I recently spent five days in LA - I went for a couple of days of work meetings and stayed the weekend - it's been five years since I was last in Los Angeles, so it was great to revisit a couple of favourites and discover lots of new places too. On the first day we walked around Manhattan Beach and had a lovely dinner at Fishing With Dynamite, the relaxed fish restaurant from chef David LeFevre (who's also behind the acclaimed Manhattan Beach Post next door) with a focus on oysters, classic and modern creative seafood dishes.
On the second evening we went to Redondo Beach to walk in the (cold) waves, eat some fresh squid from the old fisherman's wharf, see some seals, watch the sunset and have dinner at R10 Social House, a beachy restaurant serving New American cuisine, fresh fish and healthy dishes in sensible portion sizes (my pet hate with food places in the US!).
Friday night we walked along the Santa Monica pier and went on a rollercoaster ride, had drinks at the Somino wine garden rooftop bar and delicious pizzas at the casual Italian Hostaria del Piccolo.
On Saturday I had some fresh blood orange juice at the Third Street farmer's market in Santa Monica and did a spot of shopping (J.Crew sale and a brand new Nasty Gal store side by side: uh oh) before meeting friends to hire rollerblades. Apparently no one blades anymore as we couldn't find any, so instead we hired beach cruisers and went a little down the coast to Venice Beach to check out the skaters, tattoos and shirtless dudes before spending a couple of hours browsing the awesome independent stores on Abbot Kinney.
We went for quesadillas, tacos and margaritas at a traditional Mexican place before hopping in the car to Hollywood to check out the Walk of Fame, fancy dress costumes and crowds of clubbers before heading to Chateau Marmont for a nightcap.
We went for quesadillas, tacos and margaritas at a traditional Mexican place before hopping in the car to Hollywood to check out the Walk of Fame, fancy dress costumes and crowds of clubbers before heading to Chateau Marmont for a nightcap.
On the last day we visited the fabulous Getty Museum - I needed waaay more time so will have to go back - and its beautiful architectural gardens. If I lived there, I would be there all the time. I had lunch at Cafe Del Rey overlooking all the yachts in Marina Del Rey before heading to LAX.
LA is always good fun, I just wish it wasn't so far away because an 11 hour flight and 8 hour time difference makes it a difficult long weekend option... Still, I'll be back for exactly that in a few months for a wedding and I'm certainly not complaining.
