The Line: Not Lost in Translation

Did you know it was Hello Kitty’s birthday a couple of weeks ago? I like most of you, did not. But there it was an homage to the Queen Bee in all of its vanilla deliciousness. This was going to be a fun stay. 

The Line is weird. Its kitschy. It's hipster-y. In a good way, though. It’s like what Williamsburg was before the financial district started moving in. Everyone that works there is happy. Sure they look like the model/actor/fill in the blank that you’d expect from LA but they’re not assholes. It’s refreshing. 

The décor is stripped down and surely meant to be ironic (like the downstairs restaurant called Pot) Get it Koreatown, Bim Pot and marijuana? See what they did there? As I walked into my hotel room I immediately thought, "Hmmm, this kind of feels like a cement block. Wait this is a cement block." Amazingly, a warm and inviting cement block. The rooms are smartly configured so that the focus is on the outside. On LA, with an entire wall of floor to ceiling windows that look out on the city bustle. I oddly felt like I was re-enacting a scene from Lost in Translation every night when I pushed the button by my bed and the shade slowly rolled up revealing the cityscape. It was awesome.

The details are where it's at. The mini-bar is stocked with things you actually want to drink. The snack basket is stocked with things you actually need (Oh you cut yourself while drunk? We have bandaids. Oh you decided LA was the place to try your first one night stand? We've got protection. You get what I mean).

Not to mention Roy Choi. His influence is everywhere. He's a part-owner of The Line and his Cali swag permeates throughout. From the magazines in each room to Commissary, the poolside greenhouse that doubles as a restaurant. Commissary churns out saucy hearty deliciousness that is topped off with cocktails served in plastic take-out containers with names like "Pimp Cup."

The Line has struck the perfect balance between trying enough so you know they give a damn about their customers, and not trying too much in order to preserve their cool factor.

Check it out: 
The Line
Koreatown, Los Angeles
3515 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010
(213) 381-7411

The Good
Sharing an elevator with Ali Shaheed Muhammad from A Tribe Called Quest.

The Bad
Sharing an elevator with a barefoot twenty-year old and his pitbull. The dog was cute, the twenty year-old not so much.

The Ugly
Get better lotion. It smells weird.

By: Daniella Henry