LAST-MINUTE LUXE

With more than 700 properties in Los Angeles, Whimstay is the best new Airbnb alternative for savvy travelers, specializing in luxe properties for less on short notice. When booking properties within 30 days of the check-in date, guests can find prices up to 40% lower than other major booking sites. From a seven-bedroom mansion in Beverly Hills with a heated pool and private movie theater to an intimate Hollywood Hills villa with a hot tub, fire pit, futuristic grand piano, and sweeping views, the options are endless. whimstay.com

SASQUATCH RETURNS!

A beloved Melrose favorite, Coffee For Sasquatch reopened this summer under new ownership by longtime patron and daily café regular Sasha Bortnik. Beans are now exclusively from Canyon Coffee, along with housemade syrups, breakfast pastries, and bagels from Bagel Broker and a new sandwich menu in partnership with next-door butchery Standings for afternoon noshing. Try the iced strawberry milk latte with either matcha or espresso and housemade strawberry milk, or an iced protein latte for a post-gym fix. The sense of community is paramount to Bortnik, with plans to activate the space and celebrate creative friends through monthly book clubs and readings, ceramic spinning nights, candlelit “appy” hours with rotating chefs, weekend neighborhood block parties, and more. 7020 Melrose Avenue, coffeeforsasquatch.com

HOLLYWOOD HOOCH

Hollywood’s first official distillery just opened this summer, located inside a former mortuary and directly across from the iconic Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Hollywood Distillery started as a passion project in 2016 by longtime Hollywood residents and city leaders, Larry Neuberg, Jeff Zarrinnam, and Ferris Wehbe, with a flagship vodka made from organic dates grown in the Coachella Valley. They are currently aging a straight bourbon whiskey and gin with organic local botanicals, including prickly pear, angelica root, sage, and rosehips, that will be released this month. The new brick-and-mortar space will offer guided tastings, behind-the-scenes distillery tours, and special events. 5975 Santa Monica Boulevard, hollywooddistillery.com

MIXOLOGY FRIGHTACULAR

Award-winning Halloween pop-up celebration, Black Lagoon, returns this October for the fifth year, transforming more than 30 cocktail bars in cities across North America, including Melrose Umbrella Co. in Los Angeles. The fully immersive experience includes hauntingly detailed décor and a creatively crafted cocktail menu featuring Halloween-inspired original cocktails like Nosferatu’s Rise with coconut-washed rye whiskey, cinnamon, and Caribbean bitters or Hex Appeal, made with gin, honeydew melon cordial, vermouth, and absinthe. Come in costume and prepare for a wicked good time. 7465 Melrose Avenue, blacklagoonpopup.com

SECRET PATIO

Seasoned father-son restaurateur duo Moez and Karim Megji (Wood & Water, Fins Calabasas, Fish Kitchen) just launched their family’s newest concept, located on the back patio of their Santa Monica restaurant, Chelsea. The menu at Little Chelsea reflects its breezy and accessible surroundings, showcasing comforting flavors from the family’s Indian ancestry, as well as Moez’s upbringing in East Africa and the U.K. Favorites include harissa lamb tartare on rustic bread, duck eggrolls with sweet chili sauce, and naan tacos with braised short ribs. Everything on the menu is priced under $30, including the lobster roll and house-ground kobe beef burger. There’s a walk-up spritz bar, too. 2460 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, chelseasm.com/little-chelsea