu. D (Tu-Su). 5715 N. Figueroa St., L.A., 323.474.6624, otonorestaurant.com
AN UNPARALLELED
DINING EXPERIENCE THE FINEST PRIME STEAKS THE FRESHEST SEAFOOD EXQUISITE WINES LIVE ENTERTAINMENT 7 NIGHTS A WEEK PRIVATE DINING
PALEY.CL0000333473 California. Located in historic Columbia Square, this glamorous restaurant (named after former CBS CEO William S. Paley) pays homage to the golden age of Hollywood. Inside a midcentury-modern dining room, dine on classic dishes with a modern twist, such as braised pork belly with applesauce, frisée and whole-grain mustard. For dessert, try the popcorn ice cream. L (M-F), D (nightly). 6115 Sunset Blvd., Suite 100, Hollywood, 323.544.9430, paleyhollywood.com PETIT TROIS French. Trois Mec’s neighboring, French-bar-style spinoff offers an à la carte menu of classic dishes such as a confit-fried chicken leg, croque monsieur and delectable omelet with Boursin cheese. L.A.:
THOUSAND OAKS • 2087 East Thousand Oaks Blvd. • 805.418.1811 MALIBU • 18412 Pacific Coast Hwy. • 310.454.4357 BEVERLY HILLS • 246 North Canon Dr. • 310.888.8782 MASTROS.COM
MASTROSRESTAURANTS
@MASTROSOFFICIAL
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THE BAZAAR BY JOSÉ ANDRÉS Spanish. Star chef José Andrés brings a whimsical set of Spanishstyle dining experiences to the SLS Hotel. Cuisine ranges from rustic fare to cutting-edge creations. Somni at the Bazaar is an intimate tasting-menu concept. D (nightly). 465 S. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.246.5555, thebazaar.com
AVRA BEVERLY HILLS (P. 88)
L, D (daily). Sherman Oaks: B, L, D (daily). 718 N. Highland Ave., L.A., 323.468.8916; 13705 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 818.989.2600, petittrois.com TROIS MEC French. The foodie trinity of Ludo Lefebvre, Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook is behind this hot restaurant in a 24-seat former pizzeria. Diners must purchase advance tickets to enjoy Lefebvre’s prix-fixe, fivecourse meal, which changes often. D (Tu-Sa). 716 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, 323.484.8588, troismec.com
LA BREA/MID-CITY ANIMAL American. This bare-bones eatery from Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo is a carnivore’s dream. Dishes include marrow bone with chimichurri and caramelized onions; delectable takes on offal (such as crispy pig ear); and a bacon-chocolate-crunch bar for dessert.
D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 435 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A., 323.782.9225, animalrestaurant.com JON & VINNY’S Italian. This wildly popular familyfriendly diner from chefs/owners Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo has it all: pastries, pizza, pasta (made in-house) and meat entrées. Menu highlights include the L.A. Woman pizza and spicy fusilli. Takeout and delivery are also available. B, L, D (daily). 412 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A., 323.334.3369, jonandvinnys.com RÉPUBLIQUE French. In a landmark built by Charlie Chaplin in 1928, fine-dining veteran Walter Manzke and pastrychef wife Margarita turn out bistro classics (e.g., escargots, duck confit and steak frites), pastas, toasts and more for a trendy clientele huddling at communal tables. Café: B, L (daily); Br (Sa-Su). Bistro: D (nightly). 624 S. La Brea Ave., L.A., 310.362.6115, republiquela.com
E.P. & L.P.CL0000022162 Pan-Asian. This culinary concept finds executive chef Louis Tikaram serving up contemporary Southeast Asian dishes that draw from his Fijian-Chinese-Indian heritage and Australian roots. L.P., the multilevel “Asian eating house and rooftop,” consists of a rooftop deck that offers stunning views, as well as Asian-inspired street food and cocktails; a private bar, Frankie’s, is also on the roof. The indoor dining room, E.P., offers a menu of shareable dishes. D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su at L.P.). 603 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.855.9955, eplosangeles.com MATSUHISACL0000022162 Japanese. Superchef Nobu Matsuhisa’s modest, but highly acclaimed, original flagship incorporates luxurious Western ingredients and Latin American spices. Monkfish liver pâté with caviar, and lamb chops with miso-anticucho sauce are just two of his creations. L (MF), D (nightly). 129 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.659.9639, matsuhisabeverlyhills.com NOBUCL9000006261 Japanese. Nobu Matsuhisa’s glitzy restaurant attracts celebrities and serious foodies. An extensive menu of traditional and avant-garde sushi includes many dishes with beguiling Peruvian accents. West Hollywood: D (nightly). Malibu: B (Sa-Su); L,
D (daily). 903 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.657.5711; Nobu Malibu, 22706 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu, 310.317.9140, noburestaurants.com
MALIBU DUKE’S MALIBUCL0000022134 Seafood. Named after the father of international surfing, Duke Kahanamoku, this oceanfront restaurant captures the spirit of aloha. Not to be outdone by the spectacular views is the cuisine, which features a daily selection of fresh fish and tropical cocktails. L (M-Sa), D (nightly), Br (Su). Closed for lunch Mondays between Labor Day and Memorial Day. 21150 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu, 310.317.0777, dukesmalibu.com H MASTRO’S OCEAN CLUB CL0000022134 Steak. At this on-the-waterfront eatery—the views are pure Malibu— starters such as ahi tartare, lobster cocktail, crab cakes and caviar are followed by fresh fish, whole Maine lobster, herb-roasted chicken and expertly prepared steaks. D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 18412 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu, 310.454.4357, mastrosrestaurants.com
PASADENA ALEXANDER’S STEAKHOUSE Steak. This luxurious interpretation of the classic American steakhouse incorporates Asian influences. Certified Angus beef and one of L.A.’s widest selections of domestic and imported wagyu star on the menu. Bull & Barrel bar serves the menu plus an expanded, whiskey-forward cocktail menu and a social-hour food menu with specialty items. D (nightly). 111 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena, 626.486.1111, alexanderssteakhouse.com H ARROYO CHOP HOUSE0000333530 Steak. Find USDA prime beef, aged and hand-cut daily, plus fresh seafood, foie gras, classic steakhouse sides and an award-winning wine list at this handsome Arts and Crafts-
WONHO FRANK LEE
LA CIENEGA BOULEVARD/ RESTAURANT ROW
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You’re on track for a true culinary experience. A unique experience worthy of a special trip or serving as the perfect finish to an adrenaline-packed day. Restaurant 917 serves the Porsche vision of innovation and quality on a plate. Experience fine dining with a stunning view of the driver development track at the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles.
