Los Angeles, Friday and Saturday
After a successful household trip to LA last year for the 4th of July, we decided to head south for Independence Day again this year. Eric, Nik, Drew and I left early Friday morning, with our sights set on The Getty, which is a sprawling museum and campus on the west side of town near the 405 (meaning it is easy to access on your way in or out of LA).
Now would be a good time to mention that all members of our household share a neuroticism for efficiency. Before our trip, we had several stages of planning to help narrow in on the items we most wanted to see or do, and then very strategically laid out a schedule that grouped things together geographically. LA is such a sprawling and diverse place, it can be incredibly easy to have a bad experience or to not find the right groove. But for the most part, we've been able to really squeeze the most out of every trip while avoiding some of the common frustrations (traffic). Armed with a rough itinerary and a map of additional places of interest, we're able to leave room for discovery and get the most out of the sunny paradise.
After our visit to the Getty (in summation: a building/environment I'm glad I saw but would be okay never revisiting, a photography exhibit I loved, nightmare parking situation with terrible drivers, and why doesn't SF have more free museums?), we began to head east to our Airbnb in Atwater, stopping midway for an early dinner at aoc. What a place! So LA, with its rustic arches and brick-laid patio. We dined to traffic noise and dance club music, and despite that description it was delightful.
The dessert sampler was ordered, despite the fact that none of us are terribly into sweets. Later that night, we met a friend of Nik's for second dinner at Silverlake Ramen. While waiting to be seated, I made the profound discovery that most other people can wink with either eye, and can alternately close either eye on command. I can only control my right eye. ;)
The next day we headed to the Arts District and DTLA. Since it was the 4th of July, most places were closed and we spent a lot of time meandering and peeking in windows. We started with breakfast at Sqirl, and the morning quickly became a series of food stops strung together by just enough walking to make room for more eating (Zinc Market, Guerilla Tacos).
Recommended at Sqirl: crispy rice bowl (though it is very acidic), ricotta and plum jam toast, toast with greens, horchata. Steer clear of the seared polenta and black eyed peas.
After a visit to the Broad Museum (still under construction), Grand Central Market, Angel's Flight, and Ace Hotel's Rooftop Bar, we headed farther east into Pasadena.
Our initial destination was Chengdu Taste. Despite having already eaten several times that day, we were still food-motivated. Lunch was delicious (I'm still dreaming about the stir-fried green beans, potatoes, and eggplant). Afterward, we stopped by the Gamble House and walked around the grounds, drove to the Huntington Library and Gardens (closed for the holiday, unfortunately), and walked around the Norton Simon Museum. On the way back, we stopped by the Pasadena City Hall, thus creating a tradition of visiting small California town halls on the 4th of July (last year it was Santa Barbara's).
Clad in Heath tile from many years ago, the Norton Simon Museum still looks stunning.
We visited in mid-afternoon which cast sharp shadows across the house. Regardless, it was inspiring to take in the materials and see how it was constructed.
We ate dinner at an anonymous Italian place in Silverlake, and enjoyed the cluster of fireworks from up in the hills of Los Feliz. There's nothing like fireworks in LA, where every small neighborhood, town, and city puts off their own show and the city looks to be under siege of patriotism.
