The solar-powered Ferris Wheel at the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles
The hundred-year-old Santa Monica Pier continues to be one of Los Angeles’ ‘must-sees.’ Strolling the length of the Pier (nearly 2,000 feet) can feel like you’re walking on water, or off into the sunset.
It’s a great place to bring kids. They can ride the historic 1922 Carousel, or the famous solar-powered Ferris Wheel (that they say can be seen from space), or play in the cavernous arcade with 200 games, from the classic to the contemporary. Under the Pier, you can visit The Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, which features interactive exhibits presented by Heal the Bay. Kids might even recognize the Pier from such movies as The Hannah Montana Movie, Forrest Gump, and Iron Man.
Read More »
Surfing Cowboys on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice Beach
Only about one mile long, Abbot Kinney Boulevard, in Venice, is home to unique boutique shopping and some of Los Angeles’ best restaurants. Venice Beach is best known for the Venice Boardwalk and the oddities found there (people and shops), but Abbot Kinney is the local’s favorite. Day or night, this is the place to be — either shopping for vintage furniture at Surfing Cowboys, or having a drink at The Brig, or eating an unforgettable meal at Gjelina. Read More »
The Yard Gastropub in Santa Monica
Gastropubs — bars that serve food — have become increasingly prominent in Los Angeles, where the the food is often top quality, the menu items are more affordable, and the happy hour specials (typically from 5 to 7 p.m.) are extremely popular. Two of the City’s best gastropubs can be found in Santa Monica. Read More »
Bergamot Station art gallery in Santa Monica
Sitting on eight acres, Bergamot Station (2525 Michigan Avenue, Santa Monica) is the largest art gallery complex and cultural center in Southern California. Unlike the smaller galleries, when you visit Bergamot you can park in one place and spend the day seeing art; not driving from one gallery to the next.
Read More »
Runyon Canyon in Hollywood, California
The mountains surrounding Los Angeles are beautiful. One great way to spend a couple hours is to hike the hills, take in some nature, get a good workout, and see some spectacular views. Bring a picnic, and you can have a bite on the picnic tables or benches at the top. Each hiking area offers you a choice of easier or more difficult trails, so you can bring the family too.
Temescal Gateway Park, in Pacific Palisades, is very popular. It’s an easy to moderate hike, totaling 2.8 miles, and takes about an hour and a half. Or, you can choose the short route and hike just a mile and a half. Either way, you’ll see waterfalls (in the spring), smell anis all around, and see the ocean. This is an extremely child-friendly hike and you’ll also see lots of dogs (on leashes). It’s very close to all the Santa Monica Hotels. Read More »
A carne asada taco from Tacos Por Favor restaurant in Santa Monica
Los Angeles is famous for its tacos. Mexican food can be found all over the city; There are websites devoted entirely to finding the perfect taco. Taco trucks are now ubiquitous and fans follow where they are parked using Twitter. But you don’t have to chase down a truck at Tacos Por Favor in Santa Monica (1406 Olympic Boulevard, near the Ambrose hotel ). Read More »
‘Tis the season for lots of feastin’! With turkeys, sweets, fatty trimmings, and sugary cocktails in your face all winter long, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to bump fitness center offerings up closer to the top of your priority list when you’re searching for a place to stay. To offset your festive calorie bombs during your holiday travel, you best be hitting those hotel gyms — and here are our selections for the finest hotel fitness centers in Los Angeles.
Fitness Center, Terranea Resort
With floor-to-ceiling windows and top-of-the-line equipment (as well as a separate exercise studio with spinner bikes), the Terranea’s large fitness center feels more like a full-service club than a typical hotel gym. On the less-rigorous side, the resort offers boccie ball and croquet terrain with free equipment rental, and three pools with great views of the ocean.
Read More »
L.A. is a bit of a celebrity-spotting safari. And even though plenty of celebs call the City of Angels home, the area’s hotels are still teeming with famous faces (sometimes drunken, messy faces). For the glitziest, go-home-and-brag-to-your-friends celeb stalkage, we’d like you to know that there’s quite a bit more to the Los Angeles star-studded hotel scene than the ol’ Lindsay Lohan standby, the Chateau Marmont.
We’ve compiled the ultimate guide to who’s been seen where — and where you may have the best shot at an A-list sighting. Here are our picks for the best celebrity hot spot hotels in Los Angeles.
The seldom-seen lobby of the Chateau Marmont
Chateau Marmont, a discreet movie star hideaway since it opened in 1929, attracts celebrities to its popular Bar Marmont, see-and-be-seen restaurant, and private guest bungalows (John Belushi overdosed in one in 1982). An Oyster reporter spotted both Stevie Wonder and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke at coveted patio tables. Jennifer Aniston, John Mayer, and Billy Crudup have been spotted together in the courtyard, Eva Longoria and Christina Applegate were seen on the patio, and Sienna Miller and Josh Hartnett cozied up in the restaurant’s living room. And Lindsay Lohan, Charlize Theron, Mary-Kate Olsen graced Chateau’s halls on a single night.
We came, we saw, we slept there. And we’ve rounded up our findings into a sort of Oscars of LA hotels — the “Oyscars,” if you will — to make it easy to find the best hotel to suit your needs. Whether you’re seeking a party hotel or a place where you can maintain your fitness regimen while on the road, here are our picks for the best hotels in L.A.
Lobby, the Beverly Wilshire
Best Luxury Hotel
Remember where Richard Gere and Julia Roberts stayed in Pretty Woman? This is the place. At the glittery corner of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, the iconic 395-room Italian Renaissance-style tower hotel underwent a renovation in 2006 and 2007 that added a spa and a Wolfgang Puck steakhouse, CUT, designed by Richard Meier. Rooms are classically luxurious, with Italian marble bathrooms and 400-thread-count sheets. The hotel’s best asset, though, might be its utter lack of stuffiness: Everybody gets treated like a friend here, not only the celebs and royalty. Just like in the movie.
Read More »