Book your reservation today at restaurant917.com
Š2018 Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
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inspired, mahogany-clad steakhouse from the Smith Brothers. A mural by R. Kenton Nelson tops the open kitchen. The Pasadena favorite is popular for business and specialoccasion dinners and after-work drinks. D (nightly). 536 S. Arroyo Pkwy., Pasadena, 626.577.7463, arroyochophouse.com H PARKWAY GRILLCL0000333530 California. This casual yet sophisticated dining room, with its brick walls, barrel roof and exposed beams, offers some of Pasadena’s best meals. The innovative seasonal menu includes whole ginger-fried catfish, brick-oven-baked Cambozola-pear flatbread, lamb chops, seafood and salads featuring produce from an on-site organic garden. L (M-F), D (nightly). 510 S. Arroyo Pkwy., Pasadena, 626.795.1001, theparkwaygrill.com H SMITTY’S GRILL American. Comfort-food classics and a great wine selection by
the glass round out the menu at this popular spot. Daily seafood specials, barbecued baby-back ribs, iron-skillet cornbread and homemade chicken potpie are favorites. L (M-F), D (nightly). 110 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena, 626.792.9999, smittysgrill.com H SUSHI ROKU 0000333530 Japanese. This pioneer of contemporary sushi uses the finest, freshest fish and incorporates diverse global ingredients into its edible works of art. L, D (daily). 1401 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, 310.458.4771; 33 Miller Alley, Pasadena, 626.683.3000, sushiroku.com SANTA MONICA H BOA STEAKHOUSE CL0000022134 Steak. Boa artfully combines a bold, colorful environment with modernday steakhouse fare and traditional sides. Santa Monica: Check website for hours. West Hollywood: L (MF), D (nightly). 101 Santa Monica
sashimi and more—with ocean views at this restaurant. D (nightly). 1401 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, 310.458.4771, robatabar.com
CASSIACL0000022163 Eclectic. This bustling Southeast Asian-inspired brasserie finds chef Bryant Ng (the Spice Table) serving dishes like Vietnamese pot-au-feu and Creekstone Farms steak frites. The seafood and charcuterie platters are among L.A.’s best. D (nightly). 1314 7th St., Santa Monica, 310.393.6699, cassiala.com
RUSTIC CANYONCL9000006265 California. Discover boutique wines while sampling small plates of market-driven, Mediterraneaninspired fare. Clam pozole is just one of the winners. Hide in a cozy booth or mingle at the communal table. D (nightly). 1119 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, 310.393.7050, rusticcanyonrestaurant.com
MÉLISSECL0000022163 French. At chef/owner Josiah Citrin’s Mélisse—among L.A.’s highest-rated restaurants—constantly changing tasting menus feature sophisticated, contemporary French fare. In March, Citrin is revamping the restaurant with a new interior design and menu, and it’s due to reopen by summer. D (Tu-Sa). 1104 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, 310.395.0881, melisse.com MICHAEL’S California. Michael McCarty’s influential farm-to-table restaurant, which opened in 1979 and pioneered California cuisine with chefs like Nancy Silverton, Jonathan Waxman and Roy Yamaguchi, is refreshed and back in the spotlight. Come for the food, stay for the modern art and sexy patio. D (M-Sa). 1147 3rd St., Santa Monica, 310.451.0843, michaelssantamonica.com RED OCL0000022163 Mexican. Rick Bayless, one of America’s leading authorities on Mexican cuisine, is culinary director of this lavish eatery, where creative dishes are grounded in tradition. L (Sa-Su), D (nightly). 1541 Ocean Ave., Suite 120, Santa Monica, 310.458.1600, redorestaurant.com H ROBATA BAR CL002341 Japanese. Enjoy Japanese pub-style cuisine—robata-style skewers, sushi,
SOUTH BAY FISHING WITH DYNAMITE Seafood. Among the old-school small plates in this tiny, charming restaurant from chef David LeFevre are New England-style clam chowder with Nueske’s bacon and Maryland blue-crab cakes with housemade pickles and remoulade. The oysters and cocktails are also top-notch. L, D (daily); Br (Sa-Su). 1148 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, 310.893.6299, eatfwd.com LOVE & SALT California. Dine on creative CalItalian fare (e.g., duck-egg pizza and homemade English muffins) paired with wine from an impressive list in this buzzy South Bay spot. Chef de cuisine/pastry chef Rebecca Merhej’s desserts are divine. Don’t miss her warm Italian doughnuts filled with lemon curd and Nutella. D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 317 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach, 310.545.5252, loveandsaltla.com M.B. POSTCL0000333507 American. Chef David LeFevre (who also helms the nearby Fishing With Dynamite and the Arthur J) serves small plates of seafood, freshbaked breads, cured meats and more in the space of a former post office. L (F-Su), D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 1142 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, 310.545.5405, eatmbpost.com
WONHO FRANK LEE
PAELLA AT OTOÑO IN HIGHLAND PARK (P. 93)
Blvd., Santa Monica, 310.899.4466; 9200 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.278.2050, boasteak.com
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VENICE FELIXCL9000006250 Italian. Chef Evan Funke’s trattoria boasts an open kitchen, a wood-fired pizza oven, a Tuscan grill and a glass-enclosed, temperature-controlled pasta laboratorio where Funke’s masterpieces—pappardelle, tonnarelli, strascinati— take shape before diners’ eyes. D (nightly). 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 424.387.8622, felixla.com
THE BUSTLING SCENE AT PETIT TROIS VALLEY (P. 93)
H RESTAURANT 917 At this fine-dining restaurant on the second level of the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles, you can dine on seasonal fare while watching the action on the driver-development track. L (Tu-Sa), D (Th-Sa). 19800 S. Main St., Carson, 310.527.0917, restaurant917.com THE STRAND HOUSECL0000333505 American. This beachside restaurant boasts ocean and pier views and a breezy, stylish bar. The menu includes starters like charcuterie, which might be followed by branzino with black-truffle risotto. L (Tu-F), D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 117 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach, 310.545.7470, thestrandhousemb.com
