los angeles neighborhoods :: 2

downtown arts district

we love los angeles.  topanga canyon (+ malibu), venice and atwater village are neighborhoods with lots to offer... and were the focus of our first installment.  here are a few more of our favorite los angeles neighborhoods: 

jo at eightfold

4. shops like ali golden, passenger, and other thrift shops are spread out along the echo park portion of sunset blvd.  eightfold has coffee + zines, which keep my tribe happy.  i spotted dream collective and clare vizier along sunset as well.  we were looking forward to cornmeal pizza at masa (supposedly akin to chicago deep dish...not sure it would rival our favorite lou malnattis), but the cook time was more than we preferred. the regular pizza was good, and we felt a bit like locals eating there.

i would also love to someday walk around echo park lake and eat at the boathouse there.  this day was hot and julia wasn't feeling well, so we'll do that another time.

5.  silver lake is further down sunset blvd. and is currently home to reform school.  we were able to find a few second hand shirts for mr. tribe there for reasonable prices among lots of beautiful independent artist offerings.  the pocket of shops around reform school is an enclave of hip shops including mohawk general store and other independent ones.  intelligencia coffee, sqirl and forage are all here and quite enticing, though usually quite busy.

the view from manhattan beach pier

6.  manhattan beach has always been a favorite of ours.  we never skip it.  there are a lot of shops around the beach, though the ones we most fondly remember have gone.  now we just go for the beach and wahoo's. we've eaten at wahoo's in different cities, but this one is the only one that feels right.  we only ever get the spicy fish bowl, and there's no need to ever try anything else.  :)

the beach is great and a walk on the pier is a must.  this time we watched surfers from the pier, and there was a band playing that was pretty good... drums and all.  there is a little aquarium at the end of the pier that we always walk through... it's free.  all this is probably the first thought that comes to mind when i think of california.  

julia at poketo

hauser wirth & schimmel

7.  downtown los angeles didn't used to be a destination for much adventure.  there are more and more reasons to venture into downtown now though. the arts district is home to poketo, which is a colorful shop to explore.  there are a few more independent shops around it like alchemy works, which we enjoyed poking through.  ​we also happened on hauser wirth & schimmel and their amazing artbook.

we visited the wheelhouse for mr. tribe and wandered through as of now as well.

we planned to go to the broad museum, but the wait time was quite long, so we decided to leave it for next time.  it looks amazing and it's free.

chinatown

jo wanted to stop in chinatown, since she thinks that is where the tear in my heart video was filmed.  we just happened to drive right by it, so the girls and i jumped out and took a walk through.

olverra street

we took in the sights and ate lunch on olverra street.

we've been blessed to be able to visit many cities, but los angeles is one that we choose to return to again and again.  there is so much to do... beaches, hikes, the zoo, good food, and lots of neighborhoods to explore.

love,
jane