Summertime in LA

Without even realizing it, summer's practically come and gone in no time flat!

My days during the season have been filled with work, sunny evening runs, and discovering a little more of what LA has to offer in terms of restaurants, bars/lounges, and sights and sounds! To my pleasant surprise, I've had the luck of stumbling upon some really awesome places that I wanted to share.

1) Annenberg Space for Photography: Nestled between the corporate high-rises of Century City, this was a great place to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. I've been looking forward to visiting the gallery since it's opening in April, but the new Pictures of the Year exhibit on July 11 was the perfect opportunity to finally check it out. Not only is the gallery beautifully designed, it overlooks a grassy knoll that is perfect for picnic lunches, people watching, or napping. The Century City Westfield mall is also conveniently down the street. I loved that I could enjoy the offerings of the photography exhibit and then spend the rest of the day discovering the surrounding area. With all that it offers, the gallery is free to visit and only $1 to park all day. The Annenberg Space for Photography turned out to be a terribly cute and fun date spot!



2) Bottega Louie: I have NO idea how I've never discovered this place before now! Being out on client sites has limited my time in Downtown LA, but a friend suggested this place as a lunch option recently and I AM IN LOVE. Bottega Louie offers gourmet Italian food in a classy setting. The food was scrumptious and very, very fairly priced for the ambiance that the restaurant offers. With about $25 each, we had more than enough food to spare between the two of us and even had dessert (the semi fredo was ah-mazing)! The restaurant also offers the option of grabbing something quickly from its market and patisserie if you're in a hurry. This is now at the top of my favorite places to eat when I'm in the area.



3) Boulevard3: I think I've come to accept that as a 20-something living in LA, most of my going out choices relate to bars and lounges. Going out in LA is definitely a little trickier and requires much more effort than it ever did in SF, so I hate to admit that sometimes the concept exhausts me before I even attempt to go out. Well, after prettying up for the night this past weekend, I found myself at BLVD3 for a friend's party. I've heard that it's one of the classier LA clubs and was actually really impressed by the night. The venue was great--there were plenty of large open spaces with a calming outdoor area for relaxing and talking. The crowd seemed more sophisticated and everyone had a good time without any ridiculous shenanigans that you usually see at dark clubs. This place deserves another trip back!