usa :: los angeles :: general

[aan den rijn]

If you want to watch a movie, the Arclight is the place to be (on Sunset and Cahuenga). I prefer it over the Chinese. The Bridge is also a good place for a flick, but since I typically hang out in OC, the place across from South Coast is my arthouse of choice.

If you can get a car up to Mulholland, drive the whole way, from Cahuenga pass all the way across to Sepulveda, then across into the valley. There are some incredibly fabulous views and awesome houses. It's one of my favorite things to do and I'm a jaded LA native.

Oh and I don't know if this has been addressed yet, but DO NOT go to the Citadel Outlets. It only looks cool on the outside. The stores are pretty much complete shit.

[aan den rijn]

If you want to watch a movie, the Arclight is the place to be (on Sunset and Cahuenga). I prefer it over the Chinese. The Bridge is also a good place for a flick, but since I typically hang out in OC, the place across from South Coast is my arthouse of choice.

If you can get a car up to Mulholland, drive the whole way, from Cahuenga pass all the way across to Sepulveda, then across into the valley. There are some incredibly fabulous views and awesome houses. It's one of my favorite things to do and I'm a jaded LA native.

Oh and I don't know if this has been addressed yet, but DO NOT go to the Citadel Outlets. It only looks cool on the outside. The stores are pretty much complete shit.

[Astoria VIII]

If you want to watch a movie, the Arclight is the place to be (on Sunset and Cahuenga). I prefer it over the Chinese. The Bridge is also a good place for a flick, but since I typically hang out in OC, the place across from South Coast is my arthouse of choice.

If you can get a car up to Mulholland, drive the whole way, from Cahuenga pass all the way across to Sepulveda, then across into the valley. There are some incredibly fabulous views and awesome houses. It's one of my favorite things to do and I'm a jaded LA native.

Oh and I don't know if this has been addressed yet, but DO NOT go to the Citadel Outlets. It only looks cool on the outside. The stores are pretty much complete shit.

I was told that driving Mullholland was definitely a positive experience but I suspect time may be the enemy in this case...and I've never heard of the Citadel outlets but I will avoid them anyway.

[poopie boy]

yes to echo some of the posters on here, Laemmles is an awesome theater.

like i said, you will probably stay within the West L.A. region between hollywood/santa monica.

the Laemmles on sunset is a great theater to watch awesome indie films, there is also one in pasadena and one in santa monica if you don't have 2 hours to spare while on sunset.

the drive up mulhouland(sp?) and the drive up the 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to santa cruz are also extremely recommendable, but very very time consuming.

Los Angeles, like i said, is an amazing city to live in, and can be great to visit, also. But its just one of those cities where you would benefit a lot more from living here for 4 to 5 months or so.

as far as modern or avant-guarde architecture when speaking of homes, i may have to say that Los Angeles is the richest city in the world in this field.

You can check out works by world reknowned architects and some of the most famous homes in the world from the 14 homes by Frank Lloyd Wright, to the Chemosphere and Beyer residence by John Lautner.

this is just my area of interest, though. I don't know how much into architecture you are, but i love to drive around southern california visiting architectural marvels.. its amazing. John Lautner is obviously the most influential to me, because he's basically the leader of Los Angeles private residence architecture. He's real fresh, check out some of his stuff:

Chemosphere (1960)

The client was a young engineer with limited resources and access to a site with a priceless view of the San Fernando Valley, but worthless because of its severe slope. Lautner's radical solution was to propose an octagonal, saucer-shaped structure entirely supported by a central stem five feet in diameter. Working with the client's own participation, and with materials donated from companies eager to be associated with the project, Lautner took an otherwise-unbuildable slope and created a house with incredibly sweeping views.

The man is a genius, IMO.

[Astoria VIII]

oh wow. That is definitely...interesting. And yeah I'm a fan of architecture but it just seems to be a little too time consuming to go around driving and checking out houses at least for this trip. I will try and fit it in though if I can. Thanks.

[samlamore]

as an aussie ex-pat over here, perhaps i can shed some light on some places i have enjoyed, even by myself.

