THE 5 BEST PLACES IN LA TO READ A BOOK

Grand Central Market in Downtown LA | Photo: Yuri Hasegawa

After you've shopped L.A.'s best specialty bookstores, you'll need a place to read. As great as it is to relax at home or in the park and read the latest bestseller, L.A. has many interesting locations for you to curl up with a book. From a romantic beach to historic bars, discover the best places in Los Angeles to read a book.

NOTE: Hours and opening dates change frequently. Check individual websites for updated information.

1) BUKOWSKI - FROLIC ROOM

Located on Hollywood Boulevard next door to the Pantages Theatre, the Frolic Room boasts one of the best neon signs of any bar and the famous two-panel mural by legendary artist Al Hirschfeld, which features caricatures of more than two dozen iconic figures, including Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Picasso, Albert Einstein and Louis Armstrong. The Pantages hosted the Academy Awards from 1950 to 1960, so it's fun to imagine Oscar winners like Marlon Brando and Audrey Hepburn stopping by the Frolic Room to celebrate their big nights.

The Frolic Room was a favorite haunt of Charles Bukowski, dubbed the "laureate of American lowlife" by TIME magazine. For almost a decade, Buk lived at an apartment on De Longpre Avenue a couple of miles east of the Frolic Room. Order a boilermaker and dive into Bukowski's debut novel, Post Office, which he wrote in three weeks. Pro tip: there's free Jiffy Pop popcorn, you just have to ask the bartender (nicely).

2) COOKBOOK - GRAND CENTRAL MARKET

Whether you're a Top Chef at home, or your cooking skills are closer to the Top Ramen level, there isn't a more immersive, vibrant food experience in L.A. than the historic Grand Central Market, which opened in Downtown L.A. in October 1917 and has been in continuous operation ever since. The city's largest and oldest public market, GCM spans 30,000 square feet and houses a global collection of classic and modern food vendors. To coincide with its centennial, Grand Central Market released its first-ever cookbook, featuring 85 recipes from every vendor - Eggslut’s signature Slut, Sarita’s pupusas, Madcapra’s Sumac Beet Soda, Horse Thief BBQ’s Nashville-Style Hot Fried Chicken Sando, Villa Moreliana’s carnitas tacos, Jose Chiquito’s breakfast burrito, G&B’s yeasted waffles, McConnell’s cinnamon ice cream, and many more.

3) DETECTIVE / HARD BOILED - MUSSO & FRANK GRILL

The bar at Musso & Frank Grill | Photo: Yuri Hasegawa

Opened in 1919, Musso & Frank Grill is the oldest restaurant in Hollywood and is as famous for its Martinis as the legendary clientele, which spans generations of celebrities, from Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe to Keith Richards and Johnny Depp. Musso's was also a mecca for famed writers like William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nathanael West, William Saroyan and Dorothy Parker. Ask the Dust author John Fante was also a Musso's regular, which inspired Charles Bukowski to emulate his idol and frequent the bar ("Fante was my god.").

Fans of hard-boiled detective fiction will feel right at home seated at the same bar where Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett spent many a night. Order a dry Martini or a Gimlet (Hammett's favorite) and imagine you're drinking with Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep, which Chandler partially wrote at Musso's.

Throughout dozens of books and a seven-season Amazon Prime series, Musso's is also a favorite of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, who likes Ketel One Martinis and the Thursday special, Chicken Pot Pie.

4) FANTASY - FERN DELL

Fern Dell Nature Museum at Griffith Park | Photo: Lindsay Blake

Situated at the southwestern tip of Griffith Park, Fern Dell Nature Center is a 20-acre botanical oasis that features a quarter-mile meandering trail, 20-plus waterfalls and 17 footbridges, all canopied by more than 50 fern and tropical plant varieties. The shaded, breezy spot has long been a favorite haven for Angelenos, especially on warm summer days. As you read your favorite fantasy author in the idyllic glen, it's easy to imagine elves, faeries and other magical creatures hiding in the trees.

5) GARDENING - THE HUNTINGTON

GSBF Bonsai Collection at the Huntington Library
Photo: GSBF Collection at the Huntington Library

For the green thumbs out there, it doesn't get much better than a day at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Founded in 1919, The Huntington Library is world-renowned as a cultural, research and educational center. The Botanical Gardens at The Huntington feature more than a dozen specialized gardens spanning 120 acres, including the California Garden, Children's Garden, Desert Garden and Rose Garden.

Completed in 1912, the iconic Japanese Garden features a moon bridge, koi ponds, the historic Japanese House, ceremonial teahouse and bonsai collection. Aspiring bonsai artists should bring "The Complete Book of Bonsai" and contemplate the Bonsai Collection. Started in 1968 with personal trees donated by the late Bob Watson, the collection has since expanded to hundreds of trees - some of the Huntington's bonsai are estimated to be over 1,000 years old!

* Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board 633 West 5th Street, Suite 1800, Los Angeles, CA 90071, USA info@discoverlosangeles.com