Where GuestBook Los Angeles 2020

LOS ANGELES

where GUESTBOOK

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. The Michelin Guide has returned to Los Angeles, bestowing a constellation of stars on several of the city’s top restaurants. L.A.’s sports star is on the rise, too: The Dodgers continue to dominate as World Series contenders, Anthony Davis joins LeBron James on the court for the Lakers, and the Rams and Chargers begin playing

I love that my hometown is full of promise, that creativity is fostered and that dreams come true. Big dreams.”

in their new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Wilshire Boulevard’s Museum Row welcomes the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures showcasing L.A.’s legacy as the home of the film industry. Meanwhile, Los Angeles International Airport is in the midst of a multibillion-dollar modernization program that’s bringing fresh dining and retail options to travelers. And the city’s rapidly expanding public-transit system makes experiencing it all a cinch.

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AMAZING LOS ANGELES

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.

I love the urban splendor and eccentricities of

EXPLORE Get to know eclectic Venice, whose draws include Ocean Front Walk, idyllic canals and shopping destination Abbot Kinney Boulevard.

L.A.’s neighborhoods.

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.

I love the Hollywood Bowl on a summer night.

I love seeing my city as the backdrop in all those movies and TV shows. I love that Alex Trebek hosts Jeopardy! right here.

Snap a photo of the downtown skyline from a pedal boat on beautiful Echo Park Lake.

DINE Taste the many flavors 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 Michelin-starred restaurants like Michael

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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PLAY

Cimarusti’s Providence.

FROM TOP: DALE BERMAN (2); JAKOB LAYMAN. PREVIOUS PAGE: DALE BERMAN

I love that if I were to go to an art exhibition every

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FOR MORE STORE LOCATIONS VISIT

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B E V E R L Y

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LOS ANGELES Food, Fashion & Panoramic Views of LA STORES: A|X ARMANI EXCHANGE • ALDO • APM MONACO • BALENCIAGA • BANANA REPUBLIC • BCBGMAXAZRIA BURBERRY • CLUB MONACO • COACH • COS • DIESEL• DOLCE & GABBANA • FENDI • FERRARI STORE FOOT LOCKER • GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI DESIGN • GNC LIVE WELL • G-STAR RAW • GUCCI • H&M HOUSE OF SAMSONITE • HUGO BOSS • IF & CO. • KENZO • KIEHL’S SINCE 1851 • L’OCCITANE EN PROVENCE LONGCHAMP • LOUIS VUITTON • MAJE • MCM • MICHAEL KORS • MONTBLANC • MUSEUM OF DREAM SPACE OMEGA BOUTIQUE • POLITIX • POLO RALPH LAUREN • PRADA • SAINT LAURENT • SALVATORE FERRAGAMO SANDRO • SEPHORA • STEVE MADDEN • STUART WEITZMAN • SUNGLASS HUT • SUPERDRY • THE CELECT THE WEBSTER • TIFFANY & CO. • TRAFFIC LOS ANGELES • TRUE RELIGION BRAND JEANS • TUMI UNIQLO • VERSACE • VICTORIA’S SECRET • WOLFORD • XXI FOREVER • ZARA RESTAURANTS: ABSTEAK BY CHEF AKIRA BACK • ANGLER • COFFEE COMMISSARY • EASY’S • EGGSLUT FARMHOUSE • LAMILL COFFEE • MARUGAME UDON • PITCHOUN BAKERY & CAFÉ • TOCAYA ORGANICA YARDBIRD SOUTHERN TABLE & BAR

OUT-OF-TOWN GUESTS Pick up your Passport to Shopping at Beverly Center’s Concierge Desk and enjoy exclusive visitor offers from over 40 stores & restaurants.

APPLE · BLOOMINGDALE'S · MACY'S @beverlycenter

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@beverlycenter

@beverlycenter

beverlycenter.com

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CONTENTS

24 MUSIC MAKERS

PHOTO ESSAY A portrait photographer spills secrets from shooting some of today’s top musicians in L.A.

BY JOSEPH LLANES

30 100 YEARS YOUNG HISTORY

Local institutions the Huntington, the Musso & Frank Grill and UCLA are all celebrating a century of shaping Los Angeles.

BY VICKI ARKOFF

38 STELLAR DINING THE CULINARY SCENE

54 BRIDGE TO

THE FUTURE

After a decade away, the Michelin Guide has returned to L.A., cementing the city’s status as a world-class dining destination.

BY SUZANNE ENNIS

TV legend Jay Leno takes us under the hood at his Burbank garage.

BY PRESTON LERNER

BY ROGER GRODY

46 HANDCRAFTED IN L.A. IN THE BIZ

60 URL TO IRL SHOPPING AND STYLE

A new wave of furniture makers has chosen Los Angeles as a place to design and build.

BY ROGER GRODY

36 THE CAR GUY’S

CAR GUY PROFILE

HOME SWEET HOME Dan Brunn Architecture’s new Bridge House marries midcentury- modern style and innovation.

Online-born brands are making big brick-and-mortar moves in Los Angeles.

BY DANIELLE DIRECTO-MESTON

52 AN APPETITE FOR LIFE

Q&A Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis talks new projects, her Roman roots and her favorite L.A. spots.

BY VICKI ARKOFF

Cover and opening spread: Palm trees and the Manhattan Beach Pier.

Photos by Pete Halvorsen

FROM LEFT: COURTESY EVERLANE; BRANDON SHIGETA; AUBRIE PICK

L.A. ESSENCE

6 W H E R E G U E S T B O O K

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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.

64 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.

69 SPENDING TIME SHOPPING

79 CHOW TIME DINING

70 LOOK BOOK See what’s in store at some of the area’s finest retailers.

72 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.

91 PLAY TIME ATTRACTIONS

Get out! The best things to do and see in L.A.: studio tours, theme parks, the arts, museums, sports and more.

FROM LEFT: MONICA WANG PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY CHRIS EARL; WONHO FRANK LEE; CAMELLIA X WILLIAMSII ‘BRIGADOON,’ © THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART MUSEUM, AND BOTANICAL GARDENS

CONTENTS

8 W H E R E G U E S T B O O K

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where GUESTBOOK

LOS ANGELES THE ARTS DELIVERED.

Jeff Levy Gillian Glover ART DIRECTOR Carol Wakano

IN BEVERLY HILLS The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (“The Wallis”) brings audiences world-class theater, dance and music, performed by many of the world’s most talented and sought-after artists.

With eclectic programming that mirrors 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.

PUBLISHER

EDITOR

PRODUCTION ARTIST

Diana Gonzalez Heidi Schwindt

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER

Suzanne Ennis Molly O’Brien Aja Hoggatt

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Vicki Arkoff, James Bartlett, Danielle Directo-Meston, Roger Grody, Preston Lerner CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Dale Berman, Lisa Corson, Pete Halvorsen, Joseph Llanes, Edwin Santiago REGIONAL ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Jessica Levin Poff ACCOUNT MANAGERS

Walter Lewis, Kerry Brewer, Alexandra LaClergue, Reagan Zorn Leanne Killian Riggar Dawn Kiko Cheng DIGITAL EDITOR Alicia Luchak

BUSINESS MANAGER

MARKETING/PRODUCTION MANAGER

ADMINISTRATION

Whitney Lauren Han, Brooke Knetzger MVP CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER HONORARY PRESIDENT

Haines Wilkerson Ted Levy

3679 MOTOR AVE., SUITE 300 LOS ANGELES, CA 90034 PHONE: 310.280.2880 FAX: 310.280.2890 EMAIL

Jeff.Levy@SoCalMedia.com EDITORIAL Gillian.Glover@SoCalMedia.com ART Art@SoCalMedia.com PRODUCTION Ads@SoCalMedia.com WEBSITE Web@SoCalMedia.com ADVERTISING

Copyright© 2020 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.

310.746.4000 | TheWallis.org

Printed in the United States. Circulation audited by Alliance for Audited Media.

ON THE WEB:

socalpulse.com

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CONTRIBUTORS ROGER GRODY • Handcrafted in L.A., page 46, and Bridge to the Future, page 54 Pasadena-based Roger Grody is a regular contributor to Westways, Unique Homes, Performances and Where Traveler magazines; he has also written for Fodor’s and DK travel guides and the Los Angeles Times, Travel + Leisure and Gayot websites.

ss VICKI ARKOFF • 100 Years Young, page 30, and An Appetite for Life, 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 Traveler.

ss PRESTON LERNER • The Car Guy’s Car Guy, page 36 Preston Lerner is a Los Angeles writer whose work has appeared in magazines such as Wired, The New York Times Magazine and Sports Illustrated. He’s currently a contributing editor at Road & Track. He’s also the author of five books of nonfiction and one novel.

JOSEPH LLANES • Music Makers, page 24 Joseph Llanes grew up in Mexico and Southern California, and he currently resides in Nashville. He’s been a photographer for over 20 years. He works with a wide range of subjects, and his clients include Rolling Stone, Billboard, Universal Music Group and Warner Music.

s s

DANIELLE DIRECTO-MESTON

• URL to IRL, page 60 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 Traveler, C, Racked LA and Curbed LA. W H E R E G U E S T B O O K 1 1

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first look

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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The Beaches

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. Malibu’s dozens of beaches include Zuma Beach and Leo Carrillo State Park (pictured here), which boasts tide pools and caves for exploring. At Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades, you can hop on a bike path and cruise to Santa Monica State Beach, 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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The Grove is an open-air shopping, dining and entertainment destination masquerading as a quaint downtown. Favorite stores at the popular center include American Girl Place, Ray-Ban, Apple, Athletic Propulsion Labs and Charlotte Tilbury. Other draws include fashion-forward pop-ups, Pacific Theatres cinema and a dancing fountain. 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). Or hop on the electric trolley to the Original Farmers Market, an L.A. institution dating back to 1934 that’s packed with more than 100 stalls (including the Magic Nut & Candy Company, pictured right), boutiques and restaurants like 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

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 occupies three city blocks, where street performers and vendors ply their trades while visitors and locals filter in and out of bars, eateries, 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 (pictured left), 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

FROM TOP: COURTESY THE ORIGINAL FARMERS MARKET; DALE BERMAN. OPPOSITE: LISA CORSON, USED BY PERMISSION OF THE J. PAUL GETTY TRUST. OPENING SPREAD: LISA CORSON

The Grove & The Original Farmers Market

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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. Over-looking 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 free tickets in advance) follow the evolution of Greek and Roman art over approximately 6,000 years in the villa’s 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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Grand Avenue

Downtown visitors can’t miss the Frank Gehrydesigned Walt Disney Concert Hall (pictured here), which opened on Grand Avenue 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 world-class dramas and musicals—as well as the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, home of 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 Los Angeles Master Chorale. A block away, the Broad museum draws lines of people, who wait their turn to take in the contemporary art collection of philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. Across the street from the Broad is the Colburn School for the performing arts and the Arata Isozaki-designed MOCA Grand Avenue, one of the two venues that comprise

DALE BERMAN

the artist-founded Museum of Contemporary Art.

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L.A.’S FAVORITE DESTINATION SINCE 1934 INVITES YOU TO

Shop. Dine. Explore.

Enjoy 40+ restaurants and eateries serving cuisine from around the world and family-owned shops offering artisanal foods and specialty products.

Adjacent to The Grove, Museum Row, Beverly Hills & Hollywood.

Open daily.

6333 W. THIRD ST. • LOS ANGELES • 323.933.9211 FARMERSMARKETLA.COM • #FARMERSMARKETLA Insta

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The Huntington

In the midst of centennial celebrations this year, San Marino’s Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens boasts 120 landscaped acres, 16 themed gardens (including the Chinese Garden, pictured right) and 15,000 plant varieties. 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 8 million manuscripts, rare books, photographs, historical prints and other works, including one of 12 surviving copies of the Gutenberg Bible printed on vellum. On the dining front, the Rose Garden Tea Room offers a memorable experience, and noteworthy chefs Susan Feniger, Mary Sue Milliken and Kajsa Alger helm several concepts. 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, 626.405.2100, huntington.org

Style, splendor and sightseers converge on a legendary three-block stretch of Rodeo Drive in the heart of Beverly Hills. Louis Vuitton, 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 (pictured left) to visit Jimmy Choo and Galerie Michael in the Europeaninspired 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, 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

FROM TOP: DALE BERMAN; EDWIN SANTIAGO. OPPOSITE: EDWIN SANTIAGO

Rodeo Drive

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Los Angeles County Museum of Art

LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, holding over 142,000 works. The institution is currently in the midst of a massive redesign, but you can still check out captivating shows in the Renzo Piano-designed Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion or see treasures like a Richard Serra sculpture in the 60,000-square-foot Broad Contemporary Art Museum. Head outdoors for a cocktail and nibbles at Ray’s and Stark Bar. Afterward, visit Chris Burden’s streetlamp installation, Urban Light (pictured here), 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 La Brea Tar Pits and the new 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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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

20 WH ER E G U ESTBOO K

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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 left), which enchants muggles with rides, a tavern, a bar and shops including Honeydukes. Water attraction Jurassic World—The Ride recently debuted. 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, 800.864.8377, universalstudioshollywood.com; Universal CityWalk, 818.622.9841, citywalkhollywood.com

Hollywood & Highland Paramount Pictures is the only remaining major

studio in Hollywood, but Tinseltown is still full of

ALL PHOTOS THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE: DALE BERMAN

lights, cameras and action. At its heart is Hollywood & Highland, 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 (pictured right): arguably the world’s most famous sidewalk. Other popular draws surrounding the famous intersection are the Hollywood Museum, the Guinness World Records Museum, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and Madame Tussauds Hollywood. 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.467.6412, hollywoodandhighland.com

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THE ULTIMATE

SHOPPING EXPERIENCE AN EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTION OF 250 BOUTIQUES AND 30 RESTAURANTS Adidas Originals · Alexander McQueen · Apple Store Balenciaga · Bottega Veneta · Burberry · Cartier Chanel · Dior · Dior Men · Dolce&Gabbana · Fendi Gianvito Rossi · Givenchy · Golden Goose · Gucci Harry Winston · Hermès · Lafayette 148 New York Louis Vuitton · Lululemon Athletica · Max Mara Moncler · The North Face · Panerai · Prada Roger Vivier · Rolex · Saint Laurent · Tiffany & Co. Tory Burch · Valentino · Van Cleef & Arpels Din Tai Fung · Hamamori Restaurant & Sushi Bar Knife Pleat · Marugame Udon · TERRACE by Mix Mix partial listing

San Diego FWY (405) at Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA SOUTHCOASTPLAZA.COM 800.782.8888 @SouthCoastPlaza #SCPStyle

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FOSTER THE PEOPLE WHEN THE L.A. BAND’S FIRST ALBUM DROPPED, LLANES SPENT A FEW DAYS FOLLOWING THEM AROUND, CAPTURING THEM HERE IN A HOLLYWOOD HOTEL.