- dinner: matsahisu (nobu's flagship, great sushi / sake)

- dinner / party: hollywood social (so hot right now... blah blah...)

- dinner / lunch: ammo (good food, cool celebs)

- brunch: urth café (an institution)

- lunch / breakfast: chateau marmont courtyard (it's like you're staying there)

- martinis and beluga: beverly hills hotel bar (check out those hair-pieces)

- cocktails: sky bar for dusk (ideally take a date, get a window seat)

- shopping: fred segal, maxfield and barney's (designer wear you can't get in oz)

oh, and i second the lautner recommendation.

[Aeros]

What are the best spots for a cheap lunch?

What is the best restaurant to get real aucthenic Japanese food (aka not Sushi and Teriyaki. If you've been to Japan you know what I'm talking about)?

And last but not leat what is the best Korean BBQ restaurant in LA, because I know that LA has the largest Korean population outside of Korea and I am a fiend for Korean BBQ?

[azn8oi]

You're funny because you put question marks where periods are required and a period for where a question mark was required.

You are funny? Did you luck out anyways. Don't know .?.?.?.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=399200

[englandmj7]

What area are you staying in and how much time do you have........?

There have been several posts on good L.A. restaurants, do a search. Here is a list of the top 10 cheap places to eat in L.A.:

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/bestof/winners/cheap_eats

Some advice on the list:

- Tito's sucks. I can make better taco's blindfolded with cow shit on my hands.

- Philippe is good but far out of the way.

- Pink's is overrated but if you are near Melrose and the line is small check it out.

- If you are around Silver Lake then Yuca's is fucking great too.

- Holy Guacamole! in Venice is my favorite place to get a burrito/taco and is cheap.

- Roscoe's is OK; overhyped as well.

[dizzhizz]

Being from LA, I highly recommend you check out this food forum:

http://www.chowhound.com

Being a Korean American from LA, I highly recommend you go to Chosun Kalbi in Koreatown and get your grub on.

Really good Japanese food can be found primarily in downtown LA in Little Tokyo (obviously) or in west LA, where there is a high concentration of Japanese Americans. There are also some really decent spots in Beverly Hills for some high end sushi as well.

[hollaforadolla]

What are the best spots for a cheap lunch?

What is the best restaurant to get real aucthenic Japanese food (aka not Sushi and Teriyaki. If you've been to Japan you know what I'm talking about)?

And last but not leat what is the best Korean BBQ restaurant in LA, because I know that LA has the largest Korean population outside of Korea and I am a fiend for Korean BBQ?

korean bbq - manna: all you can eat meat for 20 bucks. you gotta cook it yourself

cheap lunch - phillipes for the french dip, pinks for hot dogs, in n out for burgers, mm all i can think of at the top of my head

japan - little tokyo as said above

[mkinsj]

not korean, http://www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com/ must have one time in your life.

[Ryan]

go to sawtelle by the Giant Robot store..theres a couple of ramen places, and a curry place, sorry dont remember specific names but its good stuff..

[bnj]

in little tokyo my favorite ramen place is daikokuya, but they only have 1 variation of their ramen. on the same st. (2nd) theres mr ramen which is good but the tonkutsu ramen is so/so, and kobe ramen which i wasnt feeling too much but it might be good to someone else.

if you cross the st. to weller court (theres a spaceship in the middle) go up to the 3rd floor to orochon ramen, that place is really good if you like spicy ramen. also in the same plaza theres curry house, which isnt the GREATEST curry ever, but good enough if youre REALLY fiending it and are too lazy to cook it yourself( coco ichiban it is NOT).

[Aeros]

Thanks for the help guys. Really appreciate it. I'm going to be in LA for about a week starting the day after Christmas.

[6MT]

Thanks for the help guys. Really appreciate it. I'm going to be in LA for about a week starting the day after Christmas.

if u wanna go eat korean BBQ, i'm down to roll, i need a korean BBQ partner, i wanna find some peeps to go eat that shit

[dizzhizz]

if u wanna go eat korean BBQ, i'm down to roll, i need a korean BBQ partner, i wanna find some peeps to go eat that shit

The more the merrier. Don't forget to get some soju with that!

