We love LA

Carl and I bought a place in downtown LA in January and it has really enhanced our love for the city. He's there through the week and I visit one or two days a week.  It's a completely different experience than living in Redlands.  Small town vs. urban center- they're both winners.

We walk everywhere. It's a rare occasion that we can't walk or take public transportation to where we want to go. We're just a few blocks from the Fig & Metro station where we can hop on a train.  All of this walking helps justify the fabulous dinners at all of the great restaurants downtown. It seems like they're popping up on a daily basis.  Our favorites are Redbird, Faith & Flower, Church & State, 10e and Bottega Louie. There are also some classic bars for cocktails before or after dinner.  We especially like Seven Grand, the Library Bar at the Biltmore,  and The Varnish in the back of Cole's.

There's always something to do. Between all of the museums, galleries and public art there's no excuse to stay inside. LACMA, MOCA, The Getty, The Natural History Museum, The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, The  Craft and Folk Art Museum, Armand Hammer...to name a few. The recently completed Grand Park, across the street from the Music Center is a great place to take the kids for a picnic.

I always have my camera handy. Here are a few recent pictures.

View from our condo

Nighttime view

Disney Concert Hall

Levitated Mass at LACMA

Rooftop bar at The Standard

Grand Central Market

The Bradbury Building exterior

Interior of the Bradbury Building

The Eastern Building

LA Central Library

View from the 17th floor pool deck facing west

Great floor for yoga!

Theatre district

WE LOVE LA!

City Life

You may have noticed the lack of blog posts recently. We recently purchased a condo in downtown Los Angeles (AKA DTLA) and we have been BUSY. Carl is on a lightrail project for the LA Metro Transit District for the next eight years and his residential choices were a lengthy commute, hotel life, or purchase/rent a property. Since DTLA is in a huge growth surge right now, we opted to buy.

So for the last few months we've been "feathering the nest" as my friend, Christi, calls it. It's a very modern space so we've decided to follow suit and decorate in a more minimal style than our current home in Redlands.  820 square feet doesn't seem like a lot of space until you start buying furniture.

It's been a fun project working with Carl on the decor. This is really the first time he's shown an interest in this sort of thing so I was happy he was on board. And speaking of board, our first stop was Room&Board where we found our sofa, side chair and bed. I was really impressed with the professionalism of this company. They're more like designers than salespeople and very knowledgeable about their products. The other spots we shopped and made purchases were Crate and Barrel, Mathis Bros., Modani, Ikea and West Coast Modern. Our final furniture purchase was from an Etsy seller, Hearthside Home, who specializes in mid century modern design. Other than Ikea, where Carl said he never wants to set foot in again, all of the transactions were excellent. This is not to say that the Ikea shopping was bad, it's just that Carl hates crowds and was miserable the whole time we were there.

We're waiting on the final furniture delivery and in the meantime, we've set up the cable, wifi and music.You know, all that technology crap.

The empty space

Partially furnished

Daytime view (Carl's favorite)

Night time view (My favorite)

One of my favorite things about living downtown is that we walk everywhere. Just like we do when we travel to other big cities around the world. Once our cars are parked, they stay that way. We're probably a half mile from a great selection of restaurants and decent shopping (there's even a Target!) and mere blocks from the Metro station. 

I've done some walking around and exploring, venturing out about 1.5 miles to Grand Central Market in the historic core. It's a big warehouse type building full of food vendors and produce sellers.  There's a place called Eggslut that's really popular but the line was too long so I got some pork ramen and was very happy with my choice.

Grand Central Market near Broadway and 4th

Inside Grand Central Market

 

 

 

 

Bentoya Japanese Cuisine

We're excited about our new place and look forward to many adventures in the years to come. I'll keep you posted as I make new discoveries.

Vintage fashion...Millinery...Shopping...Vinyl= A weekend in LA

Earlier this month Carl and I spent a fun-filled weekend with another couple in LA .  During dinner on Friday night at Toi , a fun Thai restaurant in Hollywood, we were invited by Louise Green and her husband, Lawrence, to tour their production facility in Santa Monica.   We excitedly accepted the invitation.

On Saturday, I had a show at the Helm's Building in Culver City. Lots of vintage goodness there!

 Sari and Lauren worked the door

 Beautiful dresses from Tresor de Vintage

The sweet gals from Vintage Blue Moon

Frippery and baubles from Little Treasures

After the show, dinner at Lukshon was a pleasant surprise...other than the fact that Mark couldn't get a martini and I couldn't get a Manhattan. But that aside, the southeast Asian menu was unique and delightful.

The next morning we had breakfast at Urth Cafe in Santa Monica, and headed to the hat factory. Louise graciously received us in the showroom and gave us a tour of the 9,000 square foot creative space. Imagine that- 9,000 square feet!

British born and raised, Louise studied fine arts in her university education.  Less formally, the streets and people of London instilled a fascination for the richness of the past and a passion for ornamentation and color.  By the time Louise came to the United States in 1984 she was able to combine these passions with an intuitive sense of design.  Within three years she had begun her journey as a milliner.  Immediately the hats were selling at the most exclusive boutiques in Los Angeles.  The press praised her as a masterful designer and a prominent drive in the resurgence of hats.

Since its inception, her business has grown from serving an elite West Los Angeles clientele to include many of the finer boutiques and department stores across the United States and around the world.  Louise Green hats are also consistently featured in top fashion magazines and on the heads of some of music and movies brightest stars.  In the heart of West Los Angeles, California, Louise Green currently operates one of the most successful high-end millinery companies in the United States.

 Louise explains her manufacturing processes

 An amazing collection of vintage hat blocks

 The patented silk-covered elastic bands

Vintage millinery sewing machine

 Vintage cloche...from Louise's private collection

After the tour we meandered through Abbott-Kinney, an eclectic shopping area in Venice.  My favorite space was Double Vision Gallery.   A review in Citysearch describes it well:

"This tiny shop, tucked into Venice's thriving antiques scene on Abbot Kinney, specializes in         colorful collectibles and art, past and present. The stock on hand is always changing, but specific items of interest include jewelry from the '40s and stunning art deco-era costume jewels. The shop manager also seeks out local artists who transform everyday objects into decorative and functional items. Brightly painted yardsticks become a colorful room divider, and antique rice boxes become one-of-a-kind side tables."

We finished the day with a visit to Amoeba Records where, it seemed, all other residents of Los Angeles had the same idea.