I went on a date ... with L.A. Here’s my love letter, through photos

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Tuesday, Feb. 21. I’m Angeline Woo, the food features photo editor at the Los Angeles Times.

One of my favorite ways to unfold the weekend is to explore Los Angeles, camera in hand, with dear friends. It feels like a date with my city, and the trove of photos is my love letter to L.A.

I did that this weekend, and I want to share them with you. I invited my Los Angeles Times features photo editor colleagues — Calvin Alagot, Liv Paggiarino and Brandon Choe — for the day. We began with an Arabic breakfast and housemade Earl Grey lattes at Saffy’s.

Los Angeles consistently offers an intriguing trifecta of food, architecture and artful happenings, and it’s one of the reasons why I stay in love. For this weekend, I focused on a few foundational L.A. spaces.

We meandered through Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Hollyhock House in Barnsdall Art Park, which opened to the public again in August. We also explored Amazonia, the exhibition of 200-plus images by Brazilian photojournalist Sebastiao Salgado at the California Science Center.

My friends and I parted ways, I went to my favorite postmodern building in downtown, the Bonaventure. I sat through the L.A. sunset glow at the revolving Bonavista Lounge with cocktails.

I climbed a flight of stairs and ate dinner on the topmost floor. Like the end of many great dates, I ordered an incredible dessert, to share.

Being in L.A. reminds me to live each day with renewed curiosity and intention. I hope the images below show that.

Here’s my love letter.

Arabic breakfast (available on the weekends) at Saffy’s in Los Angeles. Shakshuka, chopped salad, marinated olives, clotted cream with avocado honey and grilled challah bread. In front: Cardamom roll. Saffy’s is named after chef/owners Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis’ daughter.

(Angeline Woo / Los Angeles Times)

The Hollyhock House, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, at Barnsdall Art Park in Hollywood. Designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1919, the house was originally intended by Aline Barnsdall to be part of an arts and live-theater complex. Features photo editors Calvin Alagot, left, and Liv Paggiarino look through their lenses.

(Angeline Woo / Los Angeles Times)

The first artist intervention and first formal collaboration for the Los Angeles-based couple, the artwork (paintings and ceramics) on view is entitled Entanglements: Louise Bonnet and Adam Silverman at Hollyhock House.

(Angeline Woo / Los Angeles Times)

The California Science Center is displaying the North American premiere of Amazonia, an exhibition featuring more than 200 photographs by Brazilian photojournalist Sebastiao Salgado.

(Angeline Woo / Los Angeles Times)

The postmodern Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Designed by architect John C. Portman and built from 1974 to 1976, the building is a 33-story hotel with a 35th story featuring a revolving restaurant (LA Prime) and bar (Bonavista Lounge).

(Angeline Woo / Los Angeles Times)

Left: The pineapple sunset from the signature cocktail menu at the Bonavista Lounge, a revolving rooftop bar at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Right: LA Prime restaurant’s signature entree, filet mignon and broiled Australian lobster tail, with iceberg wedge salad and farm fresh asparagus spears.

(Angeline Woo / Los Angeles Times)

LA Prime restaurant’s signature entree, filet mignon and broiled Australian lobster tail, farm fresh asparagus spears, iceberg wedge salad, and banana cream pie creme brulee with homemade caramel and vanilla wafer (clockwise, from left). Beverages: Cabernet Sauvignon, blackberry smash signature cocktail, champagne. At the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

(Angeline Woo / Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles Times food features photo editor Angeline Woo on the top floor of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles during sunset.

(Calvin Alagot / Los Angeles Times)

And now, here’s what’s happening across California:

Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of articles you can access without subscribing.

