Insider Guide: Hollywood, California
A pair of hoteliers share where they like to go to eat, drink, shop, and of course, sleep in Hollywood.
Adam Latham
Sunset’s Insider Guide series highlights seasonal diversions and secret travel tips from local experts. Follow along as we learn where to eat, drink, stay, and shop.
Meet the insiders: Avi Brosh and Kirsten Leigh Pratt, the duo behind Palisociety
Photo by Natasha Lee
Sure, Hollywood has a tourist-laden reputation, but look close and you’ll find “incredibly cool things to do while in the neighborhood, with new additions popping up all the time,” say Avi Brosh and Kirsten Leigh Pratt, the duo behind Palisociety hospitality group. The pair’s brand strikes a perfect balance between casual and elegant that fits right into Southern California. They have properties all over the West, and are starting to make forays eastward, but their latest hotel is a Hollywood location that is a “fun, contemporary reimagination of a 1980s motor lodge.” Here are more of their favorites.
STAY:
Courtesy of Palisociety
Palihotel Hollywood debuts at the end of this year. “Come for light, bright interiors adorned with vintage and custom furnishings and a heavy dose of style,” plus a sun-soaked pool and Benny’s on the Blvd., a “neighborhood poolside bar.”
EAT:
Eric Wolfinger Photography
“Run, don’t walk, to chef Evan Funke’s Mother Wolf!” the duo says. “The menu pays homage to the culinary heritage of la cucina romana, and the space feels worthy of getting dressed up, which is lovely in a town that is becoming more and more casual.” Horses is “a Californian restaurant and drinkery with a nod to the European bistro. Vibes are local (in an L.A. kind of way). Food is stellar.” You “couldn’t find a more Hollywood place to belly up to the bar” than The Musso & Frank Grill. “Serving since 1919, its worn red leather booths and the original mahogany bar are steeped in Hollywood history,” the duo says. “Have a famous Musso martini … or three.”
DO:
Grant Thomas for Unsplash
Pop into the tucked-away Kohn Gallery for “rotating exhibits or installations du jour. They always have something worth seeing and the space is a simple backdrop that feels like the perfect antidote to Hollywood’s often frenetic energy.” Take in a show at the Hollywood Bowl and spend “an evening under the stars at this world-famous amphitheater, with a picnic and a bottle of wine in tow.” But “are you really in L.A. if it doesn’t involve a hike?” Runyon Canyon has “some of the best views in town.”
SHOP:
Courtesy of Larry Edmunds Bookshop
“We love to shop the Hollywood Farmers’ Market, where the endless offering of gorgeous, organic products and street food brings a special, community vibe.” Larry Edmunds Bookshop is a “one-of-a- kind Hollywood gem focused on film and theater books, posters, keepsakes, and more. Allow time for browsing.”
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