LOS ANGELES: CITY OF DREAMERS
LA is most famous for its movie connections, but its art, culture, shopping and food scenes are thriving too, writes Christopher Beanland
WHY GO
The English writer Reyner Banham said Los Angeles “makes nonsense of history and breaks all the rules”. There is nowhere like this sprawling, sleazy, exciting and sometimes frustrating town, where the car is king and distances between sights are eye-watering.
But LA has soul. It’s a city like a country, with millions of new immigrants and dreamers from around the world trying to make it in the movies or in life. Celluloid is the sine qua non of LA: a visit to Warner Bros Studios is essential. But LA wants to diversify, too: there are new sports stadiums and the forthcoming Olympics in 2028. Its downtown is changing — art, culture, retail and gastronomy are thriving, The Broad and the Walt Disney Concert Hall are big architecture draws. LA will make you woozy — from the heat, the hangovers and the tantalising possibility of fame and fortune that seems to lurk round every corner. ● Visit discoverla.com
STAY HERE
Level is an apartment-hotel in the city centre. These minimalist loft-living condos are beloved of star basketball and baseball players (stayinglevel.com/los-angeles; doubles from $273/R3,800). Another downtown hotel hit is Indigo, with kitschy interiors, very comfy beds and compellingly hypnotic views of the 110 Freeway’s endless traffic. (hotelindigo.com doubles from $199/R2,700).
WALK HERE
Start with a taste of glamour in Hollywood, at the Chinese Theatre, where many premieres take place. Music is almost as big as movies: so check out the iconic Capitol Records Building, which looks like a stack of spinning vinyl. Spot the stars on the Walk of Fame along Hollywood Boulevard, then head up through the bucolic Griffith Park to the Griffith Observatory for city views on one side and the Hollywood sign on the other. Many films were shot here.
TRY THIS
LA’s Downtown Arts District features buckets of murals and street art on buildings, telegraph poles and walls. There are shops, bars and galleries, such as the Swiss art chain Hauser & Wirth. Their courtyard features dozens of empty tents installed by artist David Hammons, which mull on homelessness (until August 11) — Skid Row is a block away.
SHOP HERE
Venice’s independent boutiques, delis and cafés along Abbot Kinney Boulevard were popularised in the recent Netflix series Flaked (abbotkinneyblvd.com).
EAT HERE
Guerrilla Tacos, which gets a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide, is more than a cut above the other taco joints, serving lobster quesadillas, oysters and sea-urchin tacos. The potato taquitos are incredible and the divey vibe is fun and friendly as befits its location in the Arts District. Tacos from $5/R70 (guerrillatacos.com).
Auburn opened in March on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood and with its French/Nordic cuisine and very Copenhagen-esque minimal interiors, is certainly zeitgeisty. Six-course tasting menu (dinner) $105/R1,400 (auburnla.com). Meanwhile, the homely Italian fare at Rossoblu is delicious. A dining room in the Fashion District makes this perfect for an enjoyable dinner where main courses average $25/R350.
DRINK HERE
Rooftop bars such as Spire 73 (spire73.com) and 71 Above (71above.com, pictured) offer panoramic views across this sprawling city from the tops of its skyscrapers while you sip negronis. Then there’s the surreal haunted house vibe of the exclusive No Vacancy (novacancyla.com). A long line is worth it for the surprise you get on entry (we won’t spoil that) and the proliferation of celebrities.
OFF THE MAP
Down south in the lesser-visited suburb of Watts lies an intriguing oddity: the Watts Towers are an unholy art-brut confection, cobbled together between 1921 and 1954 by borderline barmy Simon Rodia, who slung up the skyscraping steel-and-mortar sculptures without any artistic training (wattstowers.us). You can cruise on through Compton, home of LA’s flourishing rap scene, and finish at the Westchester In N Out (in-n-out.com), which is at the end of LAX’s runways and mixes plane-spotting with the best burgers in town (order a Double Double, animal-style fries, and root beer).