Créol Brothers Guide to LA

TheCRÉOL BROTHERS GUIDE to LA

in collaboration with Ford Focus

CRÉOL BROTHERS guide to LA

beachVenice


Right next to where Kriss and fam. currently resides in Marina del Rey is the iconic beach-front district, Venice.

Venice Beach is a great place to come and take a walk up and down the Ocean Front Walk, which is filled with crazy people, souvenirs and loads of things to see. We usually hang by the legendary basketball courts, which are re-nowned across the country for their high level of streetball; numerous NBA players developed their games or recruited on these courts. Right next to the courts lies the likewise legendary Muscle Beach Gym, where Arnold and oth-ers used to tone up their massive bodies in the sun. Also check out the skate pools which always draws a big crowd - there is some real talent there. There’s always loads of entertain-ment going on at Venice, and you won’t leave without an experience.

The beachfront district on the Westside of Los Angeles, is known for its canals, beaches and

circus-like Ocean Front Walk, a two-and-a-half mile pedestrian-only promenade that features performers, fortune-tellers, artists and ven-dors. Venice was home to some of Los Angeles’ early beat poets and artists and has served as an important cultural center of the city.

When in Venice take a stroll along the Venice Canals which when build intented to be a sea-side resort copied after its namesake in Italy.

Hotel Erwin (1697 Pacific Ave)If you plan to stay in Venice, then this is a true little hotel pearl on the beach with hip and modern guestrooms with eclectic art and cool kitschy features. If you want to get that real beach vibe atmosphere, we recommend that you book some nights at this hotel, and don’t cheat yourselves from visiting the open-air rooftop bar with outstanding views of Venice Beach.

Venice Boardwalk Hotel Erwin

beachVenice

MORE VEniceFew places in Los Angeles provide a more concentrated stretch of forward-thinking home design and gift stores than Abbot Kin-ney Blvd. Indie retailers set among restau-rants, bars and food trucks provide an enter-taining experience.

HIGHLIGHTSMilkmade (1413 Abbot Kinney)High-end boutique offering unique independ-ent brands & designers including our very own Norse Projects and Wood Wood.

Local 1205 (1205 Abbot Kinney)One part gourmet emporium, one part raw ve-gan mecca, this cafe has all you need to fuel up: locally sourced, cold-pressed juices and smoothies and amazing sandwiches.

The Tasting Kitchen (1633 Abbot Kinney)In the slightly more pricey end, this restaurants concept is based on a daily-changing, farmer’s market-driven menu. (Yes, that includes the drinks, too.)

The Sunny Spot (822 Washington Blvd)We love this place for it’s Jamaican pan-Car-ibbean menu and vibe. Here you’ll find sticky, crackling, double-fried jerk chicken and rum-glazed prawns and great cocktails to go with it.

3 Square Cafe + Bakery (1121 Abbot Kinney)This restaurant is a great option for breakfast, lunch or dinner on weekdays, and for brunch on weekends. We loved the tuna aioli burger!

For great mexican grub swing by Baja Can-tina, for So Cal’s best burger hit up In-N-Out (Animal Style!), and to hang out with the locals grab a coffee at The Cow’s End, before taking a stroll down the Venice Pier and catch the sunset.


Local 1205Abbot Kinney Blvd


3 Square Cafe The Tasting Kitchen

Milkmade

The Sunny Spot

Baja Cantina

In-N-Out


MonicaSanta


Santa Monica is another beachfront city in L.A. that you don’t wanna miss. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, Santa Monica is home to executives and Hollywood celebrities amongst others and it is a mixture of affluent, single-family neighborhoods, renters, surfers, young professionals, and students.

In downtown Santa Monica, take a stroll down the Third Street Promenade, which almost feels like an outdoor mall. It is considered a premier shopping and dining district on the Westside and draws peeps from all over Los Angeles. Besides the Third Street Promenade there is loads of good shopping opportunities in Santa Monica, like on the more hip Main Street that has a bit of the coolness you’ll find on Venice’s Abbot Kinney.