[paradigm_shift]

korean bbq - manna: all you can eat meat for 20 bucks.

Been there. Loved it, although I suggest you bring a korean friend with you cause there's a huge contrast in experience v.s. going w/ my non-korean friends.

Esp, if youre underage, and have said friend with you, they dont card you for alcohol. And should you want to smoke after a very satisfying meal, you can do that too.

For a cheap lunch, cant go wrong with Versailles. Homestyle cuban food for around $7-9 a plate. Roast chicken with onions, lemon juice, fried banana, beans, mmm mmm mmm mmm!

Pinks is decent too if you dont mind smelling like hot dogs afterwards, haha.

[Sardonic]

What is the best restaurant to get real aucthenic Japanese food (aka not Sushi and Teriyaki. If you've been to Japan you know what I'm talking about)?

For ramen, either Daikokuya in little tokyo (they use great kurobuta imported from Japan) or Shinsengumi in Gardena (a little far but my personal favorite). In Torrance there's Gaja Okonomiyaki. It's kind of far, but it's the real deal.

[bnj]

theres also a shinsengumi in san gabriel i go to sometimes! they have the gardena one, one in FONTANA (of all places), and the san gabriel one. its cool they come around and ask if you want extra noodle once theynotice you have a big bowl of soup but no noodles infront of you. i want to try the gardena one to see if its the same.

[asuzano]

the best place, hands down: Fish Grill District (jewish fish taco place) 7226 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90036

[Darkadious]

deedeerees (sp for sure) in westwood, VERY cheap, and pretty good too. for a meal you'll probably spend 3-5 dollars.

pinks isn't overrated, it's good as fuck.

get the polish bacon burger.

[aan den rijn]

Or try Cantor's, it's popular but a good 24 hour deli.

[Aeros]

A friend of mine told me to go to Nate n Al's deli for lunch. Apparently it is the best deli in LA, possibly the United States...

[lamscott]

If you want some Armenian food... Zankou Chicken is a place to vist.

[adelaide]

1. "Tacos Baja Ensenada" in East Los Angeles on Whittier east of Atlantic. The absolute best fish tacos I've ever had. .99 taco special on Wednesdays. Occasional mariachis flow into play. <$10

2. "Golden Deli" in San Gabriel for Vietnamese. It's kind of a weird but their specialty is their shrimp paste. No joke. It's incredible. Vermicelli w/ charbroiled beef and shrimp paste is my fave but everything is good. If it's bombed just go to "Vietnam House" across the street. Same owners and food. <$10

3. "Kang Kang Food Court" on Valley and Garvey in Alhambra for Shanghai Pan Fried Bao. Or "J &J" in a strip mall next to "Mei Long Village" on Valley between New Ave and Del Mar for Northern style dumplings. Both places make really great soup-filled dumplings. <$10

4. "Sushi Echego" on Santa Monica Blvd. just west of Bundy in a fugly strip mall above a Pizza Hut. Weekday lunchtime $11 omakasse is best buy around. Soft fish on warm rice. I always get an extra crab roll. "Sasabune" can be better but it's inconsistent and much more espensive. "Matsuhisa" is good but they don't get access to the Korean-owned fish cartels which have the best fish. "Koi" sucks but you'll see somebody famous. "Urasawa" is the best food overall but only if the company pays. I've never been so amazed by simple tuna sushi.

5. "Chosun Galbee" around Western and Olympic for Korean BBQ. Their bulgogi is my fave but locals like their kalbee. "Super Kalbee" on 7th is more for locals and is amazing also but ex-girlfriend took me there and I have no idea how to find it again.

6. "The Counter" on Ocean Park west of Centinela (in Santa Monica somewhere). I don't eat hamburgers much but these are really good make-your-own burgers. A little trendy so you may have to wait at peak times. ~$12

7. "Satay Fong" and "Janty Noodle" in the Hong Kong Plaza in West Covina for awesome Indonesian. I always trust the cook so I don't know what I've had but it's always great. This is kind of in the boonies in a strip mall that looks like something out of Mad Max. Of note, I've seen Wes Anderson in there a couple of times. ~$12

8. "Meals by Genet" on Fairfax for Ethiopian. I always get their Doro Wat. ~$15

9. "Pepe's Tacos" on Centinela and Culver. Really good Il Pastor or Asada tacos and their melon juice is amazing. $8 max.

