Exploring Los Angeles With A Fresh Set of Eyes!

Chicago is no small town, but my perspective about LA as a mid-westerner was all about Hollywood. It felt far-fetched but reachable. Yes, it’s Pretty Woman and La La Land and films that you dream about and aspire to live, but with no doubt feel its love and reality in your own personal life. Hollywood is what I desired to see in Los Angeles and in my first few trips there, I did. Without a doubt, it was one of the most amazing moments in my life because I was part of the lights, the fashion, the popularity, the fame. I had a great time seeing the Hollywood sign, the walk of fame and rodeo drive, but I quickly realized that there was much more than a movie-like lifestyle in Los Angeles. 

After college, I had an close friend sadly move to LA around 2003, and although she was one of the people I enjoyed hanging out with the most, I knew California was going to be right for her. So, as the good friend that I am, I went to visit her multiple times. After 15+ years of visiting Los Angeles, I still find LA interesting because of the movie-like lifestyle that you find, but also because it’s part humble, hard working, my close friend still lives there, and it’s much closer to my Latin roots than the Midwest, and for those reasons, I continue to visit.

Sara and I having dinner in LA sometime in 2012

My former trips began with the popular stuff, but I wanted this visit to be different, so I quickly immersed myself into the local way of life. I really wanted to focus on parts that were not top attractions to me in the past, but since I was visiting only for a short weekend, I had to prioritize.

On a crisp January morning, on a long holiday weekend, my friend Nadya and I arrived in LA to visit Sara, my long time college friend. The traffic, the air and the people all seemed on point and I felt right at home. We quickly jumped in an Uber, which are easy to catch from LAX, and headed to my friend’s house to hang out and catch up. 

Nadya and I hanging out in Sara’s backyard.

Because I had the mindset of seeing LA with a fresh set of eyes, we explored locations where local, latin dancers go. I asked a couple of current LA residents and they recommended a speakeasy style, Cuban nightclub called La Descarga. It’s a nightspot offering a cigar lounge & burlesque-style salsa acts. Think of it as a speakeasy where you enter through the closet and walk into a hallway that takes you into the main floor. it was a great time. Tip: All night spots in California close at 2am and most require a reservation.

At La Descarga watching a Latin style dance burlesque show.

If you would like to learn more about the different styles of Latin dance, please my Chicago Salsa Congress blog here.

After an amazing night of salsa dancing, we wanted to explore local eateries. We discovered Grand Central Market. It’s a popular spot that is an emporium of food where you can get cuisines from all over the world. Why settle for one restaurant when you can visit many all at once, right? It’s a downtown landmark since 1917 and brings together the various cultures of LA through food.  It’s worth checking out.

Entrance to Grand Central Market

Local food district of Los Angeles

Rows and rows filled with a variety of food options at Grand Central Market

At Grand Central Market I found one of my favorite breakfast foods, pupusas.

Pupusas are thick cornmeal flatbread from the Maya/Pipil culture of El Salvador. It is stuffed with one or more of the following ingredients: cheese, chicharrón, squash, refried beans, or cheese with loroco. It’s a must try!

After an amazing lunch, still with the spirit of experiencing LA’s local roots, we visited Olvera Street. It’s known as “the birthplace of Los Angeles”. It’s a Mexican marketplace that recreates a romantic “Old Los Angeles” with a block-long narrow, tree-shaded, brick-lined market with old structures, painted stalls, street vendors, cafes, restaurants and gift shops. It was created in 1930 “to preserve and present the customs and trades of early California." Many of the merchants on Olvera Street today are descended from the original vendors. It’s great to stroll around the marketplace and eat tacos at one of their local restaurants or enjoy an early afternoon margarita while listing to the old music of Mexico.  

Olvera Street

Olvera Street - enjoying the vendors and some shopping

Posing with Frida Kahlo de Rivera - born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican artist who painted many portraits, self-portraits and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class and race in Mexican society.[1] Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. In addition to belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist. Source

Emiliano Zapata Salazar - (8 August 1879 – 10 April 1919) was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution, the main leader of the peasant revolution in the state of Morelos, and the inspiration of the agrarian movement called Zapatismo. Source

Fun souvenir shops at Olvera Street

Enjoying an afternoon margarita at Olvera Street

While not in the top list of local attractions, we were in search of the best place to watch the sunset and found it in the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown LA. Spire 73 is America’s tallest open-air bar and located on the 73rd floor of the hotel. The cocktail bar offers unparalleled views of Los Angeles. The space itself is a sleek expanse of outdoor seats, lounge cabanas, and fire pits. There’s a long open bar for access to a full lineup of booze, along with runs of bench seating, two- and four-tops, and metal umbrellas for shade, absolutely magical!  

A bird eyes view of Los Angeles from Spire 73

Enjoying the beautiful sunset from Spire 73

Drinks with a view at Spire 73

The next day we went shopping at The Santee Alleys, perfect for bargain shoppers like myself. It’s a location that offers 150 stores selling apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty supplies, cosmetics, and more. The Santee Alley is part of LA’s Fashion District. It’s similar to a flea market where you find plenty of great prices and a lively atmosphere. There are also local street vendors and restaurants offering typical Latin street food. It was a great experience.

