No matter how long between visits, or where I’ve lived since, an arrival into LAX always feels like a homecoming. Just last week when given the opportunity to fly down for the night, sans kids, I jumped on it! A little LA fix was just what I needed!
How did I spend my time? Shopping, eating and wandering around the old neighborhood!
Venice’s Abbot Kinney
The moment I landed I dropped my bag at the hotel and made a beeline for Venice and more specifically Abbot Kinney!
15 years ago this area was still on its way up and had been for a while, but its safe to say it’s arrived! Many of today’s most sought after fashion brands have stores on Abbot Kinney, some of which are one of a kind store fronts, not to mention there are many trendy bars and restaurants to choose from.
I know you’ll be surprised when I tell you that I found some fun items to bring home! All of which will be perfect for mixing and matching with the “essential items” I already had.
Santa Monica
Though not technically Los Angeles, Santa Monica is always on our must list when we head to SoCal, we lived there for 6+ years and its like coming home. The views of the ocean and beach from Ocean Avenue never get old.
Palihouse Hotel
We stayed at the Palihouse a charming old hotel located in our old neighborhood and walking distance from the Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Place, the beach and Montana Avenue shopping! Though old, the rooms are spacious, clean and decorated in a somewhat quirky but fun style. The attention to detail is great and the location can’t be beat!
Walking up and down Montana Avenue is always a pleasure with its many shops to wander in and out of. Though it’s not fancy we love to stop for lunch at Rosti, a family friendly Italian restaurant on 10th and Montana. The goat cheese capellini with marinara is the best! If you decide to check it out keep in mind you’ll need to bring your own wine.
For me no trip to Los Angeles would be complete without a meal at either Furaibo or Hurry Curry! A perfect trip would include both, but hey I only had 24 hours…
Furaibo is a Japanese restaurant located on Sawtelle Boulevard (Little Osaka) in West LA. They are famous for their Japanese style chicken wings which are my favorite, but Tim loves the fish in a bowl which is essentially an entire fried fish the bowl is the fish! This place is one of the more popular places on the block, but it’s definitely worth the wait!
Though there were many places and people I didn’t get to visit during this quick trip, I managed to spend time in Malibu, Venice, Santa Monica and West LA. I wandered aimlessly, shopped, ate and most importantly got my LA fix!
Until next time…