The city that borders Beverley Hills to the west and the City of Los Angles to the east, became the incorporated City of West Hollywood in 1984.

 

But, it was always an independent and free-thinking community long before it became known as one of the top LGBTQ+ friendly cities in the U.S.

Established at the end of the 19th century as the town of Sherman, by Moses Sherman and his partners from the Los Angeles Pacific Railroad, it remained fiercely unincorporated within Los Angeles County; opting out of being part of the City of Los Angeles, skirting the gambling and drinking ordinances of the day.

Named in 1888, Sunset Boulevard was the 22 mile path to the Pacific ocean from downtown Los Angeles. But within West Hollywood’s 1.7 mile strip and lax legal structure of the day, its business district soon became lined with casinos and night clubs, and notorious for Speakeasy’s during the prohibition of alcohol throughout the 1930s.

West Hollywood became a place for people distrustful of oftentimes heavy handed government oversight, including the strong arm of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). 

When the city incorporated, lobbying was done by its LBGTQ+ residents, along with its Russian population who migrated after the end of the Soviet Union; joined by its growing senior population, with the city now known as WeHo becoming the first in the country to have an openly gay majority city council.

And though many of its nightclubs have been called gay since the silver screen days of Hollywood, its crowds were and are as diverse as the surrounding Hollywood proper and Los Angeles’ eclectic communities, with many music, art, film, literary, and TV industry people naturally congregating after hours, in close proximity to the film studios.

Known today for its music, fashion, and cultural scene, venues such as Doug Weston’s Troubadour (est. 1957) on Santa Monica Boulevard, was initially a folk music coffee house for pre-hippy beatniks, who would snap their fingers in lieu of clapping. The beatniks were known for their love of jazz, their poetry readings or spoken word, and their use of cannabis.

Still in existence are the iconic clubs of Sunset, including The Whiskey a Go Go (est. 1964), co-founded by record and film producer, Lou Adler; with The Roxy up the street, co-founded with Adler’s son Nic in 1973. These clubs were and are where emerging and established musicians can still be enjoyed up close in an intimate and now iconic setting.

LGBTQ+ and the History of Medical Cannabis

California was the first state in the U.S. to legalize cannabis as medicine in 1996, with its cooperative compassionate care programs that would become a model for jurisdictions in every state that acknowledges the plant as medicinal.

You can’t talk about cannabis as medicine without giving full credit to the LGBTQ+ community for championing its medicinal properties in the early 1980s, treating symptoms from HIV/AIDS and cancer long before the people of the state voted to legalize the plant for medicine.

The first case of AIDS was reported in Los Angeles in 1981, with its first Aids Walk established  in 1985, with more than $92 million raised by walkers and supporters its first year. 

And though much of the advocacy was being done in San Francisco, with Dennis Peron’s San Francisco Buyers Club as the first dispensary in the state, the LGBTQ+ communities in Los Angeles and the City of West Hollywood were simultaneously using the plant to care for its own. Important to note, WeHo was one of the first cities in the county to issue a medical dispensary license for this reason.

With the legalization of adult/recreational use in full swing in the state since 2016, according to its website, the City of West Hollywood, with its population of just under 36,000, has plans of issuing 40 licenses in various safe access categories, including adult use retail, consumption lounges (smoking & edibles, respectively), medical use dispensaries, and delivery services.

The Art of Lounging

People who partake have refined the art of lounging, and the spaces for tribal encounters have been raised to new heights in WeHo, now with the endearing nickname of the Emerald Village.

The LGBTQ+ community has been flying its rainbow flag for quite some time, with the rainbow cannabis leaf now firmly planted in queer soil in WeHo.

Historically, pre-COVID lockdown of 2020, West Hollywood welcomed the country’s first sit-down infused restaurant on LaBrea Boulevard, founded by Lowell’s Cannabis Company, then taken over by the Original Cannabis Cafe; now pending reopening by High Times Holding Company. The location was to be the first of 16 proposed lounges to open before the pandemic halted progress.

The Woods

One of the most beautiful cannabis lounges I’ve visited opened in the Spring of 2023 on Santa Monica Boulevard, The Woods – a  jungle oasis in the middle of the city.

Co-founded by actor Woody Harrelson and political pundit, Bill Maher, The Woods is situated in a building and gardens that were once an architect’s office, replete with a meditative koi pond and longtime resident parrots.

As explained by WeHo storyteller and Director of the newly created, Emerald Village, Scott Schmidt, due to ordinances restricting size and capacity of lounges, The Woods used the ingenuity of the ghosts of architects past, creating a series of beautiful box-like lounge spaces, with floor to ceiling windows and comfy seating, giving magical views of the jungle-like gardens surrounding the pond.

