I’m finally back from a seemingly endless break. I spent the last week in California (Los Angeles, Newport Beach, San Juan Capistrano) with my friends.
Here’s my recap in the form of places I visited. I also asked my LA-born-and-raised friends for their recs toward the end of the letter. Enjoy, happy Monday!
Places I went:
Rated on a scale of 1-5 palm trees.
Erewhon.🌴🌴🌴🌴 I am a total sucker for Erewhon prepared food. I like the kelp noodle salad, crispy tofu sticks, buffalo cauliflower, and kale-avocado-white bean salad. It’s expensive but the produce tastes like it has been enhanced with some magical chemical that is definitely NOT organic. One palm tree revoked because Iva’s noodles were bad.
HK Market. 🌴🌴🌴 We bought ingredients to make homemade sushi that took us four hours to prepare. The selection in this place is insane, and the vibe is chaotic in the way that the best Asian supermarkets are. They have dozens of banchan and a wall of sakes and sojus.
Kiku. 🌴🌴🌴 Very cozy Japanese restaurant on Larchmont Blvd. They make better rolls than we did. Fresh fish.
Sam’s Bagels. 🌴 I am a picky NY bagel snob, but I like the amount of cream cheese they put and how soft they are. Also on Larchmont.
Groundwork. 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴 Delightful, amazing, not-bitter-at-all coffee. I got an iced pour-over with vanilla syrup and oat milk. Would give it infinite palm trees if I could. Also on Larchmont.
Santa Monica Beach. 🌴🌴 I’m not a great swimmer, and I don’t like how sand gets everywhere, but this beach is kind of nostalgic with the pier and the elevated palm trees. As a kid I filmed a Video Star music video here to Sweater Weather. When we went, it started to drizzle after an hour, which was sad.
3rd St. Promenade. 🌴🌴 I used to LOVE coming here as a kid with my cousins and shopping at the Brandy Melville. I also think the first Sugarfish location I visited was the Santa Monica one, and I remember my whole family being shocked at how good it was. This time, the street looked a little sad. The Brandy has permanently closed.
Silverlake Flea. 🌴🌴🌴 This flea market is the perfect size. There are just enough vendors to find something interesting but I don’t get as overwhelmed as I do at the Melrose Trading Post. Last year I found a reliable canvas jacket.
Runyon Canyon. 🌴🌴🌴 Super uphill hike, but 90% paved and fun to people watch.
Citadel Outlet Mall. 🌴🌴 I can get behind an outlet mall. You just have to come with a plan and know which stores are worth it. I got a cute pair of royal blue soccer shorts from Adidas for $19.
Night+Market. 🌴🌴🌴🌴 Thai food I’ve been wanting to try for a while. The crispy rice salad was SO spicy and the khao soi was incredible and fragrant. Eclectic decor.
Cookbook. 🌴🌴🌴 Adorable shop with natural wine and beautiful produce and all the CPG brands you get Instagram ads for.
Places I didn’t go but still like:
Quarters. Really good Korean BBQ. I like noting the differences between NYC and LA restaurants (rice paper wrappers, banchan assortments).
Mendocino Farms. I love their superfood salad.
Griffith Observatory. Touristy but still worthwhile views. Reminds me of La La Land.
Eaton Canyon. Used to hike/run here as a kid visiting my cousins in Altadena.
Hollywood Farmers’ Market. I love the Union Square NYC market, but the California produce is unbeatable.
The Getty Villa. We read a Joan Didion essay about the museum in my freshman year English 120 class. “Mysteriously and rather giddily splendid, hidden in a grove of sycamores just above the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, a commemoration of high culture so immediately productive of productive of crowds and aimed traffic that it can now be approached by appointment only, the seventeen-million-dollar villa built by the late J. Paul Getty to house his antiquities and paintings and furniture manages to strike a peculiar nerve in almost everyone who sees it.”
MASA. Deep dish pizza. Feels like Sunday family dinner.
Huntington Gardens. Reminds me of Phoebe Bridgers.
Places my (LA-dwelling) friends like:
Apple Pan. Burgers and pies!
Brentwood Country Mart. A bunch of fancy boutiques in this farm structure.
Palisades Bluffs. Another park. I’ve never been.
Places I really want to visit:
Courage Bagels. I had a bite of Zack’s bagel when he brought it to the beach but it was super stale by that point.
Palm Springs.
🍊Orange County Corner🍊
Rated on a scale of 1-5 sharks.
Sharkeez. 🦈🦈🦈🦈 So fun on St. Patrick’s Day!!! I like how this place is partially outside. You can get these big tubs of drinks that come with long red straws and a plastic shark.
Din Tai Fung. 🦈🦈🦈 This place is a machine. From the waiting system to the dumpling assembly line to the way they take your order. The food is reliably good but I remember it being better ten years ago. Get the chocolate XLB…
Yogurtland. 🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈 I’m obsessed with the California ritual of getting in your car and driving to a self-serve froyo place and eating it outside. Top 3 desserts of all time. Love the customizability and variety of flavors/textures.
Salt Creek Park. 🦈🦈🦈 Where we ate said froyo. Awesome for views of the ocean and none of the sand.
Heritage BBQ. 🦈🦈🦈 I never get barbecue, and this is supposed to be one of the best places in the area. I really liked the brisket and mac & cheese.
San Juan Capistrano Mission. 🦈🦈🦈 This mission was founded by Spanish Catholic missionaries in 1776, and now they have audio tours around the ruins and a gift shop with cross necklaces and stuffed animals when you exit. There are a ton of pretty flowers and it’s been so long since I’ve been inside a church.
Ysidora. 🦈🦈🦈 A restaurant attached to the Mission. Really good tapas.
Philz. 🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈 Like Groundwork, I find Philz so delicious. California coffee is different. Philz doesn’t do espresso, just brewed coffee. I got the Tesora blend with oat milk and honey.
I think that’s everything! I laughed, I dined, I sunbathed, I shopped (a little), I did not drive. I feel very affectionate toward California, but I don’t think I want to live on the west coast because of the car culture (long commutes, bad traffic, can’t walk anywhere) and because I miss New York too much when I’m there (the packed subway cars, the grid, the kinda nasty smell of burnt coffee and nuts and smoke). After two weeks of fun social time, I’m ready to go back to school.
Thanks for reading! See you next week. Tell me where I should visit next time I’m back…
The gatekeeping of Erewhon in LA needs to be studied because why don't we have one in NYC yet
i <3 california