A casual outfit for a casual (yet busy!) L.A. weekend (picture taken outside Angel City Brewing). Rust V-neck by Pistol Lake. Dark denim by Mott & Bow. Navy sneakers by GREATS Brand. Sunglasses by Randolph Engineering. Stainless steel dive watch by Invicta.

After a rather exhausting cross-country flight, the book is closed on my trip to Los Angeles. And what a trip it was. Cramming lots into a weekend can sometimes be difficult and overwhelming to do when traveling, but I can definitely say I have a newfound appreciation for the city  (even moreso than I did before), and there was zero stress in getting around; it was absolutely worth being just a bit tired today at the ole’ desk job, too. Luckily, I was able to navigate the city in style, and I found what I packed to be just enough, with a few exceptions.

A highlight of the trip was a Friday evening (or rather, a late Friday night) spent at Good Times at Davey Wayne’s, an eclectic bar styled like what can only be described as a cool, albeit 70’s-themed, house party. It’s a must-visit bar with a neat outdoor patio area and (crucially, cheap brews. I made use of my Mott & Bow denim and a United By Blue pocket T-shirt (unfortunately not line now) that transitioned smoothly from travel (along with my Grayers Russel Baseball Jacket) into a night on the town. Having versatile layers that keep you comfortable is key when traveling and making quick changes on the go, and those items served me well. I also was pleased with how my Timberland Coulter Chukka Boots held up during the transition from travel to sightseeing (although I picked up this pair through my day job, I’d recommend everyone grab a reliable pair of trusty leather chukka boots for all kinds of style situations).

Spending some more time outside Angel City Brewing before sampling some terrific beers.

As we rallied from a less-than-optimal night of sleep to watch our beloved Michigan State Spartans beat Purdue, I again turned to my Mott & Bow denim – they’re an exceptionally comfortable pair of jeans built with a nice amount of stretch. I’ve found the Skinny fit to be the ideal silhouette for the sorts of outfits I like to wear, although the brand’s Slim and Straight options appear to be just as reliable. The comfortable fit and versatile, dark color of my pair definitely served me well on the rest of our adventures through Los Angeles — it was truly awesome to be able to visit Angel City Brewery in the city’s burgeoning Arts District on Saturday in particular! I took along my Randolph Engineering sunglasses along with my ever-present Warby Parker glasses. It was only fitting to be able to take in everything while outfitted in a comfortable, soft V-neck from Los Angeles’ own Pistol Lake.  Of course, the beer at Angel City was the real highlight.

A shot from inside the well-designed, enjoyable Angel City Brewery.

They have a positively massive, multi-level warehouse space built out with pleasing industrial décor, an outdoor food stand and of course, excellent beer brewed on-site. Sampling flights of delicious beer and taking in the atmosphere on a beautiful day made it worth the trek across town. It’s part of an area of Los Angeles that seems to be coming up quickly — and it’s also close to the well-designed Apolis Common Gallery. Filled up with great beer and ready to tackle the rest of the day, our adventures took us through much of the rest of downtown L.A., including Grand Park, the Grand Central Market and portions of the city’s Historic District. Viewing some of the city’s surreal architecture was quite neat — the California Department of Transportation is a distinct highlight (even for a government administration building).

The perfect shirt for a night out, and the perfect bag for cross country travel. Polka dot short-sleeve Oxford by Saturdays NYC. Stowaway Weekender Bag by Navali.

As a lot of walking was involved throughout the rest of the day and into the early part of the evening, my reliable navy suede Rosen sneakers from GREATS Brand proved the perfect sneaker both in terms of versatile style and comfort (just as I had hoped). For the larger part of the night however, I turned to my Coulter Chukka boots from Timberland, along with one of my all-time favorite shirts, a polka dot short-sleeve Oxford from Saturdays Surf NYC (as seen above). And the night was certainly an adventure — more great beer was on-tap at Sunset Beer, a Silver Lake bottle shop featuring a wide range of bottles available for purchase and consumption on-site; the draft selection included hard-to-find (in NYC) brews from heavyweights like Deschutes. Checking out nice cocktail bars like The Thirsty Crow in the trendy neighborhood was also a highlight.

The Devil’s Mess egg scramble featuring some solid sides.

And a  much-needed Sunday brunch also brought us back to Silver Lake, and the delicious Millie’s Café. As you can see in the photo above, the meal was something else! Given the laidback nature of the day, I kept my outfit rather simple on Sunday, but opted (mistakenly) for shorts rather than denim — a bad move considering temperatures were breezy and in the low ’60’s! And on that note, I would definitely swap out another pair of shorts in my bag for another pair of denim or chinos. However, my Michael Bastian x Uniqlo polo proved polished enough for all the day’s adventures, including lots more walking through Silver Lake. To go with the sportier style I tried out, my Goorin Brothers vintage ballcap (back in stock in November, I’m told!), was a solid accessory to pair with my clean, minimal Daniel Wellington Classic Bristol watch throughout Sunday, in addition to the rest of the trip.

Perusing the excellent Shinola flagship. Polo by Michael Bastian x Uniqlo. Vintage ballcap by Goorin Brothers. Linen-blend shorts by Frank & Oak. Braided leather belt by Target Merona. Glasses by Warby Parker. Classic Bristol leather watch by Daniel Wellington.

In addition to brunch, our Silver Lake exploration also took us to the outstanding Shinola flagship store. The selection of watches was, as always, outstanding. And as one might expect from such a design-focused company, the layout was pleasing and the rest of the product, including fine leather goods, journal supplies and an amazing shearling bomber jacket done in collaboration with Golden Bear, was stellar. Although it wasn’t in the cards (or the budget, rather) this time, a Shinola timepiece is definitely on my wish list. Swinging through Hollywood finished up what proved to be a whirlwind trip (but closing it out with an excellent Thai coffee near my friend’s apartment was the way to go).

It was a trip that packed a ton into a short period of time, but it’s certainly one I would repeat. Navigating the city was an adventure, but not overly difficult, and covering so much ground and seeing so many different cultures and sights n such a short period of time was definitely the best way to experience the city. There are some standout, up-and-coming spots and some excellent menswear stores, too — all good things to look for when traveling if you’re like me! It may have been a quick trip this time, but I’ll definitely be back.

Ever been through Los Angeles? What’s your favorite spot in the city?