When I was eight years old, my parents gave me a boom box and a Beach Boys album. I played that album endlessly. My dreams of moving to California started with these simple lyrics…
Catch a plane to Hollywood
And right away you’re best buddies
With Johnny B. Goode
And he’ll say
‘Baby, welcome to the neighborhood’
Hollywood sounded like a magical place where you could make anything happen. From that first Beach Boys album to movies like Back to the Future and Beverly Hills Cop, I was completely enchanted by Los Angeles.
I moved to LA right after college. Several of my friends from film school moved around that time. We were ready to make our dreams happen in Hollywood. Drive your convertible over to a lunch meeting and you’ll walk out with a movie deal.
But Los Angeles is not an easy city to love. Many people don’t like LA. You might be one of them. Now that I am in Northern California, I hear even more disdain. I often find myself speaking in defense of LA. To the untrained eye, the city seems like an endless freeway.
As Moby says, the city’s beauty is hidden in plain sight. It is not easily discovered. The magic of the city is in its moments. Los Angeles is as cinematic as it appears in the movies but you have to approach it like a skilled editor — keep the good and leave the rest on the cutting room floor.
Here is my editor’s cut of Los Angeles. Fifteen moments that will shift your lens on Los Angeles.
Mulholland Drive and the Pacific Coast Highway
Two classic drives that course through LA’s diverse landscape. Mulholland Drive cuts right through the Hollywood Hills. You can drop off either side into Hollywood, Studio City, Beverly Hills and Malibu. The PCH runs all along the California coast. Take it from the 10West up to Pacific Palisades and you will never want to go home.
“I love Los Angeles. It reinvents itself every two days.” — Billy Connolly
Venice Canals
Developer Abbot Kinney crafted the canals in the early 1900s in an attempt to recreate Venice, Italy. While the canals don’t look anything like Italy, they are filled with eye-catching homes, row boats and enough bridge styles to satisfy Julius Caesar. The canals are one block from the ocean where you can see if its worth grabbing your board. If the waves aren’t your thing, nearby Abbot Kinney (the street) is a lovely place for an afternoon cocktail with the “locals only” crowd.
Photo by Hugh Hamilton
“Los Angeles is 72 suburbs in search of a city.” - Dorothy Parker
Hammer Museum
The best museum in Los Angeles County — hands down. The Hammer Museum supports a diverse range of living artists. They allow artists to actively engage with the museum space which produces interactive and inviting installations. You can usually find a radical contemporary exhibition or a multi-screen video piece that you can reference to sound cultured. At a minimum, the permanent collection includes Degas, Van Gogh and Rembrandt. The Hammer is known for its exceptional lecture and film series. Once you are full of inspiration, take a seat in the peaceful, bamboo-filled courtyard and feel the warmth of the California sun.
“You know, you’re really nobody in LA unless you live in a house with a really big door.” -Steve Martin
Chemosphere
LA has been the playground for talented architects for many decades. John Lautner built several unique homes in Southern California. Chemosphere is one of his best. Most recently the home of publishers Benedikt and Angelika Taschen, Chemosphere has a fascinating history that includes a murder mystery and legendary Hollywood parties. It sits high above the city but you can reach it right off of Mulholland Drive. While you are at it, you might as well visit Lautner’s other homes that helped define mid-century modern architecture.
Photo by Joshua White
“Everybody’s very happy ‘cause the sun is shining all the time.” — Randy Newman
Runyon Canyon
No LA weekend is complete without a hike. Runyon is a popular spot because it has a panoramic view of LA. There are two entrances — one from Mulholland and one from Franklin. You can choose a variety of pathways or join the free Yoga class near the Hollywood entrance. Malibu and Los Feliz also have memorable hiking trails that provide alternate vantage points high above the city.
Photo by Roger Howard
“Always take Fountain.”- Bette Davis
Hollywood Bowl
Nestled in the hills of Hollywood, the Bowl is a spectacular place for live music. Big deal musicians play there, but the venue is laid back enough that you can bring wine in with no hassle. Picture yourself on the hillside at Sunset sipping a wine cooler listening to the eclectic sounds of Stephen Malkmus. Pure Hollywood magic. Take the shuttle there and you’ll be singing all the way home.
