The Top Places To Visit In Los Angeles

One of Cohen’s favorite pastimes is rollerskating. He’ll often take his friends—many of whom are in their 60s, 70s and 80s—to the Moonlight Rollerway (5110 San Fernando Rd.; +1-818-241-3630) a Glendale mainstay that’s been used as a film set countless times. The neon-lit skating rink has a real retro look and feel, complete with disco balls, glossy bois floors and a live organ player. The throwback fun continues at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater (4949 York Blvd.; +1-213-250-9995) a pioneering company founded by the late master puppeteer Bob Baker nearly 60 years ago. The theater is known for its offbeat brand of marionette shows, filled with eccentric characters like a black cat with the rhinestone collar, a hand-walking clown, and a dancing petunia.

The Huntington Botanical Gardens (1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino; +1-626-405-2100) in Pasadena are “the most striking gardens I’ve ever been to, like something out of a Dr. Seuss book,” says Cohen. Huntington’s 120 acres of themed gardens include a series of lily ponds, a desert landscape, a palm grove with more than 200 species, a patch planted with medicinal herbs, and a Shakespearean garden inspired by the bard’s plays. To really unwind, Cohen drives to Malibu’s El Matador Beach, a remarkably scenic stretch of sand off the Pacific Coast Highway. “It has these really beautiful rock formations,” he says. “I love to go down there and meditate.”

The Dresden (1760 N Vermont Ave.; +1-323-664-4294), a dimly-lit restaurant cocktail lounge from 1954, has a quintessential Old Hollywood vibe. It’s no surprise Don Draper had dinner there during a Mad Men episode set in California. Cohen is a big fan of Marty and Elayne, a duo that plays jazz standards nearly every weeknight. “They’ve been performing there for decades, they’re just so charming,” he says. Nostalgics should also check out The Tam O’Shanter (2980 Los Feliz Blvd.; +1-323-664-0228), a Scottish-themed pub built in 1922 in an architectural style known as Hansel and Gretel. Not surprisingly, Walt Disney was once a regular.

“I’m vegan and moving to L.A. has been incredible,” says Cohen, referring to the city’s ever-growing roster of vegetarian and vegan food establishments. On special occasions, or to treat guests from out of town, he heads to Elf Cafe (2135 W. Sunset Blvd.; +1-213-484-6829), an Echo Park restaurant whose casual yet romantic dining room glows with the soft light of filament bulbs. Elf’s organic, vegetarian dishes are steeped in Moroccan, Indian, and Mediterranean traditions. For sweet treats, Cohen goes straight to Jeni’s (1954 Hillhurst Ave.; +1-323-928-2668) near his home in Los Feliz. “They make the most delicious vegan chocolate ice cream,” he says.

Hollywood wardrobe stylists can’t get enough of Playclothes (3100 W Magnolia Blvd.; +1-818-557-8447). This storied shop, set in a Streamlined Moderne corner building in Burbank, is filled with vintage furniture, home accessories, and clothing spanning every decade of the 20th Century. Their garments have been featured in movies like Austin Powers, Seabiscuit, and Catch Me if You Can. Squaresville (1800 N Vermont Ave.; +1-323-669-8464) also has quite a few cinematic finds, yet it specializes in day-to-day casual wear raging from classy to grungy and eccentric. “I tend to buy everything used and vintage,” says Cohen, whose style is as unique as his muses’.