• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 1209 0

was initiated in Europe by Bauhaus architects Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier. Its characteristics include boxlike building shapes, open floor plans, plain facades, abundant glass and, for residences, easy access between indoor and outdoor spaces. Austrian-born Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra brought early modernism to LA and Palm Springs, where Swiss-born Albert Frey also worked. Both Neutra and Schindler were influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed LA’s Hollyhock House in a style he fancifully called ‘California Romanza.’ Modernism has become the signature style of Palm Springs; Click here.

* * *

www.lottaliving.com profiles modern architecture in LA.

* * *

POSTMODERNISM

Postmodernism was partly a response to the starkness of the International Style, and sought to re-emphasize the structural form of the building and the space around it. Richard Meier perfected and transcended the postmodernist vision at West LA’s Getty Center. LA-based Frank Gehry is known for his deconstructivist buildings with almost sculptural forms and distinctive facade materials, such as at the high-profile Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown LA. Thom Mayne of LA’s Morphosis firm has also made his mark with such avant-garde buildings as the Caltrans District 7 Headquarters. Both Gehry and Mayne are winners of the Pritzker Prize, the Oscars of architecture.

Return to beginning of chapter

Food & Drink

* * *

STAPLES & SPECIALTIES

DRINKS

CELEBRATIONS

WHERE TO EAT & DRINK

VEGETARIANS & VEGANS

HABITS & CUSTOMS

COOKING COURSES

* * *

Southern California’s culinary scene is one of the world’s best and most diverse. Many trends began here, from the popularity of sushi and Mexican cuisine to really great salads and ‘fusion’ cooking (think Japanese-Italian and Chino-Latino). And California cuisine continues to redefine itself – and the way America eats.

Return to beginning of chapter

STAPLES & SPECIALTIES

Southlanders are blessed with an abundance of choice. While LA is famous for chichi, high-end restaurants run by celebrity chefs, you needn’t spend a fortune to eat well.

* * *

Jonathan Gold, restaurant critic for the LA Weekly, won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 2007, the first time a restaurant critic has won this award. Pick up the paper for free around town, or visit www.laweekly.com.

* * *

Ethnic Cuisines

No less than Ruth Reichl (editor of Gourmet magazine and former restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times) has said that LA’s real culinary treasure is its ethnic restaurants. With 140 nationalities in LA County alone, we can only scratch the surface, but this will get you started. For information on where to find ethnic restaurants, Click here.

MEXICAN

Mexican food is iconic here, and not just among people of Mexican heritage. Until you’ve tasted carnitas (braised pork) or fish tacos washed down with a cold beer or a margarita, you haven’t experienced SoCal culture.

Virtually any Cal-Mex lunch or dinner starts with tortillas (flatbread made of wheat or corn flour). Small ones are wrapped around grilled or roasted meat, cheeses and vegetables and called tacos; larger, rolled versions are enchiladas (these are covered in sauce and baked), while burritos are huge tortillas, stuffed with the same sort of things, plus rice and beans. Rather than slushy sauce, local salsa is more likely a finely diced salad of tomatoes, onions, cilantro and jalapeño peppers.

* * *

The Cobb salad – lettuce, avocado, chicken breast, watercress, cheese, egg, chives and French dressing – was invented in 1937 by Bob Cobb, owner of the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood.

* * *

JAPANESE

Angelenos were chowing on sushi when vast stretches of America still considered spaghetti a foreign food, but SoCal’s Japanese food scene goes far beyond raw piscine treats. Many a good meal starts with edamame (boiled soybeans in the pod) and continues with kushiyaki (grilled skewers of chicken or vegetables), tempura (lightly battered and fried vegetables or fish) or