The view of Los Angeles from Griffith Park. Photo / Getty Images
The view of Los Angeles from Griffith Park. Photo / Getty Images
After almost two years in Los Angeles, Gin Wigmore has tips for visitors seeking a special spot in her adopted city.
It's coming up two years since I arrived in the urban jungle of dreamers that is Los Angeles. It's a city too big to be contained so it keeps on sprawling; a city where you can almost hear the cogs turning of the people pacing around you, busy writing theirfirst feature film or quietly revising the lyrics to a song built on heartbreak or love.
Metaphorically speaking, the walls of this city are high and the distance to the top is beyond the horizon, but the comforting allure is that each step along the way you are sure to find a warm place to make a memorable moment. Some of these cosy footholds deserve a special mention.
The first on the list is a little coffee spot popular among arty types. Intelligentsia is on the eastern side of Hollywood in the epicentre of creativity and cool, and is the beginning to any artist's day in LA. Long lines wind up the street as the sun rises over the Franklin Hills, which this coffee shop faces. As the sun falls, little Intelligentsia and its caffeine heartbeat are the last ones to sleep, closing at a night owl time of 11pm.
Once the coffee craving is fed, the hunger for breakfast will no doubt be shouting from the rooftops. Stroll up Sunset Boulevard and there you will find another little gem by the name of Flore. It is an authentic, expertly crafted, karma-collecting vegan eatery where you walk out feeling fuller than you could ever imagine. You will tick off your daily five fruit and veges without even realising it. The breakfast burrito that bursts with fake cheese can't be beat. I often wonder how they can make a cheese out of cashews but, gosh darn it, they can and the taste is simply to die for.
LA will never stop; even if you beg for things to slow down, they never will. For this reason I find myself in constant search of a quiet haven; a place to find the horizon, feel the stillness and collect a thought.
Finding peace in this city can be hard, but when you do it's like being in the eye of a storm. The eye in this storm is an almost deserted trail on the back side of Griffith Park. Head to 2715 Vermont Canyon in Los Feliz where you will find a quaint tennis court marking the beginning of your soon-to-be-calm state of mind.
Walk past the courts and wind along the empty trail. It will take you higher and higher until you get to what feels like the top of the world. The view is incredible. I come here to find perspective on the next move to make in the city that roars below.
The trail will take around an hour to loop back to the start but will add a year of youth and vitality to your body and mind, so it's high on the recommendation list from me.
American Rag clothing store on South La Brea, Hollywood. Photo / Supplied
And then there are the clothes. I remember arriving in LA with a single suitcase of clothes, but as time went by that single suitcase grew into many bags of clothes. I blame American Rag. On South La Brea and around the middle of lower Hollywood, this store is a shopper's paradise, selling brands from all around the world to right down the street. This store also has the best selection of denim around and big stacks of decent vintage gems for days when you feel like bringing back old Hollywood.
When the night rolls in over the spectacular San Bernardino Mountains, I would make a hasty move up to Griffith Park Observatory to watch the wave of lights turn on in the city below. Perfect for the stargazing romantics, a night in LA is never quite complete without visiting this historic landmark.
The thing I like most about this spot is that it's free.
There are incredible bars in LA - and awful bars in LA. I'm going to steer you in the direction of one of the first bars I frequented and which still turns out to be one of the best. Jones Hollywood is on the famous Santa Monica Boulevard, in the heart of West Hollywood.
Gin Wigmore with a Mickey Mouse pretzel at Disneyland. Photo / Supplied
I remember coming here on many occasions - once to heal a broken heart. I insisted on eating more than my bodyweight of their delicious home-made apple pie. Another time was on a rowdy night out trying to pick up eligible bachelors while drinking perfectly concocted white Russians.
Los Angeles can be whatever you make of it, so be sure to follow this list of recommendations and make it a good one.
CHECKLIST
Getting there: Air NZ flies direct from Auckland to Los Angeles up to three times daily.
Gin Wigmore is a finalist for Best Female Solo Artist at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards on Thursday, November 19, Vector Arena. The event will be screened live on TV3.