VALLEY THE BELLWETHERCL0000333516 American. Ann-Marie Verdi and executive chef Ted Hopson’s seasonal new American fare and cocktails have earned this unfussy spot a local
following and critical praise. Dinner may be as comforting as a patty melt or as elegant as wagyu steak tartare. D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 13251 Ventura Blvd., Suite A, Studio City, 818.285.8184, thebellwetherla.com CASTAWAY American. Burbank’s fine-dining restaurant boasts expansive views of the Valley, plus a new design and steak-forward menu from Cutthroat Kitchen winner Perry Pollaci. Hidden cocktail lounge the Green Room is adjacent. D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 1250 E. Harvard Road, Burbank, 818.848.6691, castawayburbank.com SADDLE PEAK LODGECL0000022184 American. Nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, this huntlodge-themed spot is a study in romantic rusticity, with moose heads overlooking candlelit tables. The menu focuses on game dishes such as grilled Blue Mountain wapiti elk tenderloin. Upstairs is the Double Barrel
GJELINACL9000006250 Mediterranean. Under the direction of chef Travis Lett, Cal-Med small plates and pizzas are served to chic Westsiders. It’s one of Venice’s most popular restaurants and the neighborhood’s liveliest patio. Gjelina Take Away is next door; Lett’s izakaya concept MTN is down the street. B, L (M-F); D (nightly); Br (Sa-Su). 1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310.450.1429, gjelina.com THE TASTING KITCHENCL0000333516 California. Foodies flock to this loud but lovely dining room for a daily changing menu of innovative yet unpretentious cuisine from chef Casey Lane: small or large plates of cured meats, artisan cheeses, vegetables, seafood and pastas. D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 1633 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310.392.6644, thetastingkitchen.com
WEST HOLLYWOOD CATCH L.A.CL9000400897 Seafood. This hopping N.Y. import has been reeling in an A-list crowd since opening its doors in 2016. The indoor-outdoor rooftop boasts an alfresco dining area where guests can enjoy views of L.A. while sipping cocktails and dining from a seafoodcentric, internationally influenced
menu. D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 8715 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 323.347.6060, catchrestaurants.com H KATANA0000333530 Japanese. Dine in style at this Sunset Strip spot known for its sushi bar, robata-style cuisine (openflame-grilled meat, vegetables and seafood on skewers) and celebrity spotting. Note: The dress code is upscale casual. D (nightly). 8439 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 323.650.8585, katanala.com NORAHCL90004 American. At this beautiful restaurant, a fashionable crowd mingles over seasonal cocktails at the marble bar. The frequently changing menu boasts compelling dishes—the cast-iron cornbread is a favorite. D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 8279 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, 323.450.4211, norahrestaurant.com H ROKU0000333530 Japanese. This Sunset Strip hot spot from the Sushi Roku team presents elevated teppanyaki prepared at interactive grill tables, as well as sushi, a six-course omakase dining experience and an extensive selection of Japanese whiskeys. L (M-F), D (nightly). 9201 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.278.2060, rokusunset.com TESSE RESTAURANT9000400897 French. Raphael Francois is in the kitchen at Bill Chait’s new restaurant, serving classic French delights—handcrafted charcuterie, steak frites—updated for 21stcentury L.A. Pioneering mixologists Julian Cox and Nick Meyer are behind the cocktail menu. Wine store Boutellier is adjacent. D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 8500 W. Sunset Blvd., Suite B, West Hollywood, 310.360.3866, tesserestaurant.com
FOR MORE TO EXPLORE, SEE WHERE LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE OR VISIT SOCALPULSE.COM
COURTESY PETIT TROIS
Room, an inviting whiskey lounge with a romantic patio. D (nightly), Br (Su). 419 Cold Canyon Road, Calabasas, 818.222.3888, saddlepeaklodge.com
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
LA PRIME
MENU HIGHLIGHTS Starters Pan-roasted bone marrow Baked Blue Point oysters Rockefeller Blue fin tuna tartare Side Dishes Crispy Brussels sprouts Creamed bloomsdale spinach White cheddar mac and cheese
Located on the 35th floor of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites, the award-winning LA Prime invites diners to experience a culinary adventure in a relaxed atmosphere with refined service. Known for its innovative and edgy cuisine, LA Prime offers wet-aged prime beef steaks, as well as beautiful lamb chops, double thick pork chops and fresh fish and shellfish. Dishes are enhanced with local produce and paired with wines from an award-winning list recognized by Wine Spectator. Our award-winning culinary team of chefs have created a masterful menu of artfully presented dishes made with fresh ingredients to please the palate. Stars wink through floor-to-ceiling windows as diners sit back, relax and enjoy all that downtown has to offer. D (nightly).
Steaks Bone-in Delmonico rib-eye 22 oz Primal-cut New York strip 14 oz Bone-in filet mignon 14 oz Composed Entrees 3-pound Maine lobster Double-thick-cut Niman Ranch pork chop Grilled free-range Colorado lamb chops Seared Mano de Leon jumbo scallop Pan-roasted wild king salmon Chilean sea bass SautĂŠed shrimp scampi King oyster mushroom
FRESH SEAFOOD AND PRIME STEAKS 404 S. Figueroa St., downtown
213.624.1000 thebonaventure.com
FRESH SEAFOOD AND PRIME STEAKS
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Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR. (s18) ©2018 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. 18-ADV-25794
*Does not apply to food and retail locations. HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR. (s18) ©2018 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. 18-ADV-25794
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THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL, PHOTO COURTESY LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION
ATTRACTIONS THEME PARKS, STUDIO TOURS, RECREATIONAL VENUES, MUSEUMS, CONCERT HALLS, STARGAZING AND SPOTS OF HISTORICAL INTEREST: THEY’RE ALL HERE.