GWEN STEFANI & PHARRELL WILLIAMS THE FORMER VOICE CO-COACHES PERFORMING TOGETHER AT KIIS-FM’S JINGLE BALL

Music Makers Joseph Llanes has been a photographer for over two decades.

Growing up in Mexico, he learned to see beyond the surface of objects and developed his artistic eye. He later moved to Southern California and attended Pasadena’s ArtCenter College of Design.

Today, he’s found a niche capturing chart-topping musicians and bands for clients including Rolling Stone, Billboard, iHeartRadio and multiple record labels—oftentimes using L.A. locations as his backdrop.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOSEPH LLANES WH E R E G U E STBOO K 25

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HAIM LLANES PHOTOGRAPHED THE TRIO OF SISTERS (BORN AND RAISED IN THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY) BACKSTAGE AT COACHELLA BEFORE THEY TOOK THE STAGE.

FOO FIGHTERS LLANES SHOT THE LEGENDARY ROCK BAND IN FRONT OF A BACKDROP

BY PAINTER KEVIN LLEWELLYN AT IHEARTRADIO THEATER IN BURBANK.

RIHANNA THE “UMBRELLA” SINGER AND FENTY FOUNDER WAS ABLE TO POSE FOR THE PERFECT PORTRAIT IN JUST 60 SECONDS. LLANES SAYS HE FORMS QUICK RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PEOPLE HE WORKS WITH. HE SHOOTS FAST, AND HAS FUN DOING IT.

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SHAWN MENDES “THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I PHOTOGRAPHED SHAWN MENDES. HE WAS TOTALLY UP TO TRYING SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING UP WITH HIM. THIS SHOT WAS TAKEN ALL IN CAMERA,” SAYS LLANES.

JANELLE MONÁE LLANES HAS WORKED WITH MONÁE SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THIS PORTRAIT IS FROM HIS FAVORITE SESSION WITH HER, IN BURBANK. “SHE WAS ANIMATED AND FUN,” HE SAYS.

TRAVIS BARKER THE BLINK-182 DRUMMER ROCKING OUT ON SET AT A MUSIC VIDEO SHOOT IN SOCAL’S MARINE CORPS AIR STATION TUSTIN

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YEARS YOUNG

With 2020 vision, let’s take an appreciative look back at three beloved Los Angeles institutions celebrating their centennial anniversaries. Each one serves as a vital local touchstone with a centurylong track record of enriching L.A.’s cultural landscape by providing a unique, continuous thread through the fabric of the city.

BY VICKI ARKOFF THE HUNTINGTON HE WORLD’S OLDEST COOKBOOK. A lock of Abe Lincoln’s hair. A state-of-the-art cryopreservation lab. Thomas Gainsborough’s masterpiece The Blue Boy. One of only two known copies of the earliest version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The only 13th century copy of the Magna Carta outside the U.K. The first stinking “Corpse Flower” plant to bloom in California. These are just some of the global treasures and local wonders in the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens’ collections.

Covering 207 acres—including 120 acres of gorgeously landscaped gardens—the institution is a beloved destination for 750,000 visitors each year.

Though most guests only get to see the tip of the iceberg, the Huntington is one of the world’s great independent research libraries, with more than 11 million items spanning the 11th to 21st centuries. It has more than 200,000 European and U.S. lithographs, 440,000 rare books, 777,000 photos, 900,000 prints and ephemera of all kinds including menus, maps, mug shots and 12,000 greeting cards. An army of gardeners cultivates 15,000 plant varieties, including the world’s largest garden of mature cacti and succulents. Priceless art fills the Huntington’s galleries.

It all began a century ago, when the world’s largest private library—more than 120,000 volumes’ worth—arrived in Southern California, shipped in boxcars from New York. It was the obsessive collection curated by railroad, streetcar and real estate businessman Henry Edwards Huntington (1850-

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ABOVE: HENRY E. HUNTINGTON, 1907

OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: THE LARGE DRAWING ROOM OF THE HUNTINGTON ART GALLERY; THE BLUE BOY BY THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH, CIRCA 1770; THE LIBRARY EXHIBITION HALL; THE PAVILION OF THE THREE FRIENDS IN THE CHINESE GARDEN; EARLY POSTCARD VIEW OF THE HUNTINGTON MANSION; ARABELLA D. HUNTINGTON, CIRCA 1880

1927) and his wife, Arabella (1850-1924), once the world’s richest woman. The eccentric pair moved westward to San Marino, where they commissioned a Gilded Age mansion by architects Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey, who would go on to design the Rose Bowl, the Ambassador Hotel and Occidental College. They also commissioned acres of themed gardens, built a library, and ultimately established the Huntington as a collections-based research and educational institution. Opening to the public in 1928, it became one of the first cultural centers in Southern California.

The importance of the Huntington’s archives can’t be overstated. It possesses one of the largest collections of British medieval manuscripts in the Western Hemisphere. Its history of science collection is one of the largest and most important in North America, with holdings ranging from a 13th century Ptolemy Almagest manuscript to modern civil engineering reports and aerospace archives. The Library’s formidable strengths in literature are anchored by the Ellesmere Chaucer and outstanding Shakespeare and Renaissance print holdings. It is famous for its Founding Fathers collections; it also has immense collections on Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War and the trans-Mississippi West, and the Huntington’s documentation of California history is unparalleled. Henry’s personal favorites included Benjamin Franklin’s handwritten autobiography, Major John André’s Revolutionary War-era maps, a Gutenberg Bible—the first book printed in the West from movable type—and the manuscript of Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman’s memoir.

THEO C. MARCEAU, NEW YORK CITY © THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART MUSEUM, AND BOTANICAL GARDENS. OPPOSITE: ALL PHOTOS © HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART MUSEUM, AND BOTANICAL GARDENS. ART GALLERY AND LIBRARY PHOTOS BY TIM STREET-PORTER

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JONPAUL DOUGLASS; TINA WHATCOTT-ECHEVERRIA; COURTESY MUSSO & FRANK GRILL. OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: TINA WHATCOTT-ECHEVERRIA; COURTESY MUSSO & FRANK GRILL; TINA WHATCOTT-ECHEVERRIA; ILLUSTRATION BY RICK PLUMMER

And the Huntington keeps growing. In just the last two decades, it doubled its art gallery space and added a Ming Dynasty-style Chinese Garden; the sprawling Brody Botanical Center; the 90,000-square-foot Munger Research Center; a gallery focused on the history of science; and the 6.5-acre Steven S. Koblik Education and Visitor Center. The collection has also expanded, especially in the areas of American art, the history of science and technology, and the history of California and the West. Still to come: a $24 million expansion of the Chinese Garden.

“In its first 100 years, the Huntington has established itself as a vital cultural treasure,” says Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence, who hosts a new humanities series of talks with artists, writers and scholars. “Each year, hundreds of researchers mine and interpret our collections, thousands engage with us over social media, and hundreds of thousands of visitors come to wander the galleries and gardens, take classes, attend concerts or lectures, or celebrate special occasions.”

The place has become exactly what Henry Huntington predicted. He once said that, rather than writing an autobiography, “this library will tell the story. It represents the reward of all the work that I have ever done and the realization of much happiness.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: THE NEON MUSSO & FRANK GRILL SIGN; CURRENT OWNERS JOHN AND CATHY ECHEVERRIA, STEVE AND ANNE JONES, AND KRISTEN AND RICK KOHLMEYER; THE GRILL’S ORNATE MARQUEE IN 1928

OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: THE MUSSO & FRANK GRILL’S ICONIC MARTINI; PAULETTE GODDARD AND CHARLIE CHAPLIN IN THE OLD ROOM

THE MUSSO & FRANK GRILL OS ANGELES DINERS ARE notoriously fickle, always on the lookout for what’s new and what’s next. That alone makes the Musso & Frank Grill nothing short of a bona fide miracle. Hollywood’s oldest restaurant is a true survivor. A living, breathing time capsule that has kept its doors open for 100 years without pandering to food trends, refreshing its faded decor, or updating its red half-jacket uniforms. It’s the last of the old showbiz hangouts,

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IN THE MID-1930S; A RESTAURANT MENU; AN ILLUSTRATION OF MUSSO & FRANK REGULARS—INCLUDING MARILYN MONROE AND AL PACINO—IN THE NEW ROOM

still attracting celebrities, locals and tourists alike with virtually the same food, the same ruby red booths and a veteran wait staff who never failed to remember how Frank Sinatra liked his steaks done and made sure to keep double vodka gimlets in front of Raymond Burr at all times.

On Sept. 27, 1919, the restaurant served its first meals as Frank’s Francois Café under the ownership of Firmin “Frank” Toulet from Burgundy, France. With few refined restaurants in Hollywood, studio executives and movie stars quickly made themselves at home. Once, Frank’s wife, Helene, complimented Charlie Chaplin on his Panama hat, so he gave it to her, along with the fake mustache he was wearing. And so it was during the silent-film era, then the talkies. But even with a steady star clientele, the café struggled until Toulet struck up a partnership with dapper Joseph Musso, an Italian immigrant who ended up in L.A. after being pushed out of the Oregon restaurant business when alcohol was outlawed. Thus the Musso & Frank Grill was born, touting “costly tapestries,” “inviting booths” and a flashy kitchen with newfangled refrigeration for old-school desserts like Diplomat Pudding.

Chaplin always sat at table one, facing Hollywood Boulevard when it was still a dirt road. Western star Tom Mix liked to sit up front where he could be seen by passersby, whereas Orson Welles hid in a corner booth, telling the staff, “All I want to do is have lunch. I don’t want anyone trying to sell me a script or tell me how their girlfriend belongs in the movies.”

Unlike the clubs that filled Hollywood in the ’30s, Musso’s banned flashbulbs, and gossip writers were shooed away to maintain a safe haven for the rich, famous and infamous.

And so they came, for ice cold martinis, the Thursday chicken potpies and for a chance to let their guard down in public. Rudolph Valentino could slurp his spaghetti in peace.

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio could canoodle at their

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table without being gawked at. Jerry Lewis could prank diners by pretending to be a waiter, and William Faulkner could step behind the bar to make his own cocktails. Even gangsters Bugsy Siegel and Mickey Cohen felt at ease in the back corner at table 110. That’s where Bugsy ate his last meal before being gunned down at home. Mickey returned to the same table for another three decades.

Musso & Frank was equally popular with the literati. New York had the Algonquin Round Table, but Hollywood had the Musso & Frank “back room.” Groups of novelists and screenwriters hung out like clockwork to drink and write.

Famously, Raymond Chandler wrote several chapters of The Big Sleep at Musso’s. Ernest Hemingway, Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Dorothy Parker came for raucous, drunken fun. Charles Bukowski was a longtime regular who often stayed past last call. One night, Bukowski asked Musso’s legendary bartender, Ruben Rueda, “What do you think I do for a living?”

“Well,” Rueda replied, “you’re not a nice-looking guy, you’ve always got money and always beautiful girls. You must be a pimp.” Bukowski was livid, but he and Rueda became great friends, partly because Rueda always got him home safely when the author had a few too many.

Even more than the celebrities—and certainly more than the Continental cuisine—the bartenders and longtime waiters are the true stars at Musso & Frank. From the start, they’ve always been career wait staff, not aspiring actors or screenwriters, and many never worked anywhere else.

For 40 years, Sergio Gonzalez served everyone from Frank Capra to Quentin Tarantino. For 50 years, Jesse Chavez worked his way up from dishwasher to headwaiter. Counter server Manny Felix was named a cultural icon by the International Restaurant and Hotel Association. Executive chef

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ROYCE QUAD IN THE 1940S OR ’50S; ROYCE HALL TODAY; A ROBERT GRAHAM SCULPTURE OF DUKE ELLINGTON OUTSIDE OF UCLA’S SCHOENBERG HALL

J.P. Amateau grew up at Musso’s, dining with his dad who worked as Humphrey Bogart’s double. Daniel Ilich was the restaurant’s most famous maître d’, wielding power over tables, unafraid to tell a celebrity to wait like everyone else.

Like the waiters, many menu items have stuck around far past their retirement age. This is old-school Continental dining, with dishes rarely found on menus anymore, like jellied consommé, Welsh rarebit and grilled lamb kidneys (Chaplin’s favorite). “People order it more than you might think,” says fourth-generation proprietor Mark Echeverria. “And it will always be a part of Musso & Frank.”

The more things change in Los Angeles, the more things stay the same at Musso’s. The same sourdough bread to start and strawberry torten to finish. The flannel cakes are still to die for, and yes, that’s Mila Kunis at the counter watching hers being flipped. Johnny Depp still drops in for stiff drinks and a nostalgic glance at the out-of-commission phone booth where he used to call his agent before he got his big break.

The original cash register is still there too, with buttons for 100-year-old menu prices as low as 10 cents.

But change is coming. Three new private dining rooms will be added in that old-school Musso’s style, and a portrait of Rueda will hang there. A new memorabilia case celebrates the past—which remains comfortably like the present. As Gore Vidal liked to say, “Stepping into Musso’s is like stepping into a warm bath.” Dive right in. The water’s fine, but the martinis are best.

UCLA

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NE HUNDRED YEARS AFTER its humble beginnings as a small teacher training school, the University of California, Los Angeles has become the most-applied-to university in the nation. But it has done more

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: UCLA ARCHIVE; COURTESY UCLA; UCLA LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES. OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY UCLA (2); CHRISTELLE SNOW/UCLA

than educate millions of students and win a lot of games. It has changed the world.

University research has resulted in 3,000 inventions and the creation of more than 140 technology companies. Computer science professor Leonard Kleinrock led the UCLA team that laid the foundation for today’s internet. Engineering professor Rajit Gadh developed technology that is revolutionizing energy consumption. Astronomy professor Andrea Ghez’s discoveries are changing our understanding of how galaxies form. Engineering professor Yoram Cohen is bringing fresh water to a California plagued by drought. And student researchers played a part in all of it.

Among UCLA faculty, alumni and researchers are 14 Nobel Prize winners, a Fields medalist, two Turing Award winners and the first Chinese American astronaut. And creative UCLA alumni have collected 38 Academy Awards and 22 Grammys; winners include Francis Ford Coppola, Alexander Payne, John Williams, Randy Newman, James Horner and Tim Robbins. Some famous alumni—such as James Franco and UCLA Medal honoree David Geffen—have also served as faculty.

Noted for medical excellence, UCLA Health’s hospitals have been named to U.S. News & World Report’s most exclusive rankings list: UCLA is ranked No. 1 in Los Angeles and No. 6 in the nation. More than 200 of UCLA’s current 2,000 physicians are listed among the “Best Doctors in America.”

The same determination that pervades UCLA’s academics also propels UCLA’s athletic dominance. Bruin athletes have won 118 NCAA championships and 261 Olympic medals.

