So, your friend is coming to visit Los Angeles for the first time, and instead of relying on Google, she’s decided to make you her personal tour guide. Between the restaurants, the nature, and the nightlife, it’s hard to keep track of all of the places you can go and activities you can do.
We’ve rounded up our favorite LA spots so you don’t have to. Say goodbye to frantic Google searches and hello to SSLA’s Los Angeles Guide:
Allison, Art Director:
Hotel Cafe: The perfect place for intimate, live shows featuring up and coming artists.
School Night! at Bardot: Another great place to see intimate, live shows featuring up and coming artists. It’s every monday night and free with RSVP – just sign up for emails to get the lineups.
Cinespia: Every summer season, Cinespia hosts outdoor movie screenings in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Oaks Gourmet: Specialty food and coffee shop in Franklin Village at the base of the Hollywood Hills. A regular hangout for entertainers, which makes it great for gossipy eavesdropping and celebrity spottings.
The Upright Citizen Brigade: A great place to see improv and sketch comedy shows.
Bourgeois Pig: Bohemian late-night coffee shop with an eclectic and comfortable vibe. There’s disco lighting, several couches, large tables, a pool table and a funky jungle themed back room.
Follow Allison at @imalicegray.
Erin, Account Director:
Griffith Park: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love Griffith Park. Whether it’s a hike, a picnic, a view, or a tour of the Observatory, it’s the best way to see LA.
Good Luck Bar: One of my all time favorite bars. It’s super tiki with dark red walls, dim lighting and there’s always a seat. Bonus points for cocktails served in tiki cups.
Terroni: Their downtown space took over an old bank and it’s such a gorgeous space. My favorite part of visiting with friends is sitting around with good food and wine so this place is perfect, it doesn’t hurt that their pasta is made fresh daily either.
Mast Brothers Chocolate: It doesn’t get more LA than expensive chocolate in designer packaging. They offer free tours of their DTLA Factory and I love bringing friends to the arts district because I feel like it’s somewhere you wouldn’t normally visit as a tourist but it’s such a great neighborhood.
Rooftop Cinema Club at The Montalban: They only have it during the summer but it’s always a blast. Think Cinespia but with comfy chairs, warm blankets, and everyone listening with headphones on a rooftop in the middle of Hollywood Blvd.
Follow Erin at @eedykstra.
Phoebe, Account Director:
Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel: The ideal location for a drink at sunset. You get an amazing view of Santa Monica while sipping on an equally delicious cocktail.
Sugarfish San Vicente: For food that literally melts in your mouth. Warning: you’ll never want to eat at a different sushi restaurant again.
Montana Ave in Santa Monica: Filled with cute shops and restaurants, Montana Ave is great for an afternoon walk or when you want to get out of the touristy part of Santa Monica.
Forma Restaurant: Italian restaurant in Santa Monica that tosses pasta in cheese barrels before serving. Need I say more? Order the burrata with pomegranate and the spaghetti bolognese.
Follow Phoebe at @phoebenicolee.
Marissa, VP of Operations:
Blue Plate Taco: By far one of my favorite restaurants in LA. Not only because they know what they’re doing with the spicy margaritas, but also because the ambiance can’t be beat. Right on Ocean Avenue, with music & colorful lights in the background, it’s the perfect place to kick off a weekend.
Concerts at the SM pier: These only happen on Thursdays in the summer, but are such a unique Southern California experience that I always try to make my friends visit for them. Get a group of people together, bring allll of the wine & cheese and picnic on the beach watching the sunset and listening to music in the distance. If you haven’t been to one yet, put it on your to-do list for Summer 2017.
Melrose Trading Post: A classic LA experience, where you can literally get anything. Half of the furniture & decor in my apartment has been collected from various trips to this flea market. Unlike the Rose Bowl Flea Market (the ultimate flea market experience), it is smaller and more manageable for a causal Sunday morning with coffee.
The Nice Guy: If you want the best burger & the best scene in LA, book your reservation here a few weeks in advance. Thank me later.
El Matador Beach: For next level views (and who am I kidding, a next level ‘gram), hit up El Matador in Malibu. One of the most beautiful beaches in Southern California that will instantly make you feel like you’re in Cabo or Italy. Come for a picnic lunch in the afternoon or to walk the beach at sunset before grabbing a drink at Nobu Malibu.
Good Times at Davey Wayne’s: I live on the Westside of LA and I regularly make the trek to Hollywood for Davey Wayne’s. A bar literally like no other in America, if you ask me. With 70s vibes, amazing music & original crafted cocktails, you will never forget a night out at this speakeasy-style bar. Look out for the fridge in the alley, you heard me right.
Follow Marissa at @marissacstahl.
Written by our Digital Specialist, Nora Henick.
Which LA spots are your fave? Tweet us @somethingsocial or tag us on Instagram- @somethingsocial.
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