SANTA MONICA

Santa Monica is probably one of the most iconic neighborhoods in Los Angeles, with its famed boardwalk, shopping promenade, and that neon-glowing, solar-powered ferris wheel seen in oh-so-many TV shows, movies, and aerial shots of the city (it was also named one of the coolest ferris wheels in the world in 2013). But this is our version of Santa Monica, all the lesser-known, locally beloved spots far from the Third Street Promenade and the throngs of tourists. In fact, we didn't step foot on the promenade or Main Street during our Santa Monica day, opting instead for the special spots we favored during our years as residents in this sun-speckled, beachside neighborhood. If you're using our blog as a guide, get ready to discover all the places you won't find in guidebooks or "Top 10" lists.

Stop 1: Sweet Rose Creamery

 

Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan are Santa Monica heroes: the couple who were both born and raised in Santa Monica, and slowly and thoughtfully opened a handful of restaurants, bakeries and café’s (mostly along Wilshire Boulevard) throughout the neighborhood, capitalizing on local ingredients, handmade products, and delicious ideas. You can’t really go wrong with any of their spots (Milo and Olive is one of our favorites in the entire city for pizza), but Sweet Rose is our place for coffee. This small and bright café is barely more than a walk-up, with seasonal ice-cream offerings and coffee drinks written on giant chalk wall behind the counter. We ordered two iced versions of the cold-brew with homemade vanilla syrup and a splash of cream, and then ogled the pastries (the strawberry walnut scone in particular).

(826 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica)

Stop 2: Virginia Avenue Park Farmer's Market

 

We’re certainly not lacking for farmer’s markets on the Westside (and the one in downtown Santa Monica is epic), but this sweet market in the Virginia Avenue Park has long been the locals’ favorite. There’s a fantastic selection of flowers, with many of the bunches $10 and under, a shaded food court with tables and chairs, and so much juicy, fresh, and ripe pieces of fruit and vegetables, you’ll never want to enter your local Albertson’s ever again. We ordered the beef quesadilla (probably one of our favorite breakfasts in town) for $6, and grabbed a bulbous, crisp apple for $1.50 for dessert.

 

(2200 Virginia Avenue, Santa Monica)

Stop 3: Bergamot Station 

 

By the time we pulled out onto Pico Boulevard, temperatures were over 90 degrees and we needed somewhere we could cool off, stat. We headed to Bergamot Station, an old train station (the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad operated its line here from 1875 to 1953) turned art gallery complex. Passenger service at the train station ceased in the 1950s, and the sprawling complex was purchased by the city of Santa Monica in the 1980s and converted into artists’ studios. The art gallery and cultural complex now house over 30 galleries and a darling (and delicious!) café. We scoped out original photographs of Marilyn Monroe, the eclectic and whimsical gift shop, walls of floral artwork, and some Dali-inspired sculptures. Who says the Westside is lacking culture?

Insider’s tip: there’s a vast parking lot with free parking for gallery visitors.

(2525 Michigan Avenue, Santa Monica)

Stop 4: Vintage Shopping on Wilshire Boulevard 

Santa Monica is a neighborhood with great shopping - every single chain store you can imagine, an outdoor mall, sweet boutiques. But its vintage shopping is a lesser-known treasure, and there are some fantastic finds along Wilshire Boulevard. Haute Seconds is any designer-lover's dream: a meticulously organized shop brimming with Chanel, Prada, Oscar de la Renta, and so many more. Pieces are in impeccable shape, and they have the prices to prove it. We did find one rack on the left-hand side of the shop with options from $25 to $95, and these included a few lovely DVF and Tracey Reese dresses. Drool.

Great Labels is another shop featuring designer threads, and although the clothes skew a little more mature, the price-points are much lower than Haute Seconds. The shop is easy to navigate, and we saw many a pair of high-heels we would love to teeter around in.

(2629 Wilshire Boulevard and 1126 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica)

Stop 5: Caffe Luxxe

 

The coffee at Caffe Luxxe is no joke. This adorable neighborhood coffeehouse handcrafts their artisanal coffee with beans they roast at their own facility in Gardena. The baristas also receive one year of training, so clearly take their technique seriously. Sounds fancy, right? Fortunately for the local regulars, this seriously delicious coffee comes without a serious attitude. They specialize in cappuccinos (they boast that their beans are the best, so their cappuccinos are also the best) and because it was still smoldering outside, we got ours over ice. We also ordered the vegan banana walnut chocolate cake, which was sticky, dense and chocolatey. OH MY.

(925 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica)

Stop 6: Pono Burger

 

 The burger is a big deal in Los Angeles. A really big deal. Tacos, French Dip, and burgers - these are the food items we brag about, the dishes that we know are better here than anywhere else in the country. And in Santa Monica, you have some of the best burgers to choose from: Umami, Father's Office, Rustic Canyon. 

But we didn't visit any of those joints on this day. We beelined to one of our favorite new hamburger restaurants, where organic grassfed burgers are served with a Hawaiian twist. Pono Burger embraces everything great about Santa Monica: the materials and ingredients of the restaurant are all locally sourced, down to the firewood and the fresh flowers from the farmer's market. The menu changes seasonally, the beef comes from a family-owned California ranch - and did we mention you can eat your meal in a World War II bunker? 

We ordered the Piku "Fig" Burger, The Paniolo Burger, the Russet Potato Fries, and a half-order of the Seasonal Farmer's Market Salad. The Piku was a clear favorite, because the combination of brie cheese and fig was other worldly, although the sauce on The Paniolo was something we wanted to eat by the spoonful. The folks at Pono have perfected the details of their menu - the meat is juicy, the burger bun is fluffy and sweet, and their condiments are divine (the aioli! the guava rum sauce! the coffee Bourbon barbecue sauce!)

