“Traffic Is a Monster and Parking Is a Bitch”: Josh Hutcherson’s L.A. Diaries

Bouncing back and forth between Hollywood and his native Kentucky, Josh Hutcherson stole our hearts early, starring in YA classics like Bridge to Terabithia and the Hunger Games franchise. Now 33, he was settled in Brooklyn for all of about five minutes before HBO called him with a dream role: wholesome boy-next-door beau to Rachel Sennott’s aspiring Tinseltown talent manager in the network’s newest ensemble comedy, I Love LA. It’s a part that Hutcherson, who still remembers his child star days spent racing to auditions with his mom, was able to dive into easily—and deeply. So who better to chaperone us around the City of Angels in this week’s installment of Share Location? Below, Hutcherson tells all, from Koreatown thrifting  and Thai food must-haves to Dodger Stadium and the Hollywood Bowl.

———

HOLLYWOOD BOWL

 

“This is at the Hollywood Bowl. I’m seeing this guy Joe Hisaishi, the composer who did all of the Studio Ghibli stuff, and it was epic. Hollywood Bowl and The Greek are my two favorite venues. A friend of mine, her family has the front row table all season long. So every now and then I get the privilege of going along and having dinner and seeing a show and it’s the coolest experience. You do a full Italian dinner while you watch an amazing performance and it’s such a vibe.”

———

DODGER STADIUM

 

“This was at the World Series a few weeks ago. I love going to Dodger Stadium. I live in Silver Lake, which is 10 minutes from here. So for me, it’s super easy. I just hop on the motorcycle, drive over to Dodger Stadium, catch a game, have a hot dog and a beer and it’s heaven. I grew up being a fan of Cincinnati sports teams and then when I came to L.A. when I was nine, my allegiances started shifting. On the Dodgers, I think my favorite player is still Mookie Betts.”

———

CHEVRON GAS STATION

 

“This is me on the way to a Dodgers game. I grew up riding dirt bikes in Kentucky. I’ve been driving two-wheeled motorized vehicles since I was eight years old. So I love motorcycles, always have. In a city like L.A. where traffic is an absolute monster and parking is a bitch, driving a motorcycle solves for a lot of that. It’s also highly dangerous. I did this movie called The Kids Are All Right with Julianne Moore and Annette Bening. I got that motorcycle when I was 18. And probably when I was 20 years old, I was driving in L.A. and I pulled up to a stop sign and I looked over and it was Annette Bening next to me in her car and she rolled her window down. She goes, Josh, get off that thing. What are you doing, son?“

———

SILVER LAKE RESERVOIR

 

“In this one, I’m with Manchi. I have two dogs. That’s just my neighborhood. I take these dogs on walks every day and we have crazy hills here. They get nice walks, enjoy some sunshine, and I get a little extra workout in. Last night I went to dinner with friends and then we went to this spot called the Thirsty Crow, which is kind of a dive-y sort of bar. It’s an elevated dive, which I like. They can make a good cocktail but it’s a little grungy. So that’s a really good spot. I also like this spot across the street called the Silver Lake Lounge. And that one, you can actually go and get a dance vibe going, which is pretty rare in L.A. If you find it, you hold on for dear life, because I love to go out and dance.”

———

SILVER LAKE

 

 

“That’s me and my girlfriend. We walk the dogs and the sunsets in this neighborhood are so beautiful. Walking the dogs at sunset is one of our favorite pastimes. The Silver Lake dog park is a whole scene. I can’t even take them there because they’re both pit bulls and pit bulls get a bad rap. Manchi can get a little weird sometimes to other dogs. I know that he’s not really going to start anything, but he’ll probably finish it if it gets started. Just because of that, it’s not worth the risk.”

———

SALT & STRAW

 

“This is from this place that I love called Salt & Straw, which is a chain, but they get wacky-ass flavors, which I really like. This one that I’m eating is the salted malted caramel chocolate chip cookie dough. It’s fucking out of this world. It’s really rich, so that’s why I get the kids scoop. But they have another one that I love that’s blue cheese and pear, which feels like it wouldn’t work but it really hits and it’s really good. That’s when I go, when I’m pregnant and craving.”

———

JOSH’S HOME STUDIO

 

“This is my little home studio. I play a little bit of guitar and a little bit of keyboard, but in the last few years, I’ve been trying to produce some more music. My girlfriend and I have a little music project that we’re working on together. We’ve also scored a couple of short films, and I love it. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m completely lost, but I know what I like and I know what sounds I want to create. One of my favorite things is to maybe have a couple tokes of a joint and go and sit in my little studio and just find sounds that I like.”

———

SILVER LAKE FARMERS MARKET

 

“Us taking e-bikes around Silver Lake. There’s a little farmers market that happens every Saturday, a few blocks from where I live. So every now my friend and I will hop on the e-bikes, go pick up some overpriced produce and a $30 bouquet that should cost like, $12. And that’s the vibe.”

———

DAYGLOW

 

“So this place is called Dayglow. There’s a couple of them around, but they do coffee cocktails where there’s no alcohol. So that drink is a black sesame coconut oat milk latte. It’s got crazy shit going on. My girlfriend and I go there for dessert coffee. She and I took a photo of us in front of me and Rachel [Sennott] kissing, which was amazing. My cool show just came out. I’m feeling happy. It’s amazing to be shooting something that’s not only in L.A., but films in my literal neighborhood. It made me know the world very intimately.”

———

NIGHT + MARKET SONG

 

“This is a Thai restaurant called Night + Market Song. If you look at my drink, it’s Thai iced tea, which is creamy coconut milk, sweetened. Basically dessert in a cup. It is the spiciest Thai food around. I can handle spice and this place fucks me up. They have a really good spicy larb. It’s like ground pork with spices and onions. They also have this crispy rice dish that’s out of this world and they have a Thai crunch wrap supreme that is fire.”

———

KOREATOWN

 

“This is a hobby that my girlfriend and I are doing, going to estate sales and yard sales and thrifting and stuff like that. This spot was a pop-up in Koreatown that she saw on Instagram. We got there as soon as it opened, and it was a mad dash because there are so many steals. Everybody’s trying to get the best stuff and I was like, loading up. That carpet weighed like 35 lbs. I was like a shark, like a killer. I was dialed and focused.”