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When Gwyneth Paltrow released a guide to Los Angeles today on her website, GOOP, we immediately rolled our eyes. We only assumed she would be hitting up the most needlessly expensive spots west of the 405. After all, this is a woman who put out a cookbook with recipes estimated to cost $300 a day. So we were surprised to see that GOOP's list actually wasn't half bad.
GOOP's list is split into four: family-friendly, health-conscious, arty and hipstery. She definitely picked out some expensive joints, like the Chateau Marmont and Hotel Bel-Air for a hotel stay, or Urasawa (one of the most expensive restaurants in the country) for sushi. And her recommendation for a tattoo parlor with vegan and eco-friendly products seems classically Paltrow. But she threw in some curveballs like Grand Central Market, Apple Pan and Loteria Grill at the Farmers Market. Probably most shocking is that she suggested Hot-Dog-On-A-Stick as a place to take your kids in Santa Monica (she obviously recommended the veggie dog).
The list also recommended taking your kids to Wi Spa in Koreatown while you get your R&R; it actually sounded like a pretty good idea since there's a kids zone and comic book library there. Although who has the kind of money to shell out for the spendy kids' clothing at Poppy Store and Eggy? Probably Paltrow and her friends.
For the hipsters (AKA youngish people who live east of Hollywood), she suggested Vacation Vinyl for records, Hollywood Forever Cemetery for movie screenings and concerts, and grub at Sqirl, Bestia and Covell Wine Bar. We can't really argue with those suggestions. And her art and architecture tour had Barnsdall Art Park and Blum & Poe in the mix, which we actually enjoy.
There aren't really any hidden gems or anything all that unexpected, but it wasn't a bad effort. Congratulations GOOP on clearing the low bar we set. You can check out her full guide here.
