Brad Pitt loves Frogtown.
Plus Waymo's eastward expansion, Molly Baz's VC fundraise, and Los Feliz pool construction.
Happy hump day, everyone. Tonight I’m making my return to run club after a long (long) absence, then trying my luck at Bar Bacetti’s soft opening. It seems like the LSD drama has mostly died down, but I’ll let you know if I hear anything juicy.
In today’s newsletter: Brad Pitt’s growing compound in Frogtown, Waymo expands to the east side, Molly Baz’s big investment round, Los Feliz pool construction, signs of life downtown, and Netflix’s push toward IRL entertainment.
📅 Mark your calendar…
Tonight, 6/18: If you’re the type of person who can go out on a Wednesday night, Try’s pride party starts at 10pm at Tenants of the Trees.
Now through Saturday, 6/21: You have three and a half days left to see Diane Arbus’s show, .cataclysm., at David Zwirner on Western. I haven’t been yet, but I’ve heard it’s great.
Brad Pitt loves Frogtown (and so should you).
Unless you’ve been on a social media cleanse in recent weeks, Brad Pitt content has been pretty impossible to miss. His can’t-fail Apple blockbuster, F1, premiered Monday night in Times Square, complete with a parade of real-life F1 drivers. His shaved head made headlines in Mexico City. He’s working with a new stylist and flaunting increasingly outré outfits at press engagements around the world. And photographers sure showed up to capture his and girlfriend Ines de Ramon’s double date with Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid last week.
When he’s not on a global press tour, however, Brad’s a longtime east sider. For decades, he owned a multi-structure compound in the Los Feliz Oaks, until he and oil heiress Aileen Getty swapped places back in 2023. Aileen paid $33m for Brad’s house, and he paid $5.5m for her smaller — but locally famous — Steel House in nearby Los Feliz proper.
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I’d love a tour of the Steel House (restored by designer Mark Haddawy), but I’m even more interested in Brad’s increasing foothold in Frogtown. Over the course of three under-the-radar transactions beginning in 2021 and totaling about $6.93m, Brad has acquired a cluster of adjacent commercial properties in the east side neighborhood. He uses them, according to various reports, as an art hub and pottery studio. If anyone can scheme a tour of this, I’ll owe you forever. Imagine…wheel throwing with Brad Pitt?
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Frogtown is, in my opinion, one of LA’s most underrated and undervalued neighborhoods. A small sliver sandwiched between the 5 freeway and the LA River, the neighborhood has quiet residential streets, several pocket parks, and access to the riverside bike path. It feels like its own little world, but it’s just a few minutes from everything in Echo Park, Silver Lake, and Atwater Village. It also has a few standout restaurants of its own — most notably Loreto.
Home prices in Frogtown haven’t inflated quite as dramatically as they have elsewhere on the east side (you can still find some solid options for $1m or less), so if you’re in the position to buy…consider this your notice to get in while the getting’s good.
🍽️ And now for some table scraps…
East side icon Molly Baz raised a $4.5mm round for her mayonnaise brand, Ayoh. The seed round was led by Imaginary Ventures, with participation from Lerer Hippeau and others. Creator-led brands are becoming more challenging, but this is evidence that they’re still possible provided there’s market fit and the creator is actually committed to the venture. Next time I see Molly at Canyon, I’ll ask her what the money’s being used for.
The number of downtown residents has tripled. This stat surprised me, given the constant talk of downtown’s struggles and the closure of several longtime businesses recently. But it turns out people still want to live downtown, with 2025 occupancy numbers trending higher than pre-pandemic levels. We’ll see if the city can capitalize on the momentum.
Speaking of apartments, Gerardo is looking for a new one. He’s open to his own place, or finding a few people to go in on one (ideally in Thai Town, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, or Echo Park). He’s cool, reply to this email with any leads.
Emily Sundberg says local news is cool. Someone should send her the Rag…
The future of entertainment is in IRL experiences. Netflix’s ambitious plan to open permanent physical entertainment destinations in Philadelphia, Dallas, and Las Vegas speaks to Gen Z’s screen fatigue and desire for real-life connection. But will people actually pay to go to what’s essentially a pop culture-themed Museum of Ice Cream? If last month’s Tudum extravaganza is any indicator…maybe.
Zaz finally gets a pay cut. The king of failing up (who made $52m last year as WBD’s stock price plummeted) will see his annual cash bonus shrink from $23.9m to $6m. I can’t help but think he should get drinks with Adam Neumann sometime.
Morgan Spector asks the real questions in a banger GQ profile. “Straight guys can’t bottom?”
These two nonprofits provide LA County-approved, fire-resistant architectural blueprints for Altadena homeowners looking to rebuild. Instead of hiring an architect, drawing up plans, and navigating a lengthy approvals process, Altadena residents can now apply to hit the ground running with pre-approved (and cute!) designs from the Foothill Catalog Foundation and SGV Habitat for Humanity.
The Lucas Museum gardens are going in, and they look sick.
Los Feliz is (unsurprisingly) the leader in east side swimming pool construction. Since 2020, 218 pool permits have been issued in the neighborhood. That’s significantly ahead of runner-up Silver Lake’s 170, but wayyyy behind Brentwood’s 700 and Sherman Oaks’s 891.
Waymo service expands to Echo Park, Silver Lake, and East Hollywood today.
Very happy to have found RAG as an east sider!
Is RAG the Feed Me of Los Angeles?