When the La-La hits ya, lyrics just splits ya.
LA to the Bay.
I love Cali-forn-IA.
What’s not to love? Palm trees meets mountains and ocean, the best of all worlds. My epic journey out west began with a trip to San Francisco for work and although I had been there quite a few times previously, I had never seen the Golden Gate Bridge in person. This time it was my mission. I went. I saw. I walked halfway over it! The views of the water, downtown San Fran and Alcatraz were amazing, it truly took my breath away. I highly recommend doing this but if you’re with a friend then definitely rent bikes and venture over to Sausalito. I heard brunch is on point over there.
June 9, 2017
San Fran restaurants are amazing too. I got to experience Sushirrito, the world’s first ‘fast food’ chain to combine the power of sushi and burrito in one. Definitely go for the Geisha’s Kiss, as the crunchiness makes the whole thing delicious, without it I’m not so sure. A bit messy to eat but so cool looking and fun to watch them make in front of you.
June 8, 2017
I also got to eat dinner at Chambers, a funky restaurant inside the Phoenix Hotel where you get to sit among rock stars by way of bookcases filled with real records, where you probably shouldn’t touch but you do, and the food is as good as the atmosphere.
June 8, 2017
Potato Gnocchi (SO good), Confit Octopus and Pork Belly with Ravioli from the small bites menu
This was our booth. And yes we touched the records.
Wish I remembered what this was! All delicious.
What happens when you stumble upon an over-sized gold chair with a furry blanket draped over it, after several luscious cocktails at Redwood Room? Avril LaVino would tell you to hop up on that shit and turn it into a photo shoot, that’s what. And so I did.
Then it was on to the next one and who doesn’t love an excuse to go to L.A.? As my bestie Robin once taught me and bought the t-shirt to remind me – Los Angeles Is Always a Good Idea. We had the best weekend of our lives there attending the American Music Awards in 2015 after a random and very last minute chain of events. But that’s how the best times are always made.
Heading there for the weekend was perfect since I was on the west coast for work, especially after watching La-La Land on the flight out. I really enjoyed that movie not for the singing and dancing but for the story about the love between two people that can shine on so brightly, no matter where their lives might take them. I also made a forever friend out there, my hair and makeup maven for the AMA’s that made my soul shine that weekend. She made me look and feel like a rock star and we kept in touch ever since. I saw her in October on my way to Hawaii and I just love getting the chance to spend time with her and catch up on each other’s lives like we have always been there. Went to an awesome party in the park called Sunday Sessions. Definitely check it out if you’re in downtown L.A. on a Sunday this summer, they happen once a month and have house DJ’s like Victor Duplaix and a full bar with sunshine and palm trees to dance around. Nuff said.
I got to catch up with a couple of other friends out there too, one of the many reasons I love going to L.A. because I have so many friends I can call when I visit, it’s like my west coast home away from home. I ate sushi from Izakaya, which was everything I hoped it would be, and hiked to Griffith Observatory and saw the Hollywood sign. That hike was the real deal. I saw a bunch of dead rodents and lizards along the way, just like the website warned of. It was pretty much all uphill but luckily it wasn’t that hot out because it was cloudy that day. The locals said they call it ‘June Gloom’ when the clouds roll in like they did that day, but they actually welcome those days since it gets so hot and sunny the rest of the summer. And it didn’t stop me from having an awesome day. I took in the sights from the top and then walked through the Observatory to see where La-La Land was filmed (not as impressive when hundreds of tourists are standing around it taking pictures) but the better part was getting to walk through all of the exhibits where I learned all about space again, which I found fascinating. Did you know that the moon was created when an asteroid the size of Mars hit Earth? Or that Uranus (everyone’s favorite planet to say) is actually tipped on its side, also the result of a meteorite hit? It was so interesting to read about the different climates and the space exploration they have been doing to see what other planets could be viable to live on one day. It inspired me to want to learn more about the world around us, and considering I have so many wonderful museums I can check out in NYC I am looking forward to spending some time doing that this summer.
J
June 10, 2017
Then it was on to Seattle , which you can read more about here, the perfect way to wrap up my West Coast tour. I love everything about this side of our country and there are so many other places I have yet to explore. Now I head back to the East Coast and begin to see what Summer 2017 has in store. Until we meet again, I’ll be #CaliforniaDreamin.
XoX,
Avril