The vibe in Mid-City and Fairfax
If you only had one afternoon in LA and wanted to spend it stoned, this is where I'd send you. The list of things to do on Fairfax and the blocks around it is stupid long: a historic farmers market, a deli that has fed insomniacs for generations, the best repertory theater in the city, a museum row with lamps and tar and old cars, and some of the best pizza in town. All within a walk.
Mid-City is a big, loose zone between Hollywood, Koreatown and Culver City, and Fairfax is its spine. Sneaker kids line up outside the streetwear shops, grandmas shop at the bakeries, tourists wander over from the shopping center, and everyone ends up at the same pastrami counter.
The play: sesh at home, take a ride in, and do the whole thing on foot. Nobody needs to drive between the tar pits and the pastrami.
Fairfax munchies
Fairfax munchies are an embarrassment of riches. Pace yourself.
- Canter's Deli is the old Jewish deli on Fairfax that has historically run very late. Pastrami piled high, a bakery case by the door, and the energy of a place that has seen everything. It's a lot of food. Order anyway.
- The Original Farmers Market at Fairfax and 3rd is a maze of old stalls and counters. Wander it slow, grab a little of everything, and stop at Bob's Coffee & Doughnuts for a donut that tastes like it was made by someone's uncle.
- Jon & Vinny's does Italian-American comfort food and great pizza on Fairfax. It's always busy, and it's worth the wait.
- Prime Pizza is the slice joint. Big New York style slices, quick, no fuss.
- Pizzeria Mozza on Melrose is the fancy pizza with the blistered crust. A sit-down night.
- Apple Pan on Pico is the counter classic: hickory burger, paper plates, and a slice of banana cream pie that you'll think about for days. Sit at the U-shaped counter and watch the guys work.
Mid-City LA food goes way past Fairfax, too. Down La Brea you'll find Pink's Hot Dogs for chili dogs with a side of tourists, and further south Leo's Tacos Truck at La Brea and Venice and El Chato at Olympic and La Brea, the two taco trucks that settle the "best tacos in Mid-City" argument every single night. Hot take: El Chato late at night beats any sit-down taco in this part of town. For more, see the LA munchies guide and the late-night LA guide.
Things to do baked in Mid-City and Fairfax
LACMA and Urban Light. The rows of old street lamps out front are free to walk through anytime, and they hit different after dark when you're a little lifted. Inside, the museum is huge and you will get pleasantly lost.
La Brea Tar Pits. Bubbling asphalt in the middle of the city, with life-size mammoths stuck in it. It's both educational and deeply weird. Perfect.
The Petersen Automotive Museum. That building wrapped in red and silver ribbons on Wilshire. Inside: wild cars, movie cars, and a basement vault of rare stuff. Even if you don't care about cars, you'll care about these.
The Academy Museum. The movie museum, in the old department store building with the giant glass sphere on the back. Oscar statues, props and costumes, and a terrace with a view of the hills.
Fairfax Ave itself. Walk from Melrose down to the Farmers Market. Streetwear shops, bakeries, the line outside whatever dropped today. Great people-watching.
More ideas citywide in things to do high in LA.
Movie and music spots in Mid-City and Fairfax
This is the best movie neighborhood in LA, and I'll fight about it.
The New Beverly Cinema on Beverly Blvd is Tarantino's 35mm house: double features, vintage trailers, a crowd that actually watches the movie. Easily the best night out in the city if you're toasted. Brain Dead Studios on Fairfax runs repertory screenings in the old Silent Movie Theatre, with cult picks and late shows. The Academy Museum's David Geffen Theater on Wilshire shows restorations and retrospectives in a gorgeous room. Full guide: movie theaters for stoners.
For music, you're one ride north from the Sunset Strip and WeHo's venues.
Sunset and chill spots in Mid-City and Fairfax
Mid-City isn't a sunset neighborhood in the beach sense, but there's light. Urban Light at dusk is the one: the lamps flicker on as the sky turns pink, and you can stand there for way too long. The Academy Museum terrace gives you a view of the Hollywood Hills going gold. Pan Pacific Park, by the Farmers Market, has a big grassy slope that's good for lying down and watching the planes.
For a real view, catch a ride down to the Baldwin Hills overlook in Culver City. More in the chill outdoors guide.
The good and the annoying
The good: So much is walkable. Two world-class museums, a tar pit, a deli, a farmers market and a cinema within a couple blocks of each other. The food range goes from fancy pizza to a taco truck under a streetlight. And there's always something happening on Fairfax.
The annoying: The traffic on La Brea and Fairfax at rush hour is unbearable. Any parking garage near the Farmers Market on a weekend is a special ring of hell. Fairfax Ave drop days turn the sidewalk into a mosh pit of resellers. Street parking is permits, meters and confusion. Do yourself a favor and get a ride in.
Next door
- West Hollywood is right north, with the licensed lounges, the Strip and Barney's Beanery.
- Hollywood is up La Brea for Pink's, the Walk of Fame and Thai Town.
- Koreatown is a quick ride east for Korean BBQ and soondubu.
- Culver City is south for Tito's Tacos and the Museum of Jurassic Technology.
Check where to sesh in LA for where you can legally light up, or see every neighborhood.
