LOS ANGELES

It was such a treat to be back in L.A! I lived there very briefly for a five month exchange at Otis School of Design but that was about four years ago now. I don't recall one day of rain the whole time I lived there but this visit met me with crazy mudslides and monsoon like weather. Despite the un-california conditions,  it was a great time filled with lots of wonderful friend reunions. I have few highlights.

FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOODS: 

Venice + Santa Monica always takes first prize for me. So much to be found along Abbot Kinney Blvd and Main St. 

Tortoise General Store  1208 Abbot Kinney Blvd.- This is an inspiring little store filled with designer products from Japan. After seeing this store and it's other half Tortoise up the Blvd, I felt an urgent need to go to Japan for design inspiration. 

Bountiful- 1335 Abbot Kinney Blvd. A shabby chic dream come true. If I had a beach house it would look exactly like this store.

Gjelina- 1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd. We had a great dinner here.Really good charcuterie and pizza!! Loved the design of the space. We found out after that Gjelina is the new 'it' spot in Venice but it was nice to go in there without expectation.

Intelligentsia Coffee- 1331 Abbot Kinney Bld. Great coffee, Great hangout! The drip coffee is more expensive than the fancy latte drinks so it has to be extra good!

Hennessy + Ingalls Bookstore- 214 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica. An amazing design and art bookstore. I used to spend hours in there finding inspiration for my graphic design classes. 

Crossroads Trading Co. -1455 4th Street, Santa Monica. This is a buy,trade,sell clothing store. Ingenious!!! I traded my whole wardrobe for a new one when I lived in L.A. If you like this, you will love Wasteland(7428 Melrose Ave).

Manhattan + Hermosa Beach- I love these beach communities!!! Didn't do much exploring there this time but it is so much fun to walk around these areas. Lots of cute shops and beach views. 

Los Feliz + Silver lake- I didn't get to explore these areas fully but I found a few cute places:

Figaro Bistro-1802 N. Vermont Ave, Los Feliz- Great lunch, breakfast or coffee spot. Feels like your in Paris. There are a couple great vintage shops along Vermont too.   

Reform School-3902 Sunset Blvd, Silver Lake- Really creative and fun store. There are a couple of other cute shops around this too. 

West Hollywood

El Carmen-8138 W 3rd St- Really cute Mexican restaurant/bar.

Wasteland-7428 Melrose Ave.- Slightly used vintage/designer clothing. 

Melrose Trading Post - Melrose and Fairfax- Only Sundays- This is a a killer flea market! I could have spent the whole day there. 

For Next time:

Royal-T Cafe-8910 Washington Blvd, Culver City. This is a Japanese-style café/shop/art gallery. A helpful hint from a sweet girl at the Tortoise shop. 

Hidden Treasures Vintage-154 S Topanga Canyon Blvd, Topanga- This place is a little bit out of the way but I hear it is crazy and lots of fun!!

MUST GO: 

To any COFFEE BEAN and order a Winter Dream Tea Latte!!!! Make sure you say "Tea" because some of the Coffee Bean's have no idea what this is. 

And... Street Tacos!!!