hollywood night market at YAMASHIRO
It’s a hard, sharp turn to the left onto Sycamore, when you’re heading east on Franklin, then it’s up and around the steep winding curves, through the narrow Hollywood Hills passageway, past the Victorian elegance of the Magic Castle, and all the way to the top to get to Yamashiro. The shuttle van drops you off at a sign posted on an ivy-covered wall that says, “Farmers Market Shuttle Stop, Last Shuttle 9:45.” You check your phone for the time—perfect, you have two hours—and then make your way towards the sounds coming from behind the trees.
First you hear the music, then you smell the food, and then you see the crowds. It’s quite a feast for the senses as you take in the amalgamation of farm stands, food trucks, live band, and clusters of sartorially savvy hipsters and gourmands. Tents line both sides of the Yamashiro parking lot, offering a wide breadth of culinary and artisanal delights—you can take your pick from farm fresh and seasonal produce, homemade goods, street fare, global cuisine, and gourmet catering.
But food is not the only fancy available. While you wander the market, weighing all of your gastronomic options, you may elect to have a poem written for you on the spot, indulge in some retail therapy in the back of a popup shop truck, tap your toes to the folksy music, enjoy a poolside cocktail in the swanky Pagoda Bar, or explore the illustrious grounds of this landmark "Mountain Palace" with storied roots preceding the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Though you stand in a rather long line to order your food and have to lurk about waiting for a table to open up, making a beeline for one as soon as it does, your slight impatience is quickly superseded by a sense of camaraderie once you take a hearty swig of wine and look around you. Rows of tables filled with festive faces. Laughter echoing through the dusky hillsides. People enjoying great food in the company of others. The sense of community is wildly apparent with everyone seeming to embrace the epicurean spirit of this nighttime market upon the hill. This is why, when two strangers approach you and your friends, asking to please share your table, you welcome them with a fraternal smile and scoot your chairs to make room.
Despite the small scale of this market, what draws most of the folks here is the remarkably sweeping view of Los Angeles—one every Angeleno should make a point to see—from downtown all the way to the Pacific Ocean. It’s an epic sight looking down at the city from the top of Yamashiro, watching the transition from dusk to nightfall. Pale shadows move across the treetops, indiscriminately dappling the sides of urban edifices and lavish terraced estates, gradually giving way to starry skies and twinkling city lights.
Standing on the top level of the tiered gardens, the sound of the koi pond and waterfall trickling nearby suddenly halts your conversation with friends. You lean forward to rest your elbows on the railing, wrap your hands around a warm cup of coffee, and lose yourself in silent contemplation for a moment. Looking down upon the sprawling metropolis below, the sounds of which are muted by distance, you can’t help but pinch yourself that you really live in such a place, in this city of angels, among its glamorous lights and whispering streets of Hollywood lore, in this land full of dreamers.
1999 N. Sycamore Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90068
Thursdays, 5-9pm (Apr-Sep)
Free shuttle service/parking at Mosaic Church (corner of La Brea and Hollywood Blvd.)
Valet parking at Yamashiro