Mr. C Beverly Hills

I'm not ashamed to admit it. I love Beverly Hills.

Perhaps it was those regular childhood brunches with my grandparents at Nate & Al's that carved out a soft spot in my heart for the neighborhood. Or maybe it's just that BH's 'Golden Triangle' is undeniably beautiful.

When I used to work in Beverly Hills, I'd occasionally have a pre-work dental appointment a few blocks away and would take an early weekday stroll through the neighborhood. Before all the Russian tourists, SUVs, and weird botox ladies show up, I'd get a clear glimpse of why Beverly Hills is famous around the world. At 7:30am the valets are reporting to work in perfectly ironed uniforms, crisp white table clothes are being placed on sidewalk tables, and old men in linen suits are sipping espresso. It's not famous just because it's fancy. It's famous because it's legitimately glamorous in a one-of-a-kind California way. (And there are diagonal crosswalks, so how can you hate on that?)

This is why I'm really excited about the recently opened Mr. C Beverly Hills. The design is exactly what a Beverly Hills hotel should be. Crisp, clean, and sophisticated with shout-outs to old Hollywood glamor that seem more like a nod to tradition than kitsch. Never mind that it's not technically in 'The Golden Triangle.' The hotel is owned and run by the Cipriani family, made famous by the iconic Harry's Bar on Piazza San Marco in Venice. That means lots of delicious pasta and Italian cocktails to boot.

Who's in for a bellini at the pool right now?

Silver Lake Home for Vacation Rental

I just found this sweet vacation home rental in the hills of Silver Lake on the airbnb.com site. It feels weird that I want to rent out a house that's .3 miles from my own.

I can't get the photos on my own page but, seriously, go look at it. It's so stylish and Silver Lake-y!

Kayaking the L.A. River

Photo from GeoCraig

The transformation of the L.A. River from a scary cement wasteland into a body of water with wildlife and vegetation is very exciting.

Luckily for me, some of the most extensive changes have happened right here in the Los Feliz portion of the river.

KCET, our local public television station's website says, "Whether commuting to work on the river bike paths, fly fishing in the Glendale Narrows, enjoying a peaceful walk along the historic bridges, or even kayaking down the navigable waterbed, here, the Los Angeles River plays an integral role for outdoor activities.

What's that you said? KAYAKING?

Photos from Amazing Earth's

Yep. With the help of these two guys, Dave Lumian and George Wolfe, and a whole bunch of other committed Angelenos, the river is now considered by the EPA a navigable waterway.

Starting in July, you can sign up for a guided kayak tour of the LA River.

Seems like the perfect antidote for a tourist strung out on It's a Small World and Third Street Promenade performers.

The Competition

As I've mentioned before, there is a startling lack of hotel options in my neighborhood. Today I would like to take the opportunity to make that very clear by presenting your current hotel choices.

First, as all good researchers must do, I'll define some terms.

My Neighborhood - I'm referring to the glorious chunk of Los Angeles that is east of Vermont Ave., north of Sunset Blvd. (with some exceptions like Echo Lake), west of Dodger Stadium and south of Riverside Dr. Many will call this Los Feliz, Silver Lake and Echo Park although my borders don't include the entirety of those neighborhoods.

Hotel - Hotels, motels and guest houses.

1. Olive Motel

Photo: Yelp

This place looks awesome in a sad, Midnight Train to Georgia sort of way. The location is ideal, right in the middle of Sunset Junction, but the Olive Motel concerns me. It costs $49 a night, which I guess is an attribute, but you can't make reservations . My favorite quote from a Yelp review is, "I found a friggin crack pipe under the bed that apparently was not cleaned up from the person before."

2. Comfort Inn

Photo: Comfort Inn

I'm sure this hotel is fine. It's like the Sizzler of hotels. It's the kind of place that is perfect when you're in town for week to move your old grandmother out of her house and into a nursing home. Not really a vacation destination, but it probably does the job. The best part is that it's only a block away from the iconic rotating Happy/Sad foot.

3. Super 8 Motel

Photo: Super 8 Motel

This Echo Park motel is extremely close to Dodger Stadium. This is why people stay there. It gets 2.5 stars on Yelp with various different complaints of ants, cigarette stains on sheets, urine smell, etc.

4. Baxter 5

Photo: Baxter 5

This is a series of guest houses and apartments in Echo Park. The website features some appealing photos but go read the reviews on Yelp. Actually, why don't I just give you a taste:

"First, my room was not ready until 8:00 pm, Later I found a large dark hair ball on the whitish bedspread, wrinkled faded black sheets with a hard, thin mattress, and both pillow covers with large stains. Closets were stuffed haphazardly with boxes, bags and god-knows what. The entire room smelled sickly sweet like they were trying to get rid of an even worse smell. "

And now for the real competition...

5. Los Feliz Lodge

Photo: Los Feliz Lodge

When I've asked people where their friends and family come to stay in my neighborhood, this is the place they mention. Four really cute bungalows in Los Feliz for short or long term rental with nice design sense and reasonable prices. I would definitely stay here.