UCLA’s sports programs have also led efforts to level the playing field for women and minorities. In 1939, Jackie Robinson played on the UCLA football team, one of four African American players, which made it the most integrated major college football team at the time. After earning varsity letters

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: AN AERIAL VIEW OF UCLA IN THE 1930S; A BRONZE STATUE OF BASKETBALL COACH JOHN WOODEN

BY RENOWNED SCULPTOR BLAIR BUSWELL ON THE NORTH SIDE OF PAULEY PAVILION; JACKIE ROBINSON IN HIS UCLA TRACK UNIFORM

in baseball, track, basketball and football, Robinson became a national hero as the first African American to challenge racial segregation in professional baseball.

In 1972, the landmark Title IX civil rights law was passed

by Congress, banning discrimination based on sex in any federally funded education program. UCLA Chancellor Charles Young hired Judith Holland to spearhead the first Department of Women’s Intercollegiate Sports, placing UCLA at the forefront of this new movement. In 1982, the softball and track and field teams won UCLA’s first two women’s NCAA championships, and since then, women’s teams have won 43 of UCLA’s 78 NCAA titles.

UCLA’s unique view toward athletics creates athletes that are more than just winners. They’re also invested in their academics and community, making them champions beyond the playing field too. It’s an ethos embodied in the coaching of the legendary John Wooden, who led the Bruins to four undefeated seasons and 10 national championships—more than any other coach in college basketball history. His “Pyramid of Success” taught that winning has nothing to do with the score, and everything to do with the effort. By pushing players to strive for excellence in every facet of their lives, it gave them a set of principles that have become as iconic as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Gail Goodrich, Bill Walton and the many others it helped shape.

“Coach John Wooden taught me that sports wasn’t just about making us better athletes, but about making us better people,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote in his memoir Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court.

“Compassion, kindness and morality were more important than a championship season. Fame wasn’t an accomplishment—it was an opportunity to show our gratitude to the community that we are a part of by changing it for the better.”

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PROFILE

THE CAR GUY’S CAR GUY Late-night legend Jay Leno maintains one of the country’s finest car collections in a private museum in Southern California.

BY PRESTON LERNER

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THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE: COURTESY CNBC

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HE FIRST THING Jay Leno did after he moved to Los Angeles, before landing a job or finding a place to live, was to pay $350 for a cavernous 1955 Buick Roadmaster.

“I picked up a PennySaver at the airport, got in a cab and bought the car,” he recalls. “It was what I could afford, and I liked it. Plus, I could sleep in it.”

Nearly 50 years later, he still owns the land yacht—along with 187 other cars and 163 motorcycles that he maintains and showcases in a complex of warehouses in Burbank, known collectively as the Big Dog Garage.

“I’ve got every car I owned since the ’70s,” he says. “I’ve never bought a car as an investment. I just know what I like, and I figure that if I like it and I’m reasonably knowledgeable, then other reasonably knowledgeable people will like it and pay crazy money for it.

But I don’t sell anything. I’d miss it too much.”

Although he’s best known to the general public for his 21-year stint as the host of The Tonight Show, Leno boasts an even bigger reputation among automobile enthusiasts as the car guy’s car guy. Several other celebrities own world-class car collections of their own, most notably fellow comedian Jerry Seinfeld and fashion designer Ralph Lauren. But none can match the breadth of Leno’s holdings or the depth of his passion.

These days, he tirelessly promotes car culture through Jay Leno’s Garage, an Emmy-winning TV program on CNBC, and a YouTube channel sharing the same name.

He also writes columns for two car magazines. When I caught up with him, he’d just returned from a week of serving as chairman of a classiccar event in Newport, Rhode Island.

Turning 70 this year, Leno is slightly stooped, and his enviably full head of hair has turned completely white. As usual, he’s wearing faded blue jeans and a chambray work shirt, and he looks tired. But talking about cars revs up his boyish enthusiasm for all things mechanical, and his energy never flags as he gives me the grand tour of the Big Dog Garage.

We start in the shop, where Leno employs half a dozen mechanics and artisans with the skills and equipment necessary to undertake concours-quality restorations and wildly ambitious customization projects. “I used to work on all my stuff myself,” he says. “But now I’ve got guys here who are way better than me. I still enjoy tinkering, and if I can get it back to where it was broken when I started, that’s pretty good.”

As we walk past hydraulic lifts, drill presses and rollaway toolboxes, Leno points out a gargantuan 1911 firetruck and a chromed, tailfin 1958 Lincoln Continental Mark III that’s almost as huge. “It’s just stupid,” he says, laughing indulgently.

He beams like a little kid with a new bike as we linger over a 1914 Detroit Electric that he retrofitted with air conditioning, Bluetooth and a Tesla drivetrain.

Leno leads me across an alley to a series of warehouses that serve as his museum. I gasp when we walk inside. As far as I can see, cars are arrayed in long, orderly rows, like soldiers on parade. The walls

are blanketed with photographs and what appear to be colorful period posters and signs that were, in fact, all painted in-house by Leno’s crew.

Most collectors focus on certain periods or types of cars. But the Big Dog Garage is a tent large enough to hold just about anything.

Leno owns immensely valuable automotive masterpieces ranging from Duesenbergs and Bugattis to a McLaren F1 worth more than $20 million, but he’s also reserved slots for relatively humdrum models such as a Mazda Miata and an adorable 1937 Fiat Topolino sporting 13.5 horsepower.

“It’s very eclectic,” he says of his collection. “To me, a car should be of historical or technical interest. It should be fun to drive. It should be reasonably attractive. But I buy the story as much as I buy the car. Most of the cars here have some sort of oddball story in them.”

Take, for example, a 1951 Hudson Hornet he was semi-guilted into buying from the widow of the original owner. “It took us about two years to get it running,” he recalls. “When we got finished, I asked her if she’d like to go for a ride in the car. She said, ‘I’d love to go for a ride in the car. But I have to get my hair done. And can the kids come?’ ‘Sure, put the kids in the back.’ Well, she’s 98, and the kids are 72 and 74. So we’re driving around, and the two kids start poking each other, and she turns around and starts whacking the crap out of them!”

Leno has a soft spot for offbeat machinery. He owns a car powered by a helicopter turbine, another with a World War II airplane engine and a third packing a tank motor

lubricated by 17 gallons—gallons!

—of oil. And then there’s his 1906 Stanley Steamer.

“That’s the oldest car ever stopped for speeding on the 405,” Leno tells me with an impish grin.

“They’re made of wood, so what you do if it catches fire is you shut off the boiler and increase speed until you blow out the flames. I saw flames come over the hood as I was driving, so I increased the speed to about 75 or 80—and passed a cop. He literally did an Edgar Bergen double take. It was hilarious.”

Leno is the most accessible, accommodating and down-to-earth of celebrities, and unlike many collectors, he regularly drives his cars, no matter how valuable.

So he can often be spotted cruising around Burbank in a Lamborghini Miura once owned by Dean Martin or laying on the locomotive-style horn of his 1909 White steam car. And if you hang around long enough, you might even see him driving a restored version of the Buick clunker he found in the PennySaver. It now features a modern Corvette suspension and a 572-cubic-inch V-8. But it’s still big enough to sleep in, just in case.

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STELLA R DINING Recently, Michelin bestowed a constellation of stars on Greater Los Angeles restaurants in its inaugural Michelin Guide California. The revelation broadcast globally what locals and savvy travelers already knew: The City of Angels is a world-class dining destination.

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PHOTO GOTHAM BOOK 5.5/9PT JILLCREDIT PAIDER PHOTOGRAPHY. OPPOSITE: WONHO FRANK LEE

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SPOT PRAWNS AND PEAS AT KATO. OPPOSITE: PROVIDENCE CHEF MICHAEL CIMARUSTI

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TH E STARS ARE SHI N I N G O N CE AGAI N I N TH E CITY OF AN GELS .

Around the turn of the 20th century, French tire tycoons the Michelin brothers began publishing travel tips and hospitality recommendations to entice motorists to hit the road. Few would have guessed that the promotional gimmick would go on to wield enormous power in the fine-dining world. Today, however, the Michelin Guide covers more than 30,000 establishments across dozens of countries. A rating in the red book—especially in the form of one, two or three stars—is an internationally recognized symbol of a restaurant’s excellence.

So it was with great fanfare that in June 2019, at a live ceremony in Huntington Beach, international director of the Michelin Guides Gwendal Poullennec announced the venerable company’s selections for the inaugural Michelin Guide California—its first-ever statewide guide in the U.S., launched in partnership with Visit California, which expanded the selections in the 2019 San Francisco edition. Ninety restaurants from Wine Country to San Diego, including 24 in Greater L.A., received one or more stars. “This unprecedented expansion of the Michelin Guide gives full credit to California and its lead-

ing role as a culinary powerhouse,” Poullennec told the assembled journalists and chefs.

L.A.’s inclusion marked the first time Michelin visited California’s most populous county since 2009, when, amid the recession, it ceased publication of its L.A. guide after a two-year run. That timing proved unlucky. “When Michelin left L.A. 10 years ago, they left a city whose dining scene was about to explode,” says Michael Cimarusti, 2019 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: West and owner/chef of two-starred Hollywood restaurant Providence. In the years that followed, the culinary culture in L.A. blossomed to a point where Michelin’s absence was conspicuous. “Now that Michelin is back, they will find a city with a monstrous dining scene—the pace of expansion here in L.A. has been remarkable,” Cimarusti adds. “I don’t envy the inspectors tasked with trying to keep up with it all.”

Providence is one of just six restaurants in L.A.’s vast, varied and boundary-pushing dining scene that claims two stars in the first California guide. Also in the edition’s two-star category are chef Niki Nakayama’s sea-

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PORK BELLY, HAZELNUT AND SMOKED STRAWBERRY BUBBLES AT CHEF DAVE BERAN’S DIALOGUE; KALI CHEF KEVIN MEEHAN OPPOSITE: THE BLACK COD AT PROVIDENCE

reserves for “hidden gems to complete the selections ... that are more widely accessible for diners.” The 2019 California guide lists 151 Bib Gourmand eateries; around 60 of those are in Greater L.A., including a handful of locally renowned Chinese and Mexican food spots and such lauded restaurants as Kismet, Cassia and Majordomo.

Yet another distinction recently cooked up ¯

by Michelin is the Michelin Plate, which denotes restaurants that serve “simply a good meal.”

Between the various ratings and distinctions, a whopping 657 restaurants appear in the inaugural statewide guide. Many chefs see such recognition, especially in the form of one or more stars, as validation not only of their restaurant’s excellence, but also of their own hard work and talent. “It’s been a career goal of mine to be able to be included in the Michelin Guide. It has taken many years to perfect my craft to get there,” says chef Kevin Meehan, whose seasonal California restaurant, Kali— which Michelin praises as “the very essence of neighborhood dining”—was one of 18 L.A. restaurants to receive a single star.

What’s more, the honor can be great for business.

“The Michelin Guide has been a game changer for our small restaurant,” says Meehan, who opened Kali with former Providence wine director Drew Langley in 2016.

“Overall, the staff’s morale is up, our new demographic of guests are the best, and business has increased. What more could we ask for as restaurateurs?”

FROM TOP: ERIN SIMKIN; RACHEL JACOBSON. OPPOSITE: JAKOB LAYMAN. PREVIOUS SPREAD, FROM LEFT: WONHO FRANK LEE; NOÉ MONTES

FROM TOP: CAVIAR WITH

sonal kaiseki restaurant, n/naka; chefs Aitor Zabala and José Andrés’ intimate tasting-menu concept, Somni, inside the Bazaar by José Andrés at SLS Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Beverly Hills; the West Coast location of Edomae sushi restaurant Sushi Ginza Onodera (whose NYC location also boasts two Michelin stars); chef Hiroyuki Urasawa’s eponymous sushi restaurant, Urasawa; and Vespertine, from Alinea and French Laundry alum chef Jordan Kahn.

Of the six two-starred restaurants, four didn’t exist a decade ago. The other two—Providence and Urasawa— were also recognized in both the 2008 and 2009 guides.

“For me, retaining our stars was a validation of the fact that we have maintained our standards over the 10 years that the guide was absent,” says Cimarusti. (“For over a decade, Providence has been at the forefront of L.A.’s fine-dining scene. Little has changed here, which is a beautiful thing,” reads Michelin’s description of the restaurant.)

Consistency, both over time and across the menu, is one of five criteria used by Michelin’s anonymous inspectors to judge whether an establishment deserves inclusion in its iconic red guide. Quality of the ingredients, the cooking skills and the harmony of the flavors, the personality of the chef expressed in the cuisine and value for money also factor into the ratings, according to the company.

In addition to the star system is a designation called Bib Gourmand, established in 1997, which Michelin

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A CAVIAR AND CORN DISH, PART OF A SEASONAL MENU AT MAUDE. OPPOSITE, FROM TOP: A DISH AT N/NAKA; CHEF

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NIKI NAKAYAMA

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ZEN SEKIZAWA (2). OPPOSITE: DYLAN + JENI

¯

Other restaurants in the inaugural edition’s single-star category include repeat recipients CUT by Wolfgang Puck, Osteria Mozza and Mori Sushi; chef Hiroyuki Naruke’s Edo-style sushi temple, Q Sushi; James Beard Award-winning chef Dave Beran’s Dialogue; Curtis Stone’s wine-region-inspired Maude; Ludo Lefebvre’s Trois Mec; chef Gary Menes’ vegetable-forward Le Comptoir in Hotel Normandie; and chef Jon Yao’s Taiwanese tasting-menu restaurant, Kato.

A tiny, unpretentious spot set in a Sawtelle strip mall, Kato is an example of Michelin’s (and, more generally, fine dining’s) expansion beyond European-style, whitetablecloth restaurants in recent years. Yao opened Kato in 2016 with little more than a few stages under his belt; he’s since been named a Food & Wine magazine best new chef, Forbes 30 Under 30 selection and James

Beard Foundation Rising Star finalist. Still, in an Instagram post celebrating the restaurant’s first Michelin star, Yao made it clear that he’s not resting on his many laurels. “It definitely feels rewarding to receive affirmation from a long standing tradition that we all aspire to,” he wrote. “So to team Kato—congratulations, you guys did it, now two more to go.”

Three stars, Michelin’s highest accolade, proved elusive for L.A. in the inaugural California-wide guide, and there were several surprising omissions. At press time, local diners were anxiously awaiting a new edition to see how their favorite spots would fare. Regardless, L.A. can be proud of reclaiming its place in the Michelin universe and anticipate a bright future, too. As Poullennec said on that sunny Huntington Beach stage, “We all feel at Michelin that [this] is only the very beginning.”

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HANDCRAFTED I L.A. has a long history of exceptional design and craftsmanship, evident in the city’s Arts and Crafts homes and the legacy of resident masters Charles and Ray Eames. Those traditions and a reputation for nurturing designers and artisans have encouraged a new wave of furniture makers to choose L.A. as a place to design and build.