Don’t miss the chance to catch one of the great L.A. sunsets down on Ocean Ave. - overlook-ing the beautiful Santa Monica Pier. Definitely recommended!

HIGHLIGHTSMain StreetThe street is an eclectic collection of restau-rants, boutiques, cafes and various services stretching for about a mile. Nice place to walk with cheap public parking!

The Hundreds (416 Broadway)We’re not big The Hundreds fans, but their in-store design and branding in this flagship store is definitely worth some respect.

Santa Monica PierThe world-famous Pier offers a variety of en-tertainment. There is an amusement park; Aquarium, an old-fashioned soda fountain and a bunch of restaurants. It’s all very touristy but worth checking out. It’s also where the legend-ary Route 66 ends, so get a photo of the sign.

Other places to check out include the Monocle Shop and Fred Segal.

Sunset watching The Hundreds

Santa Monica PierMonica

Santa


beachManhattan


Manhattan Beach is definitely one of our fa-vorite chill-out spots in L.A. Here you will find great small and cosy beachfront restaurants, a fantastic beach view, local volleyball and surf talents and a nice chilled vibe!

We love to come here and hang-out in the sun at the end of the pier with a juice from Jamba Juice.

Manhattan Beach is an affluent beachfront city located in southwestern Los Angeles. The city is on the Pacific coast, south of El Segun-do, and north of Hermosa Beach. Manhattan Beach is the home of both beach and indoor volleyball, and surfing. During the winter, the waves can get as big as 4.5 meters. It is one of the three Beach Cities in the South Bay. In the past 15 years, it has become home to pro-fessional athletes such as Lisa Leslie, Maria Sharapova, Tiger Woods, Mike Richards and Blake Griffin.

HIGHLIGHTSSimmzy’s (229 Manhattan Beach Blvd)Killer local hangout. It seems like every time we go to this place it is the happening spot. Great beer selection, friendly staff, great Arti-san food, and fun atmosphere

Rock ‘n Fish (120 Manhattan Beach Blvd)Voted #1 “Best Dinner Menu” by the South Bay Beach Reporter readers. Great lively local dining spot, with premier seafood and steak.

Brewco (124 Manhattan Beach Blvd)More than 50 speciality beers on draught! Plus their buffalo wings are killer, and try the as-paragus fries - simply the best!

Uncle Bill’s Pancake House (1305 Highland Ave)The breakfast is famous and there are lines out the door. But the stuffed French Toast is worth the wait. Pancakes are awesome too!

Manhattan Beach Pier Simmzy’s

Rock ‘n Fishbeach

Manhattan

Supreme


FairfaxShopping


Fairfax Avenue is definitely one of our go-to places for cool vintage and streetwear shop-ping. Drive up the street and find a parking spot, and then walk down the Avenue and pop into the cool shops that you’ll find door to door all the way down.

Fairfax Avenue is a street in north central Los Angeles. It runs from La Cienega Boulevard (which separates the Westside from the central part of the city) with Culver City at its south-ern end to Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood on its northern end.

HIGHLIGHTSSupreme (439 North Fairfax Ave)The westcoast Supreme store is a popular hang-out spot for the local streetkids and it houses a very cool wooden skateboarding ramp/pool. The OFWGKTA crew are often spotted hang-ing out in front of the store.

Hall of Fame Ltd (449 North Fairfax Ave)Very cool selection of caps and hats.

Flight Club LA (503 North Fairfax Ave)A heaven for sneakerfreaks, although the stock isn’t as big as the New York City store and the prices are ridiculously high!

DOPE LA (454 North Fairfax Ave)DOPE carry their own brand, which is actually rather dope, as well as other hand-selected and limited edition pieces.

