Travel: LA Day 4

I would have to admit, that by our fourth day in Los Angles, we became certified tourists.

Before going on the trip, I made a list of all the things I wanted to do, and even though I am a firm believer in leaving something on your list to do, you know so you're forced to visit again, we decided Sunday would be saved for visiting LACMA and The Griffith Observatory.

Going to school in New York City, I was fortunate enough to meet friends who lived all over the world.  On this trip, I was able to reunite with my good friend Tara.

Above is my T and the boyfriend enjoying this interactive Jesus Raphael Soto piece. Titled Penetrable in Neon Lime, Soto attached a bunch of yellow rubber tubes to a metal frame hanging above, allowing participants to walk through or dance around in the tubing. So fun to be able to touch and move with the art! 

If you look closely, past the adults, you can see that this exhibit was a favorite among the kiddos.

Especially this kiddo.

Love me some modern art! A little Warhol, a little Matisse.

The iconic Urban Light lamp posts by Chris Burden.

In September they had a special exhibit spotlighting German cinema, featuring Fritz Lang's films, particularly Metropolis.

 The 1927 German film"special effects" were years ahead their time. Film makers played upon the insecurities and fear instilled in them about the rise of technology after WWII .

The view from the top of LACMA.

After touring the entire LACMA property (there are about 6 different buildings), we grabbed a cocktail and some fries with my friend and her SO. 

After going to school and working for 6 years in New York, T moved back to her native spot of LA and is doing amazing things in the entertainment industry! It kinda inspired me to want to make the move myself, not to mention that whole summer-all-year-round thing is pretty awesome!

After parting ways, we drove up Griffith park to the Observatory for sunset.

The grounds are amazing, and open to the public pretty much all day long. They even have wifi, so you see people, having picnics, or making it to the top after a long hike up the mountain, and doing work on their computers. 

The City of Angels.

Architecturally, the planetarium was absolutely stunning. 

The coloring of the entire building blended right into the sandy cliffs, but the arched terrace that wrap around the domb was the perfect touch to leave you feeling like you are on another planet.

We walked around the grounds for about two hours, and decided to wait until after sunset to see a 8:30 pm showing of Centered in the Universe in the planetarium.

Neither one of us could put our cameras down the entire time we were walking around the grounds. Every angle of Observatory left you feeling like no picture could do it justice so non-stop photos was the only way to attempt to get it right.

The Hollywood sign.

Sunnies (Le Spec), Top (Zara). Pants (Loft). Bag (Furla). Sweatshirt (H&M).

Funny story:

On the lower balcony (shown above), we all of the sudden heard a choir singing Seasons of Love. As the crowd was gathering to listen to the singers belt out the song, the lyrics were personally altered to get this one lady's attention, and next thing we know out comes a camera and her English boyfriend down on one knee proposing to his long distance girlfriend. It was such a Hollywood moment, and a few days later, we ended up in the background of  the proposal video on the Huffington Post! That totally counts as our fifteen minutes of fame.

The spectrum of colors as sunset approached was a mesmerizing show to watch. 

Manfriend.

Can't stop, won't stop taking photos.

Watching the city lights go on building by building was another highlight of the night.

I was quite impressed by how much we were able to squeeze out of LA in one day. There was still so much we could have done too!

The PCC Flea Market is just one of those activities I'll have to leave for next time.

Overall review:

LACMA and The Griffith Observatory are must sees if you're visiting LA.

- Stephanie

Travel: LA Day 3

The third day of our long weekend in LA was particularly different because this was the day I was left to explore LA by myself while the boy went to his tech conference.

Although I was a little bummed to spend the day in an unfamiliar city sans company, I was excited to do all the LA things on my list I anticipated seeing recommended by my favorite SoCal bloggers (Fashion Toast, Sincerely Jules, Song of Style, Cupcakes and Cashmere, Damsel in Dior etc).

I started my day as any LA local would, coffee at Alfred's on Melrose.

As if that couldn't be LA enough, while sitting outside at their tables, in strolls Sophia Richie with her friends getting their own Saturday coffee. It was my third celebrity sighting of my trip (I saw Kate Walsh at The Hollywood Bowl and the legendary Angie at a Thai place on Sunset), and maybe because this one was during the light of day, but she looked (even for a sixteen year old) flawless from head to toe.  Her hair was newly bleached, and she was wearing a long trench coat with a tank and trousers. Topped off with a Celine mini bag and hi-top sneakers (all designer)  it was definitely a wardrobe only Lionel Richie's daughter could have. It was almost like walking into a real-life version of her Instagram feed.

After the immediate star-stroke, it was funny watching her aimlessly wandering up and down Melrose ave, it reminded me when my friends and  I would wander around the movie theater or Friendly's because we were sixteen and had nothing better to do.

Melrose was one of those locations that I definitely knew I would appreciate just for it's aesthetic alone. The boutiques all stood like little homes where the clothes stood as decoration. 

Isabel Marant Boutique was most definitely my favorite. The garden out front was reason enough to stop and admire her shop.

A selfie with some cacti and my Le Spec sunnies.

For lunch, I stopped by Lemonade. 