The Santee Alley

The Santee Alley - One of my favorite sayings, “can’t buy me love but you can buy me shoes”

Enjoying a michelada at The Santee Alley - A michelada is a Mexican cerveza made with beer, lime juice, assorted sauces, spices, tomato juice, and chili peppers. It is served in a chilled, salt-rimmed glass. There are numerous variations of this beverage throughout Mexico and Latin America.

After we enjoyed a great michelada and some shopping, we bumped into a restaurant that had a great happy hour special. To kill sometime before dinner, we stopped by. Their house red and white wines were really great and only $7 each, a deal in Los Angeles. Make sure to check them out.

Preux and Proper offering great happy hour specials daily!

For dinner we went to LA’s Little Tokyo, also known as Little Tokyo Historic District, for dinner. It is an ethnically, diverse Japanese American district in downtown Los Angeles and the heart of the largest Japanese-American population in North America. It is the largest and most populous of only three official Japantowns in the United States, all of which are in California (the other two are Japantown, San Francisco and Japantown, San Jose). It was founded around the beginning of the 20th century, the area, sometimes called Lil' Tokyo or J-Town, is the cultural center for Japanese Americans in Southern California. It was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1995. Source

We had a great time exploring J-town. It has authentic supermarkets, clothing stores, sushi restaurants and karaoke bars. We chose a very popular place for dinner, called Kura, but it required a 2-hour wait, so to kill time we shopped around and karaoke at Tokyo Beat, which was the best thing to do. We were having so much fun, that once we were called for dinner, we wished we could wait a little longer.

Shopping in Little Tokyo

Visiting the local markets in Little Tokyo

At one of the beauty shops in Little Tokyo, we think this is hair dye.

Ready to sing at Tokyo Beat

Karaoking at Tokyo Beat

Our reservation was finally ready at Kura, so we hurried over which was a short block away from Tokyo Beat. Kura is a revolving sushi bar that has 400 locations across Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. It was a new concept for us, although we just realized that there’s one in the suburbs of Chicago. The idea is that a revolving belt delivers various food options to your table, easy for you to chose and grab. There’s a set price for each dish, around $2.50 USD for each plate, but if you want something different, you can order it from the computer screen that’s at your table. Those have different prices and are delivered by the staff. Overall, it was a super cool and modern experience. 

Kura, revolving sushi bar

Kura, revolving sushi bar

We were so full when we left Kura, that we needed to dance it off. To keep with the theme of the local lifestyle, we found The Warehouse. During the day it’s a restaurant known for it’s seafood, but on Fridays it becomes a Latin nightclub. It’s located in Marina Del Rey which is a great area to hang out at, eat and enjoy the ocean. If you’re into Latin music, this is a great place to stop by on Friday nights.

On our last day, we woke up early and had chicken and waffles, a staple, whenever you are in LA. My favorites are from two places, Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles or Pann’s. Try them from both places, I promise you will love them. 

Pann’s is a traditional fifty's dinner. It’s the proud recipient of the Los Angeles Conservancy’s best example of “Classic 50’s Coffee Shop” architecture and a Los Angeles Magazine's "Best of" award winner in food. Also know as the location choice for numerous films, XXX, BEWITCHED and NEXT. It was also featured in a lengthy coffee shop scene in PULP FICTION.

Enjoyed some chicken and waffles at the legendary fifty’s dinner, Pann’s.

Since we had a little bit of time to kill before we headed to the airport, we stopped by a cannabis distillery. In Chicago, this doesn’t exist, or at least, not the way they are in California, so we were really interested in checking them out. You’re not allowed to take pictures inside, but just image them as coffee shops, but instead of coffee, you find a list of smokable and edible cannabis. There are many different types that can make you feel happy, sleepy, tired, relaxed or all of the above. It was a lot more technical than expected, but super different (at least for me) and interesting.

The cannabis distillery that we visited.

This is the cannabis infused milk chocolate bar that we purchased for the trip home

Despite the local immersion experience we had, it never gets old to visit popular spots like Venice Beach. Before heading to the airport, we decided to enjoy the last bit of sunshine and culture of California in Venice Beach. It’s a buzzing beach town with upscale commercial and residential areas. It’s known for its bohemian, free-spirited boardwalk with funky shops, street performers and colorful murals. There’s also a skate park and Muscle Beach outdoor gym. It’s an interesting place to hang out and people watch.

Walking along Venice Beach

Walking along Venice Beach before heading to the airport

Muscle Beach at Venice Beach

Muscle Beach is the birthplace of the physical fitness boom in the United States during the 20th century, started in 1934 with predominantly gymnastics activities.

Muscle Beach wall of fame

If you do find yourself in LA and have not seen the most popular sites, visit them, you will love them. I have included a quick list below of other great areas to visit in LA:

• Horse-back riding or hike around the Hollywood sign

• Walk the Hollywood walk of fame and visit the Chinese Theater

• Have evening drinks at Chateau Marmont and walk the beautiful grounds

• Walk Rodeo Drive, window shop and have dinner at one of their many amazing restaurants

• Visit the Venice canals at Venice Beach

• Visit Santa Monica Pier 

• Go to OUE Skyspace, it’s an open-air observation deck providing 360-degree views of the city & a unique glass slide.

If you would like more advice on what to see in LA, just reach out to me via instagram or send me a message through the Reaching Wonders site here.

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