London-born Gideon arrived in Los Angeles from New York in 2015. He is currently Southern California and global agent for Savills associate The Agency. Gideon is a classic-car enthusiast and an avid follower of Formula 1, as well as a keen fencer, fly fisherman and wine enthusiast.
Which are the coolest spots to eat, drink and shop in Los Angeles right now?
For the perfect cocktail – and the perfect view – you can’t beat The Roof, the Edition hotel’s rooftop bar. Founder Ian Schrager is a genius: you’re always guaranteed a cool experience at his hotels, and the Edition’s arrival has revolutionised the energy of West Hollywood. The Edition’s bar has raised the bar!
Gigi’s is a super-sexy American-French restaurant on Sycamore Avenue in Hollywood. For decades this was an industrial area, but the warehouses have been converted into mini neighbourhoods full of coffee shops, boutiques, record stores and tech companies. I love sitting at Gigi’s bar and ordering a gin martini and oysters – it feels so industrial-LA cool.
The façade of Maxfield, an avant-garde boutique on Melrose, looks like an art gallery. And what they sell is wearable art. It’s the hottest – and most heavily guarded – clothes store in LA. If you’re looking for incredible designer pieces, this is the place. If you can’t be bothered with the traffic and the tourists in Beverly Hills, Elyse Walker in the Pacific Palisades is the go-to for women’s designer fashion – nothing beats the in-store experience.
What’s the appeal of LA for international buyers?
Los Angeles has always appealed to an international crowd. It offers exceptional education, with great bilingual schools – Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles and the Goethe International Charter School – and exceptional universities in UCLA and the University of Southern California.
LA hospitals are world leaders, and we have a booming start-up sector in Silicon Beach. There are endless opportunities for sport: you can do everything from surfing to snowboarding, and the city has a vibrant baseball, American football and basketball scene. It will host the Olympics for the third time in 2028. Travel in and around LA is becoming easier. There’s an extensive public transport network, the subway system is getting an extension and LAX, the city’s main airport, is expanding.
Which are the best places to live?
The city offers the latest – and greatest – in metropolis and high-rise living in Downtown LA, as well as magical beach homes in Malibu and Santa Monica and the coolest of cool in Venice. There are hillside-view homes in the prized Bird Streets, Victorian grandeur in Hancock Park, village homes in Brentwood and world-famous mansions in Beverly Hills and Bel-Air. You can find every possible architectural style in and around the city, and there’s an active market for redevelopment.
Which are the best places to live? What does LA offer in terms of lifestyle?
It represents the best of everything an international buyer imagines when they dream of California. We have a virtually endless summer, golden beaches, mountains, hiking, Hollywood and booming finance and tech sectors. The city offers every kind of lifestyle – it’s all things to all people. It’s easy to get from here up to San Francisco, Pebble Beach, Ojai and Santa Barbara, down to Orange County and San Diego, or out to Palm Springs. The City of Angels is a great place to be.
GIDEON LANG-LADDIE, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA & GLOBAL AGENT, THE AGENCY
gideon@theagencyre.com
Pictures from top: classic LA palm trees (unsplash); Gideon Lang-Laddie; Venice Beach at night (unsplash); a cocktail from Gigi’s; Santa Monica Pier (unsplash); the Hollywood Hills (Alamy); taking advantage of LA’s endless summer (unsplash)
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Each month, we catch up with a Savills agent to get the lowdown on their region, insider insights and favourite local haunts. This time, we meet Guy Murdoch of Savills Ski
Each month, we catch up with a Savills agent to get the lowdown on their region, insider insights and favourite local haunts. This time, we meet Ben Fox of Savills Edinburgh
