Los Angeles And Me
Last April, I took a trip down to Los Angeles which, at that point, was my first vacation in almost three years. My best friend Amanda and I flew out together, both in desperate need of a getaway and some vitamin D, something which Ontario rarely provides this time of year.
We ended up staying in Santa Monica, which was ideal thanks to its close proximity to the beach, a sight I can never get sick of. Stupidly, I made the mistake of trying to break in a new pair of shoes within a few hours of landing and ended up shredding my feet to bits. Thankfully, we were close to some decent shopping so after the best sushi lunch ever at Sugarfish, I picked up a pair of Reebok Classics which saved my feet for the rest of the trip. So, hot tip: if you're planning on walking a lot while you're on vacation, bring cute sneakers. Chic little mules aren't gonna cut it. Lesson learned, dummy that I am.
One of the highlights for me came on our second night when we had dinner at Musso & Frank. A Hollywood institution since 1919, M&F has served everyone who's anyone, and they're renowned for their martinis, which were voted the best in America by GQ magazine. I can't dispute that - my dirty martini was perfect.
In addition to my wonderfully briny cocktail, I also devoured the free sourdough bread (free bread! I'm a bumpkin), and the fettucini alfredo, which was a favourite of Mary Pickford's way back when. The service was impeccable, the food was delicious, and the whole vibe of the restaurant was rife with history and old Hollywood magic. Musso & Frank is a gem, and I can't wait to visit again.
Saturday, I headed over to Silver Lake to browse the shops and enjoy the sunshine, remembering how cold it had been in Toronto when I left. I ended up buying a vintage Jean-Charles de Castelbajac skirt in a flea market during my stroll and ... it's too small, even now after a year. Thank you, free bread. But whatever, it was too good of a deal to pass up. I'll keep it in my closet to remind me of L.A., and maybe it will motivate me to do more pilates.
I did a lot of walking that day and ended up in Echo Park where I met with Amanda and our friend Shae for tacos at Guisado's. Pretty much everyone recommended the tacos there, and I'm so glad they did. They were absolute perfection, my tamale was insanely good, and my only complaint is that I didn't eat there everyday for the rest of the trip. I want to go back to L.A. immediately just so I can eat approximately 237 more tacos. After dinner we headed over to Cha Cha Lounge for margaritas, Kate Bush sing-alongs and some mementos from their still-operating film photo booth.
On Sunday, we headed to the Getty Museum, which is just as beautiful outside as the historical objects and artworks it contains within. The views of the hills (and mansions, naturally) surrounding it are absolutely gorgeous, and can't really be shown in photos -- you have to see them for yourself.
I felt lucky that one of the temporary exhibitions featured ancient Egyptian artefacts -- one of my favourite historical eras and something I never tire from learning about. Whenever I'm around relics that are that old I always feel overwhelmed and awestruck, thinking of the people that lived through that time and wondering what their day-to-day was like, whether their thoughts and feelings back then were anything like mine in 2018. Okay, so I guess I get a little existential in museums. Ferris Bueller and I have that in common.
After our museum excursion, we celebrated our last night in L.A. by having dinner at Forma in Santa Monica, a place known for tossing noodles in hollowed out wheels of cheese. Let me tell you, these people are doing the Lord's work. My mushroom tortellini nearly made me cry. I'd love to go back sometime to truly make the most of their extensive cheese menu. Until then, I'll just dream about it.
Once we'd finished crying over our pasta, we headed into Hollywood to meet friends for drinks at the Sunset Tower Hotel bar. Everything about the experience was fabulous, from the massive bouquets of lilies to the extremely dim lighting to prevent star-stalking, the live piano playing in the background or the attentive waiters in white jackets. Having cocktails here was glam as hell. I don't have any photos because they have a strict anti-paparazzi policy (how very Hollywood), but trust me when I say that drinking an Aperol spritz here is an otherworldly experience. If you get the chance, throw on a cute outfit, bring your best friends and get buzzed at this institution that's been getting celebrities and wannabes sauced for decades. Try to get the corner booth if you can.
Our last day in town was grey and kind of chilly, so we mostly wandered around Santa Monica. I picked up some face masks at BlueMercury and restocked one of my favourite natural deodorants at The Detox Market before we made our way to the LAX In-N-Out for a very necessary last meal.
If this trip made me realize anything, it's that I need to take more vacations. And eat more cheese. Thanks for the fun time, Los Angeles. I hope to see you again soon.
