Our Old Stomping Grounds

Warning if you live in LA this post may be old news to you. During my maternity leave it was difficult to imagine walking more then a few short blocks from our apartment. I was nervous that Hank might start crying and then what (I eventually got over this thank goodness). Luckily our apartment was just above the cutest walking street in Silver Lake. While I love our new home and neighborhood Atwater Village I miss that stretch of Silver Lake BLVD between the reservoir and our old street that houses some of the best shops and food options on the East Side. Being able to roll out the door and throw Hank in the Ergo or the stroller and explore this area was the best.

Lake Boutique

Each journey would always include a stop into Lake where I was proud to be on a first name basis with a few of the people who work here (my husband might say this is NOT a good thing). This is truly the best store ever! They have amazing home goods, beautiful jewelry and the coolest clothes around - think Isabel Marant and Rag and Bone and everything else that I love and mostly aspire to own these days. I dare you to not love it. There is also always a cool espadrille direct from Spain in the summer or some cool rachel comey boot to dream about. If you are on Silver Lake BLVD you must stop here if only for the eye candy.

Lawson Fenning

If Lake is the place I dreamed I would purchase all my clothes from thank god there is a store right next to it where I can purchase all of my new home's furniture and accessories. Lawson Fenning is a really great mix of interesting furniture, beautiful strange accessories like wire industrial lamps and agate book ends. They have some beautiful art books in the back and giant canvas bags that seem like you should fill with an easel, canvas and a baguette and head to Giverny to paint some landscapes with a beret on.This store also has a good dose of masculine goods to you can grab something for your man while you are in the midst of all this shopping. This store is just great eye candy. I have yet to purchase anything from here but they don't seem to mind my endless wanderings. Apparently there is one in West Hollywood as well but I have never been to this location. 

Yolk

Since I have already purchased my fall wardrobe and furnished my home (in my head) I now must purchase a few things for Hank. Now yolk has cute gifts and furniture and clothes for adults too but I feel like where they really excel is with cute, amazing children's things. They have just about everything if you need a gift for a little one or a mama to be. They have so many amazing books and adorable clothing and toys and furniture, etc. And they have great ideas if you walk in a bit clueless late for a friend's child's birthday party. If you ask them what should I get a three-year-old little girl they have brilliant suggestions and they wrap everything up so pretty. Now a word of caution like everything else on Silver Lake Boulevard things can add up here quickly.

LAMILL

If all of that shopping or ogling in my case has made you fatigued luckily there is a high end coffee shop with six different choices in just how to brew your coffee alone right down the street. Seriously LAMILL has the most delicious iced coffee I've ever had. Somehow they manage to make a simple iced black coffee taste like it was dipped in chocolate. There food is really good as well. For you foodies out there the menu was designed by the chef at Providence  one of the most delicious and perhaps most aspirational restaurant of all in Los Angeles (there is a theme emerging). You can get a cold pea soup and a panini in the summer and delicious butternut squash soup in the winter and so much more but I usually go for soup for some reason here. After all that shopping and eating luckily there is the gorgeous reservoir just done the street to walk or jog around with your baby in hand. You can dream about all of the beautiful homes that line this little lake and park yourself in the meadow and just soak up the serene setting and wonder to yourself when did Silver Lake become so full of young, hip families? 

This pic is from my husband's bday party we had here last year. It doesn't do it justice.