Los Angeles Curated--April 2025 Part II
Let's community!
Dear subscribers & friends,
Welcome to the FREE issue of Los Angeles Curated. I am so happy you are here!
I want to jump right in with some events I’ve organized that are coming up soon!
I’d love for you to join.
Small Business + Brews on April 27
This is for Los Angeles’s small business owners, side hustlers, solopreneurs, artists, photographers, stylists, and freelancers who have fantastic products and services that more people should know about. Let’s grab a beer and see how we can connect.
I’ll be there.
Here is the invitation: Small Business+Brews
If you can’t make it this time, sign up for our newsletter: (Sent from one of my amazing co-hosts) https://laurendimeo.myflodesk.com/smallbusiness
The next meet-up will take place on May 18th
Let’s Explore Chinatown on May 2nd
I am revisiting the very first tour I gave. Let’s go to Chinatown to learn about its history, visit some small businesses, and experience Chinatown First Fridays together.
Here is the sign-up form. If you took the tour before, I am changing it up!
In this issue
A note from me
Updates
Four events happening over the next month
Featured city from my world travels account
My April note
When I saw someone post that it had been five years since the pandemic, I was a little taken aback. Five years. It feels like 100 years and also 1 year ago.
I realized that my site was still full of things to do during COVID.
Reading these posts brought me back to masked walks, attending book releases online, and having elaborate meals delivered to my home. (The Vespertine meals were delicious and educational.)
Now, five years later, I find it weird that so many of my meetings are still on Zoom. Not just the work ones, but my neighborhood book club and several co-working sessions are online.
Community building has always been important to me, and it is even more so now that I work alone, moving around my house with my laptop. I really want to get out there in real life.
I hope you will join one of my tours or meet-ups this year.
Here are additional places where you can find community in L.A. this month.
Steep (CHINATOWN)
I feel totally like a Steep LA fan girl. I talk about it all the time. I love their space, I love their chicken rice, I love that I can take my friends who don't drink somewhere, and I love that one of the bartenders was at a favorite Chicago bar of mine. They also host pop-ups for restaurants that haven’t found a home yet.
Here are some events coming up this month:
April 19th—Steep After Dark Jam Session
Pauhaus (MELROSE)
A reader contacted me to let me know about this place, which I had never heard of before. Although I haven’t been, I really want to. It is an art gallery and events space that hosts the Melrose Drawing Club, comedy nights, and an occasional clothing swap.
Here are some upcoming events this month:
Mondays—Open Mic Music
Thursdays —Melrose Drawing Club
The moral of the story is, if you love a small business in L.A., tell anyone you can about how awesome it is. You might inadvertently let 460 people know about it.
Bub & Grandma's (GLASSEL PARK)
Bub & Grandma's is no longer just a bakery. It now has a restaurant with a space for live music and pop-up art shows.
All events are listed on their Instagram stories and posts.
Are there any similar spaces you want to shout out? Or small businesses you love? Leave a comment.
Updates to This Ugly Beautiful City
I guess my recommendations have staying power. From old posts, including Urban Hikes, where to eat lunch in various neighborhoods, and where to dine on a budget, I found one restaurant that has closed. Out of 150, that isn’t bad.
Entertainment on a Budget- Annenberg Beach House parking cost updates & Odd Market is no more.
Dining on a Budget—This is the post that has the most changes, and as you wander the grocery stores, you might notice the increase in prices. Some places fell off that list, and I was able to add a couple of new places.
Local Love Bowl from Park’s Finest
Vegan or Vegetarian Ban Mi from Be U Kitchen
Top events for the rest of this month (and the beginning of next month)
April 20th-26th (CULVER CITY & DEL REY)—Support Nourish LA—mentioned several times in this newsletter—by getting coffee at either the Palms or Del Rey branches of Coffee Commissary. More information can be found here.
April 26th -27th (USC)—It’s time for the LA Times Book Festival. Two days of talks, debuts, and ways to support bookstores. (Psst…It’s Indie Bookstore Day on the 26th.
May 1st (HOLLYWOOD)—Taste the future of food at the Japan House—with food included.
May 3rd (DTLA)—It’s Taco Madness! This annual event breaks down the best tacos in Los Angeles. It's free for members.
If I helped you find your new favorite thing in Los Angeles and you want to support a small business but can’t do a paid subscription, consider buying me a coffee. I will always support local places while I explore this city and come back and tell you about it.
Did you know I am a travel curator?
I work with people to plan their vacations, from Spring Break in Palm Springs to birthdays in Chicago. I also write city guides for cities I love around the world, following my This Ugly Beautiful City formula.
This Ugly Beautiful City is a travel and experience company that features travel tips and guides for people passionate about food, art, and culture while supporting small businesses.
My latest guide features the city I would move to in a heartbeat. (Don't worry; I still love Los Angeles.)
I’d love to help you plan your next trip, even if it is just a weekend in Santa Barbara.
I hope you are finding great things to do, see, and eat wherever you are.
-Kristen
You provide the best curation of LA! I love to see what you're spotlighting in each post. Thank you for your service! 🫡😂