My favorite places to shop and eat in LA.

I'm a LA native. It's a rare species, I know, since most people in LA are usually from somewhere else, and if they were from here originally, they tend to move elsewhere after a while.

I think LA gets a really bad rep, mainly because it is so spread out, most visitors don't know what LA really is. You land at the airport and the first thing you think is, man , it's butt-ugly. You get on the freeways and it usually takes you an hour to get anywhere. Very disheartening if you ask me.

But the secret to LA is this, you have to explore it nook and cranny at a time. You shouldn't try to do LA in one day. It is physically impossible. Spend on day in each area and you'll see how cool this city is.

Here is my favorite places in LA to eat, shop or just hang out:

Eat:

1) If you go to LA, you must try ethnic food. We have a large Korean community and Koreatown is probably one of the largest in the world. For truly ethnic Korean, try Chosun Galbi for Korean barbecue. My favorite Korean place though, is not in Korean town but in Culver City. It's called Gyenari and it's a bar/restaurant.

I like it because it has great drinks, good appetizer and you don't smell like a Webber when you leave.

2) Another great area for ethnic food is Little Saigon for Vietnamese food. It is technically Orange County and not LA. My favorite is Quan Hy. It offers Vietnamese dishes that are unusual for Westeners who are probably just used to Pho.

3) All the hot and happening restaurants are in West Hollywood/Hollywood area. Bazaar in the SLS hotel has lots of press but beware, it is extremely expensive. My favorite is the tried and trued Lucques on Melrose. Superb food and great atmostphere.

Places to shop for home decor:

1) Helms Place in Culver City is my favorite place to shop for home furnishings in LA. It is located in the huge Helms Bakery building. The concept is called manu-retail, which means the manufacturers are selling directly to the consumers. They have many retailers under one roof. From what I can tell, during their semi-annual sale the prices are fantastic. The people are super nice and you can bring your dog.

2) The design district in LA is concentrated around West Hollywood, La Cienega/Melrose area. Totally expensive but it's nice to look. Most of the high-end shops are on Melrose and Beverly Blvd. I like going there just to look.

3) I like going to the sample sale at LA Mart for the bargains. Twice a year they have a sample sale that opens to the public. I think you have to pay for a guest pass, or if you have a friend with a resale license you can get it for free.

Places to hang out:

1) Many of the fun things to do in LA are free. If the weather is nice the best thing to do is to hang out by the beach. You can go roller blading or bike riding along the path. It goes for miles. You can go from Malibu all the way down to Redondo Beach. Don't ask me how far that is, it's long. Let me tell you. Along the way drop by for a magarita at Shutter Beach hotel. You can catch a glimpse of a lot of celebrities there. Last time I was there I saw Nicolas Cage--he's so skinny and much shorter than he looks on the screen.

2) At night a fun place to have a drink is at the Viceroy hotel. This hotel was designed by Kelly Weartsler and it is featured in so many movies and shows you have no idea. It's very chic and happening, especially in the summer where you can drink by the pool.

3) In the summer it's fun to go to the W hotel in Westwood and watch movies at the pool. They offer it every third Thursday or something. You'll have to check the hotel web site for scheduling. It's a fun way to watch a newly released movie, have a glass of wine and people watch at the same time.

That's it. I hope you'll have fun.

What about you? Do you have local favorites in your area that you can share?