Realizing I no longer had a place to stay when I visit LA was strange. Like, " Yes. You no longer have a place to sleep here. You need to find lodging." Wow. Weird.
Sooo this time I made a reservation at The Line Hotel, where Roy Choi is in charge of F & B.
This hotel is once again in the heart of Koreatown. Conde Nast just named it top 3 hotels to stay in LA a few days before my stay. So I was super excited. What I was even more excited about was that my hotel was dog friendly and that my dog, who is being taken care of by a friend of my ex's, could spend the night with me. I'm so sad that I don't have her right now. Giving her up was an adult decision I had to make. Seeing that she is in a loving home was comforting. Although I am still very very sad. And I hate using the word "very" so that means I am sad.
Bella had just as fun exploring the room. I was surprised to see she was actually interested in staring out the window. Wow. She likes the view from up high, even going on the highest vantage point she could reach. Naked concrete walls, asymmetrical light fixtures, art objects I could purchase. A lot of cute details that made the hotel fun. Plus there was good service throughout.
We started the day at Intelligentsia. I think I actually lost the taste for it. My taste buds have adjusted to the coffee I have up here. Crazy. Met up with my sister and we went to Sqirl for some good eats. We sat next to a celebrity. Duh.
Dinner was at Pot, which is the hotel's flagship restaurant. It's supposed to be classical Korean food. "The food your grandma makes." I thought it would be super classic, but of course it's Roy Choi's place so it had to be a bit hip. The flavors were strong and were a "punch to your face", rather than light, which is what I think of when I have most Korean soups. I liked that he chose soup to introduce to the world instead of BBQ, which is what everyone knows about already. The ambiance. A snapshot if this place does not show the energy of this place. A photo would make this place seem like any thee spot in Ktown. Hip hop music blaring. Chatty waiters. What I thought were cute napkins ended up being cute flowery aprons to wear while dining. What I thought were mere smears on the walls ended up being handmade floral paper. All utenstils and serving ware was stored at a second level under the table. Tabletop stoves. Newspaper menu. When the server brought our barley water he called it "Pot water." Hah why? Just makes me think of Bong water. Anyway I love Barley water. Try it even if it they made it sounds like bong water.
Pot, reffered to shared pots of soup, and there were several to chose from. I ended up with the vegetarian one, that had kobocha squash (ok yeah, that sold me), tofu, and other vegetables. Soy base was strong. I liked the green vegetables in it. Not sure what that was but it looked like carrot leaves and tasted like sesame leaves. Got their kimchee fried rice, which was served on a hot stone, and 2 raw eggs, and potato pancakes.
Then off I went to see Carla Bruni. Do you know her? Watching her was very self-indulging, such is, listening to her music. She's a singer, an actress, an artist, a filmmaker, model. Charming. Cute.Sexy. Was married to the ex-priminister of France. She's really Italian who took on to the French. Her songs are perfect for falling in love and falling out of love. She kept her voice soft and sultry the whole time even while talking between voices. The show was at the Luckman Arts Theatre at CSULA, and while it would have been like a $10 concert if I was a student there or a $15 concert ticket if I was still a student, I am no longer a student. Another funny realization. So my ticket was much more than that. I did not see a single student in there. It was nice that I took my cousin who I took French with, went to France with, and who is into the arts. Plus I have not spent much time with her, so this was perfect bonding time, and I got to her show her my L.A. which she seemed to love.
Bella had just as fun exploring the room. I was surprised to see she was actually interested in staring out the window. Wow. She likes the view from up high, even going on the highest vantage point she could reach. Naked concrete walls, asymmetrical light fixtures, art objects I could purchase. A lot of cute details that made the hotel fun. Plus there was good service throughout.
We started the day at Intelligentsia. I think I actually lost the taste for it. My taste buds have adjusted to the coffee I have up here. Crazy. Met up with my sister and we went to Sqirl for some good eats. We sat next to a celebrity. Duh.
Dinner was at Pot, which is the hotel's flagship restaurant. It's supposed to be classical Korean food. "The food your grandma makes." I thought it would be super classic, but of course it's Roy Choi's place so it had to be a bit hip. The flavors were strong and were a "punch to your face", rather than light, which is what I think of when I have most Korean soups. I liked that he chose soup to introduce to the world instead of BBQ, which is what everyone knows about already. The ambiance. A snapshot if this place does not show the energy of this place. A photo would make this place seem like any thee spot in Ktown. Hip hop music blaring. Chatty waiters. What I thought were cute napkins ended up being cute flowery aprons to wear while dining. What I thought were mere smears on the walls ended up being handmade floral paper. All utenstils and serving ware was stored at a second level under the table. Tabletop stoves. Newspaper menu. When the server brought our barley water he called it "Pot water." Hah why? Just makes me think of Bong water. Anyway I love Barley water. Try it even if it they made it sounds like bong water.
Pot, reffered to shared pots of soup, and there were several to chose from. I ended up with the vegetarian one, that had kobocha squash (ok yeah, that sold me), tofu, and other vegetables. Soy base was strong. I liked the green vegetables in it. Not sure what that was but it looked like carrot leaves and tasted like sesame leaves. Got their kimchee fried rice, which was served on a hot stone, and 2 raw eggs, and potato pancakes.
Then off I went to see Carla Bruni. Do you know her? Watching her was very self-indulging, such is, listening to her music. She's a singer, an actress, an artist, a filmmaker, model. Charming. Cute.Sexy. Was married to the ex-priminister of France. She's really Italian who took on to the French. Her songs are perfect for falling in love and falling out of love. She kept her voice soft and sultry the whole time even while talking between voices. The show was at the Luckman Arts Theatre at CSULA, and while it would have been like a $10 concert if I was a student there or a $15 concert ticket if I was still a student, I am no longer a student. Another funny realization. So my ticket was much more than that. I did not see a single student in there. It was nice that I took my cousin who I took French with, went to France with, and who is into the arts. Plus I have not spent much time with her, so this was perfect bonding time, and I got to her show her my L.A. which she seemed to love.
When we walked back to our hotel room, the lobby bar was crowded! Holly wanted a drink and I wanted to see who was down there. I gave my cousin a "not allowed to sit" rule and it seem to work. I think sitting down really affects your mood while you are out. Try it out. Do not sit. You will have lots more fun. It was funny using it as an excuse to not sit with dudes. "We aren't sitting down!" My cousin doesn't realize she makes the perfect faces to chase the boys we don't to talk to away. Drinks were good! Did I ever tell you how I order drinks. I don't know drink names, I just make up something in my head that I want at the moment. So my drink of the night was, "Whiskey based, with lemon and floral bitters." He made it and I loved that it came with brandy cherries.
Next day, we ended it with a trip to Urth. I needed a dog friendly place and Urth always has the cutest dogs on its patio so this is where we ended up. Urth has a lot of great looking pastries, good coffee and teas, and even boba. Plus the building in in an old Art Deco building, so I love it. Check out the tiles.
And then we made a detour on our way up to the Brewery Lofts Art Walk. About the Brewery Lofts. It was first, an old Edison power plant, and then it turned into a PBR brewery (how hipster), and then now it is an artist commune where only artist allowed to turn it into live/work spaces. Super cool! Plus the building with the haystack is the one from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This only happens 2x a year. So if you could go, Go!
There this beauty product brand there that had the yummiest scrubs and they had this deal where I could fill a bag up with a much soap for $10. I went crazy and so did everyone else who joined in. I can't wait to try the scrub. And now I have like a 2 year supply of soap. I love handmade soap. It's all I use. I even got a Patchouli scented one, and now I think that makes it official that I moved to the Bay Area, if I have Patchouli soap.
When will my next LA trip be?! I didn't get to see all my old friends, but at least I saw some. :) Need to plan next one soon.... come with. ;)
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