[PG2G]

theres also a shinsengumi in san gabriel i go to sometimes! they have the gardena one, one in FONTANA (of all places), and the san gabriel one. its cool they come around and ask if you want extra noodle once theynotice you have a big bowl of soup but no noodles infront of you. i want to try the gardena one to see if its the same.

You sure you're not mixing up Fontana and Fountain Valley?

[confidant]

i’ll be in LA for the first time in february for a week, and i’m looking for all the advice i can get.

i’m coming from new york, so i’m first wondering what are some good neighborhoods or streets that are cool, actually walkable areas. i know that i’m interested in checking out venice, los feliz, silver lake/echo park, and melrose ave. other cool places where you can park the car and walk around for a couple of hours?

i’m really interested in architecture and design – museums, cool little galleries, and shops that i should check out?

food – especially looking for sushi, thai, and korean bbq places (i did read the recent post on korean bbq). i’m also planning on going to the farmers market.

what places are overrated/should be avoided?

any help would be great.

thanks.

[englandmj7]

Firstly, how many days are you going to be there, what area will you be staying in, and will you have a car?........these are all necessary questions in helping people help you.

There are a million posts on cool shops/areas/restaurants in LA, you should do a little search first.

In terms of cool places to walk around, I am not sure whom might have recommended them to you, but Los Feliz/Silverlake/Echo Park, etc. are great if you are from there, otherwise there really isn't any reason to go out of your way to go there. The areas are still developing and do feature plenty of artsy cafes/venues, but you can't park your car and have fun walking around them for a couple hours; the hotspots are spread out.

My favorite area, having lived in LA for several years, is Venice around Main/Abbott Kinney blvd. There you will find tons of great bars without the snobbery/crapness of Sunset Blvd. (which I suppose you need to do at least one night), and plenty of great restaurants...some decent shopping too. You also have muscle beach (bad tourist trap), etc. and could easily spend a whole day in this area. For bars there, be sure to check out The Other Room (you have one of these in NYC), Bar Copa (not on Fridays), Library Alehouse, and Finn McCool's. Actually, just about everywhere here is decent. For food, GO TO HOLY GUACAMOLE and get some tacos.......there is an UNDFTD and an American Apparel here too.

Other areas include of course, West Hollywood. You can spend 3-4 hours shopping here. Beverly Center mall is about 10 minutes from here but it is a pretty standard mall with top department stores, Louis Vuitton etc. in tow as well. They also just opened an H&M there. Doughboy's is very popular affordable lunch restaurant right by here. Right down the road from there is The Grove/Farmer's Market. This is a fun little area to spend a few hours. They have a big outdoor mall and food stalls, etc. in the market. Also in the area is the La Brea shopping area which has Stussy, Union, Undftd and American Rag all right by each other.

Lastly, you have Santa Monica Promenade/the beach. Tons of outdoor shops/theatres/restaurant but by far the most touristy area in all of LA......if you are there, grab a beer at the King's Head.

If you want to chill one night and party with some college-aged kids, Westwood (which is UCLA's neighborhood) is OK. By OK I mean there are a couple fun Hookah bars and Diddy Riese (worth the drive alone), which makes the greatest and cheapest cookies/ice cream sandwiches known to man.

If you are going to do one nice/expensive dinner, book a reservation at Asia De Cuba. It is in the Mondrian (which means when you eat there at night you get into Sky Bar, for free). Food here is excellent and you have an expansive view of the city. You can also hit up some local clubs/bars when you are done eating since it is smack in the middle of Sunset Blvd.

For art, you have the Getty of course.

Check out this post:

http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showthread.php?t=19026

[confidant]

a little more info:

i'll be in LA for 7 days.

i'll be staying with friends, one who lives right by usc and a few who live in venice.