1 – City Spa
I only discovered this in my last couple of years in LA. When you spend most of you time locked in a dark room, grinding and grinding away at your craft you need to let your hair down and totally escape the normal. This place was everything other than normal!! It’s a Russian run, Russian occupied Banya. Totally underground. Totally a hole in the wall in a building that you would swear has been closed for 10 years and waiting to be demolished. Inside it’s incredible. Incredibly grimy. Not fancy at all. People have died there. One 70 year old man was doing sit-ups in the sauna (which literally runs at 220 degrees F), went too far and didn’t make it through! The ice bath is so cold you nearly cry. There are world class boxers, pro athletes everywhere. It was one of those things that I did to turn my body off and shut down! Escape the creative. Oh, and some of my best mates would go there and we’d cycle through he sauna and ice bath and then break it up with a beer or 2. Perfect!! (Jarrad)
2 – Griffith Park
When I was living in LA I loved taking the trail up to Griffith Park and just looking out over the entire city – it’s huge and it’s chaotic and it’s terrifying, and that all makes it seem full of endless possibility. There’s this great little place that does amazing homemade pies and stuff called “Trails” cafe, which is tucked away in the trees at the base of Griffith, totally snuck away there multiple times to get some peace and quiet (and indulge in a massive slice of apple pie for breakfast). (Ange)
3 – Mixto Comida Latina
Food is a huge part of living in LA. There is incredible places to eat everywhere. The catch is that you need to know where the good places are. The local spots that you’d normal walk past if someone hadn’t told you about them. Mixto was totally one of those places. The Kale Caesar salad was AMAZING!!! Street food style but killer quality. Whenever someone came to visit, or I had the choice of a meeting location, I’d invariably shoot for Mixto!! (Jarrad)
4 – York Blvd in Highland Park
Is it cheating to list a whole street as a ‘top thing to do’? I love meandering along York on a lazy afternoon and into dinner. There’s a handful of great vintage stores along the way, then like the best fried chicken you’ll ever have at Tennessee Hot Chicken or there’s this modern Taiwanese spot called “Joy” which is just divine. There are cool street food stalls over the weekend as well. And like, surely Donut Friend for dessert and drinks at Hermosillo. (Ange)
5 – Leo Carrillo State Beach Park
This is another ‘escape the city’ moment. I guess when you live and work in the creative industry in LA, you learn the importance of leaving it all behind to help clear your head. This place was in Malibu but it was everything you wouldn’t expect from Malibu. A camp site overrun by squirrels. Super Lofi, no thrills vibe. Maybe 50 feet from the beach and amazing waterfall walks, and mountain hikes behind you. Amazing for that shut down, I’m still human and nature does exist escape. (Jarrad)