A Day in LA Guide – Local Favorites Travel LA Guide – Image Above by: Alquista Ryans Aquista Ryans By: Alquista Ryans The abundance of cool things to do in L.A is limitless, from checking out art at the newest museum The Broad to challenging yourself to try out every coffee shop L.A has to offer, and trust me, there are plenty! While I am a westside resident, I often find myself casually making trips to the Eastside or DTLA to get my all of the above feels on plus, I’m attracted to the liveliness of the culture; every walk down the street, every turn of a corner is something new to experience! So, put on your coolest walking shoes, grab some shades, tune your Spotify to your favorite station (I’ll be listening to Shintaro Sakamoto) and take a journey with me as I share with you my favorite coffee shops, eateries and hangouts in Echo Park and DTLA! Morning Echo Park By: Alquista Ryans Just like there are limitless things to do in Los Angeles, choices for breakfast in Echo Park are the same, from the newest breakfast experience Winsome to taking a quick ride to Silverlake for brunch at Cafe Stella, it’s all about what your cravings are seeking and mine always seeks Ostrich Farm especially for the brioche cinnamon rolls that I literally order extra just to take home…what can I say, I have a mean sweet tooth! Eightfold Coffee By: Alquista Ryans After noshing on savory tartines and sweet cinnamon rolls, let’s walk further south to grab some insanely good coffee at Eightfold! Instagram is definitely a go to for discovering new gems and that was the case when I stumbled across Eightfold Coffee, a minimalist coffee shop serving up five star quality coffee but what I like most about Eightfold is that it is a gathering space for creatives, and such! They collaborate with different artist in the neighborhood, allowing them a space to show, share and sell their goods and besides the coffee, the service is five star and they have a pretty stellar magazine and book line-up that greets you when you walk through their doors! Eightfold Coffee is not too far from the infamous Echo Park Lake so, rather than take up space sitting inside, I like to enjoy the weather and take my coffee to-go and just chill at the lake for a minute allowing both my food and mind to digest! Afternoon I like popping in and out of the vintage clothing and furniture stores that line Sunset Boulevard but I can never resist checking out the insane vintage Levi’s collection at Collection or the well curated jewelry and ceramics at Esqueleto and if I am back tracking towards Silverlake, I always make it a point to head to Vacation Vinyl! Guisados Tacos By: Aquista Ryans With all of the walking and popping in and out of boutiques, a light bite is definitely on the menu and the best thing to curve that hunger is with Guisados tacos! Yes, there are a thousand little taquerias you can choose from in L.A but there is something about Guisados that have me dreaming of those tiny tacos…maybe it’s the homemade tortillas or the sweet/spiciness of the mole sauces but, you should definitely get your hands on a sampler taco platter so you too can understand my obsesseion! G&B Coffee By: Alquista Ryans When you look down Sunset Boulevard, you can see the skyline of Downtown Los Angeles aka DTLA in the distance and it is a beautiful skyline to see which is why for the second half of the day, I enjoy heading to DTLA and a trip to DTLA wouldn’t be a trip to DTLA if you didn’t visit Grand Central Market, where coffee number two is waiting for me at G&B Coffee. If a coffee shop were a legit bar, where you are pushing your way to the front so that the waiter (barista) can take your order before you get lost in the crowd, that would be G&B Coffee but don’t worry, the baristas here are nice and make sure you never get lost in the crowd and that your coffee is served promptly oh, and it’s some bomb coffee! Another great spot to grab a coffee to go is Coffee Colab, a little more further away from the going on’s on Spring Street and Broadway but definitely worth the journey! The Broad By: Alquista Ryans When you’re visiting L.A , you must plan a trip to the museum du jour, The Broad and please do yourself a favor and reserve your tickets online because there is nothing worse then waiting in an endless line when there is so much more to see in the day! If you can’t make it to The Broad, MOCA is equally amazing and they have different museum locations where your ticket is honored for the entire day, one of the locations happens to be located near the Arts District, which is another must when exploring DTLA but, I’m not going to overwhelm you with all the cool vibes of the Arts District, not now at least! Just like Echo Park, there is fantastic shopping to be done in DTLA, predominately on Broadway between 7th and 9th. The shopping scene in DTLA is mainstream, edgy coolness from Acne to Aesop to A.P.C. There are also local treasures like Formerly Yes and OAK. Evening Ace Hotel By: Alquista Ryans Speaking of yes, yes you must head to The Ace Hotel which is across from Formerly Yes and head Upstairs (yeah, the name is Upstairs) for a late afternoon cocktail and killer views of DTLA while you rack your head around where to eat for dinner since DTLA has become a hub for some of the most spectacular restaurants in Los Angeles! While Bestia is one of my top recommendations for dinner in L.A (and like The Broad, make your reservations as early as possible) I also love dining at Little Sister for its east meets west dinner options plus the intimate setting of the restaurant is a plus! Enjoy!
