San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
The gradual greening of La La Land
The inherent contradictions of Los Angeles are neatly embodied at Helios House, a futuristic stainless-steel structure on Olympic Boulevard that is powered by solar panels and incorporates such sustainable materials as recycled glass.
The building does everything right. Especially for a gas station.
So it goes in Los Angeles, a city that if still notorious for traffic (the nation’s worst) and ozone air pollution (ditto) has also made remarkable environmental advances. While visitors may not especially care that Los Angeles boasts the highest rate of solid waste recycling of any U.S. city, an expanding transit network makes it possible to explore without having to brave the city’s traffic by car or bus.
The completion of the 15.2-mile Expo Line light rail in 2016 gave Los Angeles its first direct rail connection between downtown and the beach since 1953. Trains now need less than 50 minutes to travel from the skyscrapers to the surf, with worthy detours along the way.
But even as L.A. builds up, not out, sprawl is in its DNA. The schlep factor, to use the technical term, is high. So to keep it green, base yourself in places with nearby attractions and easy transit access.
Base: Santa Monica
Southern California’s Berkeley-by-the-Beach, noted for its progressive politics and its lively restaurant scene, is among the country’s most ecofriendly cities.
The public library hands out awards for sustainable literature, and the Civic Center Parking Structure, a kindred spirit of Helios House, is the country’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) parking garage. Nearby, James Corner Field Operations, of New York City’s Highline Fame, converted the dead zone of a sprawling parking lot into Tongva Park, a 6-acre urban oasis landscaped with native and drought-tolerant species.
Santa Monica is also the region’s top car-free destination, especially if you enjoy cycling. The city sits de res burrito at Burritos La Palma, Cena Vegan prepares vegetarian carne asada and al pastor street tacos.
For a sit-down experience, Bologna-style Rossoblu blends the bones of a cavernous space in City Market South with Old World-inspired design details and a huge street mural that incorporates classical imagery. And true to its roots, the tagliatelle al ragu Bolognese is terrific.
Green isn’t a color typically associated with DTLA. But Grand Park converted an underused, unappealing expanse between the Music Center and City Hall into an urban oasis populated with species from the world’s six plant kingdoms.
The park is a short walk from one of L.A.’s most distinctive contemporary landmarks: The Broad, the LEED goldcertified contemporary art museum, whose honeycomb-patterned, reinforced concrete veiling has made the building one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.
The Expo Line
In Santa Monica, the 26th Street/Bergamot Station puts you within two blocks of the Bergamot Station arts complex, a collection of contemporary art galleries in a compound of industrial buildings. From the Culver City station, a walk of 15 minutes or less leads to seasonal and sustainable dining at Akasha, located in downtown’s beautifully restored 1925 Hull Building.
The Helms Bakery District is home to chef Sang Yoon’s modern Asian cuisine at Lukshon, as well as his famous, no-substitution burgers at the gastropub Father’s Office (also in Santa Monica).
The USC/Exposition Park Station is across from its namesake park’s historic rose garden and museums. To get a better sense of L.A.’s evolution, the Becoming Los Angeles exhibition at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County traces the region’s cultural and environmental history.
Matt Jaffe is a freelance writer. Email: travel@ sfchronicle.com