Los Angeles: Things To Do And Places To Go

[suzzer99]

I like a place called Mirabella on the west end of Sunset Strip. Good food, very romantic atmosphere.

[shaniac]

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Besides eat food, what is there to do in LA

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Loc: Los Angeles

Kinda funny, but still a good question. Like, what do single people do in LA? My gf and I don't need much more besides dinner and a movie, but I'm curious what else goes on out there.

[private joker]

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ill be in the LA area next week for the GFs bday and wondering if there are any nice/romantic places to take her ($ not a concern)? Ive only been to LA a couple of times, so really don't have any ideas of where to go. Also, no japanese places, if possible, as we will be getting japanese down in SD the day before. Thanks!

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Like suzzer said, Mirabelle is good (and walking distance from my apt., so I should go there more often), but I like

Cafe Marly
on Melrose. Very romantic back patio with ivy and everything, great food, etc. Never been to the BH location (they're remodeling) but the Melrose one is very quaint.

I know you said $ is no concern, but the place is very inexpensive. For expensive joints, you can throw a rock on Beverly bvd. or 3rd street in Beverly Hills and hit a good overpriced restaurant.

[Los Feliz Slim]

[ QUOTE ]
ill be in the LA area next week for the GFs bday and wondering if there are any nice/romantic places to take her ($ not a concern)? Ive only been to LA a couple of times, so really don't have any ideas of where to go. Also, no japanese places, if possible, as we will be getting japanese down in SD the day before. Thanks!

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I would consider: The Ivy on Robertson, Grace on Beverly, Providence on Melrose, Melisse in Santa Monica, Diaghilev up near the Strip.

[Chimp]

A lot of food, which is funny because of LA's reputation for bad food. Here are the food places that I like:

Sandwiches:
- Monsieur Marcel's in the farmer's market at the Grove. They have great European style sandwiches (think cured meats, good cheeses on a decent baguette). Plus their seating is in a somewhat quiet corner, which is much needed at the Grove.
- The Cafe at Surfas in Culver City. The same style sandwiches as MM. Really really good.

Sushi:
I really like the warm-rice school of sushi places in LA. Echigo on Santa Monica Blvd west of Sawtelle is my favorite. The fish quality is among the best I've had (right up there with Sasabune and SushiGo55), but it's cheaper. My wife and I always order a lot and a nice carafe of sake, but the bill is always around $100 for the both of us.

Other foodie places:
- The Lobster on SM Pier. I always take relatives here to show off the view. The food is shockingly good for such a touristy location. Also, the pier itself is fun to do at night on a date...completely dorky things like cotton candy and skeeball.

- Izakayas: A year ago these got a lot of press as the new fad in LA. They're Japanese pubs that serve small plates of a wide variety of food, usually with most of the menu changing by the day. Lots of beer, lots of great food, and a fun atmosphere. Musha on Wilshire @ 4th in Santa Monica is a great example. There are several others in Little Tokyo, Sawtelle area, and even Koreatown. These are perfect places for a date.

- Farmer's market in Santa Monica on Saturday. This is the best produce I've found in LA

- Pizza at Mozza. Can't wait to try Joe's.

LFS hit a lot of the good things to do on the Eastside. I'd like to second the Edison and SushiGo55 downtown. Also, Chinatown on Sunday mornings for dim sum is always fun.

[suzzer99]

I'm not a foodie, but from my limited experience I've found LA food to be way underrated and SF food overrated. I'm not talking the ultra-high end or famous places in either city, but everything else ranging from street food to moderately high priced restaurants. Although I have been to a few of the high end places in SF and not been too impressed (Mooses comes to mind).

I think a lot of SF places get by on location, tradition, and reputation. Since SF real estate is so precious it's tough to open a new place and it's often a lot harder for patrons to go 6 extra blocks on foot for better food. Whereas in LA everyone is in their car, it's a lot easier to open a new place, and there's just a ton more places to choose from. So LA places (that aren't the ultra-trendy celeb spot of the moment) really have to make it on food alone.

[Aloysius]

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A lot of food, which is funny because of LA's reputation for bad food.

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Huh - I've never heard that before... if you include the greater LA area, it's at the very least well known for really good Asian (specifically Chinese in SGV, Korean in K-Town, Japanese). And as evidenced by the thread responses, I'd say LA is very much a food city.

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I'm not a foodie, but from my limited experience I've found LA food to be way underrated and SF food overrated.

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Having lived in both cities also I'd agree. But I hear this most wrt fine dining / higher-end spots, not overall as much.

Suzzer, you kind of allude to this - but I think it's not a fair comparison as SF is tiny and LA is sprawling and enormous with way more selection / variety. Bay Area vs. LA is probably fairer - even then I think LA probably has better food (especially in the cheaper range) but it's really close.

-Al

[Aloysius]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Besides eat food, what is there to do in LA

[/ QUOTE ]

Loc: Los Angeles

Kinda funny, but still a good question. Like, what do single people do in LA? My gf and I don't need much more besides dinner and a movie, but I'm curious what else goes on out there.

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I work in entertainment as do alot of my friends - so this is a driver of social stuff for me (e.g. parties, premieres, events etc.). This is probably true for many people in LA.

But the answer to your question is really: I do stuff with my friends that I'd do in any other city, except in LA there are a ridiculous amount of options and it helps the weather is always perfect. Of course just boils down to personal preference (I norebang all the time, but I mean yeah that's not everyone's cup of tea), but here are some broad categories of stuff that LA has to offer:

1. Concerts - LA of course gets every band rolling through and performing, and there are some great venues. The Hollywood Bowl is one of the best venues for a concert in the country imo, with the Greek not too far behind. Walt Disney Concert Hall is amazing also.

2. Cultural Stuff - I think it's pretty laughable when people are derisive about LA's lack of "culture". The city hosts several premier museums (the Getty is probably my 2nd favorite museum to the Bilbao), LA Phil is just ridiculously good, and there's a thriving local art scene (check out Artwalk at the Brewery Lofts downtown), with a major emphasis on design and architecture. Also, obviously, strong theater scene.

3. Hiking / Parks / Beach - pretty self explanatory, I hike in the Palisades there are some great trails there. I live right by Griffith Park (the Observatory is great btw, really worth a trip go at night) and also think Lacey Park in Pasadena and Will Rogers are nice spots for picnics. And I like all the Malibu beaches but tend to go to Zuma.

In general, my guess is LA is one of the few cities in the US that truly has "something for everyone". I'd say the same is true in NYC (well, I guess minus the outdoorsy stuff) and to a lesser extent SF / Bay Area, but can't speak to anywhere else as I haven't lived there.

-Al

[coltranedog]

Runyon Canyon is off leash for the most part although it has some onleash areas. Its a bit crowded at times but pretty much the only place that fits your description that isn't too far outside of the city.

I live pretty close by and take our dogs 4-5x a week and its always a good time, great views and friendly people.

[etizzle]

what are the best clubs in LA?