One Week in LA: What I Ate & Where I Worked Out
You probably already know that it’s pretty standard for my travel to revolve around food. But one thing you might not know? I consider myself a bit of a fitness tourist. Exercise is my self-care, so when I find myself in a city that has a lot of fitness class offerings, I often take advantage of offers for new clients to get my sweat on for free.
I recently went to LA for school visits, meetings, and a five day leadership institute, and this trip was no exception. Here’s where I worked out:
Core Power Yoga
I’m not much of a yogi (as I told you years ago, I can’t be here now). I’ve come to accept the fact that I don’t get the same centering or clarity from yoga as many do. And that’s okay, I get that from a heavy sweat. Luckily, CorePower offers that too! Yoga sculpt incorporates hand weights and cardio with traditional yoga moves in a heated studio. I also tried hot fusion yoga, which was a relaxing way to end day one of my institute – a long day of being very on.
Promo Deal: 1 week free!
Price: $169/month unlimited, $27 for a single class.
On Class Pass? Yes
Classes: Yoga sculpt (1 hour, 208 calories); Hot Yoga Fusion (1 hour, 113 calories)
MetCon Method Fitness
Metcon Method offers 3 days free, so you better believe I was there at 6am sharp for circuit training. Funny thing is, I was the only one there! Personal training session? Yes please! Heavy squats, deadlifts, pull ups, etc. Then finishing on the Versa machine, which was straight up torture – but *very* effective! I was initially skeptical of the MetCon class because it’s only 30 minutes long. What can you accomplish in 30 minutes? It turns out, a lot! It’s a heart-rate-based workout, and Josh had us start off with 12 minutes on the Versa (woof!) and then rotations between pull ups, heavy squats, and bike sprints. I left dripping sweat and totally energized. The studio has a cool, laid back vibe with lots of art and plans to partner with local artists and restaurants.
Promo Deal: 3 days free.
Price: $99/month unlimited (founders rate), $26 for a single class
On Class Pass? Yes
Classes: Circuit Training (45 minutes, 272 calories); MetCon (30 minutes, 208 calories – MetCon’s monitor said 391 – I expect it’s somewhere in the middle)
SpeedPlay
For this one I used the last of my ClassPass credits. It was a great HIIT workout, split between self-powered treadmills, rowing machines and floor exercise. It’s a lot like Orange Theory, but uses self-powered treadmills, something I’d never used! They’re off-putting at first because it feels like you’re going to fly off if you don’t use a great deal of control, but they’re an awesome workout. Also, no heart monitor/splat points.
Promo Deal: $15 for your first class / 2 weeks unlimited for $60
Price: $240/month unlimited, $30 for a single class.
On Class Pass? Yes
Classes: Speedplay 50 + Abs (45 minutes, 307 calories)
(Note: I include the calorie count as a barometer of sorts, but want to acknowledge a) These workouts are apples to oranges, and calories burned is only one part of what makes a good workout b) It’s based on my Fitbit heart rate monitor. My heart rate is not easily elevated – for example, I can’t get into the “splat point” zone without being in an all out sprint – so I think it’s probably a low estimate.)
Okay, now what you’re probably here for. DA FOOOOOOD (and drink).
Hygge Bakery & Cafe When I looked for good local spots to get a morning coffee, I was immediately drawn to this one. Having somewhat recently returned from Copenhagen, I’m all about the hygge… and the pastries! Bonus points for the fact that this was right across the street from SpeedPlay. I got there fresh off a good sweat *right* when they opened at 7am and actually had to stand outside for a while waiting for them to open up the doors. But guess what that means? The pastries literally could not have been any fresher. I visited twice and this pains me to say, but I honestly think these were better than any of the ones I tried during my time in Copenhagen. They were pure flaky perfection. I could definitely see myself regularly canceling out my SpeedPlay workouts if I lived in the area!
Revolutionario
Amazing little hole in the wall serving up delicious South African tacos with a good bit of fusion. It was the perfect setting for our topic dinner on wellness and self-care. You’ll find delicious meats, but also lots of vegetarian options. I chowed down on three tacos and a side of plantains.
Tire Shop Taqueria
Speaking of tacosssss… yeah, I was pretty much on a taco diet during my entire week in L.A. which was obviously intentional. I’d been hoping to find some authentic tacos I couldn’t get in D.C. and Mission Accomplished. A colleague pointed me toward Tire Shop, and I convinced a few other fellows to join me on the short journey – promising it would be worth it with no evidence in hand. When we got out of the car to find a line snaking out of a parking lot between the laundry mat and bodega, lively Mexican music blaring, and a family style table surrounded by parents and their kiddos, I knew this place was going to deliver on my promise. These tacos are damn fresh. The tortillas were being hand-flattened and grilled right in front of us and the meat is sizzling, woodsmoke billowing into the line. In fact, the next morning I creepily asked everyone I encountered to smell my scarf – “See! It smells like campfire!” Because I have serious #FOMO and the tacos were just $2 each, I got one of each (pollo, carnitas, asada, and chorizo) with everything (even though I had no idea what everything entailed) – and I *almost* finished all of them by myself – but don’t worry, not a bite went to waste.
Rudolph’s Bar & Tea
After CorePower, I headed to Rudolph’s to meet my friends Julie & Joey (a few of my favorite DC <> LA exports!) for drinks. Rudolph’s serves up some super fun tea-infused cocktails that score points on both taste and presentation. My first one, a smoked rye (I think?) was served alongside still sizzling wood chips and my second was a fancy pour over with flavored ice cubes that add sweetness as they melt. After our cocktails, they headed to a show, and I went to WholeFoods to stock up on protein bars for the week and get to bed early because that’s how I roll (And I had circuit training to get to first thing!).
Honeymee
I walked by this place on the way to CorePower on my first day, and it called my name. The next day, I texted Julie and asked if she wanted to join me for hot yoga and ice cream. Julie was game, and if you want to know what I was thinking about during yoga class… it wasn’t my breath. It was how good this soft serve with fresh honeycomb was going to taste after being in a 100 degree room for an hour.
Cow Cafe
I wasn’t planning to get avocado toast when I ventured into this little vegetarian coffee shop after MetCon Sunday morning, but when I smelled the goodness coming out of the kitchen and rested my eyes on the glorious avocado toast on a diner’s plate, I knew I had to get some. It was tasty enough that it was totally worth getting yolk in my hair as I tried to finish this up during our first session.
Bottega Louie
Thanks to their beautiful macarons (which I got to go!) and colorful pastries, this is one of the most Instagrammed joints in L.A. I enjoyed the savory dishes – splitting grilled octopus and avocado toast with some colleagues before diving into a beautiful piece of salmon with farro and carrot vinaigrette. After all that health food, I’d worked up an appetite for dessert! We shared fresh baked beignets with nutella and raspberry jelly, and because I was with work peeps I didn’t lick the nutella trough even though I really, really wanted to.
Fellow
For my last dinner in LA, Holly and Jason (my other favorite DC <> LA exports!) took me to Fellow – super appropriate seeing as I’d just become a one! One standout dish was this calamari kung pao with Thai chili, ben sprouts, and peanuts. Sweet and spicy, even fish-adverse Holly gave this one a try.
Diddy Riese Cookies
And last but not least, we walked a few blocks to this 35+ year old UCLA haunt, where Holly remembers coming as a child for $1 ice cream sandwiches. They’re $3 now, which isn’t half bad for two fresh baked cookies and a generous amount of ice cream. They split one, but since Flat Courtney isn’t much help when it comes to eating food, I told Jason I might need some help with mine. Boy was I wrong (to his disappointment, I imagine) – I finished every bite.