"The concept is best described as Seasonal Southern California Comfort Food in a fast-casual cafeteria setting"

Basically, you enter the establishment and tell the servers what you want from the buffet, and how much you want and they package it up for you to stay or take-out. This makes it simple for a quick bite on the go, or feeding your entire family a fresh dinner.

I ordered a green-tea-lemonade, watermelon, feta cheese, cucumber, basil salad and a spicy chicken, green bean and jalepeño salad. 

After lunch, I continued driving down Melrose - the further east you go the grungier it gets and let's be honest, the more stuff I could afford shopping for.

I scored a pair of black high-waisted J Brand Jeans at Wasteland - a huge vintage store for $50. They're so comfortable and fit my waist perfectly, it was a great find amongst all the fierce LA clothing that could be confused for customary. 

On the walk from where I parked my car, I, yet again ,couldn't get enough of the colorful homes.

I headed back to the apartment after shopping to meet the boy for dinner.

Gracias Madre was at the top of my list of restaurants to grab a bite. This place has gotten rave reviews amongst the locals and it did not disappoint. 

Gracias Madre has an all vegan-organic Mexican menu. The food by chef's Chandra Gilbert and drinks by Jason Eisner were a marvelous blend of natural and fresh ingredients; including the tequila! 

The tiled bar, is an eye-catcher and the perfect spot to snap an Instagram pic.

The modern design of the interior handles the Spanish touch famously well.  The space featured wrought iron chandeliers, wood furniture and various plant life all over.

It's quite amazing how different the cuisine is in LA than New York. 

Not in any particularity bad or good way, the food in  New York City is culturally vibrant and rich with flavors.

While in LA, there are more vegan options made with super fresh vegetables and herbs.

Needless to say, we were in bed in a food coma by midnight.

- Stephanie

Travel: LA Day 2

Our travels in LA continued the following day as we woke up decently early (like 10 am) and headed to Venice Beach.

Venice Beach was at the top of our list, so we decided to head that way on our first full day. It's so funny how every desired location in SoCal seems to be a 15 minute drive away, (or 45 min if you get stuck in traffic). As soon as we drove under the "Venice Beach" sign, we looked for a place to stop for breakfast.

I have seen Gratitude Cafe featured on multiple blogs and websites, so when I noticed the familiar tiles and furniture, we agreed to stop in.

We started off, as we do every brunch, with coffee. At Gratitude Cafe, you can choose to order with affirmations instead of nouns. So for instance, I told the waitress: I am light and she brought me a latte and repeated You are light, before setting it down. Although admittly a little bit corny, I actually really apprciated a restaurant taking a different approach to ordering and turn it more into a positive lifestyle habit.

After we ordered our food, a crepe for him, a quinoa and avocado breakfast taco for me, the waitress then had us tell her one thing we were grateful for that day. It truly was a great and refreshing way to start the morning.

Everything at Gratitude Cafe, as most place in LA, was vegan and the ingredients were so fresh my taste buds were dancing with flavors of cilantro, mint and coconut. Yummm.

After brunch, we walked down to the beach. 

Venice Beach is one of the largest beaches as far as sand property I've seen in America.  The sand stretches for miles and miles, and for a Friday it was pretty empty at 12 pm. I have a feeling that Southern Californians don't appreciate the beach as much as us North Easterners do when they visit because they have access to beautiful weather all time. Which is a shame, but at the same time I had no issue spreading out in the sand without another group piling their beach gear right next door.

Dipping my feet in the Pacific.

The temperature of the water was pretty warm than you would think for September but after heating up in the 100 degree temperatures all summer long, it was nice to dive in.

Walking along the boulevard and past all the tourists, and local bums was a sight to see. 

The weather is amazing, pretty much all year round, so it seems that some people choose to live their lives on the beach in makeshift homes under tiki umbrellas. Most of these people were older, seemingly without a care in the world. Some were painters, some were musicians, but they weren't panhandling, just having a laid-back time.

After laying out and relaxing on the beach for a few hours, we decided to grab a snack and walked up Abbot Kinney Blvd.

The houses right off Venice Beach were the type of homes that immediately made me want to move to California and never look back as so many people have done.

Rows and rows of the most unique homes, painted in every color of the rainbow. This aqua blue house was one of my favorites. Contrasted with the dark purple of the local bougainvillea flowers really did it for me.

Succulents, are another native plant to Southern California that seem to grow like weeds. It's really not fair they get cacti, palm trees, bougainvilleas AND succulents.

Abbot Kinney Blvd was like a little SoHo right in the heart of Venice, with blocks and blocks of restaurants, galleries, shops, bars, coffee shops and juice bars. I stopped at a LF and although it's a complete mess when they have their blow out sales (those who have been can empathize), I scored the most adorable pineapple dress and a pair of shorts for $40! Great deal, and I got to take a little bit of the LA style back to NYC.

A Venice sunset I took about a million pictures of., and the tippy tops of a row of palm trees.

I warned you I am obsessed with the architecture out here. 

We headed back to the beach for the sunset and to grab a drink.

While sitting on the beach watching the sun meet the horizon, I began to clap and two Brazilian women sitting next to me joined in saying how happy they were that some Americans also applaud the sun for all the heat and resources she provided us with that day.

-Stephanie