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Payne Whitney Gymnasium, Yale University.
With 12 acres of space under one roof, this gym lays claim to being the second largest athletic facility in the world. Deep within the building is one of the most spectacular exhibition pools, with sharply sloped seating around, culminating in a circular running track at the very top level. At once awe-inspiring and peaceful, this is a unique architectural experience on a campus generously populated with noteworthy works of architecture.
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Pazzo Gelato, Los Angeles.
Pistachio milkshake at Pazzo Gelato = unbridled joy.
A heavenly amalgam of salted pistachios, milk, cream and sugar. So many are the scoops that go into the making of this milkshake that excitement and wonderment soon give rise to worry about calories and other mundane stuff – look away and let the good people of PG do their thing. As long as this is not a daily fix, you’re probably going to live. Worries set aside, the result will leave you smiling and speechless. If not, let us know, and we’ll treat you to a dairy beverage you find more compelling – if that’s possible.
The espresso, made with beans from Intelligentsia, is very good – the selection of flyers about neighborhood goings on, plenty interesting. Great are the seasonal sorbetti – created from whatever’s freshest and organic at the local farmers’ markets. 3 different plum sorbetti? Why not? Try them all.
The milkshake in the picture is Madagascar Chocolate – wonderful, but pales in comparison to the pistachio.
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Paru’s Indian Vegetarian Restaurant, Los Angeles.
For some of us, the perfect weekend morning comprises a visit to Golden Bridge Yoga for a physically and mentally reconditioning kundalini yoga session followed by the carrot-almond shake at Paru’s – and a short detour to Amoeba Music in between. This wonderful shake is simply the precursor to a more elaborate and satisfying, all vegetarian meal that showcases the flavors of southern India.
Those accustomed to the canned blandness of what passes for Indian food at most establishments will find this meal a revelation – in much the same way that just walking into Paru’s is a revelation. Quite invisible from the street, Paru’s presents a most unmemorable face to the casual passer-by on Sunset Boulevard. Like many of LA’s most focused and memorable dining spots, it is another nondescript storefront which presents a shuttered and opaque face to the world.
None of this need be of concern. Be brave and walk up to Paru’s, ring the buzzer – you’re ushered into an open-to-sky dining space, with tables generously spaced ‘neath the canopies of many trees. First time visitors should try the combination plates – they are carefully laid out and nothing on them is an afterthought. Sip that shake, sit back and feel that warm sunlight on your face – enjoy the best of what LA has to offer.
Paru’s is open 4:00pm to 11:00pm for dinner, Monday through Friday, and 1:00pm to 10:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
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Kogi BBQ, Los Angeles.
Waiting in line to enter the parking garage at Amoeba Music, this author pondered the various dining options in the area – and there are many, ranging from the quite visible In’n'Out Burger to the virtually invisible Paru’s. Quite by chance and through rushing traffic, I caught a flicker of something quite common to LA parked right across the street – a food truck. And food trucks in LA [also in NYC] can be very good indeed. Follow LA food trucks here.
Yet this was not just any food truck, but the much vaunted and oft praised Kogi Barbeque truck – one that the very talented food critic, Jonathan Gold, waxed poetic about [photo gallery here] in the LA Weekly. For those interested in food and in reading about food [the production, the marketing, the taste], one of Gold’s very best pieces here.
Fully in keeping with the feel-good LA vibe, this choice had been made for me. The following series of images documents the fortuitous encounter.
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