The Wooden Palate, an L.A.-based firm from the husband-and-wife team of Ryan Silverman and Eileen O’Dea, specializes in custom furniture that is exquisitely unfussy. The Aleece dining table (from $17,500) is crafted from strips of fumed oak with a distinctive inlaid brass base, while a waterfall-end table’s live edge displays the glorious imperfections of black walnut. Slightly rustic, yet as dramatic as any slab of Carrara marble, is the company’s cantilevered white oak kitchen island ($6,500).

The couple has a reverence for nature’s bounty, including ancient trees

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whose majesty lives on in clients’ homes, with nothing going to waste.

Some Wooden Palate custom pieces are monumental, such as dining tables crafted from a naturally fallen Big Sur redwood, whose prices can approach $60,000. Other Wooden Palate products are significantly smaller but also showcase impressive skills.

When completing a custom woodworking commission at Jennifer Aniston’s home in 2012, Silverman and O’Dea presented their client with a cutting board as a parting gift. The Friends star’s enthusiasm for it ultimately led to an entire collection of unique cutting boards and culinary products by the Wooden Palate that have been embraced by renowned chefs Thomas Keller and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

O’Dea explains that some cutting boards feature as many as 700 pieces of wood integrated into the tessellated products. “It takes time to not

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D IN L.A.

Los Angeles’ creativity extends far beyond Hollywood, and a tradition of craftsmanship and innovation has made the city a world-class capital for home furnishings. BY ROGER GRODY

MUSHROOM CITY TABLES WITH ST. LAURENT MARBLE FROM VIDERE LICET. OPPOSITE: LIANA YAROSLAVSKY’S PLUIE COFFEE TABLE

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J. FERRIE’S RUSTIC CHANDELIER; THE WOODEN PALATE’S RYAN SILVERMAN AND EILEEN O’DEA OPPOSITE: VIDERE LICET’S BBC TABLE

FROM TOP: TIMOTHY J. FERRIE; EVANGELINE LANE. OPPOSITE: COURTESY TWENTIETH. OPENING SPREAD: COURTESY TWENTIETH (2)

FROM TOP: TIMOTHY

only make them beautiful but create something that will last forever, something you can pass on to your daughter or granddaughter.” The Eileen board ($735), offered in black walnut or fumed oak, is a dazzling composition of nuanced wood grains, while smaller boards make ideal housewarming gifts.

“We are and always will be handmade in L.A.,” insists O’Dea, who adds, “We’re incredibly proud of it, as hard as it is to maintain and grow in a town as expensive as ours!” She notes that her husband, a former mergers and acquisitions executive with a passion for woodworking, even has “handmade” tattooed onto his hands. “Our eyes and hands must touch every item, and I believe our customers feel that love and energy we’ve put into every piece,” maintains O’Dea. Videre Licet, a luxury collection designed and handcrafted in Los Angeles, is a collaboration between artist/designer Daniele Albright and Stefan Lawrence, founder of Twentieth, the prominent home furnishings gallery on Beverly Boulevard. Their collection, whose style the partners describe as “conceptual glamour,” is evocative of a range of diverse movements, from Hollywood regency to midcentury modern. Some pieces are minimalist—even austere—while others indulge the senses with over-the-top embellishment.

The Astral Projection series from Videre Licet involves interlocking geometric forms that are a throwback to the roots of modernist architecture while still possessing a contemporary quality all their own. One compelling coffee table

features a metallic-finished substructure in dazzling lustered bronze with a polished glass surface ($20,000). The piece would be an instant signature in a sleek glass-ensconced home in Malibu or the Hollywood Hills.

A seating option that fuses minimalism with a flashy brand of glamour is Videre Licet’s Subtracted Cube ($22,000), a functional brass sculpture available in a mirrored finish for ultimate effect. “Taking an extremely simple, minimal form and making it out of a luxury material” is how Albright characterizes the essence of this piece, noting, “It’s polished brass but looks like gold.”

On the other end is Videre Licet’s Woolly Bella ($18,000), a chair engulfed by black or natural white kidassia goat fur and elevated by hand-cast solid bronze legs—a piece that screams Old Hollywood glamour. “The 21st century is a period where every style coexists because the internet has dissolved dominant narratives,” says Albright of the diverse L.A. design styles reflected in the collection.

“My inspiration comes from art and architecture, while Stefan often draws more from midcentury-modern design,” says Albright of their collaboration. “While Daniele is correct about the classic forms of midcentury design being a foundation for my aesthetic, her influence and that of contemporary art has moved me firmly into a 21st century mindset,” counters Lawrence.

“It’s not machine-made but crafted by hand and designed with an artist’s sensibilities,” reports Lawrence of his superior materials, detailing and finishes. Of her work, Albright says, “I’m interested in forms that are both visual and tactile,” adding, “With furniture, you can bring in forms that relate to sculpture, but there’s an intimacy and tactility there that doesn’t exist in work that’s only meant to be looked at.”

A clean, natural utilitarianism is how Chris Earl describes his work at EARL, which produces kitchenware and ceramics, in addition to striking furniture. “I keep things pretty classic but also like to keep a forward-looking sense of interest at play,” says Earl, who continues L.A.’s strong tradition of woodworking. Earl’s heritage is Danish, but he was raised in Papua New Guinea, where the value of artisan-crafted items, often supporting entire communities, is valued.

“It’s a pleasure to be able to make things with our own hands here, in our home city,” states Earl, who takes pride in the contributions he and his peers make to L.A., both artistically and economically. “The talent in this city is truly world-class, and I’ve found the community to be wonderfully generative in its culture of support,” says the designer, reporting that local artisans are quick to share resources and expertise with one another.

“I’m often inspired by everyday objects or items I stumble

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across throughout the day, which can be anything from the natural curve of a branch to an item from the fashion world,” explains Earl. His Luxe glass-topped dining table (from $5,520) features double-slab construction and rustic crossbeam intersects, supported by a pair of clean-lined leg panels.

Earl’s pieces are made-to-order and customizable in a variety of woods, but walnut is the designer’s preferred medium.

“I think it’s one of the most beautiful woods out there and an absolute pleasure to work with,” he says. The glass surface of a sleek tea table (from $2,280) is punctuated on one end by a walnut slab and on the other by a slender hand-turned leg. Earl deftly employs live edges, hand-cut joinery and brass Dutchman joints—they fuse natural splits found in pieces of wood—to create interest throughout his collection.

In the world of home furnishings, few areas have greater sex appeal than lighting, and the 2017 opening of an Arts District studio/showroom by renowned New York lighting

designer Lindsey Adelman is a testament to L.A.’s standing as a world-class center of lighting design.

“It’s art, atmosphere, structure and function all in one,” says L.A. designer Kevin Kolanowski of his discipline. Like many lighting designers, the native Chicagoan has profound respect for jewelry and even refers to his specialty as “jewelry for the home.” Through his company, Fuse Lighting, Kolanowski has developed a following for his use of contemporary themes, incorporating natural stones into unique chandeliers, pendants and sconces.

Materials like frosted rock crystals, citrine nuggets or amethyst chips—all of which suffuse and refract light in very different ways—challenge customers’ preconceived notions of lighting design. “I wanted to play with this idea of adornment using organic materials in my fixtures, but with a contemporary twist, and began combining semiprecious gems with pure, sleek geometric forms,” says Kolanowski. Intent

COURTESY CHRIS EARL. OPPOSITE, FROM TOP: COURTESY FUSE LIGHTING; COURTESY CHRIS EARL

ABOVE: EARL’S OAK DANSK BED

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on pushing boundaries, the designer has begun incorporating materials like horsehair, metal woven with jute, and ceramics into his products.

“I have a passion for lighting because of how it can completely transform the mood of a space,” says Kolanowski, and his designs demonstrate how the selection of specific materials can dramatically influence how light radiates through a room. A version of the Alex chandelier (from $17,131) may juxtapose curtains of amber-hued carnelian nuggets against dark oil-rubbed bronze, while vibrant gold light slips through the cracks of a black steel Duet sconce ($3,881) for a sultry effect.

Kolanowski handcrafts all of his products in his own studio, outsourcing specialties like glassblowing and gilding to other local artisans, insisting no other city in the nation rivals L.A. as a supportive community for creative people. “But like all places, we’re losing that talent, so it’s important to encourage each other and to open our arms to new generations of artisans,” says the designer.

Russian-born, L.A.-based Liana Yaroslavsky creates coffee tables with built-in lighting that command attention in any room in which they are placed. The rectangular Pluie ($21,000) features a transparent top from which 149 pendants—each one coated with Czech crystals (thousands in all)—are suspended over a Versailles parquet base. In another version, Murano glass bubbles dangle over a similar wood surface, and the designer has created a wide range of tables emitting light from within.

“The inspiration behind my creations is light, reflection and transparency, and the interaction between those three elements,” explains Yaroslavsky, who finds beauty in the unexpected reflections and shadows she creates. “It fascinates me how those objects change appearance and mood according to the time of the day and source of light,” states the innovator, represented in L.A. by Twentieth.

In Westlake Village, alluring copper-crafted lighting fixtures are created in the studio of Timothy J. Ferrie, resulting in a collection of “lightsculptures” (functional objets d’art) that could only result from an artisanal approach. Insisting that handcraftsmanship offers nuanced qualities that mass production cannot achieve, the designer fully embraces the deviations from uniformity that result from his creative process. “It gives a customer the opportunity to have a unique piece of art that nobody else in the world has,” states Ferrie.

Appreciating the distinctive qualities of copper—not only is it malleable, but its various patinas produce a wide range of visual effects—most of Ferrie’s work is crafted from that metal. “Copper gives you a rustic, earthy quality, so even in a modern design, it has a warmth that aluminum or chrome

can’t have,” he says. The designer creates a chandelier with more than a dozen gleaming copper strands (from $3,800), resulting in a formidable, tightly packed constellation of lights. A stick sphere pendant (from $3,000) comprises dozens of small copper sticks soldered together into a rustic metallic globe.

The efforts of these L.A. designers and artisans debunk the narrative that “nothing is made in America anymore.” And while most of these products exhibit modern designs, they work surprisingly well in all of the city’s varied residential environments, whether they be Craftsman cottages, Spanish Colonial Revival estates or glass-ensconced penthouses.

ABOVE: FUSE LIGHTING’S VAIL CHANDELIER BELOW: THE EBONIZED OAK BAR CART FROM EARL

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Q&A

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Giada De Laurentiis, the most popular Italian chef in America, is a petite “California girl” with Roman roots, exceptional taste and a megawatt smile.

BY VICKI ARKOFF

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AUBRIE PICK

G

racefully breaking stereotypes while building a culinary empire is just a day on the job for Giada De Laurentiis: chef, television host, cookbook author, burgeoning restaurateur, GDL Foods founder and home-cooking evangelist.

Since her debut on Food Network in 2002 with the cooking show Everyday Italian, De Laurentiis has won American hearts and stomachs (and an Emmy Award) with simple, updated twists on Italian favorites. Of her nine cookbooks, two landed at No. 1 on The New York Times’ best-seller list: Giada at Home and Weeknights With Giada. Her latest is Giada’s Italy, a lavish exploration of her food roots in Rome, and next will be a cookbook addressing wellness.

Born in Italy, De Laurentiis was raised in Los Angeles, surrounded by a huge Italian family including her grandfather Agostino “Dino” De Laurentiis, the legendary Italian film producer; her actress-model mother, Veronica; and producer aunt Raffaella. While her grandmother, aunt and mother raised her on generations-old recipes, De Laurentiis also became enamored with the fresh flavors of California’s abundant produce, so she enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris after graduating from UCLA. Her grandfather Dino owned a restaurant himself, so it seemed destined that De Laurentiis would open her own restaurants too. The first was Giada in Las Vegas at the Cromwell, then Pronto by Giada at Caesars Palace and GDL Italian by Giada at the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore. And she’s not done yet.

Pronto by Giada will open franchis-

es around the country, and Luna by Giada will premiere in 2021 at the new Caesars Republic in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her motivation for all the hard work? “I want my daughter, Jade, to see a strong woman who goes after what she wants.”

With a new Food Network production deal and new restaurants on the horizon, 2020 is a big year for you. What are you most excited about?

I’m really most excited about Giadzy, my lifestyle platform that I launched two years ago. I share my most intimate content there, as well as new recipes and tips. It’s become a sounding board for me to better understand what people are looking for and how I can best help people.

What do you hope your cookbooks, TV shows and online cooking classes impart to novices?

I always try to use accessible ingredients and make my recipes as simple as possible so that even beginner cooks feel empowered in the kitchen. You don’t need to be an expert to pull together a delicious meal; it’s about encouraging people to keep learning and cooking.

You make everything look so easy. How do you rescue a dinner party gone wrong?

I would whip up a simple pasta.

All you need is staple pantry items—dried pasta, olive oil, red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese—and just like that, you have a delicious meal! Put on some great tunes and bust out the board games. If an elegant sit-down party wasn’t working, make it fun and inviting so everyone feels comfortable and leaves with a smile. That is really what matters.

What was it like moving to California from Italy as a 7-year-old?

It was hard. I didn’t speak much English when I first arrived, and my name wasn’t like any American names—people called me Jabba the Hutt instead of Giada—so it was definitely an adjustment. I’m happy to say I’ve dropped that nickname now, though!

What are your favorite memories of growing up in Hollywood social circles?

My whole family was in the movie business, so I grew up going to set to visit my grandfather Dino.

Even though I was so shy and had no desire to act in Hollywood, I always thought it was fun to see the cameras and be part of the action.

To me that was a very normal thing to do. Looking back now, it was really special.

When you think of all you’ve accomplished, what makes you most content?

My daughter, Jade.

What’s your idea of the perfect mother-daughter day exploring Los Angeles?

This might be a little bit unexpected, but Jade and I both love Magic Mountain. We love to be fun and adventurous. We almost always end our mother-daughter days with a movie night at home and lots of chocolate, too!

Los Angeles is different things to different people. What’s your view of L.A.?

I’ve been living in L.A. for most of my life. To me, living by the beach brings a sense of peace, even though you are living in a big city.

It’s a melting pot, and so many people are doing different things.

You can try food from all over the world, which is really inspiring and unique.

Where do you feel most at home—aside from your new home on L.A.’s Westside?

Rome. It’s where I was born and where my mother lives to this day.

There’s a sense of familiarity there when I visit. I try to go at least once or twice a year.

What is your favorite vacation getaway in Italy?

Capri. We spent the summers going there with my grandfather, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. My family went back last year to celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday. It’s also the place that inspired my lemon spaghetti.

There’s a gorgeous restaurant situated under a lemon grove called Da Paolino that serves a similar dish—I knew I had to find a way to re-create it when I got home.

If you would have told me then that would be my signature dish, I would have never believed it!

Where do you go in L.A. when you want an authentic bit of Italy?

Bay Cities has great sandwiches and Italian pantry items. If I’m prepping for a party or a special occasion, Eataly has it all.

