Culver City’s Everything Spaces: Ivy Station
When I worked in Culver City over fifteen years ago, the intersection of Washington and Robertson was offices and warehouses. The area that is now Ivy Station was a greenhouse/nursery where I would pick up staff birthday gifts. Back then, I would have called this area more of an industrial park with its production offices, commercial printers, and interior design agencies. It is hard to imagine this now. When you step off the Expo Line at Culver City, you are in a food and event wonderland. Here are my recommendations for Culver City’s Everything spaces: Ivy Station.
This is a mini-series featuring the three everything spaces that are steps from the Expo Line Culver City Station.
Table of Contents
What is an everything space?
I define this as a venue or business that has a lot jam-packed into its walls. It could be a cemetery that is a concert venue, also screens movies, and has periodic events like Hollywood Forever. Or like the Santa Monica Pier, which has an amusement park, free yoga, restaurants, and is a gathering place for tourists and locals.
Culver City Everything Space one: Ivy Station
When you step off the train at Culver City Station, you are above Ivy Station, one of the many live/work complexes sprouting up along the Expo Line. If you were to work at Apple TV or Warner Brothers, all you would have to do is step outside your apartment door, grab a coffee in your pajamas, and do your breakfast Zoom meeting with amazing panoramic views of the city. You could have visitors stay at the Shay, do your doctor’s appointments downstairs, and get food for your pup. You would never have to leave the block. (I didn’t mean to sound like an advertisement for the complex.)
Coffee
As you can tell from my other posts about Culver City, this neighborhood loves its coffee.
Equator Coffee
Originally from San Francisco, this coffee shop supports small coffee growers around the world, putting money towards growing local economies in Africa & South America. Many of the coffee growers are women-owned. You can feel good about the coffee you drink here.
They have a small menu of waffles, toasts, and sandwiches to keep you fueled while you work from elsewhere. It is a sunny cafe, and I recommend it for distraction-free working.
When I went, they played Prince, the Clash, The Cult, Joy Division, and other music that made me happy.
Hours, cost, and other information
- Website: https://www.equatorcoffees.com/pages/cafes
- Address: 8900 Venice Blvd #105
- What to order: Habibi latte
- Cost: A cup of brewed coffee is $3.25, a latte is $5.00, Habibi latte is $5.50.
- Other information: Daytime hours–closes at 3:00 p.m.
All day
Since Etta closed in late 2023, I need to try some of the new restaurants that have opened in Ivy Station like Prima Donna, The Canopy Club, and the fast-casual options. I will skip Health Nut because they promote the Kardashian salads.
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Note: The pool at the Shay is available on Resorts Pass. If you do not know what that is, it is an app that allows you to book pool time around the world. Pools, usually accessible by hotel guests only, are available to all by paying a small fee. I am not an affiliate.
Los Angeles Ale Works
Although Culver City is a wine-focused town with wine bars and fantastic wine selections at places like Akasha and the individual stands at the Citizens Public Market, it is nice to have a place to get a great beer in the neighborhood.
Los Angeles Ale Works recently opened a trap room at Ivy Station. This brewery, whose main location is in Hawthorne, is an excellent addition to the area. Los Angeles Ale Works doesn’t specialize in a specific style, which you think would be a bad idea–quantity over quality–but isn’t. It is nice to have options if you aren’t into perfumy IPAs but prefer blondes, reds, and wits.
I recommend getting the flight. It comes with four smaller pours of your choice from their extensive list all for $10.
Check out their weekly schedule of food trucks.
Hours, cost, and other information
- Website: https://www.laaleworks.com/visit/culver-city/
- Address: 8809 Washington Blvd
- What to order: Whatever sounds good
- Other: There is plenty of communal seating indoors. Patio tables are for smaller groups.
Events space
The free events that happen just about every day make Ivy Station an everything space. This community gathering spot has a lot to offer everyone.
Culver City Night Market
One Friday each month, Ivy Station holds its night market with food, vintage clothing, things for your pets, plants, candles, and more. This is a great place to shop locally but not find the next food trend–like other Night Markets around the city. (See the events calendar for the date and theme.)
Something for the kids
Culver City is one of the more kid-friendly areas of Los Angeles. There are a lot of families, and with that comes more family-friendly activities. Ivy Station has weekly events for kids, including crafts and board games.
Movies
In the Summer, they set up an inflatable movie screen in the grass and show classic movies. My favorite touch is that you get wireless headphones to listen to the movie without interruption. Bring a blanket, pack a picnic, and watch a movie under the stars.
Pro-tip: Get a pizza across the street at Roberta’s and bring it over. More about Roberta’s in my next post.
Music & Dancing
Watch for swing bands, get Bollywood dance lessons, exercise classes, and other events on their calendar. You can find the schedule of all of the events here.
Hope I see you hanging around Ivy Station.
Up next...The Platform.
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