FourTwoFour (424 N. Fairfax Ave)A great little shop with loads of vintage gems, and cool jewelry - incl. Denmark’s very own Black Dakini.

The Grove (189 The Grove Drive)The Grove is off 3rd Street and Fairfax. It’s a huge outdoor retail and entertainment complex with loads of flagship stores, restaurants and a movie theater. Totally over the top. Totally American.

FourTwoFour Dope

Hall of FameFairfax

Shopping

Stussy


LA BREAShopping


South La Brea Avenue Another one of the go-to places for the latest streetwear and vin-tage coolness. We always make a stop here, but be aware of the parking rules, as we learned the hard way and got towed. Trust us, it’s not fun to come out a store after some good shopping, to find out that your car has been towed - so read the signs carefully ;)

La Brea Avenue is a prominent north/south thoroughfare with several museums and it is known for having many stores and eateries. It begins as a continuation of Hawthorne Boule-vard north of Century Boulevard all the way south in Inglewood.

HIGHLIGHTSUnion (110 S La Brea Ave)The once NYC based store - now only in L.A., features a tight selection of limited menswear. Here you will find everything from Visvim and Junya Watanabe to cool tees and sneakers.

Undefeated (112 1/2 S La Brea Ave)Next door you will find UNDFTD’s sneaker-store. You can find some great sneakers here, but the truly dope and rare pairs get snapped up pretty much immediately, so if you’re look-ing to score that ultra-rare pair, you better do your drop date homework.

Stussy (112 S La Brea Ave)Next door again you’ll find Stussy’s L.A. chap-ter, which carries well everything Stussy! ; ) Even if you’re not into Stussy, drop in and check out the KAWS mural

UnionUndefeated

LA BREAShopping

MORE LA BREAAnd Still (114 S. La Brea Ave)Two doors down (so convenient right), you’ll find the very cool And Still, who specializes in vintage deadstock sports apparel from the 80s and 90s., and they do it very well. A great stop for that special something you wont find any-where else!

Black Scale (128 S La Brea Ave)Black Scale is a dope, rather new brand on the streetwear scene, who have enjoyed a lot of success after ASAP Rocky and his ASAP Mobb started sporting the cloths in their vid-eos. Great shop and very friendly staff.

Jack’s Eyewear (120 S La Brea Ave)Fantastic shop for all your vintage eyewear fan-tasies. Jack’s got it all, but the prices are high, because he knows what they are worth! A lot of celebrities shop their vintage frames at Jack’s.

Self Edge (144 N. La Brea Ave)Go here for the best selvage denim including Real Japan Blues, Iron Heart and Strike Gold, as well as plaid shirts and jackets.

Hollywood Prop Rental (100 S. La Brea Ave)This store is like a museum of cool retro and vintage signs and props. Always worth a peep and if you can afford it and have room in your luggage, then get something for the casa!

American Rag (150 S. La Brea Ave)This warehouse-inspired La Brea boutique is stocked with duds for every occasion. There’s also a wide selection of well-curated vintage pieces.

For more vintage you could check out What Goes Aroung Comes Around. Another great shop is Feal Mor, which carry upscale mens-wear, and also beautiful surfboards and vintage bikes.



And Still

Hollywood Prop Rentals Self Edge

Black Scale


HOLLYWOODBeverly HillS &


No matter which area you choose to stay while visiting L.A., you will not get around taking a drive to visit Berverly Hills, Hollywood and West Hollywood. Here you will find all the places that you feel you already know so well from countless movies: the hills, huge man-sions, and all the touristy attractions you can handle!

We usually come here to visit and go out with friends, get drinks on Chateau Marmont or The Standard Hotel, or just bar crawl on Sunset Blvd.

Hollywood is a district in LA, situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema, even though today, much of the movie industry has dispersed into sur-rounding areas such as the Westside neighbor-hoods.

West Hollywood and the neighboring city of Beverly Hills are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles.

