Close

back

Places

Close

back

Travel Lifestyle

City & Country: Los Angeles

by

Like

9 Like(s)

Save for later

LA contains multitudes (see our LA Black Book), but it’s also a city that practically begs you to get in the car and keep on driving. In our latest City & Country edition, we asked our LA friends—photographers, architects, designers, writers and winemakers—to share their favorite local go-tos and the nearby escapes they love most. From Venice to Ojai, Santa Barbara to Santa Ynez, Laguna to La Jolla, these are their weekend circuits: where to eat, shop, hike, and stay when the city’s endless sprawl gives way to surf breaks, vineyards, desert light, and slower rhythms up and down the coast.

VENICE + OJAI

Michèle Ouellet, model, writer, and co-founder of Lorenza Wine 
Born in Napa Valley, Michèle spent her entire adult life based in NYC working in fashion and traveling the world for photo shoots. She has now settled down between Venice and Ojai with her husband, dog, and soon-to-arrive baby girl. She also writes a Substack about all her favorite things in food, fashion, travel and entertainment, Amuse Bouche. She writes, “LA is amazing for many reasons, but walkability is rare here, so I really appreciate that about our Venice neighborhood. I love strolling our dog around the streets with so much greenery. We spent most of Covid in Ojai staying at a friend’s place. My husband had always wanted to find a piece of property to build on there and we were lucky to find that in 2020! It’s such a serene and beautiful part of California that reminds me a lot of growing up in Napa Valley. Time seems to move a little slower here and it’s where I feel myself actually relax.”

Michèle’s Venice

city and country los angeles
Hume

RVR –  My favorite restaurant in LA and it happens to be our local haunt. Beautiful vegetables, handrolls to die for, a pickle plate worth writing home about and a truly delicious steak. The dessert is also exceptional! Weekend brunch is also really fun as is the rooftop bar.

Hume – A very chic gym that I should go to more often. Gorgeous sauna, steam, cold plunge and a really beautiful rooftop cafe where you could easily hang out all day.

Gjusta Grocer – I go here almost once a day. Baked goods and salads from Gjusta, plus a really well-curated grocery shop with fresh produce and wine. What more do you need?

Subscribe to YOLO Intel to read the full story.

Digital subscribers can access our entire archive of content, including Black Books, Travel Planners, Guest Books and destination lists.

Become a Digital Subscriber

to access premium content and manage your account.

Comments

2 responses to “City & Country: Los Angeles”

  1. Ionian Avatar
    Ionian

    LA really should have its own Black Book. It’s not the same as the South Bay, Orange County, or Ventura. To be honest, most people from LA aren’t big fans of the South Bay or the OC. A lot of us have moved on from Santa Barbara and prefer old-world wines, so Santa Ynez usually doesn’t make our list after the first visit. The YOLO recommendations are great, but I think LA deserves another look. With fire season coming up and the city still recovering from the fires that hit Malibu, Palisades, and Altadena, it’s a good time to highlight what makes LA special — LA!

    The city where movies like Chinatown, Valley Girl, The Long Goodbye, Mulholland Drive, Sunset Blvd, and The Player were made. There are so many lists and lifelong Angelenos who could show you the best of LA in a day or a week. Besides Musso & Frank and a few classics, this list feels like it was curated for a Texas influencer who only wears beige. YOLO is special and carefully curated — that is why we love you all! To be quite honest, you’ve done LA a disservice. It’s a sad list, mostly, not about Los Angeles. If you decide to do an LA black book, it’s gotta be about LA. You are missing so many special places, shops, and restaurants, and the glorious joy of being able to be outside in nature every day or at a park. Where are the incredibly special people in LA that you’re missing, including the Chumash leader from Wishotoya Foundation and Mexican Food! Where is the Mexican food? The Korean Food? I will give you the best LA list you’ve ever had — for free. When Eid at Nobu and not have to wait in line? The groovy Chrystal shop in Topanga. The secret beach. Where to buy great wine and the best sandwich? Shopping! Food Trucks. Vintage Shops. Sushi. Hiking… – ok I’ll stop. Oh yeah.

    Neighborhoods:
    -The Arts District /DTLA
    – East Side/Silver Lake/Los Feliz/Highland Park(maybe Pasadena)
    -Hollywood/K-Town
    – Weho/BH
    -Santa Monica / Venice /Malibu
    -The Valley…the question is would you send your friend who is visiting LA to the valley to eat? No.

    1. clarahranek Avatar
      clarahranek

      Hi! We also agree that LA is deserving of is own Black Book and we actually do have an La Black Book, check it out! Also it’s worth saying that all of this intel is from a variety of contributors who live in locally in LA. It’s by no means a deep dive, simply a list of local favorites from LA and their nearby weekend getaways.

Leave a Reply