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NOT-TO-MISS SOCAL SPOTS
where I’ll stay the next time I’m
in town, lured by the siren call of
the inn’s sunny Palm Springs–
style pool deck. One of L. A.’s
most walkable neighborhoods,
Silver Lake has so many options
for dining and nightlife that
there’s no need to go anywhere
else, but I jump in the car to
check out Pilot, the new rooftop
poolside restaurant and bar at
The Hoxton, an outpost of the
London-based hotel group that
opened last fall in the historic
former headquarters of the Los
Angeles Railway Authority.
Together with a host of proj-
ects that include the Downtown
LA Proper, a luxury landmark
1TAKE THE TRAIN TO SANTA MONICA PIER
There’s only one thing that could keep
you from visiting the Santa Monica Pier
and Venice Beach Boardwalk, and that’s
traffic. Solve that problem by taking the
Metro Expo line — and bring your bike
to continue your journey on two wheels.
santamonica.com
2RIDE THE ANGELS FLIGHT FUNICULAR
Yes, it’s hokey, but the world’s shortest
railway is also a hoot, its wooden cars
ascending Bunker Hill for the bargain
price of a dollar a ride. Reopened in 2017,
the 118-year-old funicular is a favorite of
location scouts, so you might catch a
shoot in progress. angelsflight.org
3EAT YOUR WAY AROUND THE WORLD AT GRAND
CENTRAL MARKET
From chop suey (really) to pupusas
to the beloved pastrami and corned
beef at Wexler’s Deli, Grand Central
Market has it all and then some. A food
hall before they were a thing, it’s been
a downtown gathering spot since 1917.
grandcentralmarket.com
4SKYWATCH FROM GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY
Come for the view, stay for the exhibits,
which include multiple telescopes, a
planetarium, a timeline of the universe,
and a mural-covered dome. Surrounded
by 53 miles of hiking trails, Griffith
Observatory offers telescope viewings
on clear nights. griffithobservatory.org
5REVISIT THE ICE AGE AT LA BREA TAR PITS
Where else can you descend a staircase
in the heart of the city to find yourself
in a grotto studded with mastodon and
mammoth bones? The La Brea Tar Pits
continue to fascinate, with paleontologists
still digging up fossils today. tarpits.org
6VISIT THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY
Equal parts art museum and antiquarian book collection and surrounded
by 120 acres of lush gardens, the
Huntington Library is a getaway within
itself. huntington.org
7WATCH THE SUNSET AT EL MATADOR STATE BEACH
A short walk from the Pacific Coast
Highway north of Malibu takes you to
the protected coves of El Matador State
Beach, a favorite of photographers
for its rock arches and crashing surf.
californiabeaches.com
8TAKE IN A COMEDY SHOW AT THE GROUNDLINGS
Gilda Radner, Kristen Wiig and Tina Fey
all got their start here, and chances are
at least one of the performers you see
at a current Groundlings show could be
Saturday Night Live’s next breakout star.
groundlings.com
hotel opening later this year,
The Hoxton is part of an
adaptive-reuse boom that’s fast
transforming the city’s once seedy
downtown (now going by the
annoying acronym DTLA) into
a hub of arts and culture. Maybe
this neighborhood is where I
should base my next visit instead?
Opposite: Marco Polo
Trattoria at the Silver
Lake Pool & Inn. This
page, from top: A
dish at Sqirl; Venice
Beach; a room at The
Hoxton, which also has
a new rooftop poolside
restaurant and bar.