Photo by Kellie Lignitz-Hahn and Rachel Yoder
“If most American cities are about the consumption of culture, Los Angeles and New York are about the production of culture — not only national culture but global culture.” — Barbara Kruger
The Arclight Hollywood
Just one of many incredible movie houses in the city of Angels. The Arclight and in particular, the Cinerama Dome, is an iconic piece of Hollywood and a theater that truly cares about movies. They have assigned seats, hip snacks and quality picture and sound. Also, a decent place for celebrity sightings, but you have to be cool and not make eye contact. Other notable theaters include Cinefamily/The Silent Movie Theater, the New Beverly, the Egyptian and the Vista.
Photo by cd637 on Panoramio
“You are now part of the Big Deal Movie Talk club. We’ll talk, we’ll plan. At the very least, we’ll have lunch.” — My Dad
101 Coffee Shop
Right off the highway at Franklin, the 101 cafe is a favorite of Hollywood locals. With Googie inspired decor and an amazing selection of milkshakes, it is the perfect place for that afternoon meeting or late night stop.
“Movies are a fad. Audiences really want to see live actors on a stage.”
- Charlie Chaplin
UCB
Since LA is filled with unemployed actors, there are a lot of cheap theater and comedy spots. Upright Citizens Brigade is a classic place to see great talent — some of whom you’ll recognize. They have a packed schedule every day and shows range from free to five or ten dollars. Shows are usually pretty good and if they’re not, at least they are cheap.
Photo by The Reinstein Digest
“As one enters from the parking lot, as one generally does when entering a classic Continental restaurant, witness a screen with Mandarin patterns. Inside is subtle lighting. A lounge to the left and dining to the right. It is the Hollywood place to be and be seen.” — The Dresden website
The Dresden
A quintessential 1950s bar and restaurant in Los Feliz. The Dresden opened in 1954 and hasn’t changed one bit. You may have seen Don Draper there in a recent episode of Mad Men. Most nights you can catch the house band, complete with famous duo, Marty and Elayne. Make sure to get the “Blood and Sand” if you want to feel fancy. If it gets too crowded, you can always go a few doors down to the Rockwell.
Photo by THEE American Penguin
“Intelligentsia?” “Where else?”
Sunset Junction The Movie
Sunset Junction
This memorable intersection marks the transition from Los Feliz into Silver Lake. On any given afternoon, you can find creative types having coffee at Intelligentsia (designed by LA’s own Barbara Bestor). Cafe Stella is an excellent brunch spot and the Silverlake Cheese Shop is next door for your dinner party needs.
Photo by SamplinLA
“I could live anywhere in the world I want. But Los Angeles is the place to live.” — Eli Broad
The Brewery
Los Angelenos often say no one lives downtown. While that is not actually true, downtown has a lot of uncharted territory. It is easy to find abandoned warehouses and graffiti-adorned bridges which makes for an unpredictable experience. You can find gems like The Brewery, a group of artist lofts. They do open houses twice a year, but many of the artists have open studios and their own events. There are also a few dance companies that work out of the Brewery complex. A few streets away, you can find Angel City Brewery (an actual brewery) and the Southern California Institute of Architecture. SCI-Arc is a great place to see design critiques, lectures, exhibitions and if you’re lucky…robots.
Photo by Lara, NowSoLA
“Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles.” ― Frank Lloyd Wright
Griffith Park Observatory
The Observatory in Griffith Park is home to a museum, a planetarium, high quality telescopes and an unparalleled view of the city. If the telescopes aren’t available, you can walk 360 degrees around the building looking down on LA. From the Observatory, you can see the city shift from the pueblo layout (Downtown) to Jeffersonian grid (Hollywood extending West). The building itself is historic and if the exhibits aren’t enough to capture your interest, you can stare at 240-lb pendulum that turns with the Earth in the entrance rotunda.
Photo by Isla Studio
“City design accepts the new, the old, the present, the simulated and the spectacular within a framework of everyday situations.” — John Kaliski
Los Angeles is more than plastic and stucco. It is a city brimming with natural resources, willing to be shaped and primed for disruption.
LA produces a substantial amount of culture, yet the city itself is a work in progress. Urbanists are challenging developers to build more strategic communities. Technology is changing the working methods of the film industry. At City Hall, Mayor Garcetti’s team is harnessing technology to connect the dots of a disparate metropolis.
In the meantime, we’ll preserve our cinematic moments.