What special L.A. places do you most enjoy sharing with visitors?

I love taking people to my favorite food spots in L.A.—Felix, Wally’s, Caffe’ Delfini—or whatever new restaurant opens up. There is always something new to try in L.A.

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THE BRIDGE HOUSE IS FULLY INTEGRATED WITH NATURE.

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BRIDGE to the FUTURE Innovations in technology and sustainability are reimagining every aspect of our lives, but the revolution has largely left the American home behind ‌ until now.

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ALL PHOTOS BY BRANDON SHIGETA

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ARGE SWATHS OF LOS ANGELES’ SPRAWLING metropolitan area were shaped by the quintessential suburban subdivision, a pattern of development that has not advanced meaningfully in 70 years. But the city has also inspired some of the world’s most important residential architecture, and with its bold aesthetics, new technologies and commitment to sustainability, Bridge House continues that heritage.

Completed last October on a shady, well-manicured street in Hancock Park, Bridge House is not L.A.’s first attempt at transforming residential design. The city is renowned for its inventory of midcentury-modern landmarks, and the revolutionary work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra still feels contemporary despite the passage of decades. Bridge House, whose design reveals the influence of those midcentury masters, promises to resonate with a new generation of architects.

In fact, project architect Dan Brunn is a student of modernist history, first inspired by the Bauhaus architecture in his hometown of Tel Aviv, where a wealth of projects from German-Jewish immigrants are still wellpreserved. “I feel my architectural language is influenced heavily from that lineage, as well as being informed by the local Los Angeles atmosphere, weather and mood,” explains the 41-year-old architect, founder of Dan Brunn Architecture.

He also admires the work of modernists Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Pierre Koenig and Craig Ellwood, and Bridge House is partially inspired by L.A.’s Case Study Houses, which sought to bring innovation to the postWWII housing boom. “I’m hoping Bridge House can be an extension of this movement, inspire the next generation and challenge what we expect of residential living in Los Angeles and beyond,” says Brunn. The 4,500-squarefoot residence does not simply offer views of nature, but is fully integrated with nature throughout, a concept with considerable precedent in L.A. Because of Bridge House’s own water feature—it literally bridges a stream—it is also evocative of Wright’s iconic Fallingwater in Pennsylvania. Ironically, however, the residence that most inspired this project was the Breakers, an Italian Renaissance mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. “I fell in love with the motor court and entry,” says Brunn of the elongated entry drive of the Vanderbilt family’s estate. The expression of that concept in Bridge House results in a narrow 210-foot-long structure that traverses the on-site stream. “For me, architecture is foremost about creating positive space

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THE DINING AREA, WITH FLOOR-TO-CEILING SLIDING GLASS PANELS. OPPOSITE: THE HOUSE’S INFINITY-EDGE POOL

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ABOVE: THE LIVING AREA BOASTS AN ECOCONSCIOUS LIVING WALL AND A DOUBLESIDED GLASS FIREPLACE. OPPOSITE, FROM TOP: A VIEW OF THE POOL HOUSE, WHICH IS EQUIPPED WITH A KITCHEN AND OUTDOOR GRILL AREA; TRUE TO ITS NAME, THE BRIDGE HOUSE BRIDGES AN ON-SITE STREAM.

for living and exploring,” says Brunn, who insists the aesthetics follow.

Bridge House was envisioned by Brunn as an experimental project, much like the Case Study Houses he so admires, and to finance it, he curated a diverse collection of approximately 50 sustainability-oriented construction, design and lifestyle brands, including Dwell magazine, BMW, Bosch and Bassines. Bone Structure is responsible for the home’s innovative structural steel system, while EQ3 contributed much of the sleek home furnishings.

The home is an unabashed expression of modernism in a neighborhood renowned for its stately houses.

Hancock Park is home to Fortune 500 CEOs, entertainment-industry and sports celebrities and prominent politicians. Developed in the 1920s, it features an eclectic mix of architecture, from Arts and Crafts to Spanish Colonial Revival; other homes are inspired by French

châteaux or Mediterranean villas. The work of acclaimed architects like Paul Williams and John C. Austin is present in Hancock Park, but there is very little modern design. With its narrow width, however, Bridge House’s cedar-clad facade is rather inconspicuous, its massive span almost undetectable from the street.

The structure is just 20 feet wide, a concept that enabled Brunn to maximize light throughout the home and provide an orderly procession from public spaces to private spaces. One enters into the living area, a space whose double height provides an illusion of volume that is further enhanced by clerestory windows, an ecoconscious living wall and a double-sided glass fireplace.

Any concerns that the narrow width of the home would make one feel confined are immediately dispelled by the open, airy feel of its spaces.

Just beyond the living room is the kitchen, which

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Brunn considers the center of family and entertainment activity. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow light to pour into a space defined by a formidable island, quartz countertops and modern cabinetry. Like any respectable Southern California home, Bridge House integrates indoors and outdoors, so floor-to-ceiling sliding glass panels in the adjoining dining area open to an exterior deck with a fire pit, overlooking the stream.

Passing into the private spaces, one first encounters a cedar-ensconced den that is likely the warmest, most intimate room in the home. The hallway to the remaining private spaces features multiple skylights and fin windows, which allow occupants to view the outdoors while being shielded from unwelcome intrusion by neighbors—a feature Brunn has perfected over the years. The master suite features a walk-in closet, spacious bath and windows that open up to a secluded sanctuary garden.

Below grade is a pool house with a kitchen, an outdoor shower, an outdoor grill area and a music room whose walls are lined with the architect’s own collection of colorfully embellished electric guitars. Brunn, who’s also a musician, suggests architecture should possess a musical rhythm. “Architecture should capture the rhythm of a client’s inner being, propelling the user through the space with movement,” he says, adding, “Good architecture is temporal and evolves as needs and technologies change.”

“Sustainable design has always been important to me,” says Brunn, who explains that, in his native Tel Aviv, natural resources are scarce. “So thinking about our world has been integral from the onset of founding DBA, and at Bridge House, we took it further than ever.”

The home is designed as a net-zero residence with a negligible impact on the environment. With natural lighting flooding its spaces, electrical consumption is minimized, and rooftop photovoltaic cells provide an efficient, lowcost source. The infinity-edge pool is also solar-powered, and custom window shades keep interior spaces cool.

According to experts, 50% of all landfill waste is generated by construction sites, but this project produced almost none. Bone Structure’s lightweight structural support system, the skeleton of the home, is comprised of up to 89% recycled-content steel, and its precision fitting resulted in virtually no waste. “Building construction technology is so far behind and [hasn’t] really progressed,” explains Brunn, who adds, “So we were excited by the prospect of not having waste.”

Internal air quality is enhanced through a remarkably precise construction—an unheard-of tolerance of just one-quarter of an inch for the home’s 210-foot

length—that results in minimal air leakage or infiltration of toxins. The green wall of plants in the living area is not simply a visual statement, but an aesthetically pleasing greenhouse-gas suppressant.

Brunn, who moved into Bridge House upon completion last year, explains, “It will remain a home I live in and share with the community through events, workshops and tours.” In addition to the sponsors’ merchandise, the home showcases revolving art exhibits, the first installation being a body of work by celebrated artist Tasya van Ree, whose vibrant modern paintings suit the progressive home.

Assessing L.A. as a place to design and create, Brunn insists the opportunities he has had here are unrivaled.

“Also, this city has a ton of daylight and open space, which I think helps the creative mind thrive,” says the trendsetting architect. Like his midcentury-modern predecessors, Brunn is equally inspired by L.A.’s topographic and climatic diversity. “One day I woke up at 5 a.m., got in the car and drove to Angeles Crest Highway, where I saw the sunrise in the mountains with snow,” recounts the architect, who enjoys exploring his adopted city every chance he gets. “I then drove back down to PCH in time for lunch in Malibu on a perfectly sunny beach,” continues Brunn. “Now that’s priceless!”

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URL to IRL

ONLINE-BORN BRANDS ARE MAKING BIG MOVES IN THE CITY OF ANGELS.

BY DANIE LLE DIRE CTO -ME STO N

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JEWELRY BRAND MEJURI’S L.A. SHOWROOM. OPPOSITE: EVERLANE’S FIRST PERMANENT L.A. STORE, IN VENICE

SILICON VALLEY MAY BE A HOTBED FOR STYLISH STARTUPS, but Los Angeles has become a haven for their retail experiments.

Just head to Abbot Kinney Boulevard, where shoppers can step into Allbirds’ comfy merino wool sneakers, try on Everlane’s affordable wardrobe staples, and browse Warby Parker’s philanthropic sunglasses. Until recently, L.A. shoppers had to “add to cart” on their computers or smartphones to shop these companies’ fashionable wares.

Direct-to-consumer brands like Allbirds, Everlane and Warby Parker are busting the myth that brick-and-mortar retail is dead. Outside of the style sphere, online-born mattress-in-box brand Casper—which launched in

2014—opened its first L.A. Sleep Shop on Melrose Avenue last year.

According to a recent Deloitte study, 91% of purchases still take place in physical stores. And at a time when bankruptcy has befallen traditional retailers such as Barneys New York (which was sold in 2019), Sears, Toys “R” Us and no shortage of fast-fashion companies and mall brands, directto-consumer online brands are ushering in a revolution in the offline retail landscape that they once swore off—and L.A. is their IRL testing ground.

Warby Parker co-founder and co-CEO Neil Blumenthal explains that the brand was “drawn to Los Angeles as a creative hub, and it’s since become a second home to us. ... We’ve seen incredibly strong online traffic from our

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And when Kanye West presented edgy designer Rick Owens (who opened his own L.A. flagship in 2015) OPPOSITE: ALLBIRDS with the Superstar Award at Fashion Group InterON ABBOT KINNEY national’s 36th annual Night of Stars ceremony in BOULEVARD New York, he pointed out that “it’s a compliment” to be labeled “‘L.A. fashion’ ... it used to be a diss.”

But it’s more than the promise of palm trees and sunshine that are luring digitally native fashion companies to L.A. (although the perennially 75-degree weather certainly doesn’t hurt). Take Forum, a fashion-focused concept boutique from San Francisco-based B8ta, an innovative retailer that allows brands to essentially rent shelf space at its stores (including one in Santa Monica) and analyze shoppers’ in-store interactions. The company opened its first Forum shop in 2019 on Melrose Avenue, where it stocks a rotating lineup of online brands spanning fashion, skin care and tech. A dedicated corner carries a new emerging designer every season as part of a partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

L.A.’s mostly sunny climate “allowed us to jump in and test the concept without worrying about seasonal product turnover,” says Joshua Brueckner, Forum’s partnerships manager. Shorts, swimwear and jackets have a longer shelf life in L.A., which is why parent company B8ta chose the West Coast over New York for Forum’s first location.

Forum is essentially a real-life shoppable Instagram feed: Many of the emerging brands in the space use social media ads to target millennials and Gen Z. The store also houses interactive dressing rooms that can detect the exact products shoppers are trying on, project a custom display handpicked by brands, and share each item’s details along with its company’s story.

Next door to Forum is Mejuri, a Canada-based fine jewelry brand that, similarly to Everlane and Warby Parker, cuts out the middle man and retail markups by selling directly to consumers. At its first West Coast boutique, you can get your ears pierced in-store with a purchase of the brand’s 14-karat-gold stud earrings or shop the rest of its affordable rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, travel cases and candles. The only catch? You’ll be leaving empty-handed: Purchases are shipped the next business day to your door.

Stock-free stores aren’t new to the city. Steps away from Forum and Mejuri is made-to-menswear brand Indochino, which has already groomed gents to expect their buys to arrive conveniently at their doorsteps. Bonobos, which opened its first L.A. Guideshop on cool La Brea Avenue in 2014, also sends shoppers home sans bags. (Both men’s brands were also born as e-commerce sites.) And this strategy is working: According to a report by Idea Farm Ventures, the Wharton School and Harvard Business School, shoppers tend to spend up to 60% more on average at inventory-free showrooms.

Many of L.A.’s stores are bringing the digital shopping experience to life. One of the more recent retail pioneers is L.A.-based Reformation, the sustainable label that’s attracted eco-minded fans such as Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Sasha Obama.

While the brand first debuted its high-tech fitting room concept at a San Francisco pop-up a few years ago, it installed them permanently at its new L.A. stores, where virtual concierges help customers request more clothing LEFT: WARBY PARKER

L.A. customers since the beginning, and that has been a big part of our continuing to open stores across the city.”

The brand first arrived in L.A. in 2013 by way of a mobile showroom that made a pit stop in Venice as part of a cross-country road trip. That same year, the Northern California-based company opened its first L.A. store within the Standard hotel in Hollywood, and the first stand-alone L.A. outpost arrived a year later on Abbot Kinney. The brand has over 20 stores across the Golden State, including recent openings in Silver Lake and Studio City and on West Third Street.

Though Allbirds first opened stores in its native San Francisco, as well as in Seattle, New York and overseas in London, Beijing and Berlin (among other global cities), it specifically honed in on L.A.’s Venice neighborhood for its first store in Southern California. Up next is a shop in San Diego.

“As a direct-to-consumer brand, we had great insight into the buying behaviors and preferences of our L.A. customers,” says Travis Boyce, Allbirds’ head of global retail operations. “As one of our biggest markets, we always knew we wanted to open a store in L.A. We hosted pop-ups in the city in the past, which helped us get a feel for the appetite from L.A. shoppers and guide where we’d want to place a permanent store.”

Boyce adds that the brand chose Abbot Kinney for its “attitude and vibrancy. … Plus, the location is prime for drawing in local shoppers and tourists alike. … [We] waited patiently for the right opportunity.”

Warby Parker’s Blumenthal agrees. When the brand originally parked its traveling shop in Venice, the company was “blown away by the response from customers in the area wanting to shop with us in person. We felt like the area made perfect sense for [our first stand-alone L.A. store] and that the Venice community shares the values that we do: fun, creativity and doing good in the world.”

It also helps that L.A. has cemented its status as a “capital-F” fashion landmark. Luxury European houses such as Burberry, Dior, Hermès and Saint Laurent have staged runway shows here, as have American designers like Tom Ford, Tommy Hilfiger and L.A.’s own Rodarte, to name a few.

COURTESY WARBY PARKER. OPPOSITE: COURTESY ALLBIRDS. OPENING SPREAD, FROM LEFT: COURTESY EVERLANE; COURTESY GEMMA WARREN

IN STUDIO CITY.

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styles, colors and sizes via a touch screen. A “magic wardrobe” delivers the requested items, and shoppers can control the music and color temperature of their changing space. (There’s even a golden “sexy-time” light.)

Another newcomer is locally based bridal startup Floravere (its investors include Serena Williams), which opened its first West Coast showroom last summer in a sunlit second-floor space. (Its first location is in New York, and it has outposts in hotels across the U.S., too.) Similar to traditional wedding gown studios, Floravere offers a variety of styles and sizes—the only difference here is that brides select their favorites and book a personal fitting session online first. It joins S.F.-born Lace & Liberty, which landed on Melrose Avenue last spring and also features an online process for dress hunting and appointment booking.

