As a born and raised Angeleno, this shoot day in Downtown Los Angeles was a special one to me!
I had the pleasure of partnering with the Downtown Center Business Improvement District – to highlight some of the best spots to eat, drink, shop and play. If you’ve ever been downtown, you probably know the basics – Staples Center/LA Live, the Arts District, Union Station, Pershing Square.. all these areas are historically relevant and worth seeing. I’ll always remember going downtown for Lakers games, and I spent four years studying at USC and living a stone’s throw away from the city lights.
However, DTLA has evolved so much in recent years and so has my perception of it. There are SO many new restaurants opening up (anyone tried the pappardelle pasta at Bestia?) as well as trendy hotels (the roof at the ACE is a must to catch the sunset over drinks). Not to mention if you’re a blogger (or just want to take a cool Instagram photo) DTLA nails the street style background as best as you’ll get without hopping a plane to New York City. You’ve probably also seen photos of the macarons and pastries lined up at Bottega Louie! I was familiar with all these spots, but anxious to try some new places.
First up: Takami Sushi. If you like delicious sushi with an even better view, you’ll love this spot. It’s set on the penthouse floor of a skyscraper building on Wilshire and the panoramic view is phenomenal for a date night, drinks with girlfriends or a midday lunch break if you’re lucky enough to work in one of the office buildings nearby. I ordered the “Penthouse Roll” with spicy tuna, tempura crunch and avocado (pictured above) as well as the “Takami Tartare” with layered ahi tuna, snow crab, spicy tuna, avocado and rice. Enough said right? We clearly couldn’t choose just one drink either – the tropical lemonades were just sweet enough.
After lunch, my photographer and I wandered over to Brigade LA, which is chic boutique tucked away on West 7th street. It stocked all my favorites – Janessa Leone hats (I’m wearing one in these photos), Clare V clutches and Voluspa candles.. but I was especially impressed by all the hard to find labels, like the Australian line Alice McCall. The store itself is beautifully designed with a dark chandelier and string lights and the girls working there are super sweet. As someone who does a ton of online shopping, it’s always nice to find a boutique that carries my favorite labels yet introduces me to new designers. I need an excuse to come back and shop!
Mid-afternoon came around and we were ready for a touchup, so our next location was Neihule Salon, conveniently located next to Brigade. There are two salons under the Neihule umbrella – one for nails and hair, plus a full service hair and spa salon that offers facials, microdermabrasion and hair color. The salon is airy and white with high ceilings and comfy seating – we couldn’t wait to get a manicure here. I recommend checking it out!
Since the sun is setting so early this season, as soon as 4:30 struck we hurried to Perch to catch the sunset and relax. It was such a fun afternoon discovering these new spots and I’d love to hear your favorites in DTLA. Let me know if you try Takami, Brigade or Neihule! Check out DowntownLA.com for more ideas on where to go!