6. El Tres Inn

Photo: Apartment Therapy

This small inn, featuring 3 suites (as in, El Tres), is above El Chavo Restaurant in Sunset Junction. The people who've stayed there love it and it looks pretty cool with it's kitschy Mexican vibe. It's the only real boutique inn in the hood and if I had a hotel, it would be friends with El Tres. More photos on Apartment Therapy.

The End.

In summation, your options for hotels in my neighborhood are as follows: 2 extremely shady motels where you may or may not contract Hepatitis C, 1 mediocre Comfort Inn, a series of frightening guest houses, and a grand total of 7 suites/bungalows worth spending your money on. Yep, that's it. 7.

Did you know that my neighborhood has more restaurants and boutiques than most mid-size cities in America? I'm just saying. Maybe it's time for a proper hotel, guys.

Oh no, looks like someone is beating me to the punch. Damn it!

Travel + Leisure: Best New Hotels 2011 - Worst Of

A few days ago I gave my top picks of Travel + Leisure's "It List: The Best of New Hotels 2011."

Today I'll feature the hotels that are on the bottom of my list.


1. The Redbury Hotel, Hollywood

Sam Nazarian, can you just go home already? I promise I don't mean that in some creepy, xenophobic way. I mean it literally. Just go to your house, sit on the couch, watch all 5 seasons of The Wire, and stop designing cheesy hotels that make me embarrassed for my city.

Everything I hate about over designing is embodied here. This looks like the deformed love child of Amelie and 2007 Pier 1 Imports. Don't get me wrong. I love Amelie, and ethnic prints, but this was done so poorly. Ikat chairs and paisley wallpaper? Dude, come on.

Photos: Redbury Hotel

2. Hotel Beaux Arts Miami

Dear 1997, please come reclaim your Miami design hotel.

I do not understand how this hotel made the list. Is that an image of Christy Turlington in the lobby? (Okay, I know it's not, but this hotel is just not avante garde enough for an early 90's Peter Lindbergh homage.)

And then the room looks like a random airport-adjacent hotel room in any city in any country. I actually think I stayed in that exact room in Abu Dhabi, or maybe it was Toronto...

Photos: Beaux Arts Hotel Miami

Now what have I taken away from this?

First, not all layering is equal. Two extremely busy styles placed on top of each other, like with The Redbury, often don't work. There are obvious exceptions, but this is why many successful examples of layering feature one simple inspiration with clean lines, like Rustic Farmhouse or Contemporary Japanese, paired with another more ornate or bold style like French Colonial or 1960's Mod. Ornate plus ornate just makes me seasick.

The real problem with the Miami hotel is not that it's decidedly uncool, which it is, but that I don't see anything distinct about it. There is little connection to place, which is my number one criterion in determining an interesting new hotel.

Jared, my beyonce, thinks it would be a nice place to stay. In a way, I agree. I bet the service is great and the bed very comfortable. It's just that this hotel, especially the room, could be anywhere. When I go somewhere different, I want to stay somewhere that feels like I'm there. (Yes, I'm a broken record.) And I really believe there is a way to offer all the great amenities of an urban business hotel - attentive service, useful electronics, intuitive layout, delicious room service, comfortable bed and shower - without compromising a strong sense of place.

Itinerary #1

This marks the first in a series that will present an itinerary of a perfect vacation day in my neighborhood. This is for a Saturday.

8:00am - Begin the day with a hike in Griffith Park. Starting at the top of Commonwealth in Los Feliz, follow this sometimes strenuous hike to Dante's View, a terraced two-acre garden planted by Dante Orgolini in the 1960s. The Mt. Hollywood peak provides unparalleled views of Los Angeles, Burbank, and the San Fernando Valley. And on a good day, you can see the ocean. As you scale down the hill, say hello to the neighborhood's most memorable landmark, The Griffith Observatory.

10:00am - In all your sweaty mess head over to the Silver Lake Farmer's Market. Pick up a delicious maple bacon scone from the Village Bakery stall, a piece of seasonal fruit, coffee from the Cafecito Organico stall, and sit back and relax while hipster toddlers rock out to the drum circle.


12:30pm - After a shower, enjoy a proper meal at LA Mill. This restaurant/cafe has delicious food and an impressive coffee and tea list. While it does fall on the fancier side of brunch/lunch, the comfortable chairs and perfect lighting beg you to spend hours there reading or chatting. So if you're there for 2 hours, divide the money you've spent by the number of minutes and it will end up seeming like a deal. (Math equations from a money squanderer.) Also, their virgin "mohito" is ridiculously tasty.

Photo credit: Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times

2:00pm - Do some shopping/browsing at the boutiques around LA Mill on Silverlake Blvd. Hit up Lake, Studio 1617, Lawson-Fenning East and Yolk.

Photo credit: Lake Boutique

3:30pm - Get a Thai massage at The Raven Spa. This place is about 40 bucks more than your standard Los Angeles Thai massage joint but you're paying for ambiance and it's pretty special. (That said, if you want a cheap Thai massage instead, go to The Barai Spa on Hyperion.)