"Pono" most definitely has to mean DELICIOUS (it actually means "to do the right way"). Umami what?

(829 Broadway, Santa Monica)

 

    

The Details:

Santa Monica is very walkable, but we highly recommend getting around on bike. You can rent bicycles here.

A map of our day looks like this: 

 

GLENDALE

It's the land of malls and skewered meat: welcome to our first San Fernando Valley blog post! (and featuring our blog's first guest: our childhood friend, Julie!) Glendale is located in the eastern part of the SFV (or “the Valley”) and is bordered by Burbank, Griffith Park and Pasadena, and is the third largest city in Los Angeles County.

 If you live in Los Angeles, you probably know it as one of the largest Armenian neighborhoods in the United States (Kim Kardashian has famously remarked that she might run for city Mayor in the not-so-distant future. No mind that Glendale doesn’t actually HAVE a mayor). It’s also home to a community of Scandinavians, the Glendale Galleria, and more kebab joints than you can count. 

The neighborhood is a little sleepier than most, and even though it’s located just 10 miles north of downtown LA, you can still find the kind of small-town, family-owned businesses you usually don’t come across in the big city. And with 54% of residents born outside the United States, you’ll be lucky enough to enjoy a much more diverse array of food than in your average suburb.

Stop 1: La Goccia Espresso Bar

  

It was almost 11am when we stumbled into La Goccia Espresso Bar, making us excrutiatingly late for our first cup of coffee, and cranky as all hell. We ordered an Americano (caffeine, stat), a Cookies & Cream Latte (an interesting specialty) and a vanilla-infused iced coffee (the best of the three!) Although the man behind the counter was decidedly not Italian, the illy beans were. Quiet atmosphere and a wonderful selection of teas, too.

101 N Brand Ave, Glendale

Stop 2: Shopping on Brand Boulevard

We made sure to stop in to the some of the long-time, small business on the boulevard, including Laura’s Corset Shoppe and Brand Bookshop. Laura’s has been open since the 1920s, but has been owned by the most lovely lady named Haley for the past 27 years. She greeted us with a huge smile and talked about the special nature of her business – she specializes in bridal lingerie and bras for post-mastectomy patients. She sweetly asked if we might be interested in buying her business one day, as she explained that she never had a daughter and had nobody to which to bequeath her business. She was so earnest and darling, we’re seriously considering!

Although Brand Bookshop hasn’t been around quite as long as Laura’s, it opened its doors in 1985 and has managed to stick around, despite the great exodus of independently-owned bookstores in Los Angeles (and everywhere! OY.) This is one of the largest used bookshops in Southern California, and has a little bit of everything: erotica, poetry, history, interior design, you name it.

Stop 3: Sipan Bakery

With our caffeine fix satiated, it was time to take care of our growling stomachs. Sipan Bakery is a neighborhood gem, serving up some of the most fabulous and flavorful Middle Eastern baked goods in Los Angeles. The space is small and intimate – and a little warm (the brick oven, where you can watch your maneishe being made, sits on the right-hand side of the room). 

Everything is fresh, and the owner is incredibly friendly (and funny! Lots of sauna jokes). We ordered the muhammarajune, a spicy cheese beorek (flaky, fried pastry with filling) and maneishe zahtar (basically a flatbread blanketed with the zahtar spice) – the dough used for their pastries is just delicious, and the hot sauce that was served on the side knocked our socks off. The bill – with 2 drinks! – came to just $10. DO NOT MISS.

1250 W Glenoaks Blvd, Glendale

Stop 4: Golden Road Brewery

One of our dearest friends was celebrating her 30th birthday at Golden Roads, and it was the perfect Southern Californian sunny day when we showed up mid-afternoon for some craft-beer-tasting and outdoor game-playing. This funky brew house opened in 2011, and is located in an industrial part of town, right next to the train tracks (note: you are supposed to raise a glass every time a train chugs by). 

The place was jumping on a Saturday, with a great mix of 20 and 30-somethings, along with a host of young families in the shaded outdoor area. The food is solid, if not spectacular, and they serve an array of vegan and vegetarian options. We tried the Point the Way IPA, the Get Up Offa That Brown ale, and the Golden Road Hefeweizen, among others. The bartenders knew their stuff, and the game of Corn Hole really made for a spectacular afternoon.

5410 W San Fernando Road, Glendale

Stop 5: Brand Park

Brand Park is so much more than a park. Nestled on 31 acres, this gorgeous space is home to a brand new library, picnic areas, a softball field, and biking trails. Our favorite part - by far! - was the Whispering Pine Tea house and Friendship garden, a serene and perfectly manicured pocket of greenery in the corner of the park. We watched guests arrive for a small wedding overlooking the pond, and then wandered out to the barbecue area, taking in the Sunday smells of grilled meat and freshly cut grass. A perfect spot for pretty much everyone.

1601 W Mountain Street, Glendale

Stop 6: Mini Kabob

 

We're not sure if you truly understand the term "hole-in-the-wall" until you visit Mini Kabob, a tiny joint with only 3 tables and decor that hasn't changed in decades. We were greeted by the most adorable Armenian couple (the Martirosyans), who chatted with us about the Russian language and their world-renowed falafel. 

We ordered the chicken kebab plate, hommus, falafel and eggplant caviar. The chicken was perfectly seared, slightly smokey and deliciously juicy. And Mr. Martirosyan was right about the falafel: it was one of the fluffiest we've ever tasted. We left feeling like old friends of the place, and already daydreaming about our next meal there. 

Insider's Tip: Cash only!
313 Vine Street, Glendale

The Details:

We did a lot of walking on our Glendale day, although some spots were far enough to warrant the use of a car. You can rent bicycles here. 

A map of our day looks like this: