West Hollywood has long been one of Los Angeles’s most lively treasures. Known for its burgeoning restaurant and bar scene, WeHo is the place for the Los Angeles experience. Young or old, traditional or eclectic, West Hollywood is a pocket of LA that caters to all types and buzzes with energy day or night.
WATCH: Hollywood Forever Cemetery Outdoor Movies
One of LA’s strongest selling points is locals’ ability to enjoy the great outdoors year round. What better way to celebrate the mild weather than to enjoy an evening watching a cult-favorite film at Hollywood Forever Cinema? Cinespia hosts screening of films ranging in genre from Mean Girls to Chinatown and is a superb place to people-watch or catch up with friends. Wine and beer are permitted, but picnics will win moviegoers extra credit points. Be sure to make the pre-sunset DJ set put on by Cinespia before each screening.
Runyon Canyon is one of Los Angeles’s most popular and most talked about hiking trails. Featuring a 3.5-mile hike and 360 degrees of city view, Runyon is lauded for its rampant celebrities and adorable dogs. Runyon has several trails that vary in level of difficulty. The trails are better suited to a leisurely hike with friends than a Camel Back–wielding excursion, so prepare accordingly. Once at the top of any one of Runyon’s trails, be sure to spot the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory to the east.
Chateau Marmont has been a Hollywood staple since 1929. The hotel has been referenced and featured in many an artistic endeavor, and it’s truly no surprise given the fairytail-esque decorative details and layered history of the hotel. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Annie Leibovitz, Sofia Coppola, Lana Del Rey, Charles Bukowski, and Oliver Stone have all worked within its walls. Chateau Marmont is the ideal place to stay while in West Hollywood, but if the lush lodging is out of your price range, simply stop by its terrace restaurant for market-fresh Californian cuisine with a French flair.
You cannot leave West Hollywood without having visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The museum boasts a collection of nearly 130,000 objects, making it the largest art museum in the western United States. The expansive campus hosts Asian, Latin American, Islamic, and a magnificent collection of Contemporary art. Angelenos have gone in waves to get a peek at the Rain Room and Frank Gehry Exhibit. After a day full of art, enjoy one of the campus’s several cafés and restaurants or, if it’s summer, bring a picnic and relish in LACMA’s Friday night live jazz performances.
A longtime Sunset Strip haunt, The Roxy Theatre was founded by music legends and is now famous worldwide. Artists like Alice Cooper and Neil Young hung out there regularly in the ’70s. The Clash, Billy Idol, Patti Smith, Bob Marley, and scores more have graced the stage. Today, The Roxy still has its finger on the pulse, featuring artists like twin sister pop duo Tegan and Sara and ska punk veterans Rancid. The venue also has an exclusive lounge on the upper level called On the Rox.
Chances are anyone with an Instagram account has seen the shops of Melrose Ave. A fashion and lifestyle blogger favorite, Melrose Avenue has everything anyone with taste might need. The fashion favorite street houses stores like Alice and Olivia, Fred Segal, Theory, Paul Smith, and Dash. Further east, the stores grow more vintage- and urban-inspired. There are also a plethora of art galleries and home design and furniture shops. After a long day of shopping, pop into the always-busy Urth Caffé for some people watching and delicious food.
Popular since it’s inception, The Comedy Store is credited as the basis for the traditional NYC comedy scene’s expansion to LA. Everyone from David Letterman to Chelsea Handler has performed on one of the club’s several stages. Dane Cook, Judd Apatow, Chris D’Elia, and Iliza Shlesinger often perform at The Comedy Store these days. For visitors feeling courageous, it should be noted that The Comedy Store hosts an open mike on Monday nights.
There is a debate over Los Angeles’s best cup of coffee, but Alfred Coffee definitely takes the cake for West Hollywood’s best way to get caffeinated. Alfred Coffee is tucked away on chic Melrose Place, right off of Melrose Ave. The coffee shop first gained popularity due to its quirky coffee sleeves that depict a hipster-esque mustache, but it is the rich Stumptown Coffee roast that keeps people coming back for more. The fun environment helps make sure Alfred Coffee draws a crowd at any time of day.
A newcomer to the West Hollywood restaurant and bar scene, E.P. & L.P. opened in 2015 and has been bustling with business ever since. Though LA is known for its balmy weather, it is somewhat rare to find rooftop bars or restaurants. Australian owned E.P. & L.P. came to the rescue, with both an indoor restaurant and an impeccable rooftop bar. E.P. Asian Eating House specializes in Southeastern Asian fare and the L.P. Rooftop Bar serves concoctions like ‘Where Love Lives,’ which is a mixture of bourbon, mandarin liqueur, peach, ginger, lemon, house-made bellini boba pears, and sparkling wine.
The Now is revolutionizing the relaxation business one massage at a time. With prices starting at $35 and a concise menu, The Now is the massage community’s answer to the ‘uberization’ of beauty. It offers three types of massages: ‘The Now’ Swedish-inspired massage, ‘The Stretch’ for athletes, and ‘The Healer’ to balance energy levels in the body. Customers can further customize their experience with aromatherapy add-ons, cooling eye masks, or a power cleansing abdominal massage to stimulate organ health. The Now’s California-cool aesthetic makes a 25-minute massage feel like a week vacation.
