Tuesday, August 29, 2017

LA Celebrations: Part 1

Trip date: April 2016

Aaron was turning 40 so I booked a flight down to LA to join the party!

Alaska Air was nice enough to upgrade me to 1st class and Aaron and his friend Alana were nice enough to pick me up from the airport. We then headed to Dune in Atwater Village for an absolutely fantastic falafel and hummus plate.

This neighborhood is super cute, lined with small boutiques, cafes, and coffee shops. Alana and I popped into Common and did a little dress shopping before they dropped me off at BarKeeper to meet Wes.

Wes wasn't quite done with work so I did some booze shopping and then grabbed an Uber to his and Chuck's house in Eagle Rock where I was staying.

Later I met up with Chuck, Wes, Aaron, and a handful of others at Republique where we had a pre-birthday dinner. Wow! Such fantastic food, cocktails, wines, and company! I absolutely loved our dinner here, highly recommend!
Although I can't be responsible if your dining companions aren't as enjoyable as mine were! Or don't have such exquisite taste in ordering copeous amounts of food and wine!
After dinner we went to The Walker Inn for nightcaps. My second time here and it still rocks! Absolutely one of my favorite bars in town and really representative of what a World's 50 Best Bar should be about.

Saturday morning Chuck and I had brunch and Mezcal drinks at Petty Cash Taqueria (Wes sadly had to work). We loved our Rainbow Cauliflower Nachos (which the bartender rightly said was a do-not-miss), and the staff was super fun and made delicious cocktails. I really enjoyed this spot, especially for casual brunch/lunch.

It was such a beautiful day that we decided to spend the afternoon at Griffith Observatory. I hadn't been since I was visiting LA from Spokane in the 5th grade!
On the big lawn there was an astronomy club set up with their telescopes, similarly to the one I encountered in New York. But as it was broad daylight the one that we looked through was focused on the sun! I've never seen the sun through a telescope before! The owner explained that we were looking at a solar prominence, It was so awesome!!!
Once inside the Observatory, we wandered around the exhibits, saw the Tesla Coil in action, took in the views, and got to take a peek through the big telescope.
Afterwards, we went the planetarium show. So much cool and interesting stuff, we both had a ball!

Chuck and I walked down the hill and met our Uber at The Greek Theater (where I really want to see a show one day!) Back at home we hung out on their veranda with rosé and waited for Wes to get home.

Then we were off to Aaron's backyard birthday party! Aaron totally outdid himself and treated us all to delicious cocktails made by one of the bartenders at Terrine (now closed sadly) and equally delicious burritos from Burritos La Palma. His backyard was the perfect spot to mingle and celebrate. Oh, and there was a magician!

I was so busy stuffing my face and meeting new people that I didn't take any good photos. I'd say that if I'm too busy to snap shots that is definitely the sign of a good party!
On our way back to Chuck and Wes', the three of us stopped into their neighborhood cocktail bar Sonny's Hideaway. Oh what a fun little spot this is!

We got home and the boys made a couple rounds of nightcaps, as you do!

The next morning the three of us had brunch at Otium, next to The Broad. Everything was very good here and I really liked the playful creativity of the menu; eggs with mole, a super duper avocado toast, pork belly and french toast, crispy potatoes with dipping sauce. And day drinks!

We walked across the street to the MOCA Gallery after brunch and spent some time wandering the exhibits. It's wonderful! Go if you are in the downtown area.

There was just time to grab a quick cocktail at Vespaio, right across the street, before the boys kindly drove me to the airport. Not before being delayed for a movie shoot that was taking place on the street though. Hollywood!


Thanks for a great excuse to play Aaron!
All LA photos here.


No comments:

Post a Comment

36 Hours in Mexico City

Trip date: October 2023 This trip was all about finally getting to Oaxaca with my friend Aaron, but as I had to fly through Mexico City to d...

Popular Posts