Travel, USA

Mama Shelter Los Angeles

#yolo #letmetakeaselfie #instagrambaddie

What do all the above hashtags have in common? They are each and all perfectly applicable to any instagram post taken from the rooftop bar at Mama Shelter in Los Angeles.

I first heard about the Mama Shelter brand through word of mouth, and it just so happened to be whilst I was en route to Los Angeles anyway, so I looked it up. A stylish boutique hotel chain, with a vibrant open-air rooftop bar in Hollywood Los Angeles, boasting a sweeping outlook in every direction inclusive of that famous hill-side sign… I had to pay it a visit.

Upon arrival, it was clear that all the L.A cool kids were already way ahead of me. That word of mouth had evidently spread like wild fire among the young and the beautiful and there was an enormous queue to get to the rooftop elevator. The ground floor bar was both trendy and eclectic, but it was the middle of the day and it was pretty dark in there. I was determined to get a side of Californian sun with my cocktail, so we left and came back again late afternoon. There was still a bit of a queue, but we had definitely timed it better between the lunch time crowd and the after work crowd, so after a short wait we were in the lift and heading up to the rooftop bar.

Exiting the elevator and following the route to the bar, the first sight I absorbed was the view to my right. Palm trees rising up between low-rise buildings and, on it’s horizon, there was the Hollywood sign perched on the face of the Hollywood hills beyond. There was plenty of seating but, after collecting a cocktail menu from the bar, we beelined straight for the daybed area. We got lucky as some people were leaving as we arrived, so I kicked off my shoes and made myself at home on the sprawling mattress with tube cushions at the centre of the rooftop garden. I had my back to the Hollywood sign, but the view in front of me was equally stunning. I was looking over downtown Los Angeles and beyond, with 360 degree blanket views of the city skyline. The drinks were served on a sturdy platter, which doubled up as the side table on our daybed.

Taking in the environment, the rooftop was a vibrant display of resort-style stripes and alternating bold colours, complemented with a variety of large green plants scattered throughout to divide up each area. There was a much more diverse crowd than I had originally anticipated too. Instagram baddies and budding entrepreneurs rubbed shoulders with the Hollywood crowd, heavy-wight businessmen and tourists alike. There was a trio of Los Angeles Instagram baddies curled up on the daybed across from us taking group selfies. With their over-sized sunglasses (of which I am a huge fan by the way), statement neck chokers and lips stained in the palette of Kylie Jenner’s sell-out lip kits, I couldn’t help but wonder who they were, what their lives were really like and – only in Hollywood – who their parent’s were. I admit I felt a pang of jealously for them. After all, I couldn’t fault how perfect this ambience would be for regular afternoon drinks with my besties too.

Mama Shelter’s rooftop bar in Los Angeles is a seriously hard-to-beat setting for an afternoon cocktail session under the Californian sun. A short stroll to Hollywood Boulevard, you do not have to go far out of your way to add this place to your travel itinerary, no matter how long you are visiting Los Angeles for.

Settled into my daybed and sipping my ice-cold vodka concoction, I snapped a photo of the girl’s across the aisle from me. Uploading to Instagram, there was no filter needed but the message was simple.

You Only Live Once. #yolo

Photo Credit: toriaandco.com