W H E R E G U E S T B O O K 1 01
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attractions
behind the screen Since 2002, Hollywood has rolled out the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre (pictured above) for the Academy Awards. Visit Hollywood & Highland to see the theater in person. Climbing the grand entrance stairs, you pass columns listing every best picture winner since the very first ceremony in 1929. You can
Autry Museum of the American West Named for performer Gene Autry, this museum in Griffith Park presents exhibitions and programs that explore the stories of all peoples of the American West. It also houses one of the top U.S. collections of Native American materials. 4700 Western Heritage Way, L.A., 323.667.2000, theautry.org
tour the theater, which takes you beyond the red carpet and lets you come face-to-face with a real Oscar statuette. See listing at right. And late this year, the highly anticipated Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is due to open at Wilshire and Fairfax. Designed by Renzo Piano on a blockbuster budget, its unique exhibits of everything from posters to Dorothy’s ruby red slippers will
California African American MuseumCL0000022308 CAAM’s mission is to research, collect, preserve and interpret for public enrichment the history, art and culture of African-Americans, with an emphasis on California and the western U.S. The permanent collection ranges from traditional African wood masks to modern and contemporary compositions. 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, L.A., 213.744.2084, caamuseum.org
finally be ready for their close-up. Immerse yourself in the magic of movies and moviemaking, have a cocktail or gaze at the Hollywood sign on the horizon from the terrace atop the museum’s sphere.
h California SCIENCE CENTER Embark on a journey of discovery as you explore interactive exhibits in this hands-on museum’s galleries, including Ecosystems—a free permanent gallery featuring live animals, eight
immersive zones and a 188,000-gallon kelp tank. See the space shuttle Endeavour in the Samuel Oschin Pavilion, the spacecraft’s permanent home. 700 Exposition Park Drive, Exposition Park, L.A., 323.724.3623, californiasciencecenter.org h Catalina Expressg For a quick island getaway, Catalina Express offers year-round boat service to nearby Catalina Island. Choose from up to 30 daily departures from Long Beach and San Pedro. Reservations are recommended. 320 Golden Shore, Long Beach; Berth 95, San Pedro, 800.622.2083, catalinaexpress.com Chinatown This neighborhood is composed of distinctive shops, markets and restaurants both traditional (Yang Chow) and hip (Howlin’ Ray’s). Art galleries have sprung up alongside Chung King Road’s antique stores over the past few years, and the bar scene has expanded. Between Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Bernard Street, Yale and Spring streets, downtown, chinatownla.com Descanso Gardens Collections at this peaceful retreat include coast live oaks, roses, an award-winning camellia garden and Oak Woodland, Center Circle and Ancient Forest gardens. Enjoy familyfriendly programs and explore the renovated Boddy House estate and the Sturt Haaga Gallery. 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, 818.949.4200, descansogardens.org Disneyland “The happiest place on Earth” is home to Mickey Mouse and eight fantastic “lands.” Highlights include
Space Mountain, Star Wars-themed attractions, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and a fireworks show that somehow always outdoes itself. Disney California Adventure is adjacent. 1313 S. Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, 714.781.4636, disneyland.com Dodger StadiumC Since 1962, more than 125 million fans have watched the Los Angeles Dodgers play baseball at Dodger Stadium. Spectators are awed by a breathtaking view of downtown, tree-lined Elysian Hills and the San Gabriel Mountains. Guided tours available. 1000 Vin Scully Ave., L.A., 866.363.4377, ladodgers.com h DOLBY TheatreCL0023g8 The home of the Academy Awards, Dolby (formerly Kodak) Theatre at Hollywood & Highland has also been host to a range of musical artists and notable TV and performingarts events. Daily guided tours give visitors architectural and historical highlights and an insider’s look at the Oscars ceremony. 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.308.6300, dolbytheatre.com h The Duchess yacht charter SErviceg Get out on the water with Duchess’ full-service upscale yacht charters, available for groups of 1-41 passengers. The company offers whalewatching tours, sunset cruises, deepsea-fishing charters and more. Open 24/7, 365 days a year. 13701 Fiji Way, Marina del Rey, 310.570.8902, theduchessyacht.com El Pueblo de Los Angeles El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument is the oldest section of
courtesy dolby theatre
Attractions h Aquarium of the PacificCL0000022306 Journey through sunny Southern California and Baja, the frigid waters of the northern Pacific and the colorful reefs of the tropical Pacific, and see more than 11,000 marine animals at this world-class aquarium. Touch sharks and sea jellies, and meet penguins, sea otters and sea lions. Pacific Visions, the aquarium’s firstever expansion project, is set to open this spring. 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, 562.590.3100, aquariumofpacific.org
H Starred listings are featured GuestBook advertisers. 1 0 2 W H E R E G U E S T B O O K
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Los Angeles, with 27 historic buildings clustered around an old plaza. Olvera Street (Alameda Street between Main and Los Angeles streets) is a festive open-air Mexican marketplace with restaurants and shops. 125 Paseo de la Plaza, downtown, 213.628.1274, elpueblo.lacity.org
10,000-plus authentic showbiz treasures that showcase a century of Hollywood’s entertainment industry. Don’t miss Max Factor’s makeup rooms, where Marilyn Monroe became a blonde and Lucille Ball a redhead. 1660 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, 323.464.7776, thehollywoodmuseum.com
GRAMMY MUSEUM Explore 160-plus musical genres, see artifacts such as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” jacket, learn to produce and record in the interactive In the Studio exhibit and more at this 30,000-square-foot museum at L.A. Live. The 200-seat Clive Davis Theater has hosted top artists including Imagine Dragons, Sheryl Crow and James Taylor. 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite A245, downtown, 213.765.6800, grammymuseum.org
HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME Terrazzo and brass stars line the sidewalks and offer a history of Hollywood’s entertainment industry, honoring those who have made significant contributions in radio, television, motion pictures, recording and live performance. Hollywood Boulevard from Gower Street to La Brea Avenue, and Vine Street from Yucca Street to Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, 323.469.8311, walkoffame.com
GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY The most visited public observatory in the world is a leader in public astronomy and also offers an ideal vantage point for observing the Hollywood sign. Awe-inspiring shows at the 290-seat Samuel Oschin Planetarium theater are presented by a live storyteller. 2800 E. Observatory Road, L.A., 213.473.0800, griffithobservatory.org GRIFFITH PARK With more than 4,310 acres of natural terrain and landscaped parkland, Griffith Park is the country’s largest municipal park with an urban wilderness area. Highlights include the Griffith Observatory, Autry Museum, Travel Town Museum, the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens, the Greek Theatre, hiking trails and horseback riding. 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, L.A., 323.913.4688, laparks.org/griffithpark
sandiegozoo.org/africarocks
H HOLLYWOOD MUSEUM In the historic Max Factor Building, just steps from the Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Museum houses
H JAPAN HOUSE LOS ANGELES This project from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs features an exhibition gallery and a Monozukuri Shop selling a curated selection of Japanese products, plus a café, a finedining restaurant, a library, an event venue and views of L.A. Hollywood & Highland, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Levels 2 and 5, L.A., 800.516.0565, japanhouse.jp/losangeles H L. RON HUBBARD LIFE EXHIBITIONG This museum reflects the dedication, excitement and adventure of the life of L. Ron Hubbard—writer, explorer, humanitarian and founder of Dianetics and Scientology. 6331 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.960.3511, lronhubbard.org H LOS ANGELES ZOO & BOTANICAL GARDENS The L.A. Zoo, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, is home to more than 250 different species, many of them endangered, living among immersive habitats and lush gardens. Enjoy live presentations and shows, a kids play park, the interactive
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Legendary car. Legendary experience. Innovative engineering. Sleek design. Unparalleled performance. It’s what makes Porsche legendary. Treat yourself to LA’s unique experiential destination by getting behind the wheel of one of our iconic sports cars with a Porsche Drive Instructor by your side. With 53 acres of excitement, the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles offers eight driving modules, advanced driving simulators, unique event and meetings space, and a true culinary experience at Restaurant 917. Book now at porschedriving.com.
The Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles.
©2018 Porsche Cars North America, Inc. Porsche recommends seat belt usage and observance of traffic laws at all times.
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California Condor Rescue Zone, a beautiful carousel with hand-carved animals and more. Ticket proceeds help protect endangered and vulnerable species. 5333 Zoo Drive, L.A., 323.644.4200, lazoo.org H MADAME TUSSAUDS HOLLYWOODCL0000022332 This interactive attraction allows visitors to check out wax figures of favorite celebrities, including Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson and Kylie Jenner. Guests can mingle with actors on the red carpet, challenge sports heroes or take the stage with music megastars. Picture taking is encouraged. 6933 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.798.1670, madametussauds.com
MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE www.museumoftolerance.com
9786 west pico boulevard los angeles, ca 90035 t: 310.772.2506
A Personalized Ocean Experience!
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H NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY00022308 The largest natural and historical museum in the western United States safeguards more than 35 million diverse specimens and artifacts. The historic building holds the largest collection of gold in the U.S., a kid-friendly Discovery Center and a Dinosaur Hall. 900 Exposition Blvd., Exposition Park, L.A., 213.763.3466, nhm.org
You Will Always be Treated Like Royalty Aboard The Duchess! www.theduchessyacht.com 310-570-8902 800-676-1470
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H MUSEUM OF TOLERANCECL0000022332 This inspiring museum hosts powerful exhibits on the Holocaust and such subjects as human rights, intolerance, immigration and family. Exhibitions include Anne, about the life and legacy of Anne Frank. Simon Wiesenthal Plaza, 9786 W. Pico Blvd., L.A., 310.772.2506, museumoftolerance.com
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Enjoy Legendary Service Aboard The Legend! www.thelegendyacht.com 310-710-8544 800-676-1470
H THE ORIGINAL FARMERS MARKET What started in the summer of 1934 as a farmers market with produce sold from truck tailgates has become an L.A. institution, with more than 100 restaurants; produce, gourmet grocery and retail stalls; international gift shops; and even a couple of bars. Du-par’s Restaurant is open 24/7.
The Grove shopping center is adjacent. 6333 W. 3rd St., L.A., 323.933.9211, farmersmarketla.com PARAMOUNT PICTURES STUDIO TOUR Go behind the scenes of filmmaking with an intimate two-hour tour of this iconic Hollywood studio. Explore more than a century of Hollywood history, and witness some in the making. Tours are offered daily. VIP and After Dark options are also available. Reservations recommended. 5515 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, 323.956.1777, paramountstudiotour.com PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM Recently renovated museum displays over 250 vehicles from around the globe, including trucks and motorcycles. Additions include the Forza Motorsport Racing Experience and Disney/Pixar Cars Mechanical Institute. 6060 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 323.930.2277, petersen.org H PORSCHE EXPERIENCE CENTER LOS ANGELES At the luxury vehicle brand’s 53-acre experience center, speed demons 21 and over can drive Porsche’s latest models—from sports cars to SUVs— for 90 minutes on a specially built 4-mile driver-development track, with a pro driving coach riding shotgun. Also find state-of-the-art driving simulators, a store and Restaurant 917, where you can dine while watching the action. 19800 S. Main St., Carson, 888.204.7474, porschedriving.com QUEEN MARY Guided and self-guided tours allow a view of the historic (and allegedly haunted) hotel and ocean liner, which is permanently berthed in Long Beach Harbor. Enjoy a meal, shop and even spend the night in an original stateroom. 1126 Queens Hwy., Long Beach, 877.342.0738, queenmary.com
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One of the world’s most prominent collections of postwar and contemporary art Featuring: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Mark Bradford, Jeff Koons, Barbara Kruger, Andy Warhol and Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Rooms
March 23–Sept. 1, 2019 Exclusive West Coast Presentation
opening october 19, 2019 Free General Admission
221 S. Grand Ave. | Downtown Los Angeles | thebroad.org Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Mirrored Room—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away, 2013. The Broad Art Foundation. © Yayoi Kusama. Image courtesy of David Zwirner, NY.
