Saturday Night
Dress your best and head out to some of West Hollywood's trendiest
dining and clubbing spots. For a meal, it's hard to go wrong with either
The Abbey, a long-running upscale gay lounge and restaurant that serves
tasty and affordable American chow, or Eleven Restaurant and Nightclub,
a swell-elegant supper club with juicy steaks and pan-roasted seafood,
plus lighter sandwiches and salads. Serious clubbers can then move on to
the neighborhood's top gay nightspots - Factory, Here Lounge, and Rage.
Sunday
After sleeping in for a bit, wander over to the always-jumping House of
Blues Sunset Strip for its legendary Sunday Gospel Brunch (seatings are
at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.), where you'll be treated to a mouthwatering
all-you-can-eat Southern breakfast buffet along with exhilarating live
music.
A pleasant way to spend Sunday afternoon is to drive a few miles east of
West Hollywood to 4,213-acre Griffith Park, whose famed Observatory and
Planetarium played a key role in Rebel Without a Cause. The park is
laced with hiking trails, and affords tremendous views of metro Los
Angeles. Another way to get outside and enjoy a little break from West
Hollywood's urban pace is to drive up into the Hollywood Hills, which
form the city's northern backdrop. It can be fun, if a bit confusing,
just driving around these narrow, steep lanes, taking in the views and
admiring the distinctive architecture. One reliable route is to follow
Laurel Canyon Boulevard up into the hills, turn left onto curving
Mulholland Drive, and then follow it west until you reach Coldwater
Canyon Drive, where a left turn leads you back down into West Hollywood.
Sunday Night
Your final night in town, you can stroll back along Santa Monica
Boulevard and check out some of the spots mentioned above that you might
not yet have visited. Or for something different, drive 15 minutes east
to one of the region's other gay-popular neighborhoods, Silver Lake. For
dinner, book a table at the cozy Kitchen restaurant, a beloved and
gay-friendly neighborhood spot that serves contemporary versions of
American comfort food - don't miss the buttermilk-fried chicken or
pistachio-crusted wild salmon. After your meal, walk next door to the
charming gay neighborhood lounge, Akbar, which is typically packed with
an eclectic mix of hipsters, artists, yuppies, and students.
Monday
Depending on the exact time of your departure, you can set aside Monday
to explore the beach communities of Santa Monica and Venice, which are
both rife with cafes, shopping, and palm-shaded beach promenades. This
makes especially good sense if you're flying out of Los Angeles
International Airport (LAX), which is also out near the ocean, not too
far south of Venice. Continue to page
3>>>
The Hunk
