LA Gold
Dionne Warwick called it a great big freeway, John Lennon a big parking lot. Welcome to LA, a city so defined by car culture that even its streets are global pop-culture icons. While daily gridlock remains the norm in this sprawling behemoth, an ever-improving public transit system means that exploring the city with little more than a TAP card is actually easier than you may think.
Indeed, LA’s metro and light-rail system reaches several famous sights. The Metro B (Red) Line connects the booming downtown (DTLA) to Hollywood and Universal Studios, while the Blue Line shoots west to the surf and sunsets of Santa Monica. For less-trodden treasures, however, hop aboard the Metro L (Gold) Line, a light rail connecting DTLA to everything from world-class art to some of the city’s coolest enclaves. Curious? Here’s our guide to a day on the Gold Line.
Morning Masterpieces
It’s only apt that your morning is spent at the Huntington, former country estate of railroad tycoon Henry Huntington and his wife, Arabella. The couple amassed an extraordinary cache of cultural assets, from a Gutenberg Bible and a manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, to an enviable collection of European and American art spanning several centuries. Works include Thomas Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy, widely considered his finest masterpiece, as well as homegrown highlights such as Edward Hopper’s soothing The Long Leg. Even more calming is the estate’s themed, 120-acre botanical gardens. To make the most of your day, aim to arrive at the Huntington at 10am as you’ll need (a minimum) of three good hours here. To get here from DTLA, catch the Metro L (Gold) Line to Allen station and either walk south along Allen Ave for 1.4 miles or catch bus 10 to the intersection of Allen Ave and Del Mar Blvd, from where the Huntington is a 0.7-mile walk south along Allen Ave. Buses run roughly every 15 to 20 minutes Monday to Saturday. On Sunday you’ll need to catch bus 686 or 687 to the intersection of Allen Ave and Colorado Blvd, from where the Huntington is a one-mile walk south on Allen Ave. Once you’ve explored the estate and its glories, head back to Allen station and catch the Metro L (Gold) Line six stops to Highland Park for a late lunch.
Afternoon Cool
Dubbed ‘the new Silver Lake’ by those who like comparatives, Latino-meets-hipster Highland Park is packed with in-the-know eateries and bars, as well as a string of stores selling everything from obscure vinyl to artisanal crafts. From Highland Park station, it’s only a block to N Figueroa St, one of the neighborhood’s two main eating and shopping strips. It’s here that you’ll find super-cute Kitchen Mouse, a bohemian-spirited café serving fantastic vegetarian and vegan food to a mixed, laidback crew of indie fashion bloggers, musicians and screenwriters, yoga moms and the odd middle manager. Fed, dive into Sunbeam Vintage for eclectic midcentury furniture and homewares that might see you score a tiki candlestick or Georges Briard ashtray.
Highland Park’s other must-see thoroughfare is York Blvd, a 15-minute walk north along N Ave 59 (which joins N Ave 57). Here, retro Galco’s Old World Grocery stocks around 700 small-batch and heritage sodas, as well as nostalgia-inducing American candy. A few blocks further west lies concept store Mindfulnest, which champions the work of American artisans, designers and artists. Across the street, homegrown and international designers are the focus at sharply curated Matters of Space, which also stocks its own midcentury-inspired furniture. If you need a sugar hit, make a pit-stop at Donut Friend, where limited-edition varieties might include the Hot Rosewater Music, complete with lemon rosewater glaze and roasted pistachios. The rock pun isn’t coincidental; Donut Friend’s founder is musician Mark Trombino, whose production credits include albums for Blink 182 and Jimmy Eat World.
If you don’t feel like walking back to N Figueroa St, hop on the 83 bus and, if it’s after 5pm, rehydrate with a well-crafted cocktail at Highland Park Bowl, a jaw-dropping, steampunk-inspired bar and bowling alley (note the pinsetter chandeliers).
Locavore Dining & Retro Electro
If you can pull yourself away from what is LA’s oldest bowling alley, hop back on the Metro L (Gold) Line and continue six stops to Little Tokyo/Arts District station. Depending on how much time you spend in Highland Park (and whether you stop by Highland Park Bowl for a drink), you might just make it to prolific modern art gallery Hauser & Wirth, a 0.4-mile walk from Little Tokyo/Arts District station station. The gallery sits on one of the most interesting streets in the thriving, post-industrial Arts District. If it’s not too late, drop into Detroit concept store Shinola, famed for its American-made watches and leathergoods.
Tucked away behind Hauser & Wirth itself is slinky bistro Manuela, one of the city’s current dining hotspots. At the helm is pin-up chef Wes Whitsell, whose Texan roots and reverence for local produce and tradition shine through in the menu’s predilection for in-house smoking, preserving, fermenting and pickling. Add to this a knack for creativity and the result are smashing dishes like elk loin wrapped in house-cured bacon and served with fermented radicchio, or cornmeal-fried squid spiked with a fermented jalapeño tartar sauce.
While it’s tempting enough to linger at Manuela over a few post-dinner cocktails, continue on to EightyTwo, converted warehouse bar where craft beers mix it with retro arcade games, pinball machines and DJ-spun tunes. Rotating food trucks are parked out the front too, offering a cheaper option to Manuela if your budget is tight. Whatever your choice, wrap things up with a final toast… to a greener, cleaner, ever-more-smashing City of Angeles.
Originally published by Lonely Planet