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SAN DIEGO ZOO It’s world famous for a reason. Visitors can get up close and personal with more than 3,500 creatures from nearly every corner of the world. Animals, both well-known and unfamiliar, live in habitats rich with features and activities (such as the Elephant Odyssey and Australian Outback exhibits). The zoo, a landmark San Diego attraction, is a longtime leader in animal care and wildlife conservation. 2920 Zoo Drive, Balboa Park, 619.231.1515, sandiegozoo.org SAN DIEGO ZOO SAFARI PARK The Serengeti is thousands of miles away, but the 1,800-acre Safari Park (formerly the Wild Animal Park) lets visitors experience a safari here. More than 300 species roam the extensive exhibits. Guided and self-guided tours bring animal adventurers safely close to elephants, giraffes, gorillas, lions, antelopes, zebras, rhinos and more. 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, 760.747.8702, sdzsafaripark.org SANTA CATALINA ISLANDCL0000022311 Snorkel, kayak, take a zip line tour or explore the west side of this 21-milelong island, where buffalo run wild. Enjoy the ocean air, dine at seaside cafés, browse the shops and get pampered at Island Spa Catalina. The island, which is 22 miles south-southwest of downtown Los Angeles, can be reached by ferries and helicopters departing from Long Beach and San Pedro. 310.510.1520, catalinachamber.com H SIX FLAGS MAGIC MOUNTAIN This popular theme park’s roller coasters include Twisted Colossus, an update of the iconic wooden roller coaster. Justice League: Battle for Metropolis is an interactive addition; CraZanity, a recordbreaking 17-story pendulum ride, is new. Hurricane Harbor water park, open seasonally, is adjacent. 26101 Magic Mountain Pkwy., Valencia, 661.255.4100, sixflags.com/where
SKIRBALL CULTURAL CENTER This cultural venue highlights the American Jewish experience through engaging exhibitions and programs that foster freedom and equality. Subjects of popular recent exhibitions include Jim Henson, Paul Simon and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The award-winning Noah’s Ark attraction is great for kids. 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A., 310.440.4500, skirball.org SONY PICTURES STUDIOSCL0000022348 Sony Pictures Studios celebrates Hollywood’s glory days and offers an insider’s view of a working motion-picture studio. Tour guides lead a walking tour, illuminating the film and TV production process and sharing tales of Hollywood legends. 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, 310.244.8687, sonypicturesstudiostours.com STARLINE TOURSCL9000006387 Hollywood’s largest celebrity tour company offers its famous Movie Stars’ Homes tours throughout the day. Its broad repertoire also includes sightseeing tours to movie locations, beaches, theme parks and San Diego. The CitySightseeing double-decker hop-on, hop-off tour has 70 stops around L.A. 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 800.959.3131, starlinetours.com TCL CHINESE THEATRE Built by master showman Sid Grauman, the theater—opened in 1927, declared a historical landmark in 1968 and recently renovated—is still a popular location for celebrity-packed studio premieres. The concrete handprints and footprints in the forecourt have immortalized some of Hollywood’s brightest stars. 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.461.3331, tclchinesetheatres.com TMZ CELEBRITY TOUR The popular bus tour travels through Hollywood, West Hollywood, the
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wallis18
THE ARTS DELIVERED.
IN BEVERLY HILLS
Located in the heart of Beverly Hills, California, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (“The Wallis”) brings audiences worldclass theater, dance and music, performed by many of the world’s most talented and sought-after artists. With eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles, and its notability as the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis offers original and revered works from across the US and around the globe.
For more information visit TheWallis.org
CONNECT WITH US
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COME TO THE CIRCUS OF THE 21ST CENTURY
Sunset Strip and Beverly Hills and, along the way, points out celebrity hot spots where stars eat, drink and get into trouble. The tour regularly encounters celebrities happy to interact with guests. Previously spotted stars include L.A. Dodger Yasiel Puig and Mariah Carey. Tours daily. 6822 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 844.869.8687, tmztour.com
A first-of-its kind Micro-Amusement Park in Downtown LA, opening a new era of death-defying feats (and eats), astonishing spectacles, hilarious hijinks and Big Top wonder for everyone. Re-engineered midway games. VR arenas. 38,000 sqft of interactive amusements of chance and skill, from Story Rooms to mechanical cocktailing fit for a king, but quite possibly made by a clown.
Ready to step right up? Visit www.twobitcircus.com
634 Mateo St., Los Angeles, CA 90021
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UNIVERSAL CITYWALKCL0000022351 The entertainment-themed dining and shopping promenade adjacent to Universal Studios features more than 65 restaurants, clubs, shops and movie theaters. Enjoy dining options including Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville and Voodoo Doughnut, and see a film on a floor-to-ceiling Imax screen at the state-of-the-art AMC theater. 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, 818.622.9841, citywalkhollywood.com H UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOODCL0000022350 The world’s biggest motion-picture/ TV studio features rides, shows and a behind-the-scenes studio tour, featur1:21 PM ing Peter Jackson’s King Kong 360 3-D. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction is all the buzz; the multisensory attraction DreamWorks Theatre Featuring Kung Fu Panda is new. The VIP Experience gives you a private guided tour through a prop warehouse, working movie sets and soundstages and allows you to skip lines for attractions. Universal CityWalk is adjacent. 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, 866.258.6546, universalstudioshollywood.com H WARNER BROS. STUDIO TOUR HOLLYWOODCL0000022353 Guests are transported on electric carts for a three-hour excursion through the studio responsible for such classics as Casablanca and TV shows including The Big Bang Theory. The tour changes daily, based on where the action is. 3400 W. Riverside Drive, Burbank, 877.492.8687, wbstudiotour.com
PERFORMING ARTS AHMANSON THEATRECL0000022282 One of the four main venues that make up the Music Center, the Ahmanson is at the theatrical forefront locally and nationally. The theater regularly hosts engagements of Tony Award-winning shows and world premieres. 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772, centertheatregroup.org THE BROAD STAGEC Santa Monica College’s state-ofthe-art 500-seat theater features a lineup of dance, theater, voice, chamber-music and film productions. Visitors might see a performance of contemporary dance or one of Shakespeare’s plays. A 100-seat theater, the Edye, features more experimental works. 1310 11th St., Santa Monica, 310.434.3200, thebroadstage.com CENTER FOR THE ART OF PERFORMANCE AT UCLA CAP UCLA offers some of the Southland’s most consistently rewarding arts programming. Its schedule includes music, dance and theater from an international who’s who of artists and readings by best-selling authors. Most events take place in UCLA’s Royce Hall. 10745 Dickson Court, L.A., 310.825.4401, cap.ucla.edu DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION The largest venue at the Music Center downtown is the 3,100-seat home of Los Angeles Opera and Dance at the Music Center. L.A. Opera, directed by Plácido Domingo, offers half a dozen major productions yearly. Dance at the Music Center hosts such companies as American Ballet Theatre. 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.7211, musiccenter.org THE FORUM Constructed in 1967 as an arena for the Los Angeles Kings hockey team, the Forum recently underwent a
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massive renovation and is once again a destination for some of music’s biggest acts, such as U2 and Jay-Z. 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, 310.330.7300, fabulousforum.com GEFFEN PLAYHOUSECL0000022285 This UCLA-affiliated theater opened its doors in 1995 and has since presented a world-renowned mix of classic and contemporary plays, provocative new works and second productions by leading playwrights. 10886 Le Conte Ave., L.A., 310.208.5454, geffenplayhouse.org GREEK THEATRECL0000022286 Built in 1929, the Greek Theatre is in Griffith Park. The site of this 5,870seat outdoor amphitheater was chosen after a soprano revealed the quality of the outdoor bowl’s acoustics. The April-through-October schedule has offered headliners such as Harry Styles and Sam Smith. 2700 N. Vermont Ave., L.A., 844.524.7335, lagreektheatre.com HOLLYWOOD BOWLCL0000022287 The largest natural outdoor amphitheater in the country, with 17,500 seats, the Bowl offers music under the stars from spring through fall. A packed summer season features pop, jazz and rock groups, plus soloists and orchestras including the resident Los Angeles Philharmonic. Boxes in the orchestra seats have tables for picnicking; dining options are courtesy of James Beard Award-winning chef Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne. 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, 323.850.2000, hollywoodbowl.com HOLLYWOOD PANTAGES THEATRECL0000022291 The Pantages is the Southern California flagship for the Nederlander Organization and its local presenting arm. Smash-hit Broadway imports including Hamilton and Wicked have stopped at this beautifully restored theater. 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.468.1770, hollywoodpantages.com 000022293
KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRECL0000022288 The Culver City sibling of the Ahmanson Theatre and the Mark Taper Forum fulfills the Center Theatre Group’s twin dreams for a Westside venue and a place to premiere adventurous works. 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 213.628.2772, centertheatregroup.org MARK TAPER FORUMCL0000022290 Since 1967, the Taper has been the socially conscious sibling on downtown’s Music Center campus. The theater landed early productions of such landmarks as Zoot Suit and Angels in America. 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772, centertheatregroup.org STAPLES CENTERCL0000022349 This state-of-the-art sports arena is home to beloved L.A. teams: The Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Sparks and the Los Angeles Kings all play here. The venue also hosts concerts by music’s biggest touring acts, such as Katy Perry and Taylor Swift. 1111 S. Figueroa St., downtown, 213.742.7340, staplescenter.com
Connect with wildlife at the L.A. Zoo! Hang with tree-dwelling lemurs. Prowl through the rainforest with jaguars. And start a staring contest with a cobra. You’ll find that fun just comes naturally.
