Good to know about the sours. Would definitely be interested in that. Didn't look like there was quite as much next to that new Courtyard we may be at. I was really excited about the current hotel they are at being right next to Kitakata Ramen. I have a wide range of places jotted down, from food truck to more upscale so could be lunch options or dinner - Old Vine Cafe, Taco Maria, Arc, East Borough, Pueblo, Jack's Bakery, SOCIAL, Mick's Karma Bar, Vishnu, 25 Degrees, Pizzeria Sapori, Linx, Alebrije's Grill, Chapter One: The Modern Local, Playground, Bella Cuba, Lola Gaspar, Masala Craft Indian, Anepalco's Cafe, Carnitas Los Reyes, Crave Restaurant and Cafe. That's just some, so let me know if there are any musts in there. Would take some advice on best sushi in the area. Just seem like so many options I don't know what would be good. I also seem to be light on Italian options - Mama D's or Filomena's worth a shot? Yeah if I do end up doing Griffith Park, I don't think I'm going anywhere near the observatory based on that trail seeming like it's really easy for annoying people to clog it all up. Thinking Mount Hollywood or Mount Lee to the Hollywood sign, if anything. Currently thinking I will be aiming for Saturday morning driving out to Malibu and doing the Mishe Mokwa Trail to Sandstone Peak and then also stopping at El Matador Beach before coming back to hang around in the afternoon. Honestly something is probably going to have to give because I would like to take advantage of staying a couple blocks from the beach in Venice by waking up one morning and running along the beach/boardwalk up to Santa Monica pier and back.
You definitely have a good long list. I've been to Pueblo and it was excellent. ARC and Taco Maria are all right next to each other as well in the SoCo center. As for Taco Maria I'd check there menu/schedule as they run a prix fixe menu later on in the week that's like $80 a person. I learned that the hard way from a date, but was able to pivot to Pueblo. Crow Bar in Corona Del Mar (Newport) is a solid gastro pub and has a pretty good beer/bottle list. If you want to make it down to the beach or not drop as much cash, Huntington and Newport both have a bunch of options. In HB they just opened up a new complex that has a bunch of restaurants that have opened or are opening. They are also doing a good hall type of place that should have some good spots from around the area. Also if you want some Mexican, my favorite Mexican place is Las Barcas off Beach Blvd and Atlanta in HB, which is 15 mins max from the Courtyard.
Go hiking at Temescal Canyon and avoid the crowds and dogs in purses and get equally good Instagram pics
Yeah that hotel sucks. Right off the 73 toll road. It's walking distance to the camp and the lab though (two areas with restaurants) but don't blame you for looking elsewhere.
I'd also recommend renting a Miata and enjoy the wind blowing through your hair while driving up and down PCH.
Ok just addressing the restaurants, I'd probably do pizzeria ortica over Sapori. Never been to Mick's but it gets a lot of love on Yelp. Old vine is good but I think a little overrated. It's in the same area "the camp" that east borough and 25 degrees are in. Chapter One is good but it's at least a half hour drive at rush hour because the 55 is stopped between the 405 and the 5 The playground is over there too. Social has gone through some changes and the chef and mixologist left so I'd remove that from the list since you have better options. Crow Bar that Corky Bucek recommmended is excellent. Filomena's is really good
That's the Parker Mesa Overlook right? Fucking love that Los liones hike up there. There is actually a direct hike up to Parker Mesa Overlook. I did it a couple months ago and its fucking intense. You're basically hiking up the ridge of the mountain with some very steep parts. The girl I did it with struggled on some parts where it was steep, I struggled with my indurance but it was well worth the victory of making it to the top. Looking back at your pic, you can actually see the end of the direct hike trail on the right side of the picture.
I actually just Googled that one, but yeah I think so. I took this one when I was back in town in December. It's definitely a trek, but well worth it.
Ended up at Crow Bar tonight. Pliny the Elder on tap and some great food. Walked in with about a minute left in the title game and got the only spot open at the bar for the crazy finish. Long fucking day and it looks like this client is going to put a damper on my ability to check out a new restaurant each night during the week, but still going to try damn hard to make things happen. Good news is the group of guys I'm working with are taking a few guys from the client to the Ducks game tomorrow night. This week is off to a solid start.
There aren't a ton of good places by the Honda Center. JT Schmids is a big brewpub across the street from the stadium that has mediocre beer. It will be packed. There's a Hooters and a Tilted Kilt that are walking distance. Noble Ale Works is a good brewery that is a 8-10 min walk to the stadium iirc.
