Dear Reader,
I hope you are staying cool during this extended heatwave and enjoying all the indoor things to do in L.A. I know I am.
When I started writing this issue, a theme came to the surface. Everything I was writing about--my subscriber tour, tiki culture, and restaurants coming back from the dead-felt like time travel.
Time Travel
Subscriber Tour of Chinatown
Join me for a guided walking tour of the three Chinatowns of Los Angeles’s past and present. On this tour you’ll go inside the last remaining building of the original Chinatown and leave with the stories to share with visiting family and friends. Bonus: Get some exercise before eating all that turkey and pie later in the month.
The Reading Los Angeles Book Club met yesterday to discuss Interior Chinatown and do the same tour I am giving above. If you want to know more about the book club, see this.
Your Things to Do, See, and Eat This Month
Your Thing To Do
Melrose Umbrella Company
- Now through the end of November
- WEHO
- (Prices range. See menu linked below)
If you want something a little spooky and a little tiki, you should hit the Black Lagoon pop-up at Melrose Umbrella Company this month. It’s a perfect spot to gather friends and sample Halloween-themed riffs on the classics-- both high-proof and spirit-free. If you are a fan of The Educated Barfly, you will see a familiar and friendly face.
Yes, I know it is hot with the influencers right now, but I think it's worth it. Costumes are optional, but encouraged. The glassware is worthy of your tiki bar collection.
Your Thing To See
Paul R. Williams: An Architect Considered
Architect Paul R. Williams is having a moment in Los Angeles, and I am here for it. More people need to know about him.
He was the first Black architect licensed in the western US and left an indelible mark on Los Angeles, designing The Beverly Hills Hotel, the First AME Church, and buildings on the UCLA campus, to name a few of the 3,000 buildings he had a hand in.
Right now, you can see an exhibition at the Fischer Museum (USC) that focuses on his multi-family housing--perfect for the Urban Planners on this list. This is the first of three exhibitions focusing on his work. On November 15th, LACMA opens Paul R. Williams: Architect For Living. In December, the Getty will also have a concurrent exhibition on constructing architecture for Black communities.
Note: This will be one of the last exhibitions at the Getty before it closes in March for major renovations. It should reopen before the Olympics.
Your Thing to Eat
With restaurants really struggling right now, I thought I would share some food news that piqued my interest this month and fit the theme of time travel.
- My go-to for family visits to Los Angeles, Birdie G's, is reopening on October 26th in the Fairmont Century City almost a year after it closed.
- Chef Katrina Hong of Yangban, now closed, has revamped the food menu at Verve Coffee Roasters. Yes, the shrimp toast is on the menu. (Scroll to the Our Kitchen section.)
- For those of you who feel the nostalgia of the Crunchwrap Supreme, I recommend Night + Market's version.
Did you know that I can design your trip to Los Angeles or anywhere in the world?
Whether it be escaping Los Angeles for Valentine’s Day because of the Super Bowl crowd, finally knocking Palm Springs Modernism Week off your bucket list (February 2027), or going on a cool cation to Scotland, I would love to work with you.
Respond to this email with where you want to go, and I can set up a time to chat.
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Thanks for reading to the end!
Kristen Fung
Chief Everything Office/L.A. Guide/Travel Advisor
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