Instagram Influencer, Jessica Gonzalez, aka: The Mommy Jane, joined me on this trip, and we were given the Living Room right next to the pond. 

Joining us was the newly named Queen of the Emerald Village, Sabbyiana; Videographer/Camera, Jason Gonzalez; Scott Schmidt, director of the Emerald Village; cannabis comedian, Angie Stalker; and Claire Taylor of Chapter 2 Public Relations (representing The Woods).

For the next year, Queen Sabbyiana will be WeHo’s Ambassador to the Emerald Village, hosting events and smoke sessions, and advocating for the plant and the city supporting it.

Originally from Montebello, California, Sabby said she would visit West Hollywood before she turned 21, but Micky’s wouldn’t let her in until she was of age. Then, she said she went to Micky’s every Monday night, eventually making WeHo her home.

In Sabby’s own words, her character is “sultry, stunning, and show stopping, with a mix of vibe of cholita, Bratz Doll, and creepiness,” and we have to agree. Jess and I will add that she’s the sweetest creepy doll we’ve ever hung with.

Just above us was another lounge in the tree line, aptly named The Treehouse. The lounges have varying prices depending on the day, and need to be reserved in advance. Partaking materials can be purchased in the dispensary up front. I was happy to see legacy farmers and friends from the Emerald Triangle, Huckleberry Hill Farms of Southern Humboldt; and Sol Spirit Farms of Trinity, beautifully displayed. 

On the day we were there, cannabis infused beverage company, Pamos was set up in the Giggle Garden, offering up lovely spirits. Jess and I enjoyed its Peach & Guava Bellini mocktail and it was divine.

Also in the Giggle Garden you’ll find three parrots who have been living by the pond all their lives, and have been lovingly adopted and well cared for at The Woods. It’s not uncommon for long-living parrots to outlive their owners, and we are grateful The Woods adopted them and they are allowed to live out their lives in the only home they’ve known..

Years ago I had a friend who would only partake at the top of a trail head, as the uplifting effects from being in nature were immediate. Being able to medicate freely within a natural space like The Woods is a gift, opening up the senses and soothing the soul.

If you go: 

The Woods, 8271 Santa Monica Blvd. (844) 484-3966

https://www.thewoodsweho.com/ 

 

The Artist Tree

With three locations in Los Angeles, and one in California’s Central Valley in Fresno, The Artist Tree is a unique concept for a dispensary, as they are also fully functional artist galleries throughout, with a full-time curator orchestrating displays and events, reflecting the artists and culture of each community they are a part of.

Like nature, art and cannabis go hand-in-hand, opening up our senses and allowing us to see beauty in the world. The Artist Tree provides this space, and I’d like to see more dispensaries add sensory components. Because, afterall, when we partake our third eye is fully open, and to be able to immediately come in contact with sensory stimulators, like art and music is everything.

You are also making memories, and when your limbic system is triggered in a good way, the memory of the place stays with you forever – along with the scent and taste of the cultivar you are enjoying.

The WeHo location on Santa Monica Boulevard is three stories high, with a dispensary on the ground floor, a lounge with patio terrace on the second floor; and a studio on top where yoga and other body, mind and soul classes and workshops are held.

Our group was treated to a gravity bong made by Stundenglass, with an employee assigned to help us. We also enjoyed a variety of prerolls and flower by Jeeter and Cream of the Crop, with employees nearby ready to help and refurbish.

If you go: 

The Artist Tree, 8625 Santa Monica Blvd. (310) 461-4134

Services: Dispensary, delivery, curbside pick-up

https://www.theartisttree.com/dispensary-west-hollywood/ 

 

Petit Ermitage

If you are lucky enough to stay at the Petit Ermitage, or even luckier to be invited by a guest, this boutique hotel tucked away in a residential neighborhood is a dream come true for the partaker who appreciates privacy with a little bohemian magic in the mix.

Built in 1979, the hotel was established 11 years ago with a French theme, 80 suites, a bar/lounge with live music and craft cocktails, and a rooftop warm salt water pool, with comfy lounge areas to die for, overlooking the city and beyond.

Notable is its owner Stefan Ashkenazy’s extensive collection of original art throughout, valued at more than 30 million dollars, including pieces by Willem de Koonig, Erte, and Salvador Dali. It hits you when you walk into the lobby that the painting just beside you is an original by none other than Spanish artist, Joan Miro.

Jessica and I spread out like Queens on a lounge bed in one of the rooftop nooks, referred to as the firepit room, an open aired lounge space with a lovely fireplace.

