Summer Coffee in Los Angeles' "Towns"

My coffee house visits this summer had me exploring numerous "towns" in Los Angeles. For example, I never knew there was a Japantown in LA aside from Little Tokyo. See below:

Japantown

Balconi Coffee Company

11301 Olympic Blvd. #124

Los Angeles, CA 90064

Balconi is a small quaint coffee shop in the revitalized Sawtelle Japantown area. Just off the 405, this 4-block stretch on Sawtelle near Olympic has numerous Japanese and Korean restaurants and stores. I enjoyed a delicious Almond Essence Latte. They sell almost equal amounts of coffees and teas as well as a small selection of pastries. There is plenty of free parking on the side streets of the 1- to 2-hour variety. Just make sure you check the street signs as those time limits are strictly enforced. Both when I left my car and when I came back, I saw parking enforcement officers patrolling the neighborhood.

Beantown

45 N.  Baldwin Ave.

Sierra Madre, CA 91024

Beantown has a laid-back community atmosphere with lots of coffee choices as well as smoothies, ice cream, and an array of sandwiches - everything one needs to spend a day getting work done. Lots of space. On the record hot day I came here, their iced cherry latte really hit the spot.

Koreatown

LaB Coffee & Roasters

429 N. Western Ave. #5

Los Angeles, CA 90004

My mocha had a very strong coffee flavor that would keep me humming for the next few hours. The diverse crowd was comprised of a few Koreans, a few Latinos and a couple of Caucasians. The current demographics of the neighborhood. Bags of coffee beans were used as décor and plaques on the wall discussed the sourcing of their coffee beans. LaB Roasters was a nice find. Having been born and raised in Koreatown, before it was known as Koreatown, it was nice to see a legitimate coffeehouse open in my old neighborhood.  It is small, but large enough for a number of tables, including communal tables with people working on laptops.

Tinseltown

Coffee + Food

5630 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90038

From the few tables out front you can see the world sitting atop Paramount Studios and iconic Astro Burgers. Quite a few people who work at or want to work at the studios come by here. One woman getting out of her old beat up car had headshots in hand. Drinking my mocha, I had a really good lunch while people watching.

5 Great Things To Do In Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park are amazing adjacent wilderness areas that are 100 miles closer to Los Angeles than Yosemite and a lot less crowded. Below are five great things to do when visiting these magnificent parks.

1. Visiting the biggest trees in the world. If you are traveling to these national parks, then you must visit the General Sherman Grove and/or the General Grant Grove. The trees a truly magnificent. While the General Sherman is the biggest tree, I enjoy visiting General Grant Grove’s more due to the stories attached to its various trees, especially the Fallen Monarch which had once served as saloon.

2. Hiking Morro Rock. It is a very short, strenuous, half-mile hike that has spectacular views of the Great Western Divide and sheer drop-offs on either side of the trail. There are 400 stairs on the trail. Think of it as a 20-minute Stairmaster. Huffing and puffing to the top, we all enjoyed it, even our teenage boys. It is not to be missed.

3. Drinking milkshakes and root beer floats at Lake Hume. Lake Hume is a gorgeous blue jewel surrounded by a pine forest with a back drop of snowcapped mountains. As if this is not a strong enough lure to entice you to visit the lake, there’s a very large Christian camp here with a host of facilities that includes a snack shop with great burgers and at least a dozen of flavors of ice cream for shakes, floats, and malts. The camp also has one of the best general stores in the two national parks, rents paddle boats and kayaks, and allows fishing with a permit.

4. Hiking to Topokah Falls. This is a 4.4-mile hike that follows the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River. Walking through that granite valley, my son said it was one of the most majestic things he’d ever seen. It is a leisurely hike, although you are in full sun for the last quarter mile to the base of the falls. Sunscreen, hat, and water are necessities.

5. Driving to Road’s End at the bottom of Kings Canyon. Kings Canyon is the deepest canyon in the United States. Yes, it is even deeper than the Grand Canyon. It is also one of the most remote wilderness areas in the world. This is because the road to the bottom of the canyon is closed from November through April. This means that nature can run amok for six months out of the year without human interference. When I told the ranger that I saw a bear in the parking lot, he said, “Oh yeah, they are all over the place down here,” and walked away. In Yosemite, bears cause mass hysteria with rangers following them and hordes of tourists trying to get their picture during the day or banging pots and screaming to scare them away at night. In the canyon, there are a number of great really short hikes to Zumwalt Meadows, Roaring River Falls, Grizzly Falls, and a beach just off the Road’s End parking lot. Also, at Cedar Grove Lodge in the canyon, you can eat a hot lunch and take a shower.

One thing that I have not done is visit Crystal Cave in Sequoia National Park located in the southern end of the park. I have heard good things about it, but have never made it there.

I hope these tips on where to go and what to see when you're in Sequoia and Kings Canyon entice you to go and stay longer than just one day to see the towering trees. These are beautiful areas, uniquely different from Yosemite, that take time to discover all their natural treasures.

Happy trails!

Zweeting Roasted Vegan Dinosaur - LA Coffee Shops In May

Four coffee houses to try this month: one with outstanding mochas, another with amazing pies, another created for writers, and one with horchata lattes.


 Best Mocha

Stamp Fine Foods

4500 Los Feliz Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90027
One of the best mochas I ever had. Very creamy. This coffee shop in the Los Feliz area also has a pretty large breakfast and lunch  menu. The décor has lots of wood giving the place an old timey feel. I couldn't resist ordering a meal here seeing the customer's plates around me. I had the vegan banana buckwheat pancakes. Good stuff.

Best Pies

Dinosaur Coffee

4334 Sunset Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90029
Yes, there is a dinosaur in the bathroom. Hearing about this is one of the reasons why this coffeehouse piqued my interest. Another was the excellent reviews on the coffee. The reviews were correct, the coffee is good. They also have a pie or two brought in daily by Nicole Rucker. I had a delicious slice of blueberry pie. Also across the street is the LA County Store - all things made locally. It is where I purchased my coffee cash wallet.

Writer's Paradise

Zweet Café

4682 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
While I enjoyed my mocha here, I really liked the vibe. When I walked in, there was a writers group meeting at one table, a black board field with "inspirational" coffee quotes, and many interesting items to gaze at as you think about the next line in your novel. An added bonus was that after 3:00, a number of pastries are priced at a dollar for that little extra sugar push to get you over the edge.

All Types Here
Jameson Brown Coffee Roasters
260 Allen Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91107
This coffee shop has a special drink menu. On the day in May I went in, they had a creamy iced horchata latte which had lots of yummy cinnamon in it. Jameson's had a good flow of people coming and going from students to professionals to firefighters. I liked their cool mood music and the fact that they had a rewards program with specials on your birthday. It is also away from the hustle and bustle of Old Town and PCC.