LAZoo.org YOUR VISIT SUPPORTS LOCAL AND GLOBAL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
11/02/2018 Los Angeles Zoo File prep: Miss Cecilia
H THE WALLIS ANNENBERG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Aka “the Wallis,” this venue transformed the historic Beverly Hills Post Office into the Lovelace Studio Theater, a theater school, a café and a gift shop. The 500-seat Goldsmith Theater is housed in a second state-ofthe-art facility. 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.746.4000, thewallis.org WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL The Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, which opened in 2003, is one of the city’s most important performing-arts venues and architectural highlights. The $273 million, stainless-steel facility is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Master Chorale and nearly a dozen music
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series. Tours are offered most days. 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown, 323.850.2000, laphil.com
grams and screenings. 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 310.443.7000, hammer.ucla.edu
Visual Arts
Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical GardensCL0000022300 Visitors here are invited to explore 120 acres of rolling lawns and 16 gardens, including the Japanese Garden and century-old Rose Garden. Library treasures include the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and a Gutenberg Bible. A recently built visitors center, which houses a store, a café and an orientation gallery, welcomes guests. 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, 626.405.2100, huntington.org
h The Broad The Music Center-adjacent contemporary-art museum, built by philanthropists and art collectors Eli and Edythe Broad, offers free general admission and is home to more than 2,000 works of postwar and contemporary art, displayed across two floors of gallery space. A lush outdoor plaza and Otium restaurant, helmed by French Laundry alum Timothy Hollingsworth, round out the complex. 221 S. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.232.6200, thebroad.org Getty CenterCL0000022297 The magnificent, travertine-clad art institution welcomes more than 1 million visitors to its hilltop campus each year. It houses stunning collections of paintings, drawings, antiquities, photographs and decorative arts, as well as a beautiful Richard Meier-designed Central Garden with city views. It also hosts performances, lectures and conferences. 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A., 310.440.7300, getty.edu Getty VillaCL0000022298 The original site of the J. Paul Getty Museum, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, is dedicated to the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome and Etruria and houses 1,200 antiquities. Modeled after an ancient country home in Herculaneum, Italy, it offers reinterpretations of classical theater in its Villa Theater Lab. 17985 Pacific Coast Hwy., Pacific Palisades, 310.440.7300, getty.edu Hammer MuseumCL0029 This UCLA-affiliated museum’s collection of impressionist, post-impressionist and European old master paintings is housed alongside groundbreaking temporary exhibitions and contemporary Hammer Projects by emerging international artists. The Billy Wilder Theater is the venue for public pro-
ICA LA The Santa Monica Museum of Art is now the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, housed in a renovated industrial building in downtown L.A. The free museum houses ambitious, bold and thought-provoking exhibitions by both local and international artists in its 12,700-square-foot facility, with a goal of making contemporary art relevant and accessible for all. 1717 E. 7th St., downtown, 213.928.0833, theicala.org Los Angeles County Museum of ArtCL0000022301 The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is the West Coast’s most comprehensive museum, housing European masterpieces, an extensive collection of American art and a pavilion for Japanese art. Additional art can be found in the Broad Contemporary Art Museum and the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Pavilion. Take a picture in Chris Burden’s iconic Urban Light, just off Wilshire. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 323.857.6000, lacma.org Museum of Contemporary Art Committed to the collection, presentation and interpretation of work produced since 1940, MOCA’s three venues hold about 6,800 objects in all
visual media. MOCA Grand Avenue, designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, is a gem combining pyramids, cubes and cylinders with uncommon materials. MOCA Grand Avenue, 250 S. Grand Ave., downtown; Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N. Central Ave., downtown; MOCA Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 213.626.6222, moca.org Norton Simon MuseumCL0000022304 The Pasadena landmark houses a prestigious collection of European paintings, sculptures and works on paper, including masterpieces by Raphael, Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso. Also on view is a celebrated collection of sculptures from South and Southeast Asia. 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, 626.449.6840, nortonsimon.org
Nightlife THE ABBEY Open for more than 25 years, David Cooley’s gay bar, restaurant and nightclub has become world-famous, perennially making “Best Gay Bar” lists. It even spawned a reality show. Newer concept the Chapel at the Abbey, which has a more lounge-y vibe, is adjacent. 692 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.289.8410, theabbeyweho.com
and burgers. An entertainment area with games like darts, pingpong and skee ball completes the feel-good atmosphere. 828 Traction Ave., downtown, 213.519.5887, artsdistrictbrewing.com AVENUE0000022356 Among Tao Group’s hot concepts at Hollywood’s Dream hotel (which include Tao, the rooftop Highlight Room, Luchini Pizzeria & Bar and Beauty & Essex) is this exclusive nightclub, which draws the young, beautiful and famous Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights. 1601 Cahuenga Blvd., L.A., 323.593.7999, avenuela.com black rabbit rose000077 From the Houston brothers (creators of some of L.A.’s hottest bars, including La Descarga, Pour Vous and No Vacancy) comes this mystical destination for craft cocktails and magic. Half of the spot is devoted to a 40-seat theater— complete with a secret entrance, false walls and trick lighting—where patrons can attend ticketed performances by magicians, illusionists and burlesque dancers. 1719 N. Hudson Ave., L.A., 323.461.1464, blackrabbitrose.com
