I’m always fascinated by guide books and travel articles about my home town of Los Angeles. Invariably written by outsiders trying to gleam the best the city has to offer, some of these depictions are spot on while others fail miserably.
Maura Egan of The New York Times has hammered out one of the more recent attempts to “discover” Los Angeles and has done a pretty good job of it.
Her hotel recommendations nail the hot and happenin’ Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel where good sleep and even better nightlife go hand in hand.
Her nightlife section is a great slice of what LA has to offer and so is her list of the city’s “Top tables.” Strangely she also lists the best restaurants of the past, such as AOC (2003) which, despite its great wine list has recently fallen from grace in the food department in my opinion.
Most surprisingly, she actually has a category for hamburgers. We love our hamburgers in LA, and Egan thoughtfully observes this. Her list is impressive, but misses Tommy’s and Father’s Office, two of my favorites. She does, however, mention a place I’ve never heard of that is making my mouth water as I type this post: Lucky Devils on Hollywood Boulevard that serves a $15 Kobe Bacon Blue Burger. Mmmmm!!!
As for culture, Egan mentions a few of LA’s standard museums as well as Equator books on Abbott Kinney; a cool bookstore, mind you, but not one worth traveling to if all her other tips are on the other side of town.
Speaking of bookstores, the article contains something most travel articles overlook; a list of books to read which focus on the destination at hand. Lonely Planet does this quite often, and I love it. Egan’s list, however, is short and all non-fiction. Not a bad list, really, but how could you not include fiction classics penned by authors like Raymond Chandler or The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh? Egan redeems herself, however, with a list of 12 classic songs paying homage to LA which should be dropped into an Ipod and listened to while exploring the city.
So, overall, a great article which one should print out and save for their next trip to the City of Angels. Sure, it’s not perfect–summing up an entire city never is–but you will not be disappointed. Oh, and if you get to the Kobe Bacon Blue Burger before I do, let me know how it is.