I pretty much snuck out of work on a Thursday afternoon to catch a flight to LAX for a short weekend away. I had three short days to explore Los Angelos and I'm pretty satisfied with my trip. If you know me, my trips are usually centered around food and fine art. This weekend wasn’t any different than that. Read below for my recommendations for can't miss food and fun in LA.
Shot with a Nikon F3, using 35mm Kodak Portra 400 film
Museums:
The Broad: Its free but you should reserve tickets on their website in advance. Find out if you can get tickets for the Infinity Room as well - if not, they have a smaller one with a shorter line in the main gallery. Great collection of modern and contemporary work by popular artists. Located in DTLA.
Hammer Museum: I loved the contemporary art collection. I was excited to see work from artists I had never heard of on display. This was a nice contrast to The Broad, where I found the names of more popular artists on display. The setup of the museum is very cool, with a huge courtyard in the center of the building. I wanted to empty the museum store - wow! Located in Westwood.
The Getty Center: We opted to only see the Getty Center, instead of the Getty Villa and I’m glad we did. We took in the beautiful views of LA as we walked between galleries and explored the garden. This would be a cute place for a picnic. There's a large collection of American and European fine and decorative arts. First hour in the parking lot is free. Second is $15. And I believe every hour after that is $10. Museum admissions is free.
Los Angelos County Museum of Art: If you couldn't tell yet, I gravitate toward museums with modern / contemporary art collections, and LACMA didn't disappoint. I was feeling tired when I got there so I didn’t fully take in everything I saw. I LOVE Robert Rauschenberg so I was thrilled to find a whole floor showcasing just his work. If you've ever searched under the Los Angelos location on Instagram, you're probably familiar with Chris Burden's Urban Lights installation outside the museum. As expected, it was infested with teenagers, tourists and couples taking photos. This was a moment in my life when I really realized how much people would do for an instagram, which made me a lil sad but it’s ok bec my photo there was cute (haha oops).
Food:
Chaumont: Located in Beverly Hills is the cutest little French bakery. It's a nice place for a Sunday brunch. Easy to find parking outside. We basically ate a ton of butter between the three pastries we shared. Indoor and outdoor seating, or you can take your food to go.
Melisse: Um, maybe one of the fanciest meals I've had in my life and I’m poor now but good if you are willing to empty your bank account to feel glamorous for 3-4 hours. I made my reservation 2 weeks in advance. The whole experience was exquisite from presentation to flavor to service. Melisse is located in Santa Monica and will be closed for renovations until Fall 2019.
Grand Central Market: This indoor space has so many different vendors selling a wide range of cuisines. There is indoor and outdoor seating. Located in DTLA, be prepared to wait on lines to order at the more popular vendors, like Eggslut. Pickup a book from The Last Bookstore to read while you sip some pressed juice or iced coffee.
Kura Revolving Sushi Bar: There’s a conveyor belt that runs through the restaurant and you pick your sushi off of it, plus you can also order off a menu. $2.75 per sushi plate. Tasted good and was a fun experience. Located in Little Tokyo.
Sprinkles: Their location in Santa Monica has a cupcake ATM. Cute lil insta moment but I wouldn’t be devastated if I missed it. If you’ve had Crumbs cupcakes in NYC, it’s pretty similar. The consistency and flavor was great but the cake to frosting ratio was overwhelming.
Things I missed:
Anything at the Ban.do penthouse.