LEFT: View from Hotel Erwin’s High Rooftop Lounge. RIGHT: Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant
(Dining) Room With A View
If you think a view is superior to fresh air (and let’s be honest, LA is not known for its air quality), the Downtown skyline views at Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant (811 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles; takamisushi.com) and the new WP24 by Wolfgang Puck (900 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles; wolfgangpuck.com) at The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles are great, but the vistas up and down the coast at Hotel Erwin’s High Rooftop Lounge (1697 Pacific Ave., Venice; jdvhotels.com) make sunset a world-class event.
The Great Outdoors
One of the best things about living in LA is being able to eat alfresco all year round. The lush garden at Alcove Cafe & Bakery (1929 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles; alcovecafe.com) is perfect for brunch, the tree-shaded courtyard at Rockwell Vt. (Behind 1714 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles; rockwellvt.com) is a sexy sylvan scene and the atrium at Palihouse’s The Hall Courtyard Brasserie (8465 Holloway Dr., West Hollywood; thehallbrasserie.com) feels like a taverna in the south of France—as does the back patio at Dominick’s (8715 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood; dominicksrestaurant.com). The front terrace at Cecconi’s (8764 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; cecconiswesthollywood.com) is good for people watching, and Café Pinot’s (700 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles; patinagroup.com) terrace makes for delightful Downtown dining, but it’s the backyard at Gjelina (1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice; gjelina.com) on Abbot Kinney, with its fire pits and convivial volume level, that is one of the most genial experiences in town. Westsiders want waves though, so for a view of the Pacific, grab a casual lunch right on the beach at Bob Morris’ Paradise Cove Beach Cafe (28128 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu; paradise covemalibu.com/beachcafe) or soak in the surf on the deck at Geoffrey’s Malibu (27400 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu; geoffreys malibu.com). Listen to the waves crash beneath your table on the deck of the Malibu Beach Inn (22878 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu; malibubeach inn.com) or sup more formally at The Lobster (1602 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica; thelobster.com), where there’s a million-dollar view of the Santa Monica Pier and its iconic Ferris wheel.
