The Spoonful Travels: Venice, CA

As a little escape from the craziness and frigidness that is NYC in the winter, I popped over to Venice, CA with my friend, Eda, last weekend. Consequently, I'm now utterly and completely obsessed with the Los Angeles area and the west coast in general. We went without too many plans and instead asked the locals for suggestions, and I had such a fabulous time that I thought I should put together a travel guide!

No. 1: Stay in an AirBnB. Ours was one block from the oceanfront--a terrific 2-bedroom with living area and full kitchen at a surprisingly reasonable rate--which made us feel like locals instead of tourists. And the furnishings were darling, in my book:

No. 2: Eat at Gjusta Bakery. Everyone we talked to recommended this place. It rocks and we went every day. Order the rotisserie chicken (thanks Marjorie for that suggestion!), a few salads to share, and the avocado chocolate mousse. Their outdoor seating is quintessentially beachy/LA and feels very local. Great spot to chat up the locals for suggestions, too.

No. 3: Shop on Abbot Kinney. Eda and I stayed in Heist for an entire hour--or more?!--having the best time trying on the most gorgeous clothes. Salt and Aust are also winners for fabulous clothes. Tortoise, a Japanese home goods store, is a terrific stop for the chic-est storage containers, desk supplies, kitchen accessories, etc.

No. 4: Go for drinks at Tasting Kitchen and dinner at Gjelina (or vice versa). Tasting Kitchen has a lovely, laid back yet swanky vibe with really great cocktails, and Gjelina is Gjusta's upscale sister restaurant. Order the king oyster mushrooms and the grilled spot prawn... yum. (Reservations are a little tough but we put our name on the wait list at Gjelina and waited at Tasting Kitchen just down the block.)

No. 5: We also went into West Hollywood with a few friends who made the trek down from San Fran (hi guys!) for cocktails at Chateau Marmont--so swanky and fun--and dinner at Katsuya where we ate allllll of the sushi. Highly recommend both and also highly recommend making reservations prior!

Next time: It was such a quick trip that we didn't get the chance to visit the great museums, though I've heard rave reviews for the Broad, LACMA, and Getty.

Domino's latest issue also has a beautiful spread on Lily Ashwell's home in Venice! Check it out here, and these are her suggestions:

A few shots from the trip:

Now go! Travel! Explore! Live!

Do you have a favorite spot in Venice to suggest? Is there a location you'd like to see featured on The Spoonful Travels? Let me know here or in the comments below!