HIGHLIGHTSUrth Caffé (267 S. Beverly Drive + 8565 Melrose Ave)Urth Caffé is a wonderful place to grab lunch, and well known for their casual atmosphere, organic speciality coffees and high-quality health conscious meals. Urth Caffé also has lo-cations in Santa Monica and Downtown. Btw. always a great place to spot celebrities if you’re into that sought of thing! ;)

The Griddle Cafe (7916 Sunset Blvd)Insane breakfast spot if you want to try real american! As they like to call it; “over-sized originals”. That’s right everything is BIG! Try the pancakes and see if you can finish them!

Urth Caffé The Griddle Café

HOLLYWOODBeverly HillS &

MORE HollywoodPace (2100 Laurel Canyon Blvd)Absolutely amazing Italian restaurant with great service and a cosy vibe. Oh, and every-thing is organic. Be sure to try their Neptune’s pie pizza with Pace’s famous smoked salmon, chive creme fraiche, lemon juice and capers. Combine a visit here with a drive in the Hills, to one of the many great viewpoints.

Amoeba Music (6400 Sunset Blvd)Legendary music and movie shop on Sunset, that keeps vinyls, cd’s, dvd’s and so on alive! It seems like they have everything and if they don’t we’re sure they can get it! If your’e in any way a music or movie lover, you will be able to spend loads of time in Amoeba world!

Arclight Hollywood (6360 W Sunset Blvd)If you need to unwind after some long days or just want to catch the newest movie blockbust-er one night, then we recommend the Arclight

Hollywood on Sunset. Massive American style cinema with loads of viewings and it features the cool Cinerama Dome, where you can catch the latest flick on a 180 degree screen.

KOI (730 North La Cienega Blvd)Amazing Japanese fusion restaurant in West Hollywood. Great service and superb fishdish-es and sushi. Be sure to try out some sushi and/or the kobe beef.

The Little Door (8164 W 3rd Street)Another of our fav’s! Here you’ll discover a lit-tle hidden paradise, cosy atmosphere and a great display of rustic Mediterranean cuisine.

Opening Ceremony (451 N La Cienega Blv)The legendary NYC shop’s Los Angeles loca-tion is a former dance studio space of Holly-wood icon, Charlie Chaplin. It’s definitely also worth a visit when in L.A. Great brands.

You might also want to check out Universal Studios (Hollywood) just for the thrill of it!

Pace Amoeba Music



KOI

Opening Ceremony Arclight

The Little Door


LAKESilver


Silver Lake is mostly known as an ultra-trendy enclave of Los Angeles. You can’t find an artsier neighborhood, or one where so many self-proclaimed hipsters hang out. It’s edgy and has a history of counterculture. Check out the cafés and shops around Sunset, but also give yourself time to walk around the Silver Lake Resevoir.

HIGHLIGHTSIntelligentsia Coffee (3922 W. Sunset Blvd)This is hipster hangout numero uno in SL and with good reason. Intelligentsia’s internation-ally recognized baristas brews up some solid coffee made to order and craft spectacular es-presso drinks. We love it.

Cafe Stella (3932 W. Sunset Blvd)Hidden away off a courtyard, this French Bis-tro is a little bit of Paris tucked behind the red walls of historic Sunset Junction. We went

here with good friends and had a great time. The food is awesome and the staff friendly and good looking ;)

Undefeated (3827 W Sunset Blvd)The Silverlake store is bigger than the original La Brea location and has decent selection of sneakers as well as some apparel.

Mohawk Generel Store (4011 W Sunset Bl.)Fantastic curating of clothing and goods - a great selection without being too minimal or too gaudy. Brands carried within the retail store include A.P.C., Our Legacy, Engineered Garments, Woolrich Woolen Mills, Gitman Bros. Vintage, Tanner Goods, and Generic Man, amongst others.

When you’re out on the East Side make sure you also take the time to visit Los Feliz and Echo Park, these neighborhoods are great hidden gems that we didn’t manage to fit into our guide.

