It’s easy to sneer at ,
cheap air jordans;
Los Angeles. California’s biggest and most diverse metropolis is often dismissed as a vapid place,
cheap wholesale jordans, populated by vain television and movie stars,
jordan shoes, dim-witted surfers and Botox-injected beach bunnies. But there is, in fact, a lot to love about “La La Land”.
Hugh Laurie is one convert,
writing last month in Telegraph Travel: “I’m sticking up for the beautiful city of Los Angeles. That’s right. Beautiful.” He passionately defended the city for its creativity, eccentricity and fecundity – and rightfully so.
It’s easy to sneer at Los Angeles but there is, in fact, a lot to love about “La La Land
Credit: ShutterDivision - Fotolia
In LA, you can visit top-notch museums, explore vibrant, quirky neighbourhoods, cycle beside golden sands, dine at a star chef’s table and stay up into the small hours in Hollywood – all in one day.
And a journey there just became more comfortable: the first regular British Airways A380 flights from Heathrow direct to LA took off yesterday.
Getting there
As well as the new
British Airways (0844 493 0787;
britishairways.com) A380 service?, Virgin Atlantic (0844 209 7777;
virgin-atlantic.com);
American Airlines (0844 499 7300; aa,
cheap jordans.com) and
United (0845 8444 777;
united.com) also fly direct to the city.
Where to stay
Special treat
Hotel Bel-Air is one of Los Angeles’s grand icons, a pink stuccoed hotel that underwent an impressive facelift and enticed Michelin starred chef Wolfgang Puck to oversee its bar and restaurant. It attracts A-list Hollywood stars who want a discrete, old world hideaway. From ?361.
Read the full review
Mid range
The
Villa Delle Stelle hotel ,cheap authentic jordans;is a charming residential-style hotel, run by the former wife of the late Dudley Moore. From ?106.
Read the full review
On a budget
Hotel Maya is an unpretentious, amenity-packed Long Beach resort that provides great bang for the buck. From ?89.
Read the full review
View more!
Itinerary
On arrival
Start your stay in style at the downtown
Rooftop (550 South Flower Street;
standardhotel.com; noon to 1.30am daily; admission ?13), a cocktail bar at the top of the boutique Standard Hotel, where boutique high-rise lodgings are decked with arty touches. Viewing the skyline at sunset from a poolside deck is a fine introduction to the city.
8pm
Nearby ,http://www.gzjj.cn:3388/E_GuestBook.aspcheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg;
B?co Mercat (408 S. Main St; 001 213 687 8808;
bacomercat.com) is one of the restaurants of the moment in Los Angeles. Make sure you order chef Josef Centeno’s signature dish: a b,
cheap real jordans?co (flatbread sandwich) filled with crispy pork belly and beef carnitas.
First day - 10am
Take a light-rail ride on the recently opened Metro Expo Line south of Downtown to Exposition Park, a sprawling urban green space anchored by giant museums. The child-friendly
California Science Center (700 Exposition Park Dr;
californiasciencecenter.org; 10am-5pm; free) is home to the retired Space Shuttle Endeavour. Built in southern California, the shuttle successfully flew 25 missions, including to the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope. Reserve timed admission tickets (?1.25) in advance.
Nearby, the
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (900 Exposition Blvd;
nhm.org; 9:30am to 5pm; ?
is another family-friendly attraction. Walk through the jaw-dropping Dinosaur Hall – don’t miss the unique Tyrannosaurus rex growth series. The newest star exhibit “Becoming Los Angeles” traces the city’s evolution from American Indian villages, Spanish colonial missions and Mexican ranchos to present day.
1pm
he Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is another family-friendly attraction
For lunch, track down one of LA’s famous mobile food trucks. Even television chefs have put their kitchens on wheels: look for Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger’s
Border Grill Truck (
bordergrill.com), serving crunchy Baja-style fish tacos. For weekend brunch, take a taxi to chef Feniger’s casual Hollywood restaurant,
cheap jordans free shipping, Street (7) (742 N. Highland Ave.; 001 323 203 0500;
eatatstreet.com), dishing up spicy, sweet and savoury snacks, from street cheese burgers (organic beef, $13/?
to pumpkin cauliflower cannelloni ($10/ ?6.25).
