Pershing Square Building in downtown LA with PERCH restaurant/bar on the roof.
My birthday is in May and my friend BG’s birthday is in June so we decided to have a birthday bash this past Saturday. The last time we did a birthday bash was two years ago which I documented at this link.
Left to right. US Bank Building, Deloitte Building (formerly Gas Building), new construction, California Plaza (in background), Title Guarantee Building, Pershing Square Building (peeking in at right side)
We’re in the middle of June Gloom (not to be confused with May Gray although very similar!). The good news is the sun usually comes out late morning/early afternoon.
Not sure what building this is but I love the mural
We both live in Culver City so we took the Expo Line train to 7th Street Metro Center Station and walked a few blocks (we could have transferred to the Red Line and exited at Pershing Square but it wasn’t worth the effort for a one-minute ride).
There’s construction going on all over LA these days… mixed use projects… too much traffic, too many people…
Detail of the Pershing Square Building. The 1920s were the glory days of downtown… fortunately most of the beaux artes and art deco buildings still remain to live a new life today.
We took the elevator to Perch on the 15th floor of the Pershing Square Building. We ordered our drinks. B liked the idea of the My Fair Lady with vodka. I ordered the gin Hemingway on the Beach. I don’t particularly like very sweet drinks and this fit the bill. We each had two cocktails (it was our birthday bash…).
We both ordered the Huevos Rancheros. I happen to be an expert on this dish (!) and I have to say this was about the best I have ever laid eyes on and eaten! They came with Perch potatoes that melted in my mouth. I’m also a potato aficionado…
I can only assume these were the original 1920s tile floors… exquisite.
If you love downtown LA as I do, you can’t go wrong with this view. As I was sucking up the huevos I was looking directly at the Title Guaranty Building. Originally built as an office building it is now re-used as residential lofts, as are many of the 1920s office buildings in downtown.
California Plaza in the center. Beneath it is the Subway Building. Yes, there was a subway in LA.
Looking down on Pershing Square with the Biltmore Hotel at right middle.
It’s fabulous to see the revitalization of downtown which really began in the 1980s. Before that it had become a virtual dead zone. It’s weird to think that most of the people who now live downtown in converted lofts and apartments weren’t even on the planet when the area was pretty much desolate. But I remember!
Detail of the Title Guaranty Building
We were told that our table reservation could only be held for 15 minutes if we were late. We could see why as the place was packed for lunch on Saturday.
We were entertained by Emma-Jane and her band. A lovely selection of songs.
View of the restaurant interior and bar
We visited the 16th floor which is a bar only. Looked very cosy. And the sun was coming out.
US Bank Building, Biltmore Hotel,Deloitte Building, California Plaza
We could have stayed at Perch for the rest of the day as we felt so relaxed and comfortable. But it was time to move on.
We were on our way to the Intercontinental Wilshire Grand. On the way we passed one of my favorite buildings, originally the Sanwa Bank Building, not sure what it is currently. It’s a beautiful 1990s homage to the art deco style of the 1920s.
Street entrance to Wilshire Grand Hotel
Entrance to Wilshire Grand
Across the street, another of my favorite buildings, originally a Home Savings bank, the lobby is on the 6th floor to allow parking on the lower floors because the Red Line train station was built under the building where underground parking would have been. Maybe the new Wilshire Grand took a cue from Home Savings with their 70th floor lobby?
The Wilshire Grand lobby offers fabulous views of downtown, an upscale bar and comfy seating.
This thingamajig is holding the building up!
The first time I saw the view from these windows I had a bad vertigo attack. Now I’ve been up there a few times it doesn’t bother me. It’s all in the head.
View of Echo Park Lake, about 3 miles from downtown. This reminded me that I need to visit there before the Lotus flowers fade.
We ordered drinks… some concoction with Roses Lime Juice. Very tasty but too sweet for me.
At 4:00pm the open air rooftop bar opened… we were on it! I felt like I was on a cruise ship. Hmm… it’s been a few years since I’ve been on a cruise… I think I’m ready to go again!
The mast which makes this the fake tallest building in LA!
B ordered another sweet drink but I went with a Gin Gibson to get that tart onion flavor. We shared an order of chicken wings for some much needed protein.
It was a wonderful experience sitting on top of the world, but we wanted to go west to the Santa Monica Pier to finish up the day. Fortunately we were just a few footsteps away from the train station. So we jumped on the Expo Line and headed for the beach. The pier was jammed with people out for a summer evening.
We were glad we weren’t driving and having to hunt for a parking space!
All the cars on Pacific Coast Highway were heading back into town.
Despite all the people I always love to see the ocean. There’s no way I could ever live far from it.
We walked back into downtown Santa Monica. 
The Third Street Promenade was alive and well on a Saturday night. We were looking for ice cream but settled for milk shakes. I ordered a Kit Kat shake. The last time I had a milk shake was at a McDonald’s in Oregon in 2015. It was a vanilla shake and possibly the best thing I ever ate in my life! But this shake was even better. Maybe in three years I can have another shake!
We headed home to Culver City on the Expo Line, two very happy birthday girls…