Another reason why digital brands love L.A.? We’re known for being green: “Angelenos tend to be environmentally minded and health-conscious, which aligns well with our core values as a brand,” says Allbirds’ Boyce. “Because of the comfort and simplicity of our products, we’ve also

had especially strong adoption from the entertainment industry.”

Eco-friendly DTC label Rothy’s is also bringing its previously online-only footwear to L.A. After opening its first store in its hometown of S.F., the company is debuting its first SoCal locations on Melrose Place and in Larchmont Village in early 2020. Since launching in 2016, the startup’s products have become a comfy office staple, thanks to its $125 washable woven flats made of recycled plastic and merino wool. It also offers other laid-back silhouettes like pointy-toe slip-ons, loafers, sneakers and booties.

Fashion startups are also settling here for our influential citizens. Forum’s Brueckner notes that the company considered L.A.’s thriving social media influencer community as one of the factors for opening in West Hollywood.

And given that every A-lister’s or Instagram superstar’s tag means more exposure—and, hopefully, more loyal fans—for just-launched brands, there’s also potential to gain social currency offline.

Despite old-school department stores disappearing left and right, brickand-mortar retail isn’t dead. It’s just evolving—and L.A. is here for it.

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NEIGHBORHOODS

BEVERLY HILLS Beverly Hills remains the ne plus ultra of glamorous living and luxury shopping (above).

MCM Worldwide recently joined Burberry, Louis Vuitton and Versace on palm-fringed Rodeo Drive. At the retail district’s south end are retail titans Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue— as well as the Beverly Wilshire, of Pretty Woman fame. To the west, the Beverly Hilton hosts the annual Golden Globe Awards, and 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.

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 (above), Grand Park 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 Bon Temps are newer hits). Nearby, Row DTLA offers hip retail and dining options, plus an outdoor food market on Sundays, and ICA LA hosts art exhibitions and public programs.

MALIBU Malibu’s natural beauty stretches from the Santa Monica Mountains to the sea. Zuma and Surfrider are just two of the iconic beaches that belong to the city’s 21-mile coastline (above). 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, Malibu Farm restaurant and café.

The ’Bu is a shopper’s playground, too: Malibu Village boasts a new Fred Segal; boutique mall Malibu Country Mart’s Cali-chic tenants include Paige and Madison; and the adjacent Malibu Lumber Yard is home to Intermix and Maxfield.

Also enticing are nearby Topanga and Pacific Palisades, where visitors enjoy upscale shopping and dining at Palisades Village and the splendid Greek and Roman art and gardens of the Getty Villa.

LONG BEACH & SAN PEDRO In the county’s southerly reaches, Long Beach has a bustling waterfront with a busy port, a cruise terminal and the Queen Mary ocean liner, now a floating hotel.

Other attractions include the Aquarium of the Pacific and the annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Lively dining and nightlife spots beckon in Belmont Shore; gondolas glide through Naples Island’s canals; new waterfront complex 2ND & PCH (above) boasts fresh fashion, food and fitness; 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, Brouwerij West, marketplace Crafted, the Battleship IOWA Museum, Point Fermin Lighthouse and other points of interest.

FROM LEFT: EDWIN SANTIAGO (2); LISA CORSON; COURTESY CENTERCAL

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

Š TRACIE SPENCE PHOTOGRAPHY

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.

Located south of Downtown Los Angeles at Figuroa Street and Exposition Boulevard. expositionpark.ca.gov

CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Embark on a journey of science learning and fun for everyone as you explore over 150 interactive exhibits in our galleries like Ecosystems featuring live animals in living habitats, including a 188,000 gallon kelp forest tank. Make your visit out-of-this-world by seeing Space Shuttle Endeavour in the Samuel Oschin Pavilion.

View the orbiter up close and discover the science behind this amazing vehicle. Complete your all-day science adventure by watching an IMAX film. Our seven-story screen brings to life worlds as small as an atom and as vast as the universe in stunning IMAX with Laser. Admission to permanent exhibits is FREE. (Excludes IMAX and special paid exhibitions). Open 7 days a week.

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 preColumbian 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.

700 Exposition Park Drive Los Angeles, CA 90037 323.SCIENCE (724.3623) californiasciencecenter.org

900 Exposition Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90007 213.763.DINO (3466) nhm.org

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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, the Venice Skatepark and a fishing pier. But today, the coastal neighborhood (above) 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, Vardagen and Heist mix with global chains like Aesop and Adidas Originals. Favorite eateries include Gjelina, Yours Truly 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 restaurants including Makani and the Rose.

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 bustling 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 Michael’s, Dialogue, Lunetta, Cassia and Tar & Roses—plus casual Bay Cities Italian Deli, 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 Atrium, 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.

To the west, the Beverly Center (above) is fresh from a revamp and now boasts destination-worthy restaurants including Joshua Skenes’ Angler. The Pacific Design Center anchors the showroom-packed West Hollywood Design District. To the north, Santa Monica Boulevard’s nightlife and dining draws include Delilah and Employees Only, and the fabled Sunset Strip buzzes with celebrity-frequented clubs, restaurants and shops.

FROM LEFT: EDWIN SANTIAGO; BENJAMIN GINSBERG; LISA CORSON; COURTESY BEVERLY CENTER

NEIGHBORHOODS

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FROM LEFT: DALE BERMAN; LISA CORSON; COURTESY L.A. PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION; LISA CORSON

PASADENA 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; the 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. Downtown, in historic Old Pasadena, are the One Colorado shopping district and top dining spots including Union. Nearby, the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens; Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden; and Descanso Gardens (above) are lush oases.

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-visit, 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; 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 (above) is the place to hear the L.A. Philharmonic, attend sing-along movie screenings and rock out to headliners like Beck and the Beach Boys.

DISCOVER MORE BY PICKING UP WHERE TRAVELER MAGAZINE OR VISITING SOCALPULSE.COM

SOUTH BAY Life is good in the seaside cities of Hermosa Beach (above), 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 top-notch restaurants including the Strand House, Fishing With Dynamite, the Arthur J 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 and the Works in El Segundo offer trendy dining and shopping; farther south rise the rugged bluffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

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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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spending time

FRED SEGAL MALIBU, PHOTO BY ADAM BICE

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 L.A. is one of the world’s top shopping destinations. Stay ahead of the trends with this curated collection of finds both elegant and exotic.

JENNIFER MEYER DIAMOND L A R G E O P E N H E A R T N E C K L AC E

Founded by Deborah Sawaf, L.A.based Thalé Blanc combines modern technique with traditional craftsmanship to create a line of Italian-made bags that project glamour. Case in point: the gold, bamboo-textured Madame—perfect to carry to dinner and drinks after a day of shopping. 107 S. Robertson Blvd., L.A., 424.527.0150, thaleblanc.com Palisades Village is home to jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer’s gorgeous boutique, a 500-square-foot jewel box that showcases her full collection. The L.A. native makes all of her pieces locally, including this Diamond Large Open Heart Necklace. 1050 N. Swarthmore Ave., Pacific Palisades, 310.230.1271, jennifermeyer.com

THALÉ BLANC M A DA M E B AG

Happy Socks are not only sported

by Hollywood’s who’s who—Sarah Jessica Parker and Jared Leto are fans—but are also inspired by artists and music moguls. Celebrating the iconic English rock band, The Beatles Collector Box Set, in its third drop, is the perfect gift for fans. 3902 Sunset Blvd., L.A., happysocks.com

T I F FA N Y & C O .

T I F FA N Y T B R AC E L E T S

A H L E M T O K YO SUNGLASSES

H A P P Y S O C K S T H E B E AT L E S C O L L E C T O R B OX S E T

Founded five years ago, Ahlem quickly gained recognition in a crowded eyewear market for its quality and craftsmanship. All frames are designed in Venice, California, then produced by artisans in France.

1121 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 424.268.4236, ahlemeyewear.com In Rodeo Drive’s Tiffany & Co. store gleam the latest additions to the Tiffany T collection: a trio of modern bracelets in 18-karat rose gold with mother-of-pearl, 18-karat gold with pavé diamonds, and 18-karat white gold with turquoise, a favorite stone of Tiffany designers for over a century. 210 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.273.8880, tiffany.com

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N E L SON POPSICLE CLOCK , AT D E S I G N W I T H I N R E AC H

This authentic Nelson Popsicle Clock is named for George Nelson Associates, who designed the first Popsicle Clock for the Howard Miller Clock Company in 1957. Made of brass and walnut, the sophisticated, timeless piece is now produced

by Vitra Design Museum, and you can find it locally at Design Within Reach. 8612 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 310.659.9018, dwr.com

J O I E R A LT I PY THON PRINT BOOTIE

AHLEM, JOSH SCHAEDEL. ALL OTHER IMAGES THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE COURTESY PHOTOS

Put your best foot forward with these pointy-toed boots in a snakeskin pattern by Joie. Thanks to an elastic panel and micro heel, they’re slip-on ready to dress up any outfit. Such effortless chic informs the entire Joie women’s clothing collection. Westfield Century City, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., #1920, L.A., 424.281.1570, joie.com

NICOLEHOLLIS FOR MCGUIRE H O K U L E L E S I D E TA B L E , AT B A K E R L O S A N G E L E S

Designed for the woman on the go, starlet favorite Veronica Beard offers feminine tops, flirty dresses, dressed-up denim and classic jackets like the pink-hued tweed Theron.

The store also carries a range of stylish swimwear that reflects the brand’s charming California vibe. 8471 Melrose Place, L.A., 323.968.0125, veronicabeard.com Fougère Perfume is the debut fragrance from women’s and home wares designer Erica Tanov. Made in L.A. and 100% natural, the fragrance (whose name means “fern” in French) has notes of earthy vetiver, oak moss and sandalwood that evoke a fern’s leaves. Row DTLA, 1318 E. 7th St., Suite 120, downtown, 213.266.8947, ericatanov.com Guest designer Nicole Hollis presents NICOLEHOLLIS for McGuire, an intrepid furniture collection that features this handcrafted Hokulele Side Table finished in nero lampakanay. Each of Hollis’ pieces is inspired by faraway locales and top fashion houses—find them at Baker Los Angeles. Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Ave., Suite B 525, L.A., 310.652.7252, bakerfurniture.com

E R I C A TA N OV FOUGÈRE PERFUME V E R O N I C A B E A R D T H E R O N J AC K E T

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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

IT TAKES A VILLAGE Sandwiched between Santa Monica and Malibu, the Pacific Palisades has long been a choice neighborhood in which to live.

Now, thanks to the opening of Caruso’s newest shopping destination, Palisades Village, it’s a shopping mecca, too. Among the 125,000-square-foot development’s offerings are more than 40 specialty and boutique retailers, including many “firsts” for coveted, female-founded and, in many cases, locally grown brands. The first West Coast location of A.L.C.; L.A.-born-andraised jewelry maker Jennifer Meyer’s first-ever boutique; and Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon’s first permanent store are among the curated collection of shops. Fresh dining options— like Blue Ribbon Sushi, Hank’s and charming gluten-free bakery Sweet Laurel—and a restored historic movie theater round out the walkable village’s offerings.

See listing at right.

H BEVERLY CENTERCL0000022205 A top Southern California fashion destination that recently underwent 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 Angler, 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 over 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/shopdrop 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 Charlotte Tilbury, Vince and Nordstrom; several eateries, including 189 by Dominique Ansel, Ladurée and new edo by edoardo baldi; and a cinema. The Original Farmers Market is adjacent. 189 The Grove Drive, L.A., 323.900.8080, thegrovela.com 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, Parisian-chic dresses at ba&sh, sleek separates at Vince, shades at Oliver Peoples and edgy jewelry at Chrome Hearts. 3835 Cross Creek Road, Malibu, malibucountrymart.com MALIBU LUMBER YARD0133 This small coastal collection of upscale retailers is adjacent to Malibu Country Mart and includes Maxfield, James Perse and Intermix,

as well as restaurant Café Habana.

3939 Cross Creek Road, Malibu, themalibulumberyard.com H 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 Sage Vegan Bistro and Brewery. 41 Hugus Alley, Old Pasadena, 626.564.1066, onecolorado.com PALISADES VILLAGE Caruso, the company behind The Grove and The Americana at Brand, most recently unveiled this idyllic shopping destination in upscale coastal community Pacific Palisades.

The over 40 uniquely curated boutiques include Amazon Books, Cuyana, Jennifer Meyer, St. Frank and Veronica Beard. They’re joined by similarly compelling dining and entertainment options. 15225 Palisades Village Lane, Pacific Palisades, 310.525.1380, palisadesvillageca.com 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, Poketo and Reformation; eateries Blue Bottle Coffee, Roberta’s, Loqui, Bondi Harvest and rooftop spot Margot; design store Tom Dixon; fitness concept SoulCycle; and Tenoverten nail salon. 8850 Washington Blvd., Culver City, platformla.com

COURTESY CARUSO. OPPOSITE: COURTESY CLARE V.

SHOPPING DESTINATIONS

H STARRED LISTINGS ARE FEATURED GUESTBOOK ADVERTISERS. 7 2 W H E R E G U E S T B O O K

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THE POINTC0000022215 This South Bay shopping center features on-trend retailers including Planet Blue and Madewell, as well as top L.A. eateries such as Umi by Hamasaku. It’s all centered around a family-friendly outdoor plaza. 850 S. Sepulveda Blvd., El Segundo, thepointsb.com ROW DTLA This mixed-use development adjacent to the Arts District boasts modern design stores Poketo and A+R; independent boutique Myrtle; kids shops OMAMImini and Yolk; menswear brand Banks Journal and more cultfavorite businesses—many L.A.-based.

Smorgasburg, a food-market import from Brooklyn, pops up at the on-site 7th Street Produce Market every Sunday. Cult-favorite food vendors include Ugly Drum, Tacos 1986 and Moo’s Craft BBQ. 777 S. Alameda St., downtown, 213.988.8890, 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 Aesop, the Kooples, Uniqlo, 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 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 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

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, Wildfox and Zadig & Voltaire, then get pampered at Ole Henriksen Face/Body Spa and Jessica— the Clinic. 8600-8700 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.652.2622, sunsetplaza.com

CLARE V.’S SIMPLE TOTE (P. 74)

THIRD STREET PROMENADECL0000022203 This cobblestone, pedestrian-only shopping zone spans three blocks, from Broadway to Wilshire Boulevard, and is anchored by Santa Monica Place.

