Farmers markets

The produce is the strongest argument for a house with a kitchen

Most of what turns up at these markets was grown within a few hours' drive, and the difference is obvious the moment you eat any of it. Citrus in winter, stone fruit through the summer, avocados across most of the year, strawberries, and vegetables that did not spend a week in a truck. It is the one part of eating in Los Angeles that no restaurant meal fully substitutes for.

Markets run on a weekly schedule in Santa Monica, Hollywood, Mar Vista and most of the beach towns down through the South Bay, each on its own day. The practical result is that there is one within reach of almost any rental on almost any morning. Some are large and serious, with growers who also sell to restaurants; others are small neighborhood affairs with a dozen stalls and a prepared-food corner.

Fish is the underrated part. Several markets have a boat or a fishmonger selling what came in that week, which is a short path to a very good dinner at the house with almost no cooking involved.

Go early, bring cash, and cancel one reservation

Go in the first hour. The best of what is there sells out, parking is easy early and irritating an hour later, and the crowds at the larger markets get dense enough to make browsing slow. Locals treat this as an errand to get done, not a late-morning outing.

Bring your own bag and some cash. Most vendors take cards now, but the smaller farms are inconsistent about it and the line moves faster when nobody is waiting on a signal.

Here is the move that makes this worth doing on a vacation: buy on a weekend morning, cook at the rental that night, and cancel one dinner reservation. Grilled fish, a salad, good bread and fruit beats a mediocre restaurant meal, costs a fraction of it, and does not involve parking twice in one day.

Check the day before you build a morning around it. Market days are fixed by neighborhood but they shift for holidays and occasionally for weather, and a few markets change location seasonally. Your local manager will know which one is closest to the house and what day it runs.