{"id":29431,"date":"2015-08-18T14:02:05","date_gmt":"2015-08-18T14:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ona15.journalists.org\/?p=29431"},"modified":"2016-11-20T13:48:04","modified_gmt":"2016-11-20T13:48:04","slug":"a-locals-guide-to-la-for-ona15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ona15.journalists.org\/2015\/08\/18\/a-locals-guide-to-la-for-ona15\/","title":{"rendered":"A local’s guide to LA for ONA15"},"content":{"rendered":"

We asked ONA Board Member Kim Bui,\u00a0Deputy Managing Editor at First Look Media living in Los Angeles, to pull together tips for your trip to ONA15.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Los Angeles is super excited to have you here, ONA friends. September is a great time in the city, and here\u2019s to hoping that you can tack on an extra day or so to see the rest of LA while you\u2019re here.<\/span><\/p>\n

Below is\u00a0a little list of things you should check out\u00a0while you\u2019re in the City of Angels, organized by whether you have a car or don\u2019t have a car at your disposal.<\/p>\n

About that: You might not think it, but LA has pretty great public transit. The bus system gets you most anywhere and our trains run on time (mostly) and are mostly shiny and new. Uber, Lyft and all those other ride services can get you anywhere else and they\u2019re the preferred mode of transportation if you\u2019re going to be engaging in a significant amount of libation.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll probably want a drink<\/h3>\n

Near:\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s understandable that you\u2019ll want to have at least a few drinks at the hotel bar (which is pretty nice), but you might also consider\u00a0<\/span>Season 52<\/span><\/a>, which is a chain, but has a great wine list. \u00a0<\/span>If you don\u2019t mind a bit of a hop, there\u2019s a very kitschy vampire themed <\/span>Vampire Lounge <\/span><\/a>and <\/span>Nic\u2019s in Beverly Hills<\/span><\/a>, which has martinis that are strong enough that you\u2019ll only need one, maybe two. <\/span>SmithHouse<\/span><\/a> is more of a beer kinda place. <\/span>The Cellar<\/span><\/a> is open during the week, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not so near:<\/strong> Downtown LA is the hot spot for drinking and eating in LA, so if you get a chance, head to my favorite <\/span>The Varnish<\/span><\/a>, which is a speakeasy in the back of Cole\u2019s famous French Dip spot. If the bar is\u00a0full,\u00a0you can get drinks that are just as tasty at the Red Car Bar in the front of Cole\u2019s. <\/span>If you want a brewery tour, my friend Jolie recommends any of the following tours, all of which are in the South Bay, about 30-ish minutes away: <\/span>Monkish<\/a>, Phantom Carriage<\/a>, Smog City<\/a>, Three Weavers<\/a> and \u00a0El Segundo Brewing<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

We like food here, a lot<\/h3>\n

Everyone asked for taco recommendations.<\/strong>
\nGuisados<\/a>, either on the east side or downtown, is great, but the best truck in town is Leo\u2019s Tacos<\/a>, a 20-minute drive from the hotel. It\u2019s known for its al pastor. Lucy\u2019s<\/a>, which has several locations, is a great spot for a breakfast burrito if you\u2019re into that kind. But really, most taco trucks and stands are pretty amazing around here.\"Tacos_lores\"<\/p>\n

Other nearby options:\u00a0<\/strong>Need a fancy place to celebrate your Online Journalism Award<\/a>\u00a0or wine and dine with your boss? Craft<\/a> is delicious (get the hen of the woods) and Hinoki and the Bird<\/a> is great, too.\u00a0Need a quick lunch? The <\/span>food court at the Century City Westfield<\/span><\/a> is actually really great. I know, it\u2019s a mall, but it has the best, most varied food court you\u2019re going to find. I like the ramen place. <\/span>Clementine<\/span><\/a> is supposed to be a good spot for you vegetarians.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dinner a drive away:\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s a short drive to Sawtelle, or Little
\nOsaka. There you can find <\/span>ramen<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>japanese pancakes<\/span><\/a>, as well as an awesome bread pudding shop, <\/span>B Sweet<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Want to really explore?<\/strong> Koreatown is a close enclave of everything Korean, from Korean BBQ<\/a> to knife-cut noodles<\/a>. Head to the San Gabriel Valley on Sunday for some dim sum at Elite<\/a> or NBC Seafood<\/a>. Go back downtown for an authentic and amazing Italian meal at Maccheroni Republic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Foodie? <\/strong>Son of a Gun<\/span><\/a> is amazing tapas-style, southern-influenced food. Get the shrimp toast and some oysters. The chefs there also run <\/span>Animal<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Saint Martha<\/a><\/span>, in Koreatown, is a great place that\u2019s super under-rated, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get outside<\/h3>\n

We hike and do a lot of outside things here, given the locale. You might want to hike to the Hollywood Sign, but it\u2019s crowded and not the most amazing hike in LA. But if you want to check it off your list, it’s there.<\/p>\n

Near:<\/strong> The canyons are pretty close to Century City and <\/span>Fryman Canyon<\/span><\/a> should be shaded and cool, There\u2019s a spot where it looks like a rainforest in the middle of the city. <\/span>Runyon Canyon<\/span><\/a> is also popular (read: crowded), but you might see a celebrity?<\/span><\/p>\n

A bit of a\u00a0drive:<\/strong>\u00a0The <\/span>Angeles National Forest<\/span><\/a> is a great hike. Start at Adam\u2019s Pack Station (where you can get an amazing burger) and head to Hermit Falls or the cabin-filled route of Hoegee\u2019s Camp.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beaches:<\/strong>\u00a0If you go to the beach, two things: Sunscreen and get mangoes from the guy selling fruit out of a cooler. With chili powder and <\/span>lime, preferably. If you get bored, rent a bike, You can bike through almost all the beaches in LA via connected paths.<\/p>\n

\"Venice-Beach-Wallpapers-1\"There are lots of beaches in LA, so here’s a breakdown:<\/p>\n