2pm
On a sunny afternoon, hit the beach. It’s about an hour’s Metro bus ride from Downtown to Abbott Kinney Boulevard, at the heart of Venice’s artistic, offbeat and chic scene. Browse made-in-LA clothing boutiques, unusual homeware and gift shops, gourmet food vendors and more. Step into Intelligentsia Coffee (1331 Abbot Kinney Blvd;
intelligentsiacoffee.com) to refuel with some freshly roasted beans.
4pm
Amble west to Venice’s beach boardwalk, officially named Ocean Front Walk. The people gathered are pure California: tanned surfers, punk skateboarders, New Age gurus with dreadlocks and performance artists busking for spare change. As palm trees rustle overhead, sprawl on the sand and catch an idyllic sunset.
On a sunny afternoon, hit the beach which is at the heart of Venice’s artistic, offbeat and chic scene
Credit: Alamy
6pm
Stroll back to Abbot Kinney Boulevard, which also happens to have one of LA’s most innovative restaurant rows. Join the beautiful bohemians on the outdoor patio at trendy Gjelina (1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd; 001 310 450 1429; gjelina.com), which offers a Mediterranean-meets-Californian menu of charcuterie, farmers market salads, wood-fired pizzas, wild Pacific seafood, juicy steaks and New World wines. Mains from around $25/?16.
8pm
Hollywood overflows with velvet-roped nightclubs for a big night out. But to try California’s new wave of handmade artisan cocktails, you don’t even have to leave the beach. Take a bus or taxi north to seaside Santa Monica, where at glittering Copa d’Oro (217 Broadway;
copadoro.com; 5.30pm-midnight Mon-Wed, 5:30pm-2am Thu-Sat),http://xx41.dfedu.com/old/guestbook.aspcheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg, a leather-clad cocktail lounge, you can enjoy expertly mixed concoctions.
Day two - 10am
Head to the
Museum of Contemporary Art(250 S. Grand Ave;
moca.org; 11am to 5pm Mon and Fri, 11am-8pm Thu, 11am-6pm Sat and Sun; ?
, which includes masterworks by Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, William de Kooning and many other thought-provoking artists.
Noon
Before lunch, view another postmodern LA architectural landmark, Walt Disney Concert Hall (111 S. Grand Ave; 001 213 972 7483;
musiccenter.org; tour ?6.50-
, designed by LA architect Frank Gehry, who gained international fame for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. No Mickey Mouse ears here – instead a shiny, sculptural metal exoskeleton calls to mind a sailing ship. Tours are available most mornings and afternoons, but reservations are required.
LA checklist
1. For great budget transport advice, use the excellent LA Metro Trip Planner (001 323 466 3876,
socaltransport.org).
2. Los Angeles has a surprising number of separate bike trails. See
labikepaths.com for details.
3. For official tourist advice, visit
discoverlosangeles.com
Roganic, Marylebone
Having departed Fera at Claridge’s last April, Simon Rogan on January 9 returns to the capital with
Roganic. A popular pop-up on Blandford Street in Marylebone 2011, in this latest incarnation Roganic will occupy a site on the same street but this time on a permanent basis; dishes will be an evolution on what came before, but the restaurant’s PR team is remaining coy about the specific details until the restaurant opens beyond saying “innovative” dishes will “draw upon Simon’s trademark visionary and pioneering cooking.” Set lunch menus will cost ?40 and tasting menus will be priced between ?80 and ?115.
Bob Bob Cité, the City
A sibling to Soho’s enduringly popular Bob Bob Ricard,
Bob Bob Cité will open on January 15 on the third storey of the Leadenhall Building, better know as the City’s Cheesegrater skyscraper. Eric Chavot, of the departed Brasserie Chavot on Conduit Street, takes on the role of executive chef and the new venue will adopt the original’s popular, and lucrative tableside ‘press for champagne’ buttons.
