September 15-16, 2021
We continued to explore West Hollywood and neighboring Fairfax and La Brea on another sparkling day. Here in Southern California, where water is a precious commodity, many of the local residents have transformed their front lawns into desert gardens.
Another reasonably common option is very realistic fake grass, although this perhaps is not the best example.
This tree was spreading its roots far and wide in search of water.
We have come across relatively few deco buildings and houses. This is a rare example.
This guy was doing his best to check out the world outside his yard.
In neighborhoods where every second car appears to be a Tesla, it was surprising to come across this classic gas guzzling muscle car.
Speaking of cars, we have noticed that some residents appear to have chosen their vehicles to match their homes.
Walking along Melrose we passed by the Paul Smith clothing store. Its shocking pink wall has become a favorite instagram selfie spot. So we jumped on the bandwagon.
Los Angeles is indeed a city of colorful walls.
We stopped for lunch at The Original Farmers Market in La Brea. First opened in 1934, it isn’t so much a farmers market as an area of food stalls, sit-down eateries and prepared food manufacturers. It’s also a big tourist attraction.
Near to the market is another iconic LA food establishment. Canters is perhaps LA’s most famous deli. Opened in 1931, it is the perfect place to satisfy your hankering for lox and bagels or matzoh ball soup.
Further up Fairfax Avenue, we passed a number of streetwear retailers. If you ever need evidence of the influence of marketing, go no further than the streetwear world, where two otherwise identical oversize t-shirts can differ in price by a hundred dollars just because of the brand name on them. Case in point, there was a line outside one store. Meanwhile, its neighbors, that as far as we could tell sold pretty much identical clothing, were empty. It struck us that the streetwear industry can only thrive in the modern world, where influencers can spread the name of a favorite brand to millions of followers in real time through instagram, youtube or TikTok. In the past, that kind of reach could only have happened through expensive advertising.
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We liked this quirky store that appeared to be devoted almost entirely to cat lovers.
Mal and Lauren 