"These are a few of my favorite things..."

When I used to tell people that I was working in downtown Los Angeles, the reaction I would often get would be a slight pause, a look of disdain or disappointment, or a blank stare. Back in 2003, downtown LA was not the most sought-after locale for a dental practice. Images of rampant homelessness, crime, and unkempt streets would come to mind rather than a place to work and play.  However, what others saw as a limitation, we viewed as an opportunity! My husband and I thought that growth and development would soon come to downtown. With progress, we envisioned more businesses and condominiums, more people, and more need for health care providers. We decided to take the gamble, and it seems to be paying off. In the last 7 years, we have seen exciting changes in downtown LA. Indeed many more businesses, condos, lofts, and restaurants are popping up everywhere. In my quest to not only "work" downtown but also "play" downtown, I have started to try to do some more exploring, although I still have a lot more to do....

Some of my favorite places I would like to give special mention to:

Neihule Salon
www.neihule.com
607 South Olive Street

My favorite hairstylist works here, Christian King. He works gorgeous miracles into my hair every 8 weeks so I can try to maintain my "hip and edgy mom in Glendale" image....lol  Our office manager, Nadia, also sees Christian for her haircuts. Christian listens to your wants and needs, takes his time, and is extremely meticulous. He takes pride in his work and always gives me a fabulous color and style. I highly recommend this modern and cool salon!

Farmer's Market at 7th and Fig Marketplace
This is in our building in the upper plaza, every Thursday. The market offers fresh produce, flowers, tacos, tamales, crepes, hot dogs, and of course the famous Kettle Korn! There are all kinds of vendors here, also selling jewelry, clothing, cupcakes...you name it! I recently discovered that they carry my favorite fruit, the pluot (a combination of a plum and apricot) in many different varieties. It's a great meeting place with co-workers and friends, and always fun to try new foods. I usually come back with wayyy too much food and treats. As my mom always told me, my eyes are bigger than my stomach!

Bottega Louie
www.bottegalouie.com
700 South Grand Ave.

OMG OMG OMG. This place is a little slice of heaven. I could spend days and days here and be completely happy! I stopped in for some of their famous French Macarons (not a typo, they spell it with one "o") and was overwhelmed with the beautiful decor. I'm not talking about the walls and tables, mind you, I am talking about the counters filled with every decadent dessert you can imagine, e.g. macarons, cupcakes, eclairs, fruit tarts....In addition to that splendor, there were endless offerings of fresh pasta salads, lunch items, meatloaf, mac and cheese....the list goes on, and I haven't even had a sit-down meal there yet! This is a place I would love to lounge with a girlfriend for many hours. That is definitely on my "to do" list.

Pho Siam Spa
www.phosiam.com
1525 Pizarro St.

This hidden gem is not exactly downtown. It's a little bit on the outskirts, and I pass it on the way to work on Glendale Blvd.  If you are at all familiar with Glendale Blvd, there is much to be desired in terms of a scenic view. However, Pho-Siam Spa puts a little smile on my face whenever I have the pleasure of enjoying one of their fantastic massages! It is a very tranquil and beautiful setting. Your massage therapist will lead you to a private room with curtains surrounding your space. You will lie down on a silky mattress pad and pillow, and a tiny Asian woman will come in and give you an unbelievable massage! She will use all her muscles, her arms, legs, and feet. She may even hang from the ceiling while walking down your back! You will stretch muscles you didn't even know you had! The only downside is that it is cash only. But they do have an ATM machine conveniently located inside. While prices have gone up slightly since last year, an hour massage at $50 or a 90 min massage for $75 is a great deal! For a dentist like me, my knots and tense neck and shoulders need all the help they can get. Pho Siam is my savior!

Sushi Gen
www.sushigenla.com
422 E. 2nd St. (Little Tokyo)

Located in Honda Plaza, this is the go-to place in Little Tokyo for excellent and fresh sushi. It serves sushi traditional-style. No gigantic baked and fried rolls with names like "Crazy Roll" or "911 Roll" will be on the menu here. They do have a California roll but it is small and minimalistic. I love basically everything I eat here, which is usually the same thing. We start by ordering Chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard filled with mushrooms, fish cake, shrimp...) because it takes about 15 minutes. While we wait we snack on soft shell crab with ponzu sauce, tako sunomono (an octopus, cucumber, seaweed salad in a vinegary cold sauce, and yellowtail sashimi ( melts in your mouth!). After eating our egg custards, then we move onto the mouth-watering sushi and sashimi selections. Their salmon, uni, tuna, unagi, spanish mackerel, red snapper, and albacore are soooo fresh are so delicious. I particularly LOVE their spicy tuna roll. It is also a small roll, which is just how I like it. Most sushi places either make it or break it for me based on the spicy tuna roll. The big mistake is when the roll is too large and the spicy tuna is so mushy and unappetizing. Sushi Gen gets it just right. I could eat their spicy tuna roll all night! To top off a great meal, we always end with a scoop of green tea or red bean ice cream. Ahhhh.