Our plethora of prerolls and other delights were lined up beside us, with the sun above, and a welcoming swim in the warm salt-water pool as icing on our cake.

I was able to order a tall carafe of chamomile tea that I shared with other guests, ever evangelizing on its calming benefits, much to Jessica’s amusement. Because no matter where I travel, I’m evangelizing some kind of plant. It can’t be helped.

When the sun set and the air cooled, candles and twinkle lights appeared, the fire was lit, and faux mink blankets were laid out. We nibbled on a beautiful charcuterie board and sipped lovely craft cocktails, as the sun set over the city. 

Think, Club Med in the 80s, and know that anything goes in this tucked away respite, where partaking of the herb is commonplace and the guests include actors, musicians, cannabis industry peeps, and patrons from around the world who make this little hotel their safe haven of non-judgement and joy.

If you go:

Petit Ermitage, 8822 Cynthia St. (310) 854-1114

https://www.petitermitage.com/

 

Alleyway Sesh

Jessica and I decided to walk the Sunset Strip in WeHo nearly to the gates of Beverly Hills, to see what we could see.

Partaking and strolling were made for each other, so, rather than sit in a cafe, we ordered two sandwiches and found an alley with a staircase to sit, eat and embibe. It was apropos that we enjoyed a preroll of lovely Rainbow Sherbet from De La Bo, and the full-flower smoke did not disappoint.

Sadly, it’s not unusual for us to medicate in alleys or behind trash cans. We who use cannabis purposefully are ahead of our time and misunderstood by the masses. Yes, California is legal for “recreational” use, insuring the stoner stigma with criminality implied, sitting us down in an alleyway off Sunset Boulevard. 

Shops of Interest

Mystery Pier Books, Inc. 

Resuming our walk, not unlike twin Alice in Wonderlands, we happened upon an antique book seller tucked away through a narrow hallway, down a set of stairs, opening up to a little courtyard and cottage with the sweetest secret garden.

Mystery Pier Books, Inc., specializes in first editions – antique and rare books, and signed award-winning scripts.

From the moment you walk into the front door, your senses are hit with the beautiful and undeniable scent of books. For a writer/reader, this is one of the most wonderful fragrances in the world. 

It’s proprietors, Louie and Harvey Jason, gave us a tour of the shop. Soon I found a full collection of one of my favorite authors, John Steinbeck, with a complete set of first editions. 

Nearby, a row of beautifully bound signed scripts. Noted, a copy of Pulp Fiction, signed by Quentin Tarantino himself.

Harvey Jason is a soft spoken and thoughtful man. He came to Los Angeles via New York by way of London, England as a stage actor, then garnering many roles in both television and film. 

“Twenty-five years ago I played the tour guide in The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” he shared. “I was siting with the Director, Steven Spielberg, telling him of our plans to open a collectible book shop – and here we are.”

If you go:

Mystery Pier Books, Inc. 8826 Sunset Blvd. (310) 657-5557

http://www.mysterypierbooks.com/ 

 

Fred Segal

Fred Segal opened his first store on Santa Monica Boulevard in 1960 to an A-List of customers that included The Beatles, Diana Ross, and Elvis Presley. Segal was a designer who created some of The King’s stage costumes for many years.  According to an article in Vogue penned after his death in 2021, Segal “helped define the look of West Coast style.”

Jessica and I made a special trip to its newest shop on Sunset, built in 2017; as our friend, Jessica Cadmus, has her line of stash and accessories, Rogue Paq, available there. 

Jessica is a dresser in Manhattan, New York, and while revamping high-end wardrobes, she noted her well-to-do clients had their smoking accessories in not-so-stylish containers – like old shoe boxes. So, she designed the Rogue Paq – a rolled up leather (or Vegan) satchel made to hold a variety of products and accessories for the savvy partaker.

If you go:

Fred Segal, 8500 Sunset Blvd. (310) 432-0560

https://www.fredsegal.com/

Nightlife

Micky’s WeHo

The iconic Micky’s WeHo nightclub and gay bar opened up in 1989. And though there are many drag and gay clubs in the city, Micky’s stands tall as the pulse of the district. 

As one of the longest running and most successful gay owned and operated club in the Los Angeles, Micky’s is the only club allowed to stay open after 2 a.m., boasting on its website, “Because the fun doesn’t have to stop just because its the last call!”

Jessica and I were invited to sit up front for its Friday night show, “Let’s Go Bananas,” hosted by the fabulously talented Marta Beatchu. Themed shows are common, and on this night the dancers reflected the jungle theme and went bananas with animal-like costumes on fire.

