The NoMad Los Angeles: Resurrected Revelation
Pay attention to the details. The soul of the historic Giannini Place has awoken, and the energy can be felt on any street corner in close proximity. When entering through the doors on 7th and Olive Street, you will unintentionally hold your breath. This is the NoMad LA, and its gallant presence cast through the chosen eyes of Downtown, has perhaps forever changed the perception of what it means to visit our city.
As stated, let’s examine the details, the people, the inspiration, the layers, and start with the obvious — the days of visitors flocking to stay in Santa Monica or Hollywood are over. The renaissance revival of Downtown has coined our home ‘the oldest new city in America,’ and the NoMad LA has shown up to forcefully cement this statement.
Executive Chef Chris Flint works alongside chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara to oversee food and beverage for the hotel. Chris — like a large amount of the staff — has taken his former New York state of mind, and embraced his new downtown home that is “Similar to what Manhattan felt like in the late 80’s early 90’s.” But this isn’t New York at all, we won't let it be, and Chris recognizes the opportunity around every corner, “we’re never leaving.” Chef Chris was destined to land in the West. Tattooed, free-spirited and beyond leading one the best new kitchens in the nation, is a skater at heart. The bad ass you watched ollying a set of stairs, quite possibly is the mastermind behind your most sought-after dish in NoMad LA’s Mezzanine. If that isn’t Angeleno, then what is? This is the edgy normalcy of Downtown LA, Chris fits right in.
Detail within the NoMad LA draws inspiration from the building’s storied beginning as the Bank of Italy. It originates with the inception of the lobby’s gold and blue Italianate ceiling. Like an invisible snowfall, enthused ideas have fallen from the upper interior, forming layers of neoclassical style to shape what one can only imagine a dream of F. Scott Fitzgerald would look like. General Manager Jeffrey Tascarella levitates through the layers, overseeing the atmosphere to reflect on the mission “ to build a community, elegant and casual” with the importance of “all things for all people.”
The Coffee Bar is polished with superiority, espresso by day, aperitif/digestif cocktails by night. The Library and Lobby offer a secluded setting for a light lunch or a glass of wine in the evening. Past Peacock taxidermy is the Giannini Bar serving seasonal classics and custom mixtures. The rooms above are simply divine. With precise purpose in mind, each unique setting offers a singular experience, with detailed signatures intertwined within the threads of sophistication.
The NoMad has arrived, and with the breath held from its marvelous stature, comes the exhale of awe. This is the new gateway into our city for world travelers of any kind, and it has chosen downtown. Take a moment to notice the next boarded up doors when walking through our buzzing streets. Soon enough they will jolt open unearthing the catacombs inside, with the historic structure rising from decades of hibernation. The NoMad Los Angeles has undeniably set the bar for this revelation of resurrection, one detail at a time.
Thenomadhotel.com | 649 S Olive St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Written by Travis Platt | Photography by GL Askew II
