Granted, you’ll never really feel a chill in La La Land (unless you’re clutching a matcha slushy, perhaps), but even in the land of eternal sunshine, there are plenty of ways to channel winter – from outdoor hiking adventures to ice-skating, not to mention fireside hot toddies you’ll find a finely tune list in the LUXE Los Angeles guide. Read on for our top picks.
Start with LA’s outdoor-adventurer lures. Griffith Park is a vast, mostly untamed urban park, which is home to a holiday’s worth of hiking trails. The green lung also boasts an astro-nuts’ planetarium, city-wide vistas from the Observatory, and the Wolfgang Puck-catered The Cafe at the End of the Universe. (Alternatively, have a post-hike pit-stop at The Trails, located at the bottom of the park). For more glute-busting thrills, hit Runyon Canyon, where your eyes will be equally worked out by the stream of off-duty A-listers.
Prefer being horizontal to vertical? Take your pick from LA’s bounty of beaches, which include El Matador State Beach for prime sunrise and sunset scenes; surfer-favourite El Porto Beach, which has volleyball courts and a bike path; and Leo Carrillo State Beach, which offers sun, seclusion and scenery. (Pups on a leash are welcome, too.)
For a more traditional wintry activity, try ice-skating. Relaxed Santa Monica boasts a full-service 8,000-square-foot outdoor rink; you can also cut icy shapes as you whirl around the Holiday Ice Rink Pershing Square which is overlooked by skyscrapers and the city’s architectural Titans.
You’ll be thirsty after all that activity, so beeline to hip-deck E.P. & L.P. and enjoy drinks by the fire pits. There’s tasty Thailand-meets-Fiji fusion fare downstairs at rowdy eating house E.P.; upstairs, showstopper L.P. offers a panor-glam-a view over the Hills, moreish cocktails and trad Southeast-Asian street food. This might just be LA’s best rooftop location.
Alternatively, settle into a cosy corner at wine-nook Bar Covell: the sommelier’s (and hipster’s) grape oasis of choice, with a choice of wine on tap. It’s dark, mysterious and as snug as a bug.
Originally written by LUXE for PenCities.
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