Have you put your plans together for July 4^th yet? Downtown LA is filled with things to do so we thought we should put together a short list together of what’s going down and where you might like to spend your July Fourth.

Why not head to the Fourth of July Block Party in Grand Park? It’s a fun time with food trucks, live music and plenty more. The music begins in the afternoon so pack for an all-day picnic (and bring plenty of empty water bottles). No booze is allowed – but your pets are, so bring Fido (and seriously, why are you still calling your dog Fido?). While there you can see Downtown LA light up – and it’s all free. And did we mention you can use Metro to get there real easy?

It’s not in Downtown but it’s darn close; you can see in July Fourth in Pasadena at the Fourth of July Americafest at the Rose Bowl. This festival comes with a motorcycle stunt show, lots of food (hooray!) and, of course, the world-famous fireworks show at 9pm. The Rose Bowl opens at 2pm with a host of things for the kids to do – from inflatable rides to games and crafts. Parking will set you back $20 but make the most of it by tailgating!

There’s also the July 4^th Fireworks Spectacular with Pentatonix at the Hollywood Bowl. Appearing there is the pitch-perfect Pentatonix who will be unleashing their a capella a mazingness (see what we did there) for a red, white and blue celebration under the stars. Make sure to stay hydrated because it’s going to be hot out there.

Wherever you choose to celebrate your Fourth, if alcohol is involved please make sure to drink responsibly. And have a great July Fourth, especially in Downtown LA!!

Ah, Happy Hour; that time of day when work might be over but the day isn’t and there’s some serious unwinding to be done. But which are the best Happy Hours here in City West? We went out, got VERY happy, and put together this blog for you!

We highly recommend the happy hour over at The Black Sheep, located at 126 E. 6th Street. You can find it by looking for Cole’s which is next door. Once you’re inside, you’ll find modern furniture as well as a booths, stool seats, a couple of large TVs and a huge bar! We moseyed on up and found Happy Hour drinks range in price from $4-$7 as well as Sake bombs for just $3. And the sliders they serve up are delicious! More please!

Another great Happy Hour in City West can be found at the Library Bar over on 630 W. 6^th Street. Their Happy Hour goes from 3-6pm Monday through Friday and for $6 you can get excellent cocktails or for $7 plum for the “bartender’s special”. We loved the ambience there – it’s quite dark. They’ve got a great selection of small plates on hand too. We sampled the mushroom boursin crostini – four small crostinis topped with herbed cheese and mushrooms and it was yummy!

Another amazing place to go for Happy Hour in City West has to be Seven Grand over on 515 W. 7^th Street. Their Happy Hour goes every day and extends until 8pm and it really delivers on the Happy! They sell $6 cocktails and $5 beers and if you’re in the mood for whiskey, are you in luck. They carry one of the biggest menus of premium whiskeys in the country and display some of the fancier bottles in vintage cases. Seven Grand also comes with live music, pool tables and if you really want to get involved, a Whiskey Society. You have to pay for this but it provides comprehensive tastings. Amazing stuff!

Wherever you go for Happy Hour in City West, be sure to drink responsibly – and have fun!

Sweet, refreshing, cooling and delicious – that’s what you get out of a good juice bar. But where are the best Juice Bars in South Park? We’ve got all the answers in our latest blog so let’s dive straight in!

The Green Grotto Juice Bar is located over at 541 S. Spring St. The Grotto is all about organic fresh-pressed juice and tasty smoothies and they taste utterly delicious. All the juices are pressed on site and all the produce is sourced locally to make sure you have the best and healthiest juice in front of you. We love the Green Grotto and think you will too!

Talking of the best juice bars in South park, you really should check out Earthbar too, over at 523 W. 6^th Street. Start off with their acai bowls (and various add-ons) for a delicious treat. And try their smoothies too; we sampled their Earthberry smoothie and fell in love at first sip. They use honey to sweeten a lot of their stuff so make sure you’re not getting too much extra sugar (if at all).

The winner of best name for a juice bar is Amazebowls located at 300 S. Santa Fe Ave. But they don’t just have a great name; their Acai bowls are indeed amazing! We sampled the Dragon Bowl-Z with strawberry, blueberry, and kiwi with nut butter, and we’re literally going to have dreams about it! They offer up all sorts, from acai bowls to smoothies to other super-food treats.

Rounding out our list of the best juice bars in South Park is Om Nom Organics over at 215 W. 9^th St. Om Nom (another place we love just saying out loud, over and over!), comes with locally-sourced ingredients all of which are prepared daily. It can’t get any fresher! Their menu is designed to appeal to all; from meat-lovers to gluten-free enthusiasts and more – and we’re sure you’ll find something there for you too that you can’t live without.

So what are you waiting for? The weather’s gorgeous so go out and treat yourself to something at one of these amazing juice bars right here in South Park!

Work hard, play hard. And if you’re working Downtown – especially near the Financial District – you know that ethos all too well. So where are the best fitness studios in the Financial District? Let’s dive straight in.

First off is City Athletix on 626 Wilshire Blvd.  City Athletix comes with top notch weightlifting and cardiovascular equipment along with group fitness classes and, of course, personal training. Work those burgers off with classes that include BodyPulp, BodyCombat, as well as cycling and Zumba. And if that’s not enough – and don’t you think it is? They also have a suspension training area with TRX equipment. We love it!

Next up, check out Sanctuary Fitness over on 718 Jackson St. We really love this place as it offers up two free classes of indoor cycling or high intensity interval training classes for new members! Sanctuary also offers up free cycling shoes, free parking and – get this – hot showers! Wooh! You can also sign up for their strength-focused HIIT classes which really push (and push AND PUSH!). Each day brings a new workout so you can’t get too complacent!

There are plenty more fitness studios in the Financial District – and if you want to try something a little different then hit up The Jyim which offers up not just personal training but boxing classes too. They offer up a free day pass so head on over and check out the classes – including hybrid yoga, body sculpt, circuit training and TRX. In our experience there we found that the classes are small (yay!) and the instructors were fantastic (double yay!).

We’re going to wrap up our list of the best fitness studios in the Financial District with Speedplay over on 1113 ½ S. Hope Street. Speedplay really tired us out – in the best way possible – with their amazing trainers and their workout programs that give you the energy to see it to the finish. The calorie burning continues on even after you’re done!

So get out there and burn off those calories the best way possible – at one of the great fitness studios in the Financial District!