Although I grew up in LA, I don’t think I ever thought too much about my love for this city until I was in my early 20s! Spending much of my youth plotting my departure, I left to Washington DC for university and also spent a year living in NY. But LA called me back. It is very much home for me now, the place I live and love! Less like a city and more like a collection of sweet little pockets, much of LA’s best has to be found, or shared! And so here are my tried and true that hopefully you will love too!

Let’s start with Shopping (!):

Satine Boutique – the best and most unique of the collections from European, Japanese, and American designers. Owners Jeannie Lee and Virginia Pereira definitely know how to put everything together. Mixed with cute little odds and ends from all over the globe, Satine is my favorite & fun destination shop for my girlie place of fashion dreams. A whole lot of window shopping going on here.

www.satineboutique.com
8134 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Vintage - LA is prime for really amazing Vintage finds. There are so many to choose from, but my favorite is The Way We Wore (oh my, did we!) My best friend and I love to have breakfast down the street at Campanile and then saunter up La Brea to this gem and spend hours playing dress up before cruelly having to decide on just one tiny thing from all of our favorites! This is a very fun day with a friend.
www.thewaywewore.com
334 South La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Eats:

Madeo – This family owned spot is a favorite for my family. The Viettina family are always so welcoming and the sons are quite comedic, making the impeccable service also very fun..great family style Italian food and you can rely on the ever present LA style theatrics of the guest scene. A must for dinner. ( I especially love their Pizza and Pasta Vongole)
8897 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Joan’s on Third – Truly an LA staple, this Gourmet Marketplace & Cafe is best for lunch or take away. Literally every nook and corner in this age old LA jaunt is simply delicious and beautifully crafted by Ms. Joan and her family. I love to have lady’s lunch with my girlies here or just pop in to pick up for entertaining at home. (This is also right down the street from Satine Boutique – do you see where I’m headed with this?!) 8350 West Third Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
www.joansonthird.com

Life Food Organic – We are very fortunate to be in a town now full of fresh juice and raw/organic food hotspots – but truly none better than Life Food Organic. All made on site. All organic. All delicious. My dailies are the Chocolate Shake, Apple Lemon Ginger Juice, Super Sandwich and the 3 Berry Cake. God bless LFO, as they keep this busy girl healthy and fit, on the go!
www.LifeFoodOrganic.com
1507 North Cahuenga Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Beauty:

Carasoin Day Spa – aaah…just typing the name makes me relax as I imagine my treatments! Owners Lena and Tom have brought the most wonderful spa to LA. Her signature Oxygen Facial and massage is the best 90 minutes in town – I never want to leave the room (!) and she leaves my skin in spa perfection for weeks after. The location is great as it is in the heart of Robertson Blvd shopping and dining – so you can plan a whole afternoon of fun around it. Reminds me I need to book…
www.carasoin.com
120 North Robertson Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90048

Thierry Pourtoy of Palette Maquillage at Christophe Salon – Brow and Make-up guru has been tending to me since I was 14, which means he’s been plucking this little chicken into shape for nearly 20 years! If you need brow shaping, he is your man. He only tweezes – no waxing, which can leave an unnatural sheen on the brow area. He is perfection – plus he is such a sweetie, and gives the best make-up tips!
348 North Beverly Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

My Random to do’s:

Soolip Paperie – If you’ve seen any of my Phylia gift cards or handcrafted soaps, you will see that I absolutely love arts and crafts! Here you will find me about once a week (!) getting materials and inspiration from all their goodies and from their creative and cooperative team of lovelies, who help me bring my ideas to life. Exquisite paper, wrapping, cards, custom printing & embossing – my dream!
www.soolip.com
548 Norwich Drive West Hollywood, CA 90048

LACMA & Ray/Stark’s Cafe – On any sunny LA day, I love to spend it at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art). Beautiful grounds, great exhibitions & events.. Mix in a lovely lunch at Ray’s Cafe or a drink at Stark’s Bar (which are casual & lively on-site eats) – for a perfect day. It’s right in the middle of town which makes it so much more doable in this traffic ridden city! *This is also down the street from The Way We Wore Vintage (!)
www.lacma.org /www.raysandstarkbar.com
5905 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036

Beach Bike Ride & Abbot Kinney (Venice Beach) – With the sun shining brightly nearly all year round and the beach being just a hop skip and a jump from town, one of my favorite to-do’s is to ring up my Westside lovelies and go for a ride along the beach bike path from Venice up towards Malibu. On the way back, we love to pop onto Abbot Kinney in Venice and grab some sushi or light dinner at Gjelina. Abbot Kinney is a cute and lively street – great for walking around and peaking into all kinds of sweet beachy chic shops and cafes.
Bike Rental: www.bikecuriousrentals.com
Gjelina Restaurant: http://www.gjelina.com
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

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