 Melrose and Hollywood
For a small sample of L.A.'s countless identities, spend a day roaming the swath of city bordered by Beverly Hills on the west and Hollywood on the east. Here one finds a half a dozen distinct mini-cultures that rival the urban idiosyncrasies (if not the neuroses) of Manhattan.
Start the day at the Farmer's Market (3rd and Fairfax), a charming indoor/outdoor collection of shops, stalls and restaurants pervaded by an Old World flavor. This haven for the various immigrant populations of the surrounding neighborhoods offers some of the best people-watching in the city, as well as an abundance of culinary treats that will put you in mind of a slightly exotic country fair.
For a more concentrated ethnic experience, head north to Fairfax and Beverly, the slightly past-its-prime but still vibrant hub of Jewish L.A. Wandering from kosher bakery to kosher butcher to kosher restaurant, it's interesting to note that the dominant establishment on this three-block stretch is the not-so-kosher Canter's (419 N. Fairfax Ave.), a deli that migrated west with the city's Jewish residents a generation ago. Further up Fairfax, the Israeli influence starts to make itself felt as knishes give way to falafel while Yiddish fades into Hebrew.
Follow Fairfax north to Melrose, immortalized forever by Heather Locklear and pals. Ten years ago, this mile-long stretch of novelty shops and restaurants was too cool by half, attracting hordes of the young and pierced. Melrose still boasts some of the heavier foot traffic in L.A., offering a dizzying abundance of absurdly proportioned women and Brad Pitt lookalikes, but thankfully it's mellowed out a bit since its '80s heyday. Food skews toward Italian (Cucina, 7381 Melrose, is one of the best), but you can also find Mexican (Antonio's, 7472 Melrose), Thai/Japanese (Tommy Tang's, 7313 Melrose), Indian (Star of India, 7212 Melrose) and even Argentinean (Lala's, 7229 Melrose). Then there's Pink's (711 N. La Brea Ave.), the legendary hot dog stand whose unmistakable aroma draws beggars and movie stars alike into its cozy open-air confines. For appetites of a different nature, drop into Drake's (7566 Melrose), a sex shop that stocks everything from the latest in S&M paraphernalia to bath-salt aphrodisiacs.
Melrose/La Brea also houses L.A.'s premier revival theater, the somewhat tattered but resilient New Beverly (7165 Beverly Blvd.). It's amazing that in the film capital of the world this theater has to struggle to keep afloat, but the owners seemed undeterred, quenching the thirst of cinemaphiles with everything from Fellini to Flesh Gordon.
Speaking of tattered but resilient, Hollywood beckons. For Hollywood dining the way it used to be, Musso & Frank Grill (6667 Hollywood Blvd.) -- a fixture since 1919 and host to the likes of Hemingway and Chaplin -- is unsurpassed, if pricey. A close second is Miceli's (1646 N. Las Palmas Ave.), where chianti bottles hang from the ceiling and the '40s ambience is as thick as the spaghetti sauce. The All-Star Theatre Cafe at the fabled Knickerbocker Hotel (1714 Ivar Ave.) is another favorite throwback, while Catalina Bar & Grill (1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd.) ranks as one of Southern California's top jazz clubs. For other tastes, the very hip Three of Clubs (a white building with no sign on the northwest corner of Santa Monica and Vine) is one of the only bars in L.A. whose owners know anything about lighting. To work up a sweat, there's Dragonfly (6510 Santa Monica Blvd.), a dance club/bar with a cool garden patio in back.
While nightlife still thrives in Hollywood, within ten minutes' drive can be found three entirely different scenes. Head west on Sunset and you'll hit the Strip, a winding three-mile stretch lined with screaming billboards, ritzy hotels and a slew of clubs, including the cavernous yet seductive House of Blues (8430 Sunset Blvd.), the intimate Roxy (9009 Sunset Blvd.) and the raucous Whisky-A-Go-Go (8901 Sunset Blvd.). Running parallel to Sunset is Santa Monica Boulevard, the main artery of West Hollywood, L.A.'s gay capital. Bookstores -- including the excellent A Different Light (8853 Santa Monica Blvd.) -- cafes and clubs abound, as do one-of-a-kind establishments such as the French Quarter Marketplace (7958 Santa Monica Blvd.), which somehow melds a queer sensibility with Southern gentility.
For yet another slice of nocturnal Los Angeles, head back to the Fairfax District and check out Canter's Kibitz Room (419 N. Fairfax Ave.), a bar/club with a certain seedy charm. Across the street, the darkly elegant Largo (432 N. Fairfax Ave.) offers up live music six nights a week, with an accent on Irish folk/rock. Slice lovers will want to duck into Damiano (412 N. Fairfax Ave.), a late-night dive with the best New York-style pizza this side of Little Italy. It's just one more reason why refugees from the Big Apple whine a lot but never go home. All-nighters will need Insomnia (7286 Beverly Blvd.), a subdued coffeehouse where introspective types armed with laptops coax screenplays from the depths of sleep deprivation. Sweet dreams, indeed. |
