My special birthday request this year was to go to the Perch restaurant overlooking Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles for brunch. It is one of several rooftop bars and restaurants as part of the rebirth of downtown.
While the bar at the top of the Standard Hotel with its red astroturf and a pool is perhaps more famous–although to my mind it shouts “Tacky Vegas”–the Perch has amazing views and an casually elegant Southern California ambiance.
The brunch menu was fairly predictable–various eggs benedict, a burger, a few salads and dessert.
Building higher and higher
While we were waiting we tried to figure out what had been in the space before. I’ve since done research and learned that “air” was what had been in that location previously. The building was originally 13 stories and I have a photo of the 13th story elevator lobby below, but when the new owner of the building, Jeffery Fish, renovated it, he got permission to add 3 more stories on top. In the basement of the building there is a sushi bar named Mrs. Fish with an aquarium in the ceiling. And, of course, a ‘perch’ is a fish, too as well as describing a high place where birds land. Okay. So much for the trivia and history of the building.
Sluts on parade
We also heard a lot of noise and music coming from Pershing Square. It turned out that it was the termination point for the annual Slut Parade. If you are unfamilar with this event: it started in Canada where some lawman said ‘women wouldn’t be raped if they didn’t dress like sluts’. So it is a parade of women dressed like sluts and their supporters. The event was almost over by the time we finished our late brunch and wandered over to the Please Do Not Enter boutique on the far side of Pershing Square.
Our start and finish point for this birthday was the Fillmore Gold Line Station. We really did not want to deal with parking in downtown Los Angeles which is crazy and expensive. The Metro was so much more fun!
Okay. Here are some more photos with captions for more details.
Our start and finish point for this birthday was the Fillmore Gold Line Station. We really did not want to deal with parking in downtown Los Angeles which is crazy and expensive. The Metro was so much more fun!
Okay. Here are some more photos with captions for more details.