Figured there couldn't be anything that great around there. Not even sure if we'll leave the client site early enough to really do anything before the game. Might just be drinking at the game although I would really like to get to a brewery, especially if Noble Ale Works is that close
Have done a fair amount already considering the on and off rain this weekend. Got into Venice yesterday afternoon and did a run up the beach to Santa Monica Pier and back. Great for some interesting sightseeing. Then ended up meeting a friend and her co-workers in downtown LA and got all my drinks covered by her company. Got up today, took a quick stroll over to the canals in Venice before it started raining. Once it died down, I saw a small window for the weather to not be shit so I drove to Griffith Park and did the Mount Hollywood hike. Views were great and visibility was better than I anticipated. After that came back to Venice and stopped at Gjusta for lunch. Dear god that place is amazing. Meeting back up with my friend tonight for dinner. Aiming to do some hiking out near Malibu tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed the weather clears up. Also confirmed that traffic is inescapable at any time of day
Corky Bucek is Beachwood happening? I'm currently in Santa Monica after hiking in Malibu but am going to be making my way south later this afternoon. Hoping to hit a brewery of some kind. Should be able to start making my way that direction by no later than 4. Either Beachwood or I'll hit something in the OC like The Bruery, Bottle Logic, or Noble Ale Works
Btw sandstone peak was awesome. Actually ran into a guy from Denver at the top who had moved out here a couple of years ago. But El Matador Beach was even better. Fantastic weather today. This is what I pay for.
Just saw this. I got back not too long from Ventura and checked out Casa Agria, which was awesome. I've got some plans tonight, but if you are around another weekend let me know and we can try and meet up.
No worries. I'm actually at Monkish Brewing right now. I'm a sucker for Belgians so had to check them out. Pretty good stuff. I'll likely do at least one more weekend out here.
Ended up having work meetings in Chicago Thursday and Friday, so was perfect timing to stay in Chicago Friday night with a good buddy of mine who moved there two weeks ago. It snowed about 2" Friday night, temps were in the low-mid 20s, and we walked on ice the whole way back from the bars to his place. It was April 8th. I dunno if I can ever move outta here, guys.
I'm being recruited for a position at a shitty, yet huge company.... If I were to take it, the Cali options are Redlands and San Bernandino I have no problem commuting an hour if it means I'd live in a sweet place. However, somewhere closer would be swell too. Any advice? I'm leaning no Cali at all, but figured I'd ask before shutting that option down completely.
I feel like that commute would be way more than an hour. Assuming you want to live close to the ocean. But I'm not an expert so...
I'm sure their are some TMBers who would know those areas a bit better, but what about Pasadena? Looks like only a one hour commute, and I'm guessing it's against traffic but could be wrong.
You could do it in an hour for sure. And yes, it is against traffic. I don't mind driving an hour as long as I'm moving. 60 minutes to go 50 miles, no sweat. 60 minutes to go 15, shoot me.
So I'm out here recovering from back surgery and this heat is fucking brutal. I left Indiana a week ago where it was in the 40s. Since I got out of the hospital on Sunday, I do by think it's been below 85 (that's tough to adjust to). Plus, no ac here, of course. Need this heat to break here soon. Of course, the Mexican food has been totally worth it.
So I may be driving solo to Oxnard tomorrow to another location for the client (driving up from Costa Mesa). Should be a bitch of a drive considering traffic, but may just leave early and drive up the PCH again like I did a couple weeks ago. Planning to stop for dinner around Santa Monica on the ride back. Anywhere I should absolutely not miss? Likely just going to be me, so don't need anything high end. What's the deal with Pono Burger because that place looks legit.
I do that drive semi frequently as my parents live up in Santa Barbara county. Leave around 9:30 if you can control it and it should be fine. Don't take PCH.
How early do you need to be there? I sometimes drive a bit of the 405 around 5:45-6:00 am. Even at that time it can start to suck after the 710 in the LBC.
Sitting on the lovely 405 right now. Gotta get to the client by 845-9 so I left around 6, 615 fully expecting 2.5-3 hours. Don't even care...music in the car >>>> sitting in front of a computer. With that said, fuck this traffic
That is a brutal drive between 6 and 8. I almost would have stayed up there the night before since you are in a hotel. Glad you made it alive. People don't understand from other parts of the world what traffic is until they try to navigate LA on the 405.
Yeah it was a shit show. Would have liked to gone up the night before, but ended up staying at the office in Tustin until 8:30 and then some of the guys wanted to grab dinner somewhere, so we went to SOCIAL in Costa Mesa. Turned out to be really solid. There was no way I was driving up there after that. Don't think I went to bed until midnight and then got up at 5:30. Fuck this day already.
If you are staying this weekend Monkish is releasing this Also Smog City Cuddlebug which is a sour blonde with peach and apricots releasing Sat and currently selling on BPT. You can also pick up at a later time. http://m.bpt.me/event/2538884 CC: MODEVIL
Might be here this weekend so this is useful. Monkish was pretty good stuff when I went a couple weekends ago.