A rainy day itinerary for East Hollywood
Rain in LA is a gift. Everyone else is panicking. You're going to have the best day.
Start at Courage Bagels (777 N Virgil Ave) around 9am, before the line gets serious. The wood-fired everything bagel with scallion cream cheese is the move. Grab a coffee, eat it standing under the awning, watch the rain hit Virgil. Perfect.
Park on Virgil near Fountain and keep that spot, you're going to walk this first stretch. Head up to Fix Coffee (1745 N Edgemont St) if you need a second round. It's a tiny neighborhood staple, no frills, great espresso. The kind of place where regulars know each other's orders.
Now duck into Virgil Normal (4157 Normal Ave). This shop is genuinely one of the best in the city, art books, ceramics, weird beautiful objects. A rainy morning in here feels like being inside someone's very good brain. Browse slow. Buy something small.
By now it's probably 11:30. Walk over to Sapp Coffee Shop (5183 Hollywood Blvd) for an early lunch. Order the boat noodles, rich, dark broth, deeply savory, exactly what your body wants when it's wet outside. Cash is easier here. It'll be quick and it'll be excellent.
After lunch, stroll down to Bhan Kanom Thai (5271 Hollywood Blvd), two blocks east. Get the kanom chan, the layered pandan jelly cake, and whatever else catches your eye in the case. Eat it slowly. You've earned it.
Now move the car down to Fountain. Aim for street parking between Virgil and Heliotrope. You're anchoring the afternoon at the Found Oyster / BESTIES block on Fountain Ave.
Hit BESTIES Vegan Paradise (4882 Fountain Ave) first for a browse, it's a dessert shop and general good-vibes situation. Then, when you're ready to settle in, walk next door to Found Oyster (4880 Fountain Ave). Grab a seat at the bar. Order a glass of something white and a half dozen oysters. Watch the rain out the window. This is the move. This is the whole point.
If you need one more stop, Los Feliz Theatre (5900 Hollywood Blvd) usually has an afternoon arthouse showing on weekends. The lobby bar is real. Check their calendar before you go, a rainy matinee here is maybe the most LA thing you can do on a gray afternoon.
That's your day. Wet shoes, full stomach, no regrets.