We just got back from our California vacation and I want to share our amazing first weekend in Los Angeles. If you are headed to LA, here are ideas of things to do and places to eat.
Saturday
Jet-lagged, we dragged ourselves out of our beds at the charming Villa Brasil and walked down the street to revive ourselves with coffee and pastries (including a flavorful fruit bun) from Lodge Bread. We grabbed slices of their Seeded Country and California Heirloom bread to nibble on. With a bit of sour tang, earthy wheat and chewy, crunchy crust, the bread was delicious.
The day was sunny and hot and we joined the crowds heading to the coast. We took Topanga Canyon Road, one of my favorite drives. Looking for a couple of quirky landmarks that I remembered, I couldn’t find the house with the tree growing through its center, but the box car entrance to a property is still there.
We stopped at the Malibu Hindu Temple, took off our shoes and joined the many visitors wandering throughout this beautiful structure. We stopped at each shrine and took lots of photos.
Back on the Pacific Coast Highway, we stopped at Zuma beach and waded in the water, wishing that we brought our bathing suits. The water was inviting and not too cold (especially for New Englanders).
Heading back from the beach, we took a lunch break at Malibu Seafood for fish tacos and Ahi burgers.
Next, we headed to San Fernando Valley for a quick visit with my Aunt Beverly. I hadn’t seen her in decades and she had never met my husband and son. We caught up on family news and heard stories about growing up in Gloucester. It was a wonderful and warm family reunion.
We returned to LA to freshen up and meet friends for dinner at Akasha. We had a wonderful evening with my husband’s childhood friends, Rob and Sarah and their spouses, Tangela and Greg. The restaurant serves farm to table food and every mouthful was fresh and full of interesting flavors. The beet and avocado salad, with sunflower and sesame seeds and miso vinaigrette, was so good! My son and I shared delicious chicken roasted with Indian spices.
Sunday
Our East Coast internal clocks were a curse (hello 4:00 a.m.) and a blessing (we rose early and fit in a lot of early morning time). We headed to Venice Beach for breakfast and a glimpse of activity on the boardwalk, including two female skateboarders, whose incredible skills took my breath away.
Next stop was The Broad art museum to view their impressive collection and to experience Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms. I loved being enveloped in the twinkling lights and feeling that they were signaling us from a distant universe.
The museum’s physical structure is worth the visit alone. I couldn’t stop taking photos of the building designed by architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Its next door neighbor, the Frank Gehry designed Walt Disney Concert Hall (home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic), is a glorious building too. There is some serious architectural eye candy on those two blocks!
We met my husband’s college friend, Ken, for lunch at Otium. Dining outside in November is bliss! We lingered for hours over mouth-watering small plates of fish, oysters, beet salad, eggs with molé and roasted potatoes. A delicious rosé completed our lazy dining experience.
We headed to West Hollywood in search of a gallery designed by Ellsworth Kelly, an artist near and dear to us. Then, on to Rodeo Drive, just to say that we had seen it. We made a quick stop at Hollywood Blvd. to see the stars, but felt no need to linger.
We drove to the Hollywood Bowl Overlook for a view of the lights of the sprawling city.
We made our way back to Century City, where we ate molé at Casa Oaxaca. Thoroughly satiated and exhausted, we couldn’t get back to our hotel fast enough.
Monday a.m.
Stretching the weekend into Monday morning, we had a few final stops to make before leaving LA. We got up early, stocked up on coffee, avocado toast and baked scrambled eggs at Lodge Bread.
After breakfast we headed to Santa Monica, where I showed my family my old apartment building. We walked the grounds of Santa Monica College and headed down Pico Blvd. to the beach. We checked out the carousel and the pier. Then it was time to quit the city and head to Route 1 and a trip up the coast. What an amazing weekend and a great start to our vacation!
Postscript
In posting this description of our vacation in Los Angeles, I don’t mean to diminish the horrifying shooting that occurred in Thousand Oaks that weekend, nor the terrible fires happening in California. Californians have suffered great losses over the past two weeks. During our visit, we experienced warmth and friendliness from everyone we met. Our thoughts are with our Western neighbors as they live through these difficult times.