Eat

• “American”
  • Carney’s- Chili dogs and fat burgers. American fair/carnival food, housed in a train car! Personal favorite is the chocolate-covered banana.
  • Paradise Cove- Lovely Malibu beach area with buffet and good seafood.
  • Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles- LA’s staple for southern soul food. Hearty!
  • The Counter Burger- Custom built burgers. Unique options. Very popular among burger lovers.
• Chinese
  • Kung Pao Bistro- Best Chinese food I’ve ever had. Personal favorites are Vegan Orange Chicken and Vegan Kung Pao Chicken. Also have an extensive, popular and flavorful non-vegan menu.  
• Deli
  • Canter’s- Authentic, yummy, and trendy LA Jew food experience. Personal favorites are that Matzo Ball Soup (of course!) and Dr. Browns Cel-Ray Tonic. 
• FroYo
  • Menchie’s- Great frozen yogurt flavors and toppings. Easy to mix and sample. Non-dairy options. Pay by the weight.
• Italian
  • Buca de Beppo- Yummy, hearty, family style food. Lazy Susan in middle of the tables to pass food around. BIG portions.
  • Gio Cucina- Not too fancy. They even make their own pasta (including whole wheat), and offer cooking classes. Personal favorites are the olive tapenade and Fettuccine De Grano.  
  • Pizza Rev- Casual. Build and bake your own custom pizza, on the spot, with TONS of options on toppings and sauces. They even offer vegan cheese!
• Mediterranean
  • Carousel- Large portions of delicious and authentic Middle Eastern food. Belly dancers perform on the weekends.
  • Pita Kitchen- Hole in the wall location. Yummy and authentic Middle Eastern dishes.
• MexiCAN
  • Los Toros- Huge place with two bars. Very popular for large parties. Good, relatively authentic Mexican food.
  • Sagebrush Cantina- Decent food. Great outdoor ambiance. Also have large bar with live music.
  • Sharky’s- Yummy burritos and a top-notch SALSA BAR!
• Salads
  • California Chicken Café (CCC)- Lots of great salad and wrap options. Chinese Chicken Salad is wonderful!
• Sushi/Japanese
  • Katana- Ambiance is almost as delicious as the food. Personal favorite is their Hanabi.
  • Tokyo Delve’s- This place is the Moulin Rouge of Japanese restaurants. Wild, fun and theatrical. Great for celebrations. I think the food was good, but dancing on top of chairs is a more vivid memory after all those sake bombs.
• Thai
  • Rincome Restaurant- Best Pad Thai I’ve ever had.  
  • Vegan Thai- See Vegan
• Vegan / Organic / California Fresh / “Hippy Food” places
  • Follow Your Heart- Café inside of a vegan health food market. Yummy, hearty and familiar vegan options. Personal favorite is their Mac-n-Cheese and Chocolate Raspberry Cake.
  • Kung Pao Bistro- See Chinese
  • Lemonade- Unique fresh and healthy food. Easy to sample a variety of items. Interesting and tasty lemonade flavors. Great for lunch. Also serve meat dishes. Personal favorite is their Cucumber Mint Lemonade.  
  • Mendocino Farms- Fresh and healthy food with some tasty vegan options. Also serve good quality meat items.
  • No Udder- Vegan bakery. I swear this woman bakes extra love and magic into each item. Cakes are nice and moist. Flavor is top-notch, even compared to non-vegan baking.  
  • Vegan Joint- Casual. Amazing, healthy and filling vegan meals. Great Asian-inspired dishes. Personal favorites are their breakfast burritos and VJ Fruit Smoothie. Woodland Hills Location is right next to No Udder Bakery! 
  • Vegan Thai- Amazing and flavorful Thai food in Santa Monica. Very casual. 

Pray

• Nature / Hiking-
  • Fryman Canyon- Hiking trail with great views and nature. Offers a nice courtyard sanctuary that is maintained by the “TreePeople”.
  • Malibu Creek State Park- Beautiful nature to hike around in. No dogs allowed.
  • Runyon Canyon- Popular hiking trail with great views and nature.
• Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens- Historical home in the middle of LA. Houses a beautiful labyrinth and garden area. Video and photo on the location. 
• Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF)-  Non-denominational spiritual community. Weekly services. Lake Shrine and Mother Center locations offer beautiful gardens that are free to the public for relaxing and meditating. Some of Gandhi’s ashes are even housed at the Lake Shrine location. Lake Shrine offers silent retreats. Founded by the author of “Autobiography of A Yogi”, Paramahansa Yogananda. Lake Shrine is my favorite location in all of LA County. Very peaceful and spiritual. Video on the location.

Play

• Borderline- Large and fun country line-dancing bar.
• Hollywood Bowl- Fabulous outdoor concert venue.
• La Descarga- Havana themed, speakeasy style bar with performers and dancing.
• LA Live- Popular plaza during sporting and concert events. Built around Staples Center. Lots of good bars and restaurants.  
• Nightclubs- There are a ton of fun day clubs and night clubs in Hollywood, but what is popular is changes frequently. If this is your scene, then I recommend making friends with a couple of local promoters. My personal favorite is Mr. Zaki Dean: [email protected]. Karma International is also an organization, headquartered in LA, that hosts extravagant and fun club-style parties.
• Psychic Eye- Fun little metaphysical shop. Jen Thompson comes highly recommended.  
• Roosevelt Hotel- Old and supposedly haunted hotel in the middle of Hollywood. Fun place to explore and get lost. Even houses a secret speakeasy style bowling alley.
• Seven Grand- If you are into Whiskey, then you will love this place.
• Tokyo Delve’s- See Japanese food section  
• Universal City Walk- Part of Universal Studios. Offers a lot of fun bars and restaurants. Personal favorite is Howl At The Moon, a dueling piano bar.  

Love

• Getty Center- Museum with beautiful grounds, garden and views of LA. Usually have interesting exhibits.
• Getty Villa- Another Getty Museum location with surreal grounds, centered largely around ancient Greek and Roman culture.
• Griffith Observatory- Beautiful observatory with a museum and lots of info on space and science.
• The Grove- Outdoor bazaar with great restaurants, its own farmer’s market, trolley rides and a huge American Girl store. Decorated wonderfully during the holidays.  
• Huntington Library and Gardens- Some of the most extensive and beautifully themed gardens I have ever explored. Large place, with a lot to see. I recommend taking the whole day to enjoy it.
• La Brea Tar Pits- Tar pit in the middle of Los Angeles that is constantly generating prehistoric fossils. Unusually impressive place to explore. Check out the pics and video I did on the main "Adventures" page.  
• Peterson Auto Museum- Super interesting and unique cars. Many of them have been in movies. Home of an original Batmobile. Many of Jay Leno’s cars are stored here.
• Tongva Park- Best playground in LA, especially after dark. Right across from the beach, in the heart of Santa Monica. Well-lit. Fun and safe place to explore.
• Topanga Canyon- Canyon road that connects the 101 and PCH. Beautiful drive. Great views. Fun and whimsical places to stop.