Intelligentsia Coffee Café Stella

Mohawk Generel Store


LAKESilver

Supreme


downtownLos Angeles


Downtown LA is definitely worth a drive and visit, with it’s recent renaissance Downtown has attracted a fair bit of attention. With nu-merous attractions and cultural sights — and plenty of new hotels — the area has trans-formed into a bona fide LA destination. In Downtown LA, there’s always something to do: museums and galleries to take in the arts; the Jewelry District for treasure hunters; LA’s fashion hub; Little Tokyo, Chinatown and Olvera Street representing LA’s renowned cultural diversity. If you are a sport fan like us, you can catch the court-pounding action of the Lakers or Clippers at STAPLES Center. Meanwhile, Dodger Stadium is just a short drive north for nine innings and Dodger dogs.

HIGHLIGHTSWalt Disney Concert Hall (111 S. Grand A.)Be sure to check out Frank Gehry’s master-piece - the brushed steel finished Walt Disney

Concert Hall. You should also go inside and listen to the LA Philharmonic, if you can get some tickets.

MOCA (250 S. Grand Ave)The Museum of Contempory Art. The mu-seum’s exhibits consist primarily of American and European contemporary art created after 1940. Also ran the Art in the Streets Exhibit.

The Standard (550 S. Flower St)We love The Rooftop Bar where the Down-town high-rises serve as a 360-degree backdrop to it’s tastefully quirky rooftop pool deck filled with bright, space-like plastic lounges and “pod” beds.

Staples Center (1111 S. Figueroa St)Home to the World Champion LA Lakers, LA Kings, LA Clippers and LA Sparks. Try and get tickets to any game, because it’s an experience no matter what! Also check their program for concerts when in town.

MOCA Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Standard Hotel


downtownLos Angeles

We like going to galleries and LA has a lot to offer on the art scene, with many exclusive ex-hibitions and events all year long.

Here’s some of our favourite galleries that we’ve enjoyed. Check the specific sites to see what they’ll be exhibiting currently.

HIGHLIGHTSKnown Gallery (knowngallery.com)Popularly known to have brought the street art scene back to Los Angeles. Great gallery to check out for what’s new in the street.

Project Arkitip Space(arkitip.com/project-space)This unique setting for exhibits and perfor-mances also retails various curated products, from art books to clothing, all rotating based on availability.

HVW8 (hvw8.com)Represents and facilitates the spirit and collab-oration between art, music and design. Always some really inspirational artists on show here.

THIS (thislosangeles.com)Not just for traditional gallery shows, but a venue for artists to speak about their work, to interact with their audience and facilitate a creative atmosphere

LACMA (lacma.org)Actually not a gallery but Los Angeles County Museum of Art has some very cool stuff on view like the Tim Burton exhibition last year.

LAB ART (labartgallery.com)LAB ART is the largest art gallery in the US dedicated to street art. Spanning 6,500 square feet of space.


Galleries

If you like finding vintage gems or fashion items then L.A. is a great city for flea markets. We like to go to these places just to hang out enjoy the sun, get grub from the food trucks, and to see and purchase some of the goods, an-tiques, arts, and new-merchandise.

HIGHLIGHTSRose Bowl (1001 Rose Bowl Dr)The big daddy of the bunch is a labyrinth of potential treasures, and one of the worlds larg-est flea markets. It happens on the second Sun-day of every month. The location at the leg-endary Rose Bowl stadium, surrounded by the mountains in Pasadena, is simply amazing and worth the trip alone.

The Melrose Trading Post (7850 Melrose Ave @ Fairfax)Held every Sunday and significantly more manageable in size than the Rose Bowl - plus it’s conveniently located in the middle of the city. A must for any vintage lover. It’s just $2 to get in, but as usual: Unless you arrive early, parking is notoriously difficult.

