Los Angeles – Female-led Experiences

According to a Global Solo Travel Study conducted by British Airways, nearly 50% of women globally have taken a holiday by themselves and 75% of women are planning a solo trip in the next few years.

There’s no better way for travellers to celebrate Women’s History Month than by packing their bags and taking a solo trip to Los Angeles while enjoying food and beverages from JBF-winning female chefs, pioneering female brewers and exploring exhibitions from female artists.

Stay

• Guests who check in to Hotel Figueroa are in for a treat. In Feb 2018, Hotel Figueroa re-opened following an extensive renovation. The property first opened in 1926 and originally served as an exclusive women’s hostelry by the YWCA. According to a LA Times article, the hotel was “financed, built and operated by and for femininity” and served as a haven for women travellers. Maude Bouldin was the hotel’s first managing director and is also recognised as the country’s first-ever female managing director.

Today, Hotel Figueroa’s public areas showcase a roster of L.A.-based female artists at varying stages of their careers. The hotel’s art program acts as a platform to support emerging artists while showcasing the talents of local artists who have exhibited and been collected internationally. A variety of artwork has been showcased in the past from Jesse Mockrin and Whitney Hubbs to Sarah Awad.

Dine

• Dining at a.o.c. along trendy 3rd street is a quintessential L.A. experience. Guests will enjoy a beautifully curated menu from Chef Suzanne Goin, the fifth woman to receive a James Beard Foundation award for Outstanding Chef in the organisation’s history. During the 2018 JBF awards, Suzanne’s business partner Caroline Styne, was the only award recipient from L.A. Caroline took home Outstanding Restaurateur award.
• After years of anticipation, foodies can rejoice over the opening of Nightshade, a 60-seat restaurant in Downtown L.A.’s Arts District from season 12 Top Chef winner Mei Lin. The expansive restaurant features a creative pan-Asian menu infused with modern touches and California sensibilities. Nightshade marks Chef Lin’s first solo venture.

Sip

• Visitors can peruse wines from hundreds of unique, handpicked bottles from the world’s best female winemakers at VinovoreWine Shop, located within East Hollywood’s emerging neighbourhood of Virgil Village. Shoppers are encouraged to discover their own quirky wine personality based on their flavour profiles of choice. Vinovore also frequently holds wine tasting events spotlighting these lady winemakers

• Beer fans can sign up for one of two special boozy tours of L.A. from L.A. Beer Hop, a female-owned company. The tours are called Women in Beer Brewery Tour and spotlight L.A.’s prominent female brewers who hold their own in a male-dominated industry. The tours are available on Sunday March 3 with a focus in Downtown L.A. and on Sunday March 10 with a focus on the South Bay. Booking can be made on L.A. Beer Hop’s site.

Play

• Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles’ newest exhibition, Annie Leibovitz The Early Years, 1970 – 1983, is a must see. This is the first comprehensive exhibition in L.A. devoted to the earliest work of the renowned American artist. More than 4,000 photographs are featured and will be on view until April 14, 2019.

• Guests can enjoy a two-hour feminist tour of the Getty Center on a Badass B****es Tour that celebrates the stories of the female artists who are featured. All humans are welcome to join these tours where they will learn about historic and new female artists. It costs USD $49 per person and tickets can be purchased on Museum Hack.
• Retail, culinary and art aficionados must visit ROW DTLA, originally known as the LA Terminal Market in the 1920s, which has been thoughtfully reimagined into the cultural hub it is today offering the finest in experiential culinary, retail and wellness. On Sundays, ROW DTLA is home to Smorgasburg LA, the popular outdoor food, design, craft and vintage fair and it is the permanent home for over 40 different collectives. Below is a handful of notable female-owned businesses at ROW DTLA:
• Still Life Ceramics, co-founded by Ana Henton and Mel Keedle, is a modest size production studio and workshop, which creates unique, small batch ceramic housewares and art. Travellers can take a class or workshop taught by local ceramic artists. Regular classes include a beginner’s wheel class, the Bowl-In-One where participants make a bowl in a day, and Rose & Clay, which includes a wine tasting.
• The Things We Do, a beauty concept bar created by Vanessa Lee opened on February 2, 2019. The skincare bar and beauty store shares a space with Nova Arts Salon and offers holistic treatments and modern practices including facial treatments, acupuncture, cryotherapy, Botox and cupping.
• LCD started as a Venice-based online boutique in 2012 by former music industry executive Geraldine Chung. LCD opened its first storefront at ROW DTLA and focuses on emerging new designers. LCD’s mission is to discover and support up-and-coming independent designers from around the world with a likeminded attitude, unique point of view and quality craftsmanship.
• LA was founded by L.A.-based celebrity stylist Dechel Mckillian whose clients include Drake, Nicki Minaj, Fergie, and Lionel Richie. After travelling with her clients, Dechel saw firsthand the negative impact fashion has on people and the planet. Dechel brings over a decade of fashion industry experience to her store, Galerie.LA, which features a tightly curated selection of brands with a common philosophy to bring socially conscious fashion to shoppers.
• Myrtle was founded in 2011 as a brick and mortar in Echo Park showcasing the work of local and international independent female designers. The store is named after the founders great-great-grandmother. In 2018, Myrtle moved from Echo Park into ROW DTLA.