Welcome to Happy Hours & Hikes #002

Of course, we had no idea that our second installment of this newsletter would coincide with two of the worst fires in L.A. County history. We don’t have adequate words for those who lost homes, neighborhoods, restaurants, businesses, and at worst their loved ones. For this issue, we are waiving our happy hour menu caveat and hope that this tiny newsletter can send love, support, and resources to our L.A. community. So, raise a glass and donate some dollars to some of the places we lost and will rebuild.

Happy Hours

Moonshadows Malibu

Moonshadows holds a special place in our hearts, as we dined here with our parents during our first year living in Southern California. Pricing wasn’t cheap, but the atmosphere couldn’t be beat with tables directly on the Pacific Ocean. When we dined there for the first time, we also got a bonus of seeing dolphins in the horizon.

The Little Red Hen Coffee Shop

We never had the opportunity to eat at The Little Red Hen, but they have been a staple in the Altadena community since 1955. A family owned diner known for french toast and soul food is looking to rebuild their multi-generational restaurant.

Hikes

Temescal Canyon

My wife’s favorite trail in Los Angeles that she frequented most weekends — this hike holds a special place in her heart. It’s incredibly bittersweet to feature this as we hiked it together less than 48 hours before the Palisades fire. It was a remarkably clear day where you could see the entirety of the Santa Monica Bay from Skull Rock. Per AllTrails, Skull Rock Loop is a Moderate 4.1 miles hike with 1,138 ft of elevation. We ended up doing an out & back instead of the loop with Garmin Connect ending with 4.33 miles, 1,070 ft ascent, and 2:08:00 total time. Parking was $12 for a day pass, but of course, this trail is closed and to be determined on when it will be safe to return.

Wrapping up with some housekeeping. We sincerely hope that you’ll consider giving directly to GoFundMe initiatives or in-kind donations. You can find a list of resources here and click the purple “Donation Drives” button to find drop-off areas.

As this is our first attempt curating a newsletter, we’ll be aiming to publish twice a month on Thursdays in 2025, and we are always open to comments, feedback, and questions!

We love L.A.

J + L