Pasadena City College (1570 E Colorado Blvd)Bargain-hunters, collectors and those seeking a Rose Bowl alternative never miss this market on the first Sunday of the month. There is no charge to get in which we like.

Other spots to check out: Santa Monica An-tique & Collectible Market, Long Beach Antique & Collectible Market, Santa Monica Art and Antique Fair, and Space 15 Twenty.


Galleries Flea Markets


recommended

Drives


“Los Angeles is a city dominated by cars and its rug-ged, moutainous geography, combined with many large and expensive homes, makes for some of the best drives in the USA.”

recommended

Drives

Hollywood Hills


ScenicDrives


Los Angeles is a city dominated by cars and its rugged, moutainous geography, combined with many large and expensive homes, makes for some of the best drives in the USA.

HIGHLIGHTSGriffith ObservatoryNestled high in the Hollywood hills, this is one of the finest views you’ll get of Los Angeles and of the famous Hollywood sign, and it’s very easy to get to. On a clear day you can even see the Pacific Ocean.

The Getty CenterThe Getty has multiple spectacular views of the Los Angeles area and you should have no trouble seeing all the way to the Pacific Ocean on most days. Plus, the museum itself is among the most beautiful public spaces in the city.

The Hollywood HillsTake the small road Miller Drive from Sunset Blvd, going up into the hills. At every turn, take the direction that goes up. You will see great sights: houses built on stilts on the side of the mountain, great views of LA. If you want more we also recommend a drive up Benedict Can-yon Dr. and the famous Mullholland Drive situated on top of the Hollywood Hills and goes for miles in either direction.

Coast Canyon RoadsLeave the city behind as you head up PCH to Malibu. There are many choice of canyon road to cut across on depending on yor time and driving comfort. Las Flores to Piuma is a very windy long canyon, with amazing views. The drive makes you feel like you are a million miles away from anywhere.

Griffith Obervatory The Getty Center

Hollywood Sign

ScenicDrives

SupremeBig Sur


DrivesGetaway


If you have a little more time on your hand then there is so many amazing places to go within just a few hours from downtown LA. So we strongly recommend taking a road trip and experience the staggering So Cal nature and sights.

HIGHLIGHTSPalm SpringsWe talked about how much we love Palm Springs before. This is such a great spot only 2 hours from LA. You can visit if you are just as happy, climbing canyons and sipping cocktails on a lounge chair, as taking in the design and architectural treasures. We love ACE Hotel but have also heard good things about Parker.

Big BearIt’s true what they say about LA, you can surf in the morning and ski in the evening! At Big Bear los angelenos hit the slopes in the winter,

and in the summer, the central lake provides for fishing, sailing, and watersports, while the nearby mountains and forest offer great hikes.

Big SurOne of our favourite getaways hugged by the Santa Lucia Mountains, with dramatically rocky slopes and stunning coastal vistas, this is a nature lover’s paradise. We reccomend stay-ing in a yurt at the Treebones Resort.

Las VegasWell no need to dive into details on this one. If you have time it’s a must do experience. You will be dazzled by Vegas, but the sheer number of things to see and do can seem overwhelm-ing. And a word of advice... watch your wallet.

San DiegoExperience everything the beach has to offer, from the urban scene of the Gaslamp Dis-trict to a myriad of theme parks and amazing resort spots. We highly enjoyed Mission Bay.

Palm Springs San Diego

Las VegasDrives

Getaway


Google mapsCréol Brothers Los Angeles MapsWe encourage you to visit our CB LA Google Maps where we’ve highlighted all the spots from this guide and then some! We’ll be updat-ing the guide with new locations to check out reguarly. So bookmark it and use it the next time you visit LA!

Visit the map here: bit.ly/CB-LAGUIDE


TheCRÉOL BROTHERS guide to LA

in collaboration with Ford Focuscreolbrothers.com

ford.dk

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Créol Brothers Guide to LA