Ten Things to Love About LA in a New York State of Mind

Los Angeles has welcomed immigrants for generations, including our friends from New York. Whether you're an expat or a native Angeleno, we've gathered some of LA's best eats and attractions for those looking for a slice of the Big Apple. And for what it’s worth, we’re not including NYC-based properties that have set up shop here. Sorry, Shake Shack and Magnolia - Locals Only!

The Dodgers are back in the World Series! For the first time in 40+ years, two of MLB's most storied franchises will face off in the Fall Classic when Shohei Ohtani leads the Boys in Blue against Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees. This will be the Dodgers' first appearance in the World Series since they won it all in 2020. Games 1 and 2 will be at Chavez Ravine on Friday and Saturday, October 25 and 26. The next three games will be in New York, then back to LA for Games 6 and 7 on November 1-2 (if necessary).

If you were lucky enough to score tickets, we've got you covered with the Ultimate Guide to Dodgers Game Day.

The flag of the City of New York (there is a such thing) should probably be a picture of a bagel. It’s not just a staple of the diet, but a way of life, a distinctive point of pride with deep roots in the city’s Jewish heritage. These days, we’re no slouch when it comes to these carb-heavy treats.

Located in Virgil Village, Courage Bagels (777 N Virgil Ave) changed the LA bagel game with handmade, naturally fermented bagels - served open-faced and topped with ingredients like smoked salmon and locally sourced tomatoes and cucumbers. There's always a line, but it's worth the wait. Sam’s Bagels (150 N. Larchmont) draws a crowd nearly every day of the week, with a solid variety of offerings. They get bonus points for blasting Russian pop tunes on the radio, and for their efficiently brusque manner with even the sunniest young Hancock Park mom. Wexler’s Deli at Grand Central Market offers the best lox-and-salmon on a bagel 'round these parts. Plus you can laugh at all those suckers in line for Eggslut while you get your nosh on. Bagel Broker on Beverly is worth your time, too. What it lacks in atmosphere, it makes up for in probably the closest approximation to the real thing in the West, with a great selection. And their bagels are the right size and shape. Maybe it’s the water. (The drought is over, after all.)

It's hard to match the experience of walking around Greenwich Village, but Spring Street in Downtown LA comes close. On Dec. 31, 1897 this iconic street gave birth to the motion picture industry when Frederick Blechynden shot the first film made in Los Angeles, a 25-second short for the Edison Manufacturing Company.

Much of the Beaux Arts and Greek revival architecture seen on that piece of celluloid history still stands today. This classic 19th-century American urban setting has served as backdrop to movies ever since, from Chaplin to Transformers. The current revival of the neighborhood has seen an influx of coffee spots such as Spring Arcade Coffee House and watering holes like The Falls. 

There's also a variety of shops - the most stunning is The Last Bookstore, which is not only the largest bookstore (both used and new) in the state, covering more than 22,000 square feet, but also an architectural beauty, housed in the historic Spring Arts Tower.

With the demise of Carnegie Deli in 2016, New York’s stranglehold as the epicenter of the global pastrami economy got a little bit looser. If you prefer your meat on the marbled side, you can do no better than the famed #19 at Langer’s, which more than lives up to the hype. And Canter's hits the spot with a classic pastrami on rye. Extra pickles, duh. 

Highland Park is the new Brooklyn. Which is to say, it’s a great approximation of today’s Brooklyn. The old Brooklyn, like the old Highland Park, is harder and harder to find. You can’t throw a rock without hitting a new hip band, and every corner boasts a terrific bar like The Greyhound, with a correspondingly tasty menu of locally sourced snacks. Who needs Brooklyn Bowl when you have the stunning Highland Park Bowl restored by 1933 Group?  

Let’s face it: Ray’s Famous, Famous Ray’s — or whatever it’s calling itself on a given Manhattan street corner — is mostly famous for being famous. When it comes to flat and cheesy, LA boasts plenty of tasty spots. Mangia tutti!

Named a Michelin Bib Gourmand, Pizzana is a sleek Neapolitan-style pizzeria in Brentwood that has spawned outlets in Silver Lake, Sherman Oaks, Marina del Rey and WeHo. The Cacio e Pepe is a must - provoloncino d’agerola, fior di latte, parmigiano crema and cracked black pepper. The late, great Jonathan Gold called it "a small miracle."

Like many newer restaurants, Quarter Sheets began as a pandemic pop-up - in this case, at the Glendale home of co-founders Aaron Lindell and Hannah Ziskin. The couple opened their brick-and-mortar in January 2022 - Lindell makes the signature pan pizzas and Ziskin creates the desserts. QS serves three styles of pizza: thick crust, available whole or by the slice; Sicilian Squares and Tomato Slices.

L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele is a legendary Naples pizzeria that many Americans discovered when Julia Roberts ate there in the 2010 movie Eat Pray Love. Owner Francesco Zimone imported L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele to a beautiful indoor-outdoor space in Hollywood in 2019. Naples-based pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito supposedly created the Margherita for the Queen in 1889 and L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele carries on the tradition in Tinseltown.

Do you miss the Manhattan club scene, standing in line with the great unwashed, fresh from Jersey and points west? We have our own version of the Bridge-and-Tunnel set here: Five-and-Dimers, so named for the 5 and 10 Freeways they traverse from the hinterlands to Hollywood. If you really want to live it up with the young and wannabe glamorous who aren’t ACTUALLY from here, head to Avalon on Vine. Pumping EDM, a beautifully classic space (the former Palace, where Benny Goodman played the first West Coast jazz show back in the day) and the Inland Empire’s and OC’s foxiest and well-heeled jam this spot most nights. If you close your eyes, and you’ll swear you’re back at Limelight. 

The people ride in a hole in the ground, as “New York, New York” says. We do, too, in an expanding Metro system that's gearing up for hosting global events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl LXI in 2027 and the Summer Olympics in 2028.

From the 7th St/Metro Center in Downtown LA, hop onto the bustling B Line — where Keanu Reeves chased down Dennis Hopper in Speed — to one of the eclectically art-directed Hollywood stations.

If you find yourself pining for that Coney Island F-train experience, we boast our own train to the beach, too. Jump on the E Line and enjoy the panoramic views of LA as you head west to the Santa Monica Pier.

Without a doubt, Los Angeles is one of the best cities in the U.S. for Chinese food outside of the mainland. If you're in the mood for Old School, check out stalwarts like Hop Woo and Yang Chow in historic Chinatown. Head to the Chinese enclave of the San Gabriel Valley for everything from dim sum at Lunasia to the Imperial-style Peking Duck at Bistro Na's. And of course there are multiple locations of Din Tai Fung and their signature Xiao Long Bao.

For fans of live theater, Center Theatre Group offers an incomparable experience at Mark Taper Forum, including the current production of Green Day's American Idiot, running through November 16.

For the more indie-minded, there’s no shortage of smaller theaters in town, among them the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, whose current production of Heading Into Night stars Daniel Passer.