A perfumer sniffs the L.A. air

Swiss perfumer Andy Tauer was sitting at an outdoor café on Beverly Boulevard, savoring blueberry-ricotta pancakes and chatting about the aroma of Los Angeles with Times Magazine columnist Denise Hamilton.

“L.A. smells like blooming citrus trees, rosebushes, iris, jasmine everywhere,” he says enthusiastically. A truck barrels past, belching exhaust. We wrinkle our noses. “[It] has the slightly disturbing smell of homeless people and the perfume used in detergents. You use heavier stuff, in higher concentrations. L.A. also smells of fat and sugar—the cheap donuts served at my hotel.”

Remember the Westside stench? That was more like...sour milk and a soggy mattress. See below.

Previously on LA Observed:
Remember the mystery stench?
Hey, they got a better stench
That stench is spreading
Our Iraq correspondent's nose knows
Mystery of the stench deepens
That Westside stench