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. 6600 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, Compartés Chocolatier, Messika, Saje Natural Wellness and the city’s first Anthropologie & Co.), 8 acres of manicured outdoor space designed by Kelly Wearstler and an 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 chic, upscale boutique—a favorite among locals and travelers alike— recently relocated to a larger space to display its impressive selection. Shop the trendiest clothing for women size 12 and up. Alembika, Cheyenne and Sympli are among the featured designers, as well as eveningwear from Soulmates. 13606 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 818.990.6128, abundanceplussizes.com ACNE STUDIOS The arrival of this cult-favorite Swedish retailer in downtown L.A.’s historic Eastern Columbia Building 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 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

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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

POKETO PROJECT SPACE AT ROW DTLA (P. 73)

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 on L.A.’s Westside, 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 that’s perfect for a post-shopping repast. 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 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 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. 711 N. Harper Ave., L.A., 323.746.5090, assemblynewyork.com BALMAINCL9000006286 The famed French fashion house, led by creative director Olivier Rousteing, opened its first West

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

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

CHARIOTS ON FIRE Embracing “modern as an attitude rather than a style,” this lovely specialty shop boasts jewelry by Polly Wales, Charlotte Wendes and Brooke Gregson, ceramics by Tenshin Juba, 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

FRED SEGAL The iconic Southern California brand’s global flagship on Sunset Boulevard houses multibrand boutiques including Hartel and Collective; “shops-in-shops” from labels like Libertine and RRL; a pop-up space; and a café and bakery.

A new Fred Segal Malibu opened last year, offering a mix of womenswear, accessories and gifts curated by Maris Collective. 8500 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.432.0560; Malibu Village, 3822 Cross Creek Road, Malibu, 424.235.2668, fredsegal.com

CLARE V. Clare Vivier’s Silver Lake flagship boutique and Santa Monica and West Hollywood outposts feature her line of 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.,

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. 7410 Beverly Blvd., L.A., 323.424.4667, gardeshop.com

BECCA MENICHETTI FOR POKETO

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

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ARMANI BALLY COACH DISNEY GUESS HUGO BOSS KATE SPADE LEVI’S MADALUXE VAULT MICHAEL KORS NIKE TOMMY HILFIGER OVER 130 OUTLETS STORES

SAVE. LA STYLE CitadelOutlets.com | Minutes from Downtown LA off the I-5 | 100 Citadel Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90040 | 323.888.1724 For exclusive VIP packages, contact your Concierge or visit CitadelOutlets.com/ShopDrop

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CHARLOTTE TILBURY AT THE GROVE (P. 72)

H GEARYS BEVERLY HILLS A Beverly Hills tradition for 90 years, GEARYS discovers and showcases a medley of luxury brands from around the world. Find fine china and crystal, as well as soughtafter 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. 360 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.887.4200; 351 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.273.4741, gearys.com GOOP LAB The first brick-and-mortar from Gwyneth Paltrow’s modern lifestyle brand offers homewares, beauty and wellness products and fashionable attire. The 1,300-square-foot “bungalow” feels like a 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 look together. Meredith Kaplan, the visionary behind the boutique, wants shoppers to feel “styled, not simply shopped.” 427 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.276.8200, gratus.com THE GREAT. Emily Current and Meritt Elliott, the duo who started the Current/Elliott denim empire, are behind this Americana-inflected lifestyle brand, which chose L.A. as the location for its first shop. 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

HEIST Heist stands out on Abbot Kinney with an eclectic mix of sparkly Pedro Garcia slides, Nili Lotan tops and Ulla Johnson dresses. Accessories from Elisabeth Weinstock and Faliero Sarti round out the selection.

1100 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310.450.6531, shopheist.com H. LORENZOL0000022236 Carrying cutting-edge designers such as Issey Miyake and Y/ Project, two stores on Sunset (one for women and another for men) 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 women and men. 8660 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.659.1432; 8700 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.652.7039; 474 N. Robertson Blvd., L.A., 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.

915 N. Sycamore Ave., L.A., 323.969.9129, justoneeye.com KELLY WEARSTLER In the renowned interior designer’s flagship gallery, find an exclusive collection of distinctive studio and vintage furniture, lighting, objets d’art, textiles, home decor and a curated library of rare and collector’s edition architecture, interior and graphic design books. By appointment only. 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. 1621 12th St., Santa Monica, 310.828.4438, kingbaby.com

COURTESY CHARLOTTE TILBURY

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

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Original Works of Native American Indian Jewelry and Art

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

323.669.1602; 2929 Main St., Santa Monica, 424.268.4848, mohawkgeneralstore.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 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

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, Acne Studios, Helmut Lang and the shop’s own collection and collaborations. 451 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A., 310.652.1120, openingceremony.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.,

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 awardsceremony red carpets (and on the Bachelor franchise) showcases celebworthy stunners at his flagship boutique off Melrose Place. 708 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A., 310.507.1272, neillanecouture.com

REBECCA MINKOFFCL0035 The SoCal-raised, New York-based designer pairs her cool handbags, accessories, timepieces, footwear, apparel and athleisure line with smart technology at her West Hollywood boutique. Enjoy a glass of bubbly as you shop the latest collections and work with skilled stylists. Also find a shop-alongside-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

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. Jewelry Repair and Custom Design done in house.

310.395.3652

Mon-Fri 11am-7pm Sat 11am-4pm

24205 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite A Torrance, CA 90505 TaosIndianTrading.com

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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. 8569 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.289.0808; 206 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.888.8880, westime.com

HAUSER & WIRTH

RIMOWA The high-end luggage brand Rimowa’s designs are unmistakable, due to the groove structure of its case shells.

Shop the brand’s traditional aluminum 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. 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 THE ROWCL9000400166 Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen chose the upscale Melrose Place as the location for their high-end brand’s first bou-

tique. 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 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. 24205 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite A, Torrance, 310.395.3652, taosindiantrading.com VIOLET GREYCL0000022234 This petite boutique, which is styled like a sophisticated boudoir, boasts a curated collection of skin care, haircare and cosmetic lines, including Dr. Barbara Sturm, RMS Beauty, Vintner’s Daughter and Windle & Moodie. The products are handpicked and

GALLERIES BLUM & POE CL0000022267 Within the walls of the Culver City Arts District’s original settler and flagship gallery, you may find works by emerging artists, as well as by the likes of art-scene all-stars Sam Durant, Jim Shaw and Takashi Murakami. The gallery celebrates art rather than entombs it and 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.”

Specializing in modern and contemporary art, 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 75 emerging and established artists, including L.A. artists Mark Bradford and Diana Thater. At its 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, 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 is a platform for emerging and underrecognized contemporary artists, architects and designers. Its experimental exhibitions and public art initiatives increasingly engage with pressing social issues. 7000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, 323.871.4140, laxart.org MADDOX GALLERY Petra Ecclestone’s massive L.A. outpost of Maddox’s international group of galleries regularly features work by superstar artists including Banksy, Damien Hirst and JeanMichel Basquiat. The new-age gallery is known for extravagant opening parties. 8811 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood, 424.303.7664, maddoxgallery.com

FOR MORE TO EXPLORE, SEE WHERE TRAVELER MAGAZINE OR VISIT SOCALPULSE.COM

ELON SCHOENHOLZ, COURTESY HAUSER & WIRTH

tested by Hollywood’s top makeup artists, experts and influencers. 8452 Melrose Place, L.A., 323.782.9700, violetgrey.com

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chow time

TARTARE DE BOEUF AT PASJOLI, PHOTO BY WONHO FRANK LEE

DINING L.A.’S DINING SCENE, ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING IN THE WORLD, OFFERS CALIFORNIA, GLOBAL AND FUSION CUISINES. BECAUSE THE CITY IS THE CENTER OF POPULAR CULTURE IN AMERICA, ITS DINING SCENE REFLECTS THE MOST CURRENT TRENDS.

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DINING

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS These L.A. restaurants specialize in the most important meal of the day. Celebrating its 70th anniversary at its current location, The Original Pantry Cafe only takes cash and never closes. Late-night clubbers and eager lawyers alike wait for breakfast at the counter (877 S. Figueroa St., downtown, 213.972.9279). Immortalized in a 1964 Ed Ruscha painting, Googie delight Norms on La Cienega (above)—a Historic-Cultural Monument—has been open since 1957. The chain itself just marked 70 years of serving staples all day long (470 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A., 310.657.8333). Meanwhile, a new wave of foodie favorites offer a new spin on breakfast.

Sqirl in Virgil Village is the place to start the day with pesto rice and Danish toasts (720 N. Virgil Ave., #4, L.A., 323.284.8147). And eternally busy French restaurant République offers simple bread and jam, shakshouka and pupusas in the morning (p. 84).

ANGELINI OSTERIACL00321 Italian. At one of L.A.’s most reliable Italian restaurants, chef/ owner Gino Angelini demonstrates remarkable range and finesse, from sea-salt-crusted 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, Parmesanstuffed 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 CROSSROADS KITCHEN Mediterranean. Chef/partner Tal Ronnen creates exclusively plantbased dishes—many based on non-

vegan comfort-food classics—at this upscale restaurant that’s a favorite with A-listers. Don’t miss the scallopini Parmesan. L (M-F), D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 8284 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 323.782.9245, crossroadskitchen.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. 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 puree, cipollini onions and horseradish cream. L (Tu-Sa), D (nightly). 8474 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 323.655.6277, lucques.com PROVIDENCECL0000022181 Seafood. At this elegant restaurant, James Beard Award-winning chef/owner Michael Cimarusti (who’s also behind Connie and Ted’s and Ace Hotel downtown’s Best Girl) transforms sustainable seafood into sublime, oft-changing dishes. Outstanding cocktails complement the Michelin-recognized cuisine. L (F), D (nightly). 5955 Melrose Ave., L.A., 323.460.4170, providencela.com ROSALINÉCL0000022181 Peruvian. Acclaimed chef Ricardo Zarate’s sunny restaurant—named

after his mother—introduces the “next phase of Peruvian dining” (think aceitunas, chicharrón de paiche, lomo saltado and chaufa paella). Sip Peruvian cocktails on the beautiful, boisterous back patio, or grab a seat at the ceviche bar.

D (nightly). 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 (SaSu). 233 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.734.0841, avrabeverlyhills.com CRUSTACEAN Pan-Asian. A walk-on-water aquarium meanders throughout the length of this modern-Vietnamese Beverly Hills landmark. Enjoy reimagined Asian-fusion dishes, such as the Tuna Cigar, while still satisfying cravings with the An family’s legendary “Secret Kitchen” dishes.

Da Lat Rose, a unique tasting-menu experience based on the life of ma-

MICHAEL GOING/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

BEVERLY BOULEVARD/ 3RD STREET/ MELROSE AVENUE

H STARRED LISTINGS ARE FEATURED GUESTBOOK ADVERTISERS. 8 0 W H E R E G U E S T B O O K

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triarch chef Helene An, is now open upstairs. 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, Michelin-starred CUT is the place to savor genuine wagyu beef steaks or dry-aged Nebraska beef. D (M-Sa). Beverly Wilshire, 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. The Rooftop by JG features panoramic city views. B, L, D (daily); Br (Sa-Su). 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 the 2-foot-tall seafood-tower appetizer, bone-in filet, sides such as lobster mashed potatoes, and a melt-in-your-mouth warm butter cake for dessert. D (nightly). 246 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.888.8782; 2087 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 805.418.1811, mastros.com

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 15,000 wine bottles on offer in a glass-ensconced “wine wall.”

L (Tu-Sa), D (nightly). 176 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.385.0880, wolfgangpuck.com

BRENTWOOD 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. A newer Brentwood location recently opened. B, L, D (daily). 11938 San Vicente Blvd., L.A., 310.442.2733; 412 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A., 323.334.3369, jonandvinnys.com 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 “slow-dough” crusts with inventive toppings (try the cacio e pepe). A second location in West Hollywood opened last year.

L, D (daily). 11712 San Vicente Blvd., L.A., 310.481.7108; 460 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.657.4662, pizzana.com

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CULVER CITY 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. D (Tu-Sa).

3239 Helms Ave., Culver City, 310.202.6808, lukshon.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

THE CHEF’S TABLE AT BIRDIE G’S (P. 86)

TAVERNCL9000006270 California. James Beard Award winners Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne’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 potatoes, leeks and mustard breadcrumbs, followed by a homemade “Snickers” bar for dessert. B, L (M-F); D (nightly); Br (Sa-Su). 11648 San Vicente Blvd., L.A., 310.806.6464, tavernla.com

EATALY Italian. Equal parts food hall, marketplace and culinary school, Eataly L.A. 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, topquality 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

CENTURY CITY CRAFTCL0000022129 American. New York chef Tom Colicchio of TV’s Top Chef brings his signature concept to Century City. The restaurant’s endless family-style menu of contemporary American dishes includes shareable plates such as short-rib tagliatelle, Berkshire pork and dry-aged beef rib-eye. L (M-F), D (M-Sa).

10100 Constellation Blvd., L.A., 310.279.4180, craftlosangeles.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

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 around 18 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

BAVEL Mediterranean. The Bestia team brings Middle Eastern cuisine into the mainstream at this lively restaurant occupying a former brick warehouse in the Arts District. Order from a wide-ranging selection of mezze including silky hummus and eggplant baba ghanoush with puffy fried pita, then indulge in rose-clove chocolate doughnuts for dessert.

D (nightly). 500 Mateo St., downtown, 213.232.4966, baveldtla.com 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 BROKEN SPANISH Mexican. 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), which boast bold yet refined flavors. D (nightly). 1050 S. Flower St., Suite 102, downtown, 213.749.1460, brokenspanish.com

DOWNTOWN 71ABOVE9000006267 American. At this restaurant on the 71st floor of the U.S. Bank Tower, expect stunning skyline views and modern-American dishes like a farm egg with ’nduja Bolognese, Parmesan crisp, basil, pepperonata and smoked potato espuma. 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), D (nightly). 633 W. 5th St., 71st Floor, downtown, 213.712.2683, 71above.com

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. L (M-F), D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 705 W. 9th St., downtown, 213.239.0642, faithandflowerla.com GRAND CENTRAL MARKET Eclectic. See and taste L.A.’s international influences at downtown’s oldest and largest open-air

LUCIANNA MCINTOSH

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market, in business since 1917.

About 40 merchants sell delicacies from around the world at the continually evolving market, including pupusas, ramen, tacos, pasta and pizza. Eggslut sandwiches are worth the wait. B, L, D (daily), hours vary by merchant. 317 S. Broadway, downtown, 213.624.2378, grandcentralmarket.com

tions at his acclaimed third restaurant. Select a vegetable, fish or meat grain bowl for lunch; for dinner, enjoy daily changing five-course 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

H L.A. 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 surf-andturf menu. D (nightly). The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, 404 S. Figueroa St., downtown, 213.624.1000, marriott.com/laxbw

OTIUM9000006267 California. French Laundry alum and The Final Table winner Timothy Hollingsworth helms this modern restaurant next to the Broad museum, preparing rustic, marketdriven cuisine such as black cod with burnt allium, clam, potato and sea beans. The drinks from bar director Chris Amirault are stars in their own right. L (Tu-F), D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 222 S. Hope St., downtown, 213.935.8500, otiumla.com

¯ MAJORDOMO Eclectic. The L.A. venture of New York chef/restaurateur David Chang (Momofuku) is set in an industrial space tucked into a corner of Chinatown. Expect dishes like black cod marinated in Hozon, as well as a massive short rib that can feed six.

