Sunday, unfortunately our last day in LA, doesn’t disappoint us with lots of discoveries and surprises.
We begin with a drive up the Pacific Coast Hwy to Malibu and another small center called Trancas Country Market. It is a delightful center anchored by a country market - Vintage Grocers - that also has a buffet breakfast that you purchase by the lb and can take outside to sit and eat. By the way, they have the best bacon, I think I have ever tasted...nice thick crispy slices. It also has a very busy Starbucks, an interesting restaurant and a few retail shops for clothing. It is a beautiful place, clad all in barn board, which seems to be the new craze for LA...everything that is being freshened up is clad in barn board. This is an enjoyable place to sit in the sun and ogle the vintage cars as they come in to pick up their brew of choice.
Vintage Grocers at Trancas Country Market (from their website)
Outdoor space at Trancas Country Market
Vintage car at Trancas Country Market
Vintage car at Trancas Country Market
Vintage car at Trancas Country Market
Back down to Beverly Hills to the Beverly Gardens Park for the Beverly Hills artShow to visit 4 blocks of art and crafts...another delightful surprise that we had happened upon. Apparently this show has been going on for over 45 years and had some very beautiful works from paintings and prints to glass and ceramics. The 95 degree, sunny afternoon was challenging but the park was lovely with massive eucalyptus trees for shade and a cool roundup of food trucks for sustenance. The Food Trucks included The Pudding Truck, A Rockin’ Ice, Amazebowls, The Deli Doctor, Hang 10 tacos, LA Donut, Berlin Truck (Gourmet Grilled Cheese), Belly Bombz, India Jones, Pie ‘n Burger and Cousin’s Maine Lobster (attention Shark Tank fans), just to name a few. For the complete list click here.
Art at Beverly Hills artShow
Art at Beverly Hills artShow
Art at Beverly Hills artShow
Art at Beverly Hills artShow
Vases at Beverly Hills artShow
The pond at Beverly Gardens Park
Amazing tree at the Beverly Gardens Park
Food trucks at the Beverly Hills artShow
After a very pleasant afternoon and a few purchases, that you will soon see in Urban Mode, we headed for the car and decided to google Hennessey + Ingalls book store to see where their new store is - DTLA. We decided the drive is worth it for the best book store in the world, right? So, back on the 10 for an hour and a half and when we arrive, we discover Base Camp for The Arts District aka One Santa Fe...another very interesting mix of retail, restaurants, galleries and living spaces.
It’s astonishing to see the amount of development that is taking place in DTLA. I remember this area as being very sketchy and derelict and now it’s being built up and connected with their new metro system. Perhaps that will free up the freeways a little.
We were delighted to discover a new design area that we didn’t know about. One Santa Fe is a new mixed-use development, comprised of retail, residential and commercial spaces. The living spaces offer studios and one or two bedroom apartments that include some amazing amenities. The retail and dining spaces are called The Yards. The Yards has a very modern vibe to it and is filled with a diverse selection of shops and eating options. After having a snack at Cafe Gratitude and perusing the newest architecture and design books at Hennessey + Ingalls for an hour we set out for The Grove for a little people watching. (Spoiler alert, we never made it to The Grove.)
The shops at One Santa Fe in the Arts District
The shops at One Santa Fe in the Arts District
We had just turned on to 3rd St when we saw the sign for Salt & Straw and screeched to a halt. How could we pass up ice cream from the Best Ice Cream Shop in the world? OMG, it puts ice cream into a totally new category! It was worth the 35 minute wait! While we weren’t brave enough to try the 5 creepy Halloween flavours: The Great Candycopia, Freckle & Hyde Potion, Dracula’s Blood Pudding, Essence of Ghost and Creepy Crawly Critters, we highly recommend the Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache and the Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons.
While enjoying our ice cream, we take a drive around this area - Arts District. Located next to Little Tokyo, you can still see that it was once very industrial – filled with factories and warehouses. It is now a haven for artists with great coffee and food, studios, galleries and so much more. There is a lot of developing going on here and we can’t wait to come back and see what’s new.
So, we are homeward bound fully sated on design, food and incredible experiences!
