LA Story #7: FIGat7. Food and Shopping, Naturally,


If you’re planning on staying Downtown in LA, FIGat7 could be a useful place to know about.

If this is peak winter weather in LA then I’m definitely coming back!
It’s a spacious and airy multi-level shopping mall with one of the best basement food courts I’ve visited on my travels to the US.  Because the food court is in the basement, it’s quieter and has a less hectic air about it than what’s going on at street level.  While the food offerings around entertainment precinct of the Staples Center and neighbouring theatres tend to be steakhouses, burger chains or fine dining – FIGat7 boasts a diverse range of lighter and healthier options with the bonus of being able to take your meal out into the courtyard.
I’ll run you through some of the food options later on in the post but first things first.  Some of my favourite shops.

First up, Target.

So many of my retail dreams were realized on this trip.  First, it was the opportunity to take a trolley around Ralph’s supermarket in Camarillo and now the opportunity to wheel a trolley around Target.  Living the dream and living my best life.  This really is the land of opportunity and #yolo.

This photo basically captures the joy and also the stores I had the most joy at. That being said, the stock levels at Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works weren’t great.  I think online is really where retailers are focussing but the good thing is I did get some online vouchers that I could use from Australia (for VS at least).  Another PSA – VS make great sports bras and their latest style, the Angel Max is a game changer. Great fit and coverage and no pesky straps to adjust.  The back also has some complexity going on with the straps but they’re wide and don’t dig in.  Okay.  I’ve gone far enough on that tangent already.
This particular Target featured a CVS pharmacy instore,  a supermarket as well as a Starbucks.  You conveniently pay for everything at the common counters at the front of the store.  Except for the Starbucks.  
This is but a fraction of the range of kids Band-Aids available.  The fraction Master SSG would like best.

My personal favourite were these.

My spoils from Target were rather unexciting but they’re the things I can never find in Sydney when I really need them. Like claw grips for my hair.

I also stocked up on some US only mascara (Voluminous) and some other bits and pieces so I now officially have no excuse to casually browse the Mecca site while I’m doing overnight on call from home….

I can’t really explain why I flew 15 hours to buy a box of Target’s own brand of zip lock sandwich bags but I did and here they are.

These Dr Seuss Mega Block sets are for my nephews.  There were two versions available, the other being a Thing 1 and Thing 2 themed set.

Food wise, things looked a little like this.

A chicken and soba noodle salad bowl at Gentaro.  That chilli mayo dressing has quite a kick to it but is perfect with the salad,

Sprinkles also have an outlet here and business is brisk.  The shelves were a quarter full by mid-afternoon.

I went with a chocolate and peanut butter cupcake.

Much nicer than Magnolia if truth be told.

I began sliding down that slippery slope that is collecting mini antibacterial hand washes from Bath & Body Works.  They were doing a five for $6 offer but fortunately for my suitcase, quite a few were unavailable.  It’s those names and those labels as well as the scents. I couldn’t resist Peach Bellini and Mermaid Life….

Zara was in the midst of an epic sale so I bought this Zhanel at half off to squeeze into the last patch of space in my suitcase.

And I tried poke for the first time as well.  The store I tried was Ohana Poke Co.  I had the brown rice with my salmon and tofu.  Then I went nuts with the toppings (at the urging of my server) – pineapple, edamame, seaweed, spring onions and crispy onions….  It was delicious.  A kind of warm rice salad with the raw fish and seasonings giving it all lightness, tang and heat.

Where do you eat when you travel?  Foodcourts at the shops or something more high end?  Or do you prefer going off the beaten track and exploring neighbourhoods beyond the bright lights?


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