see also
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Go:
Scruffy as it still appears,
Venice Beach is no longer
the seaside haven of
hipsters living in gentile
poverty. What artists
are left either bought a
long time ago or are
successful enough to live
next door to the kind of
movie stars who want to
live next door to artists.
These days Abbot Kinney
Boulevard is one of the
hottest streets in L.A.,
a parade of shops in
tarted-up cottages, and
starkly modern boutiques
with white walls and
cement floors, lit by
chandeliers or midcentury-
homage pendant
lights. On the first Friday
of each month, they all
stay open until 10 p.m.
and the street fills with
entertainment.
Stay:
Casa del Mar
An elegant private
beach club during the
1920s, Casa reopened in
1999, and was renovated
again earlier this year.
The new rooms (by the
original designer, Darrel
Schmitt) have fourposter
beds, blue walls,
and BainUltra baths
that keep the water hot
and have jets. The
restaurant reopened last
year as Catch, serving
seafood and sushi.
1910 Ocean Way ,
Santa Monica
Rates: $460–$560
800/898-6999
hotelcasadelmar.com
Shutters on
the Beach
Shutters, perennially
popular with movie folk,
actually is on the beach—
next door to its younger
sister, Casa. The exterior
design falls somewhere
between Cape Cod and
Craftsman, while rooms
are in crisp, Yankee-austere
style with white
shutters and wood floors.
The restaurant One Pico
just got a remodel, and
a straightforward new
menu emphasizes fresh
local produce and fish.
The pool deck also just
received a refurbishing,
which included the
addition of cabanas, a
full bar, and a restaurant.
One Pico ,
Santa Monica
Rates : $520–$825
800/334-9000
shuttersonthebeach.com
Viceroy Santa
Monica
Not on the beach, but
close enough so that
you can view it from the
upper floors, the 162-
room Viceroy still has
a scene around its pool,
where striped cabanas
are prime spots for
industry folks. Whist, the
restaurant, has consistently
good food, albeit
pricey. Decor, by design
star Kelly Wearstler, is
an update on Hollywood
Regency in mostly black
and white with accents
in muted green or blue.
1819 Ocean Ave .,
Santa Monica
Rates: $450–$550
800/670-6185
viceroysantamonica.com
Eat:
3 Square Cafe
+ Bakery
Well-respected restaurateur
Hans Röcken Wagner’s new bakery and
café serves breakfast,
lunch, and dinner,
from pastries to salads.
The burgers come on
pretzel rolls, or you
can choose schnitzel
with lingonberries and
cucumber salad.
1121 Abbot Kiney Blvd .
310/399-6504
Axe
It’s pronounced ah-SHAY,
and the emphasis is
on organic, local produce,
though not strictly
locavore. Service can
be lax, as the waiters
seem more concerned
with waiting for their real
careers to take off.
Brunchgoers swear by
the nine-grain pancake.
1009 Abbot Kiney Blvd .
310/664-9787
Joe ’s Restaurant
Long a foodie favorite,
chef Joe Miller offers a
rare-for-L.A. lack of
pretentiousness, not to
mention great service.
The Cali-French cuisine
just won a Michelin
star. The menu changes
according to market,
with dishes like New
Zealand red snapper
with potato scales, wild
rice, and crispy spinach.
Sunday brunch is a
highlight, and not to be
missed.
1203 Abbot Kiney Blvd .
310/399-5811
Primitivo Wine
Bistro
Tapas from cheeses
to calamari in lemon
aioli, paella (a 45-minute
wait), and a long wine
list with lots by the glass
(Spanish prioratos to
Opus One), have made
this place so popular it
can be hard to get into.
1025 Abbot Kiney Blvd .
310/396-5353
primitivowinebistro.com
Shop:
Altered Space
The furniture here is
art—functional whimsical
wood pieces halfway
between modern
and country-cottage
rustic. Pieces in glass
and ceramic also veer
toward art.
1221 Abbot Kinney Blvd .
310/452-8121
alteredspacegallery.com
Colcha
This homeware and
gift store recently moved
to a larger space with
more room for an offbeat
inventory, including
John Derian plates and
furniture made in San
Miguel de Allende.
1416 Abbot Kiney Blvd .
310/392-3600
colchahome.com
E-Cookie
Here are of-the-moment
clothes from the girlie
end of the spectrum
(Tibi, Rachel Pally,
Alice + Olivia) in a shop
owned by a former
fashion and accessories
editor. In the evening,
they break out the wine.
1639 Abbot Kinney Blvd .
310/392-2135
Equator Books
One of the coolest book
stores in L.A. stocks
rare and out-of-print
books that range from
first editions to fetishes.
They also carry vinyl.
1103 Abbot Kiney Blvd .
310/399-5544
equatorbooks.com
Firefly
This gift shop has everything
from coffee-table
books on design and
cooking to Burn candles
to women’s clothes—
mostly cotton tops—in an
open double storefront.
1409 Abbot Kiney Blvd .
310/450-6288
LFrank
The owner of LFrank
gallery, Liseanne Frankfurt,
finds inspiration
for her jewelry designs
in art, architecture, and
from cultures where
adornment is integral
to society. She also does
custom work for a long
list of celebs.
1116 Abbot Kiney Blvd .
310/398-6334
lfrankjewelry.com
Principesa
and Vamp
Principessa’s goods
(gauzy tops, jeans, straw
hats, canvas flats) attract
celebs, and the clerks
can be snooty. Vamp, the
accessible little sister
store next door, has great
frocks at $100 or less.
1323 Abbot Kinney Blvd .
310/450-6696
Salt
The most sophisticated
women’s clothing
shop on the boulevard
sells carefully edited
European separates. Five
years old, it pioneered
the now ubiquitous
cement-floor, white-wall
stark decor.
1138 1/2 Abbot Kiney Blvd.
310/452-1154
Strange
Invisible Perfumes
This attractive store
has a beautiful
collection of scents
and emollients. And
for $2,100, plus a
few months of interviews
and experiments,
they’ll make a scent
just for you.
1138 Abbot Kiney Blvd .
310/314-1505
siperfumes.com
Surfing
Cowboys
Headquarters for
Venice style: surf memorabilia
and Hawaiiana,
plus midcentury modern
furniture and a few
togs, mostly T-shirts.
1624 Abbot Kiney Blvd .
310/450-4891
surfingcowboys.com
Vert
Everything you need
to keep yourself
beautiful and chemical
free, with organic
house-cleaning items,
jewelry, and makeup—
even soy-based nail
polish remover.
1121 Abbot Kiney Blvd .
310/581-6126
vertlosangeles.com
"Compass: Venice Beach" originally appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of Culture+Travel. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Culture+Travel's Fall 2008 Table of Contents.
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