Kettner's, Soho
Now part of Soho House Group,
Kettner’s Townhouse reopens on January 8 following a complete refurbishment. The revitalised building will incorporate a 33-bedroom hotel alongside a restaurant and champagne and its interiors are inspired by the Soho landmark’s past. The original restaurant was one of the city’s first French eateries when it opened in 1867; again serving French cuisine, the new restaurant will make use of some of those original menus.
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Mookrata
Mookrata, Soho
From the founder of Shaftesbury Avenue hot pot specialists ?Shuang Shuang, Mookrata takes a similar approach to dining, allowing guests to cook together over a simmering hot pot. The six-month pop-up fuses Thai and Korean cooking styles and flavour profiles - diners select ingredients such as marinated pork, black-pepper beef, choi sum, Julienne cabbage and mushrooms and add them to a broth before adding various spices and sauces to complete the process. The restaurant occupies the same premises as Shuang Shuang and more details are available via its
website.
A post shared by Sorella (@sorellaclapham) on Dec 3, 2017 at 10:05am PST
Sorella, Clapham
Clapham neighbourhood bistro The Manor is being replaced. Opening on the same site at the end of this month, Italian restaurant Sorella will serve specialities inspired by the cuisine of the Amalfi Coast. Expect sophisticated pastas, interesting seafood dishes and a decent range of Italian cocktails. There’s no website as yet, but you’ll find the venue on 148 Clapham Manor St.
Neptune, Bloomsbury
The flagship restaurant at Bloomsbury hotel The Principal,
Neptune focuses on British seafood and will feature a signature oyster and shellfish bar in its centre. Open from breakfast through to the night,
cheap jordans online, it will also serve brunch on weekends. It’s run by the team behind Hackney gastropub The Richmond.
London exclusive offers
Recent openings
Cub, Hackney
January is of course a time to consider the year ahead, but it’s also a time to reflect on the past which is what has prompted me to now mention
Cub on Hoxton Street in Hackney - where I had one of my most memorable meals of 2017. Occupying what was previously White Lyan bar, the new venture - which opened in September - is a collaboration between that former premises’ founder Ryan Chetiyawardana and Doug McMaster of Brighton’s minimal-waste restaurant Silo. Cub is heavily influenced by McMaster’s success on the coast, with sustainability a key focus and an emphasis placed on dishes that make clever use of unloved foodstuffs and ingredients that are often let go to waste - think whey, Japanese knotweed tea stems alongside more familiar items.
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Cub
There is, however, no need to worry if it all sounds a bit too earnest. The dishes I tried (fermented carrot with miso and orange; peated barley with apple skin and fig leaf) were tasty, interesting and charmingly dainty - though it’s tedious to go places where everyone photographs every moment of their meal, the pretty presentation and mustard-yellow banquettes make this an undeniably photogenic spot. Staff were charmers too, ready to explain more about the provenance of the produce and the ethos behind the dishes if requested, and happy to leave you to it if not. And at ?45 a head including drinks for a set menu of nine petite courses, it feels like good value for relaxed special-occasion dining too. ?
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Soba preparation at Yen
Yen, the Strand
On the Fleet Street side of Somerset House, fine-dining Japanese restaurant
Yen is a new arrival in London but already established in Paris. With competition among high-end Japanese eateries here already so intense, Yen’s point of distinction is its soba, or buckwheat noodles. Kneaded and cut into shape in the restaurant each day, they are of a quality Yen’s proprietors insist is difficult to find in London. I don’t know about that, but the manager’s claim that Yen’s arrival has been enthusiastically welcomed by London’s Japanese community seemed credible during my visit - I could hear the language being spoken at a number of neighbouring tables. As for the soba itself, it is served both warm and cold and is pleasant but, for me, didn’t compare to the sushi offering,http://www.enzay-esports.de/index.php?site=forum_topic&topic=22700cheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg, which was excellent. The setting too, stands out - though it may take the public some time to find the hidden-away establishment, it’s an elegant space with soaring ceilings, maple-wood finishes and back-lit Japanese paper lining the walls.
