At the base of the Hollywood Hills and adjacent to Beverly Hills, West Hollywood (WeHo) is L.A.’s most progressive enclave and arguably the epicenter of America’s gay universe.  On a day-to-day basis, the streets of WeHo teem with gorgeous people and edgy fashions, making the true attraction of visiting here a bit of recreation time on the eye-candy playground and the ever so delightful judgment carousel.  Over my next three columns, I’ll be drowning myself in the delightful pretention, the trends, the opulence, the foodie revolution, and the hidden gems that make the “City of Angels” so fantastically special, centered on its hot gayborhood, WeHo, and its oh-so awesome neighboring zip code, 90210.

My L.A. experience began when I landed at LAX bright and early and was met upon arrival by my driver, Denise, from Wilshire Limousine (www.wilshirelimousine.com, 310.846.5147). Dressed to the nines, Denise commandeered my luggage cart and escorted me to our snazzy BMW 750iL, whereupon we breezed through L.A’s back roads, avoiding traffic of the 405 and the 101 at all costs. My newest designer sunglasses in hand, I exited the cab at the flawless Andaz West Hollywood (www.westhollywood.andaz.hyatt.com, 323.656.1234).

The Andaz West Hollywood is Hyatt’s much awaited youthful re-invention of the former Sunset Strip “Riot Hyatt,” a hotbed of 70s and 80s rock n roll angst and the long-haired rocker appetite for hotel destruction.  The new Andaz is fresh, funky, fun, and full of freebees, offering a strategically conceptualized product that bridges gaps between generations.  The contemporary design of common spaces is highly detailed while rooms are simple and understated. Guest rooms boast spacious sunrooms with floor to ceiling windows, peering over the Sunset Strip and vaster Hollywood panoramas (from floors 6 and up). Free Illy espresso, wine, and rotating snacks lure guests at all hours to the lobby, while the complimentary (nonalcoholic) mini bar gives new meaning to raiding the fridge.

Following check-in, I enjoyed a day of leisure strolling the crossroads of Melrose Avenue and Robertson and Beverly Boulevards. Dubbed “the Art, Fashion, and Design District” (www.avenueswh.com/business-listings) these blocks are home to hundreds of design showrooms and big name fashion houses like Christian Louboutin, Stella McCartney, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Balenciaga, Alberta Ferretti, as well as eclectic boutiques like Alpha and Kitson Men.   Eager to fit into my hottest (and tightest) threads, a light lunch was in order at Fresh East (www.fresheast.com, 310.859.9989), an organic restaurant that takes the concept of “going green” to an entire new level. Everything at Fresh East screams sustainable, from the utensils made of recycled fibers, to the plates made of palm leaves, to the water-saving urinals. As the name suggests the restaurant’s Pan-Asian delights deliver the ultimate in freshness, and they happen to be amazing. I had the “5 Spice Glazed Salmon" - organic Salmon, brown rice, asparagus, 5 spice glaze - and washed it down with fresh coconut water.

As I walked north towards Sunset, the Rolls Royces raced by, and I had my first big celebrity sighting of the day – Mark Wahlberg (yummy). Passing through the scores of beautiful strangers, shiny cars, and the juxtaposition of wealth and grit, I arrived at Sunset Plaza, the trendy stretch of road in the middle of the Sunset Strip that’s been a L.A. hotspot since the 1930s. You could see the paparazzi camped out at the Coffee Bean, just waiting for Demi Moore to come get her caffeine fix. And you could overhear the adorable young Hollywood crowd in oversized sunglasses having the most trivial and pointless of conversations.

Next up was a rooftop pub-crawl to the most extravagant rooftops in L.A. I met up with friends on the roof of the London West Hollywood. From there, we proceeded to happy hour drinks on the roof of the Thompson Beverly Hills, and finally returned to the Andaz West Hollywood rooftop. It was only natural to end my first day/night in L.A. with another A-list celebrity sighting. Back in the Andaz lobby, who walked by me but none other than Leonardo Di Caprio, heading to the hotel restaurant, RH, to dine on phenomenal southwestern French cuisine.