L (Sa-Su), D (nightly). 1725 Naud St., downtown, 323.545.4880, majordomo.la

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

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 at 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

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 wild boar 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

ORSA & WINSTON Eclectic. Chef/owner Josef Centeno draws on Japanese and Italian tradi-

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

Cut the mediocrity,

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LOS ANGELES 213-553-4566

SLS HOTEL @ BEVERLY HILLS 310-246-1501

WOODLAND HILLS 818-703-7272

BURBANK 818-238-0424

SOUTH COAST PLAZA VILLAGE 714-444-4834

ANAHEIM 714-621-0101

Mortons.com

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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

WHOLE PLATE SHORT RIB AT MAJORDOMO ¯ (P. 83)

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 crystal chive dumplings 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 Ritz-Carlton, 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 steakhouse, starters include versions of old-school favorites

(e.g., iceberg wedge, shrimp cocktail). The prime attractions— a rib-eye, New York strip and tomahawk chop—are all dry-aged 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 50-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

OTOÑO Spanish. Part of Highland Park’s burgeoning dining scene, chef Teresa Montaño’s restaurant serves progressive Spanish flavors with an L.A. influence. Standout tapas include the boquerones y mantequilla (tuna and anchovy goat butter) and churros de patatas bravas. The main star, though, is the paella. After exploring the dish’s origins in Valencia, Montaño dreamed up three iterations for her menu. D (Tu-Su), Br (Sa-Su). 5715 N. Figueroa St., L.A., 323.474.6624, otonorestaurant.com 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 a grilled prime Angus flank steak marinated in sesame and tamari. For dessert, try

the popcorn ice cream. L, D (M-F).

6115 Sunset Blvd., Suite 100, L.A., 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 French onion soup, a croque monsieur and a delectable omelet with Boursin pepper cheese. L.A.: 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 petite 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 RÉPUBLIQUE French. In a landmark built for Charlie Chaplin in 1928, fine-dining veteran Walter Manzke and pastrychef wife Margarita turn out a daily changing menu of bistro classics, 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

ANDREW BEZEK

served at the bar or on the patio. A European-style butcher shop offers a premium selection of meats. L (MF), D (nightly). 6600 Sunset Blvd., L.A., 323.946.7513, gwenla.com

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LA CIENEGA BOULEVARD/ RESTAURANT ROW ANGLER Seafood. Acclaimed Bay Area chef Joshua Skenes has brought his Michelin-starred prowess to the Beverly Center to open a Los Angeles version of San Francisco’s Angler. The menu at the “sea-life focused” restaurant is centered around a giant woodburning hearth, where Skenes applies his unique fire cooking methods to locally sourced produce, game and seafood. D (nightly). 8500 Beverly Blvd., Suite 117, L.A., 424.332.4082, anglerrestaurants.com 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 is an intimate tasting-menu concept that recently received two Michelin stars. The Bazaar: D (W-Su). Somni: D (Tu-Sa). 465 S. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.246.5555, thebazaar.com E.P. & L.P.CL0000022162 Pan-Asian. This culinary concept finds new Filipina head chef Sabel Braganza incorporating “California Asian” dishes into a menu of Thai and Vietnamese fare. L.P., the multilevel “Asian eating house and rooftop,” consists of a rooftop deck that offers stunning views, as well as 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.

E.P.: D (nightly), Br (Su). 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: 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. The fish tacos and coconut shrimp are popular with locals. L (M-Sa), D (nightly), Br (Su). 21150 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu, 310.317.0777, dukesmalibu.com

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H MASTRO’S OCEAN CLUB CL0000022134 Seafood. 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

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SANTA MONICA BIRDIE G’S American. James Beard Awardnominated chef Jeremy Fox’s newest restaurant boasts a large menu of regional American cuisine. Supper and cocktails are served in a former art museum within Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station gallery complex.

End your meal with a slice of the “world-famous rose petal pie.”

D (nightly). 2421 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, 310.310.3616, birdiegsla.com

A SPREAD OF DISHES AT BAVEL (P. 82)

wagyu star on the menu. The Bull & Barrel bar serves the menu plus a 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, classic steakhouse sides and an award-winning wine list at this handsome Arts and Craftsinspired, 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 signature black-bean soup, whole ginger-fried catfish, braised short rib, 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 SUSHI ROKU 0000333530 Japanese. This pioneer of contemporary sushi uses the finest, freshest fish and incorporates diverse global ingredients

BOA STEAKHOUSE CL0000022134 Steak. Boa artfully combines a bold, colorful environment with modern-day steakhouse fare and traditional sides. Globally inspired burgers and sandwiches are highlights on the lunch menu. L (M-F), D (nightly). 101 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, 310.899.4466; 9200 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310.278.2050, boasteak.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 MICHAEL’S California. Michael McCarty’s influential farm-to-table restaurant, which opened in 1979 and pioneered California cuisine with chefs like Nancy Silverton, 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

PASJOLI CL002341 French. After celebrated Chicago chef Dave Beran’s first SoCal restaurant, Dialogue, received a Michelin star in 2019, he followed it up with this sophisticated restaurant inspired

by Parisian markets. The cuisine is a refined take on bistro fare—think turbot meunière and the classic dish of pressed duck. D (nightly).

2732 Main St., Santa Monica, 424.330.0020, pasjoli.com RED O RESTAURANTCL0000022163 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.

D (nightly), Br (Sa-Su). 1541 Ocean Ave., Suite 120, Santa Monica, 310.458.1600, redorestaurant.com RUSTIC CANYONCL9000006265 California. Discover boutique wines while sampling small plates of market-driven, Mediterranean-inspired fare here. 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

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

NICOLE FRANZEN

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

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VENICE

THE OPEN KITCHEN AT ANGLER (P. 85)

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 (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, fresh-baked 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 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

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 GJELINACL9000006250 Mediterranean. Chic Westsiders head here for Cal-Med small plates and pizzas. It’s one of Venice’s most popular restaurants and the neighborhood’s liveliest patio.

Gjelina Take Away is next door.

B, L (M-F); D (nightly); Br (SaSu). 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

ever since it opened its doors. The indoor-outdoor rooftop boasts an alfresco dining area where guests can enjoy views of L.A. and the Hollywood Hills 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 KATANA000033353 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 with rosemaryhoney butter and uni-butter-poached shrimp are standouts. D (Tu-Su), Br (Sa-Su). 8279 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, 323.450.4211, norahrestaurant.com TESSE French. Raphael Francois is in the kitchen at this lovely restaurant, serving classic French delights— handcrafted charcuterie, steak frites—updated for 21st century L.A. For dessert, don’t miss the soufflé from pastry chef Sally Camacho Mueller. Mixologists Julian Cox and Nick Meyer are behind the cocktail menu. Brunch service is scheduled to start in spring. D (nightly). 8500 W. Sunset Blvd., Suite B, West Hollywood, 310.360.3866, tesserestaurant.com

FOR MORE TO EXPLORE, SEE WHERE TRAVELER MAGAZINE OR VISIT SOCALPULSE.COM

BONJWING LEE

SADDLE PEAK LODGECL0000022184 American. Nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, this hunt-lodgethemed spot is a study in romantic rusticity, with moose heads overlooking candlelit tables. The menu focuses on game dishes such as New Zealand elk and bison short rib. Upstairs is the Double Barrel 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

L.A. 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 L.A. Prime invites diners to experience a culinary adventure in a relaxed atmosphere with refined service. Known for its innovative and edgy cuisine, L.A. 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 24 oz Primal-cut New York strip 14 oz Center cut filet mignon 10 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

FRESH SEAFOOD AND PRIME STEAKS 404 S. Figueroa St., downtown

213.624.1000 marriott.com/laxbw

FRESH SEAFOOD AND PRIME STEAKS

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HOLLYWOOD MADE HERE BOOK ONLINE AND SAVE

a© & TM WBEI. WONDER WOMAN and all related characters and elements are © & TM DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s19) HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & TM Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR. (s19)

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play time

THE MUSIC CENTER PLAZA, PHOTO BY TIM STREET-PORTER

ATTRACTIONS THEME PARKS, STUDIO TOURS, RECREATIONAL VENUES, MUSEUMS, CONCERT HALLS, STARGAZING AND SPOTS OF HISTORICAL INTEREST: THEY’RE ALL HERE.

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MAKING WAVES For the first time in its twodecade history, the Aquarium of the Pacific has unveiled a major expansion: the Pacific Visions wing, housed inside a two-story, sustainable structure designed to evoke the size, depth and moods of the Pacific Ocean. The building houses an art gallery whose inaugural installation, Reefs & Drifters,

AUTRY MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN WEST Named for performer Gene Autry, this museum in Griffith Park pre-sents 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

is capped off with a collection of mirrored exhibits called Infinity Coral and a touchable sculptured coral wall. From there, its orientation gallery, with an 18-foot-wide virtual waterfall, leads into the state-of-the-art immersive Honda Pacific Visions Theater. The experience ends in the culmination gallery, with interactive game tables, displays and live animal exhibits. Through cutting-edge technology and multisensory effects, Pacific Visions’ goal is to get people thinking about how to solve environmental issues and create a better future for all on this planet. See listing at right.

H BATTLESHIP IOWA MUSEUM This former battleship is permanently docked as a floating museum.

An ongoing exhibit follows the ship’s history through World War II and the Korean and Cold wars. Pacific Battleship Center, USS Iowa BB-61, 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro, 877.446.9261, pacificbattleship.com 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 historical documents to modern and contemporary

compositions. 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, L.A., 213.744.2084, caamuseum.org 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 Santa 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 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 nine fantastic “lands.” Highlights include Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Space Mountain 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 EL PUEBLO DE LOS ANGELES El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument is the oldest section of Los Angeles, with 27 historic buildings clustered around an old plaza. Olvera Street is a festive open-air Mexican marketplace with restaurants and shops.

125 Paseo de la Plaza, downtown, 213.628.1274, elpueblo.lacity.org GRAMMY MUSEUM Explore 160-plus musical genres, see artifacts such as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” jacket, go on an audible journey in the new Mono to Immersive experience room and more at this museum at L.A. Live.

The 200-seat Clive Davis Theater

THE NEW PACIFIC VISIONS WING AT THE AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC, LONG BEACH, CA © 2019 TOM BONNER

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 first-ever expansion project, is now open. 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, 562.590.3100, aquariumofpacific.org

H STARRED LISTINGS ARE FEATURED GUESTBOOK ADVERTISERS. 9 2 W H E R E G U E S T B O O K

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hosts intimate sets by top artists. 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite A245, downtown, 213.765.6800, grammymuseum.org GRIFFITH PARK With more than 4,210 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 H HOLLYWOOD MUSEUM In the historic Max Factor Building, just steps from the Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Museum houses 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

MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE www.museumoftolerance.com

9786 west pico boulevard los angeles, ca 90035 t: 310.772.2506

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

13606 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks 818.990.6128 AbundancePlusSizes.com 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!

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 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 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 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 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 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.

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Experience one of the world’s leading contemporary art collections Featuring Jean-Michel Basquiat, Roy Lichtenstein, Takashi Murakami, Andy Warhol, and Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Rooms

Get free general admission tickets thebroad.org | Downtown Los Angeles

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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 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

THE FUN STARTS HERE 800-959-3131 323-463-3333

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H 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 H 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-mile-long 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 SIX FLAGS MAGIC MOUNTAIN This popular theme park’s thrill rides include Twisted Colossus, an update of the iconic wooden roller coaster, and CraZanity, a recordbreaking 17-story pendulum ride.

Hurricane Harbor water park, open seasonally, is adjacent. 26101 Magic Mountain Pkwy., Valencia, 661.255.4100, sixflags.com/where H SONY PICTURES STUDIOS TOUR 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. Tours are offered on weekdays. 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, 310.244.8687, sonypicturesstudiostours.com H 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. See website for pickup locations.

800.959.3131, starlinetours.com

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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 UNIVERSAL CITYWALKCL0000022351 The entertainment-themed dining and shopping promenade adjacent to Universal Studios features over 65 restaurants, clubs and shops. Enjoy dining options including Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville and Voodoo Doughnut, and see a film on a floor-toceiling Imax screen at the state-of-theart 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. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction enchants; the thrilling water ride Jurassic World—The Ride 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, 800.864.8377, 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 Warner Blvd., 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 (such as The Book of Mormon and Dear Evan Hansen) and world premieres.

135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772, centertheatregroup.org THE BROAD STAGEC Santa Monica College’s state-of-the-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 DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION The largest venue at the Music Center downtown is the 3,156-seat home of Los Angeles Opera and Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center. L.A. Opera offers half a dozen major productions yearly. 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.7211, musiccenter.org

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THE FORUM Constructed in 1967 as an arena for the Los Angeles Kings hockey team, the Forum recently underwent a 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

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GREEK THEATRECL0000022286 Built in 1929, the Greek Theatre is in Griffith Park. The site of this 5,870-seat 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 Thom Yorke. 2700 N. Vermont Ave., L.A., 844.524.7335, lagreektheatre.com

Explore the wonders of the ocean and meet more than 12,000 animals at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

And now experience the all-new Pacific Visions.

AquAriumofpAcific.org • 562.590.3100 • 100 AquArium WAy Long BEAch, cA 90802

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 winners 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 regularly stop by 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, the Center Theatre Group’s Westside venue premieres 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 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-of-the-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 $288.5 million, stainless-steel facility is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Master Chorale and nearly a dozen music series. Tours are offered most days.

111 S. Grand Ave., downtown, 323.850.2000, laphil.com

VISUAL ARTS H THE BROAD This 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. An outdoor

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plaza and Otium restaurant—helmed by chef Timothy Hollingsworth­—are adjacent. 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, postimpressionist 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 programs and screenings. 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 310.443.7000, hammer.ucla.edu H HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART MUSEUM, 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

THE CATWOMEN 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 Exhibition Pavilion. Take a picture in Chris Burden’s iconic Urban Light, just off Wilshire. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 323.857.6000, lacma.org

Visit Hannibal Lector’s Jail Cell The Silence of the Lambs, in the Dungeon of Doom

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART Committed to the collection, presentation and interpretation of work produced since 1940, MOCA’s two venues hold roughly 7,000 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, 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. There’s also a celebrated collection of sculptures from South and Southeast Asia.

The museum’s garden was inspired by Monet’s Giverny. 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, 626.449.6840, nortonsimon.org

Connect with wildlife at the L.A. Zoo! Flock to the spectacular World of Birds Show. Leap into adventure with kangaroos. And try to spot the color-changing chameleons. You’ll find that, around here, fun just comes naturally.

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