5:00pm - Take a nap. After that serious hike and massage you're going to be destroyed.

7:00pm - Get a pre-dinner cocktail at Big Bar at Alcove on Hillhurst. This tiny space is built into the converted cottage that is Alcove Restaurant. You can sip away inside this cute bar or take advantage of outdoor drinking in their huge patio.

Photo courtesy of Big Bar

8:30 - Walk up Hillhurst a few blocks to dinner at Little Dom's. This hip Italian joint that feels old school even though it's not. I've seen John Hamm there more than once. Also, the food tends to hit the spot.

Photos by Alen Lin

11pm - By now you're full, liquored, and tired from a full day. Go crawl into bed and watch Saturday Night Live.

Layering

Have I told you lately how much I love Emily Henderson? Thanks to a little tip off from my sister who watched last season's Design Star on HGTV (this is also significant news because Jennifer hasn't watched television regularly since Eight is Enough), I have been following Secrets from a Stylist, Emily's design show, religiously.

While her design aesthetic is great, what I have enjoyed most about the show is her ability to label design styles in creative and straightforward ways. (As in, 70's Palm Springs meets Easy Rider Chic.) I like labels. They allow me to classify and control things in my scattered brain. I want to be her labeling intern.

In my lifelong search to figure out my design style, I have often felt confused. I've always loved Spanish revival (I've been obsessed with the California missions since my 4th grade trip/lasagna pasta model recreation).



And Mid-Century modern feels so nice and clean.



Oh, and obviously something Middle Eastern, as I need elements that reflect my lifetime spent between California and Arabia.





And what about all that inspiration from the American Southwest and Mexico from the 1970s that also sometimes looks like cool African and Central Asian stuff?

(Photo credit: Amy Neunsinger)

I can't leave out the work that contemporary Los Angeles artists and designers are creating today, can I? But if you put all of that in one place, wouldn't it look disgusting?

But wait. What's that you just said, Em? Something about layering?

In my 12 week TV course I have learned that if you decide to be true to a single era or style, it looks like your house is themed and not a reflection of a real human being. Instead, focus on a number of styles and layer them on top of each other. Architecture could be one style, furniture a mix of others, and accessories, textiles and art another mix. I know what I'm saying is probably Interior Design 101, but it's been a revelation to me. Seriously, it feels liberating.

When looking at hotel design, I think that even more than with homes, there is a gross tendency to lean toward themed rather than layered. Why is the Colony Palms Hotel in Palm Springs more stylish than the Figueroa Hotel in downtown LA? Because the Colony is layered with Moroccan elements and the Hotel Fig is a Moroccan Disneyland. (Sorry Fig! I love your patio but that burlap bed really brought things into focus.)

Photo: www.tripadvisor.com

Photo: www.concierge.com

My dream Silverlake hotel would certainly focus on layering my favorite Los Angeles design elements to arrive at something distinctly local.

Emily can you please tell me what I should call 1920s Los Angeles mixed with 1950s California Modernism mixed with 1970s World Desert?

Thanks!

A Los Angeles Hotel

In a conversation with an old friend a few weeks ago, he nonchalantly told me he was opening a hotel in Greece. From some strange dark place inside of me, a pool of Veruca Salt-style jealousy started to bubble up. But I want to open a hotel in Greece!

I actually don't want to open a hotel in Greece, but it was too late, the idea of opening a hotel was planted in my brain. In the subsequent weeks, I have become obsessed with this fantasy. I should open a hotel in Los Angeles. It would be a perfect mix of all my favorite things. And, after doing about 30 seconds of internet research, it became clear that there is actually a serious void in Los Angeles' hotel landscape.

I live in arguably one of the most beautiful and interesting parts of L.A., on the border of the Los Feliz and Silverlake neighborhoods. (If you live at the beach, then just shut up.) Rolling hills, lush landscaping, diverse historic architecture, Griffith Park, Silverlake Reservoir, battling street music fairs and farmer's markets, hip cafes, restaurants and boutiques on Vermont, Hillhurst, Rowena, Sunset Junction and Silverlake Blvd; not to mention a population of artists, organic farmers, and movie stars.

Doesn't this sound like a place you'd like to visit? Well, good luck. Unless you've got a couch to crash on, you're gonna have to stay in Hellywood.

That is, until I open my hotelito.

Therefore, I am starting this blog for a number of reasons.

1. I waste way too much time in my life looking at travel, design, cooking and Los Angeles blogs and magazines. I'm tired of being solely an observer and want to be part of the conversation. And maybe if I classify my internet surfing/magazine consumption as 'seeking inspiration for my future boutique hotel' it will stop feeling like procrastination.

2. There's an urban myth out there that if you use your blog to focus on a specific product, marketing professionals will give you free stuff. If someone wants to offer me free hotel rooms I will not say no.

3. When I reach 1000 blog entries, a billionaire investor will knock on my door and give me all the financing I need to make this dream a reality. (My new thing is meta-cosmic projecting. Who needs professional experience in hotel management, interior design, real estate, or marketing when you can post pretty pictures on the internet! I mean, haven't you seen Field of Dreams?)