Sheer Californication or Evocative Guide to Los Angeles

TEXT & PHOTOS – Sarunyu Nadee | Los Angeles, CA, USA

SHARE YOUR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT LOS ANGELES. VIBES, PEOPLE, NATURE?…

I LIKE TO SPEND my early morning at coffee shops. I usually go to coffee shops as early as 7 or 8 in the morning because these are the quietest hours. Some of my favorite coffee shops I love to visit are Eightfold Coffee, Alfred Coffee Silverlake, La Colombe, and Dinosaur Coffee.

Morning coffees are such an inseparable part of the LA culture that starting your day with one is as essential as taking surf lessons or writing a script.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PLACES FOR BRUNCH/LUNCH/DINNER IN THE CITY? WHY YOU LOVE THEM?

THERE ARE FEW PLACES I have in mind. For brunch, I would say Ostrich Farm in Silverlake is my top choice. I really appreciate the way locally sourced produce is taking back its niche in the food & beverage industry. In the day and age of advanced cooking methods, places that position themselves as organic-oriented have to put extra love in obtaining and processing their ingredients as well as be especially selective when it comes to complementing beverages.

FOR LUNCH, I like to go to Silverlake Ramen. It is quite challenging to be seated at the very location but this is not what ramen is all about, is not it? This dish’s flavor pattern is not dependent on the location of consumption but rather relies on the level of bashful craziness of the chef – I think with Silverlake Ramen this is exactly the case.

FOR DINNER, I like to go to Kettle Black for happy hour. Interiors recall Italian minimalism that can only be found in the Italian restaurants outside of Italy itself. Although notably, it is only in places like this that you can find a meticulously arranged menu – spaghetti to spaghetti a friendly Italian man in chef whites would have invited you to taste from the porch of his trattoria la famiglia. By the way, pastas and doughs are house-made.

THE BEST PLACE TO CATCH SUNSET AND THE BEST BEACHES IN YOUR OPINION.

IN SUMMER, SANTA MONICA PIER is one of the best places to catch the sunset scene.

For an irresistibly romantic experience like that, you have to be in the most touristic and nostalgic place possible, absolutely no need to deny that infamous appeal of Santa Monica – it will get you.

If you catch yourself craving for a picturesque sunset in winter, I would recommend going for higher altitudes and watching the last bit of day’s warmth leaving you until tomorrow at the Hollywood sign.

WHERE TO FIND PLACES FOR PEOPLE WATCHING?

FOR STREETWEAR, that has to be on Fairfax district and Melrose Avenue.

FOR ARCHITECTURE, Case Study Houses are the best.

FOR ARTS, try The Broad Museum.

FOR SHOPPING, Rodeo drive is the one.

WHAT TO DO IF IT IS TOO HOT OUTSIDE?

I LIKE TO DRIVE TO El Matador beach in Malibu. The road to the beach with a proper Rolling Stones soundtrack can be very “Californicating”. And the destination is absolutely worth your while because no other beach along the coastline can give you that private feel – that “I have my very own beach house” kind of feel.

BEST WAY TO TRAVEL AROUND LOS ANGELES VIA CAR? WHICH ROUTES TO CHOOSE AND TRIPS FOR PARKING?

DRIVE TO LARCHMONT VILLAGE (Larchmont and Beverly, then drive along Beverly Blvd to Rodeo drive. Then drive back to Downtown LA along Melrose Ave.