L.A. STORIES

(Sabrina Mai Nguyen / For The Times)

The power of Porto’s: Why those yellow boxes of guava pastries will always say ‘L.A.’ The Cuban bakery chain Porto’s has been a Los Angeles favorite for decades and is still going strong. Pro tip: You can order any cafe item from any line; pick the shorter one. Los Angeles Times

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Hoot and Holler at Stud Country, L.A.’s lively queer line-dancing party. Stud Country subverts heteronormative ideas about country music by creating a queer-friendly dance space in Los Angeles built on line dancing. Los Angeles Times

Explaining Hollywood: How to get a job as a food stylist. As food has become a bigger part of the entertainment industry, there’s more and more respect (and work) for food stylists in Hollywood. Los Angeles Times

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Inside Super Nintendo World: A guide to every dish at so-cute-it-hurts Toadstool Cafe At Universal Studios Hollywood, Super Nintendo World is officially opening. Here’s a rundown of every dish at the Super Mario Bros.-themed Toadstool Cafe. Los Angeles Times.

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Assemblymember Mia Bonta, the wife of California’s attorney general, recuses herself from overseeing his department’s budget. California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s wife has recused herself from matters related to the state Department of Justice as part of her duties leading a legislative subcommittee that oversees his budget. Los Angeles Times

Mayor Bass calls for overhaul of LAPD discipline system, more detectives to work cases. In the clearest indication yet of her police priorities, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she wants the LAPD to hire more homicide detectives, overhaul its discipline system and root out far-right extremists within its ranks. Los Angeles Times

A man walks away from a building that was just hit by a Russian bombardment and caught on fire, in the Moskovskyi district in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

A year of war: Los Angeles Times photographers document the battle in Ukraine. Los Angeles Times photographers document the battle in Ukraine after Russian forces invaded nearly a year ago. Los Angeles Times

SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT

The sounds of science. Why just look at your data when you could listen? Scientists are turning their data into sound to gain new insights into things as small as DNA and as large as galaxies. Los Angeles Times

Brain-implant companies balk at moves to regulate their nascent tech. The nascent field of brain-computer interfaces is particularly sensitive to security concerns, making it a natural target for stringent oversight. But at a conference Thursday, several execs warned of overregulation. Los Angeles Times

(Angeline Woo / Los Angeles Times)

Are Californians destroying the Amazon? A Sabastiao Salgado exhibit raises hard questions. The beauty of the Amazon rainforest and its peoples, and the threats facing them, emerge in a Sebastião Salgado photo show at the California Science Center. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

(Stephanie S. Shih / For The Times)

She dreamed about mountains of mushrooms — and got what she wished for. Foraging is not the only way to bring freshly picked mushrooms to your kitchen table. You can easily grow varieties including oyster, shiitake and lion’s mane in your home. Los Angeles Times

Artist Ferrari Sheppard photographed in his studio for L.A. Times.

(G L Askew II / For The Times)

Art should not abstract human emotion. Ferrari Sheppard can show you how it’s done. Honesty is why the L.A.-based artist is the talk of Frieze: “If I paint something and it makes me sad, it’s f—ing sad. That is the barometer of the life of the piece, so to speak.” Los Angeles Times

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Angela Bassett: ‘I did what I came to do. And I did it well.’ “It’s better to be underestimated and then deliver,” says Angela Bassett, who makes Marvel history with her supporting actress Oscar nomination. Los Angeles Times

Allensworth, a one-time Black utopia, could rise again from the Central Valley dust. A California Historic Park commemorates life in Allensworth, a Central Valley town founded after the Civil War where Black residents could prosper. Los Angeles Times

One of the most popular dishes at Nawal is the fatteh. A shareable dish of whole garbanzo beans, fried pita chips, house yogurt sauce, house hummus sauce, fried slivered almonds, parsley, chili oil drizzle and house seasoning.

(Oscar Mendoza / For The Times)

Find comforting Syrian breakfast at this backyard pop-up near Dodger Stadium. Two brothers create a totally unique Syrian-Circassian culinary experience at Nawal, their weekend backyard pop-up. Los Angeles Times

AND FINALLY

Today’s California landmark is the moving rocks in Death Valley national park, from Lawrence Westbury of Santa Barbara:

Moving rocks mysteriously snake across a dry lakebed at Death Valley national park.

(Lawrence Westbury)

Westbury writes:

What are California’s essential landmarks? Fill out this form to send us your photos of a special spot in California — natural or human-made. Tell us why it’s interesting and what makes it a symbol of life in the Golden State. Please be sure to include only photos taken directly by you. Your submission could be featured in a future edition of the newsletter.

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.