Apotheke An import from New York, this stylish bar in Chinatown finds bartenders donning white lab coats to mix up cocktails crafted with housemade ingredients. Try the Greenseer, the spot’s most popular cocktail made with eucalyptus-infused tequila, mezcal, honeydew, spirulina, lime and habanero bitters. 1746 N. Spring St., downtown, 323.844.0717, apothekela.com
here & Now Formerly Westbound, this Arts District bar on the former site of the historic La Grande Station has been transformed into an all-new cocktail haven. Cozy up in one of the railcarstyle booths and enjoy drinks that pay homage to L.A.’s rich and diverse history. Pair with elevated bar food like pork-belly fries and a burger made with a blend of short rib, chuck and brisket. 300 S. Santa Fe Ave., Suite N, downtown, 213.262.9291, hereandnowdtla.com
Arts District brewing co. This hip Arts District brewpub consists of a brewery, a tasting room, a patio and a takeout window, where patrons can order bar food like wings
Highland park bowl The 1933 Group has perfectly restored this Prohibition-era bowling alley—L.A.’s oldest—to its former glory, with eight refurbished bowl-
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L.A.’S FAVORITE SHOPPING & DINING DESTINATION SINCE 1934 • SHOPPING: Dozens of family-owned, eclectic stores plus well-known high fashion brands • DINING: 40+ restaurants and eateries serving gourmet cuisine from around the world • SPECIALTY FOOD PURVEYORS: 20+ artisan grocers and specialty food merchants offering produce, bakery goods, wine & cheese, handmade chocolates, ice cream and much more • HISTORY: The Original Farmers Market is a living time-capsule of rich history and culture providing locals and visitors an authentic L.A. experience 6333 W. THIRD ST. • LOS ANGELES • 323.933.9211 • FARMERSMARKETLA.COM •
Insta
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Open daily—adjacent to The Grove Shopping Center, Beverly Hills & Hollywood
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20 CENTURY
LEGENDS
The Dungeon of Doom
Max Factor’s World-Famous Makeup Rooms
See Hannibal Lecter’s jail cell, complete with authentic props from the movie.
ing lanes; a music room; a duo of horseshoe-shaped bars mixing up cult-classic-inspired drinks; and an open-air kitchen, which turns out Neapolitan-style pizzas. 5621 N. Figueroa St., L.A., 323.257.2695, highlandparkbowl.com LA DESCARGACL9000007758 Sipping a daiquiri in this rum bar, styled as if it were plucked from midcentury Havana, couldn’t be more chic. A jazz band and dancer entertain the crowd; an open-air cigar lounge is hidden in back. 1159 N. Western Ave., L.A., 323.466.1324, ladescargala.com NIGHTINGALE PLAZA0P00006385 SBE’s exclusive, 6,500-square-foot nightclub has a high-energy main club room, two lounges/bars and an outdoor garden “oasis” for lounging and dancing. The sound system and LED lighting system are state-of-theart. 643 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A., 424.296.1600, sbe.com PERCHCL0000333562 Atop downtown’s Pershing Square Building sits aptly named Perch, which has a glass-ensconced rooftop lounge with uninterrupted views of the city. The restaurant offers French cuisine, plus entertainment on various nights. 448 S. Hill St., downtown, 213.802.1770, perchla.com
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ome to the Aquarium of the Pacific where you and your family can get in touch with nature and marine life, any time you want. Touch sharks. Feed lorikeet birds. Watch penguins play. Over 11,000 animals await you. Don’t miss our 20th Anniversary Celebration.
AquAriumofpAcific.org • 562.590.3100 • 100 AquArium WAy LOng BeACh, CA 90802
POPPY This nightclub concept from the H.Wood Group boasts a storybookesque setting that makes you feel like you’re Alice falling down the rabbit hole. A-listers like Jared Leto and Drake have partied in its foliagefilled atrium and library-like lounge. Open Thursday nights. 755 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.855.7185, hwoodgroup.com SEVEN GRANDL0000333562 Take in hunting-club decor, seasonal cocktails, live jazz and blues and an international wall of whiskey at this trailblazing whiskey bar. Intimate
Bar Jackalope, featuring more than 120 premium whiskeys, is in a back room. 515 W. 7th St., Second Floor, downtown, 213.614.0736, sevengrandbars.com/la SKYBARCL0000022363 The beautiful, open-air bar at the Mondrian Los Angeles remains as chic today as when it opened. The ivy-covered exterior hovers over the pool. Inside, it’s light and breezy, with panoramas of the city. 8440 Sunset Blvd., L.A., 323.848.6025, mondrianhotel.com UPSTAIRS9000006385 Sip cocktails poolside, enjoy live entertainment and take in stunning city views atop Ace Hotel. The bar is a favorite spot of the increasingly hip crowd flocking to downtown’s revived Broadway Theater District. 929 S. Broadway, downtown, 213.623.3233, acehotel.com/losangeles/upstairs THE VARNISHCL9000006385 Inconspicuously tucked behind Cole’s diner and steeped in an intimate, retro vibe, the Varnish is a tiny, speakeasy-style bar that prides itself on its purist approach to classic cocktails. Its Prohibitionera and pre-Prohibition-era drinks are painstakingly crafted. 118 E. 6th St., downtown, 213.265.7089, 213hospitality.com THE WOLVES At this stunning new bar—set in a building from 1911 that evokes the Belle Époque—head bartender Kevin Lee makes his own amari, liqueurs, bitters and vermouths from seasonal produce. He then turns them into exquisite vegetable- and floral-infused drinks. Upstairs addition Le Néant offers an omakase cocktail experience. 519 S. Spring St., downtown, 213.265.7952, thewolvesdtla.com
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