How to Make the Most of Your Business Trip to LA
You’re unlikely to have much ‘me’ time during a business trip to LA, but with our pick of the quintessential Angeleno hotspots – all within a heel’s click of The Peninsula – you’ll be able to max out that precious downtime in between meetings.
There are few things more LA than rising with the lark and getting a head start on the traffic with a bracing dawn hike through Griffith Park. This vast, mostly untamed green lung is home to a multitude of trails: we especially love trekking up to its eponymous Observatory for epic citywide views, then skipping back down via pitstop The Trails for an avo-laden brekkie. Failing that, celeb-safari Runyon Canyon also offers early-morning glute-busting thrills.
With six branches across town, you’re never too far from a caffeine hit at vibey suit-free hangout Coffee Commissary – the West Hollywood and Culver City outlets are within easiest reach of your abode at The Peninsula. The polished plate-glass WeHo boîte rocks a tight menu of joes-to-go, from Cubanos to cold brews, plus a patio scene of artists, intellectuals and hipsters.
If you’re in need of a quick refresh, our next stop is but a 5-min cab-whirl from the hotel. Like the culinary equivalent of Arnie, Austro-born Wolfgang Puck has left his mark all over California, but none quite so scene-stealing as his flagship Spago. LA’s primo power-luncher is a picture of cool contempo elegance, with a mod Asian-inflected menu to match, plus a 7,000 bottle-cellar, bustling open kitchen, and a loungey patio packed with the who’s who year-round. Book ahead!
Long gone are the days when Tinseltown was a high-culture hinterland, with recent developments including The Broad, the new MoCA, and Renzo Piano’s hotly anticipated film museum (unveiling in 2019), but we always have, and always will love LACMA. If you can spare a couple of hours, this sprawling seven-building complex, with its global, contemporary art collection, is well worth a gander. Finish with tipples at onsite Ray’s and Stark Bar.
A trip to LA wouldn’t be complete without a Rat Pack-style blowout meal. Kitschy trattoria Italiana Dan Tana's is the real deal with its character-packed decor, rouge-hued banquettes, check-cloth tables and fun, familiar atmosphere. This WeHo institution has been filling glasses with Chianti and doling out bowls of spaghetti since 1964. Va bene!
Griffith Park / Crystal Springs Dr / +1 323 644 2050 / 5am-10.30pm daily / laparks.org
Coffee Commissary / 801 N Fairfax Ave / West Hollywood / +1 323 782 1465 / 7am-8pm daily / coffeecommissary.com
Spago / 176 N Canon Dr / Beverly Hills / +1 310 385 0880 / lunch Tue-Sat, dinner daily / wolfgangpuck.com
LACMA / 5905 Wilshire Blvd / Mid-Wilshire / +1 323 857 6000 / 11am-5pm Mon-Tue & Thu, 11am-8pm Fri, 10am-7pm Sat-Sun / lacma.org
Dan Tana's / 9071 Santa Monica Blvd / West Hollywood / +1 310 275 9444 / dinner daily / dantanasrestaurant.com