Several dancers graced the stage, with Jessica shyly admitting this was her first drag show. An openly bi-sexual woman, Jessica waxed poetic at what she defined as a kaleidoscope of self-expression before her, as she embraced the vibrant hues of human identity.

“I realized that each of our truest selves shine brightest when we fearlessly embrace every color of the rainbow,” she said. “Each act was inspiring, thrilling and highly entertaining. I felt lucky to in their presence – and so up close and personal to their art.”

My virgin show was watching Laganja Estranja perform at Rich’s in San Diego with Ashley Manta of Cannasexual. 

Sadly, Laganja Estranja, aka: Jay Jackson, a longtime Micky’s girl was on a US tour with RuPaul’s Werq the World during our tour, but she graciously hosted us in her Hollywood home.

If you go:

Micky’s WeHo, 8857 Santa Monica Blvd. (310) 657-1776

Dispensaries

Jess and I visited Urbn Leaf, a successful chain of dispensaries with nine locations throughout California, purchased in 2022 by Harborside, Inc., founded by brothers Steven and Andrew DeAngelo.

Notable, it’s centrally located WeHo location was the first Adult Use/Recreational dispensary to open up on Sunset Boulevard.

When we visited, its manager, Kurt Haaker and staff were friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating, offering up many recognizable brands from throughout the state.

If you go:

Urbn Leaf WeHo, 8477 W. Sunset Blvd. (877) 420-8726

Services: Dispensary, delivery, curbside pick-up

https://urbnleaf.com/

List of WeHo Dispensaries/Care Centers:

Zen, 8464 Santa Monica Blvd. (323) 656-6666

MedMen, 8208 Santa Monica Blvd. (323) 579-1449

The Studio, 8625 Santa Monica Blvd. (2nd floor) (310) 3621004

Alternative Herbal Health Services, 7828 Santa Monica Blvd. (323) 654-8792

Calma, 1155 N. La Brea Ave. (323) 498-0035

Los Angeles Patients & Caregivers Group (LAPCG), 7213 Santa Monica Blvd. (323) 882-6033

 

420 Friendly Hotels/Stays:

AirBnB has many listings for 420 friendly stays listed in West Hollywood. Rule of thumb, contact host directly to confirm conditions.

The Ziggy, 8462 Sunset Blvd. (323) 654-4600 The Ziggy is known for its Sunday afternoon pool parties. 

Visit West Hollywood hotel guide: https://www.visitwesthollywood.com/hotels/ Note: Confirm with each hotel on 420 friendly options.

Food & Libations

The Formosa

WeHo has some of the best eateries in Los Angeles, and my first night in town I was treated to dinner and drinks at the historic The Formosa, Known for its craft cocktails and exquisite Chinese fare.

Founded in 1939 by prize-fighter Jimmy Bernstein, it was originally located in a 1904 Red Car trolley just across from the then, Samuel Goldwyn Studio, with stars like Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart, and James Dean regularly dining there. The trolly can be found inside it’s new location on Santa Monica Boulevard, as a charming dining room.

Tail O’ the Pup

This hot dog shaped stand is hard to miss. Built in 1946, it’s said to be an excellent example of programmatic or mimetic novelty architecture – something Los Angeles was once known for. Designed by architect Milton J. Black for celebrity ballroom dance couple, Veloz and Yolanda Casazza. 

For hot dog aficionados, Tail O’ the Pup is not to be missed. Jess had the classic corn dog, and I enjoyed its 1946 Pup, a split and grilled dog on a toasted bun, with grilled onions and mustard. Helpful to note, they also serve all their pups with Vegan dogs.

The Abbey (historic gay bar) 692 N. Robertson Blvd. (310) 289-8410

The Formosa (historic Hollywood Chinese) 7156 Santa Monica Blvd. (323) 850-1014

Tail O’ the Pup (historic hot dogs) 8512 Santa Monica Blvd. (310) 579-1213

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd. (best craft hamburgers in LA at 25 Degree) (323) 856-1970

Harriet’s Rooftop, The Jeremy Hotel – light show in the sky between the buildings 8490 Sunset Blvd.  (424) 281-1860

 

Notable Vegan

Love Organic Cafe (Japanese Vegan) 8205 Santa Monica Blvd. (323) 688-2065

Pure Vita (Vegan/Gluten-free pizza) 8274 Santa Monica Blvd. (323) 688-2303

Vromage (Vegan cheese shop) 7988 W. Sunset Blvd. (323) 745-0157

For more information on the Emerald Village visit, 

https://www.emeraldvillageweho.com/

 

Written and Published By Sharon Letts in Weed World Magazine Issue 165