It started in modern-L.A. fashion. I was on time for 6 a.m. sunrise yoga at OUE Skyspace LA, having made the drive to downtown Los Angeles from Altadena in traffic-free time, parked in the convenient garage (Westlawn Parking Garage) on Flower Street next to Central Library and climbed one flight of the lovely Bunker Hill Steps. My daughter, coming from her Highland Park apartment, was late because her Uber driver missed the freeway exit.
No matter. Lauren made it to the Skyspace observation deck on the 70th floor of the U.S. Bank Tower in time for class to begin.
Instructor Erika Sanchez from the DTLA location of SoHo Yoga took us through a wonderful hour-long flow class. She stuck to postures basic enough that no yoga experience was required, but used clever transitions and plenty of movement to keep even veteran yogis engaged. While the morning air was chilly, marching plank pose and twisting prayer lunges kept us plenty warm.
After a well-earned final relaxation, yoga class was over and it was time to try the Skyslide, a 45-foot enclosed glass slide just one flight of stairs above us – and 1,000 feet above L.A. The view is stunning, and if you aren’t afraid of heights, this is gentle fun on par with a fancy playground slide. One bonus of getting there at sunrise was that we had the slide all to ourselves, and most of the yogis with us queued up for more than one trip down.
With yoga and sliding completed, we needed coffee and breakfast. The fee at the garage maxes out at $8 on weekends, so we left the car in place and decided to walk the few blocks to Grand Central Market. If you follow our route to enter the market on Hill Street, you’ll pass two Starbucks along the way. Ignore both and proceed straight to G&B Coffee for a handcrafted cup of comfort. (G&B opens at 7 a.m. and the rest of the market at 8.) Whether you’re a coffee nerd or a coffee noob, they’ve got your drink. Our kind barista spotted our yoga clothes and post-workout demeanor and had cups of cold water in front of us right away, quickly followed by delicious lattes with almond-hazel-nut milk.
Had we been at the top of our breakfast game (I blame the early hour for our lapse), we would have gotten those lattes to go and headed straight into the market to stand in line at eggslut. Instead, we took a breather at the G&B counter first. Even with the delay, the eggslut line was the shortest I’ve seen on a weekend, so we jumped right in.
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We couldn’t resist ordering the signature Slut, a coddled cage-free egg, salted and sprinkled with chives atop creamy potato puree. This delightful dish, nestled in a glass jar and served with baguette slices for dipping, is warm comfort food at its finest, but there are also amazing egg-focused sandwiches if that is your preference. The market holds plenty of other treasures (Wexler’s Deli is among my favorites).
If you linger over breakfast and maybe hunt down some of the market’s culinary treasures to take home, it’ll be late enough to hit some other DTLA spots. The Last Bookstore, just a couple of blocks away, opens at 10 a.m. and could easily keep you busy until well after lunch with its 22,000 square feet of new and used books, vinyl records and art. Rather borrow than buy? Central Library opens at 9:30 a.m. Fri-days and Saturdays and 10 a.m. the rest of the week. It’s worth a stop for the art and architecture alone.
Not an early bird? Fear not. After the Aug. 24 sunrise class ($30), yoga switches to sunset from September through March. What’s more, the Skyspace Garden Bar will be open to offer post-yoga pre-slide libations.
