DOWNTOWN
KOREATOWN
Taylor's is a wonderful old steak house, and the food court at the Koreatown Galleria is impressive, as is the market in the basement, with all sorts of Korean delicacies; and be sure to stop at Langer's for its amazing pastrami.
1. Cocktails on the roof of The Standard, dinner at Takami, a nice leisurely walk up the hill, if there is time a stroll through Grand Park, and then see anything at Disney Hall.
2. Drive by the Disney Concert Hall on the way to lunch at Men Oh Tokushima (they serve only tokushima ramen--unctuous broth made of stir-fried pork belly with fat noodles and scallions). Walk around Little Tokyo, visit the Geffen Contemporary at MoCA and the Japanese American National Museum, don’t miss the outdoor rubik cube, before taking advantage of LA Conservancy's self-guided walking tour of downtown LA's gorgeous historic buildings. Enjoy a quick pick-me-up, at the downtown Grand Central Market. You'll find a mix of old-school, distinctly LA merchants (spice shops, al pastor tacos) and new-school, rarefied egg sandwiches and coffee. Across the street, admire Angels Flight--LA's funicular railway, which is, fittingly, still out of order making it a reflection of LA's fits-and-starts with mass transit projects. Finally, back to the car to go to LACMA or the Getty in time for an evening outdoor concert.
3. A downtown walk that includes the garden and rooftop stairs and views at Disney Hall, the Central Library (not to miss: the Children's Reading Room, the globe chandelier and painted dome in the Rotunda, the Peter Shire mobiles and the catalogue cards behind plexi in the elevators), the Bradbury Building, Grand Central, the Biltmore (make sure to see the old photos of the Oscars in the hallway), the Last Bookstore, and lunch at Homegirl Cafe. Visit Union Station, walk the Artist District, followed by drinks at Perch.
4. Chinatown for a Mai Tai at the Hop Louie, after gallery openings or dinner somewhere in/around the plaza, or start the evening with a drink at the Biltmore, or take a spin at the top of the Bonaventure with dinner at Pete's or Blossom or Water Grill.
MID-CITY
Taco trucks! Drive to the gas station at the corner of La Brea Ave and Venice Blvd, park on the street or in the gas station. You'll see an entire cross-section of LA there, especially after 8pm. English is not necessary. One must get at least one taco al pastor, which is sliced off a hot spit twirling outside, which is then topped with a pineapple artfully cut off the top of the spit and dropped from 2 feet away to gracefully land, cradled, onto the tiny footprint of the taco. High-end restaurants can only dream of recreating these flavors yet charge 8 times the price.
PASADENA
The Pie Hole, Cool Haus, Intelligentsia all in one spot - for an afternoon coffee meeting; Daisy Mint or Abricot for Thai - for dinner; Lula Mae - for unique gifts and cards; Vroman's bookstore in the Playhouse District for a great selection of books with a personal recommendations--browsing is inevitable.
SANTA MONICA
Early dinner in Santa Monica looking out over the ocean (or Joe's in Venice), a quick drive up Highway 1 to the Getty Villa for that mesmerizing tour of the reproduction of the historical site, and catch one of their productions at the small Greek theater on site at the end of the day.
VARIOUS
Enjoy one of the Night Markets that has become popular in and around LA (Pasadena, WeHo, Koreatown, Little Saigon). If the timing is right, it's well worth going as far as possible to one in an ethnically specific community as visitors will feel like they've been transported to another country filled with Korean or Vietnamese locals walking around street food stalls of incredibly traditional as well as innovative adaptations reflecting the LA region.
VENICE
The Rose Café for people watching and a vanilla latte, followed by a short walk to the beach, including Muscle Beach and the Boardwalk (for crazy) or the Canals (for calm). For the hip and trendy experience, walk to Abbot Kinney shops for more people watching and shopping ($$$), lunch at Gjelina take out.
