Livin’ it up in LaLa Land … no cooking allowed
So, as the big sister in this duo, I’m usually the one going first. First to school, first to drive, first to marry, you get the picture. It seems only fitting that I start this venture off.
I’ve always had a dream to be a travel writer. My day job involves writing, but mainly memos and letters at the corporate level so no travel writing opportunities there. When Brenda mentioned starting this project, I thought it could be a great way to stretch myself. Travel writing and adventure seeking. I’m in! I had an upcoming trip to Los Angeles booked so it seemed to be perfect timing.
Then came the twist.
Per the “rules,” we have to shape our stories (blog or vlog) around a word our parents pick. No problem. I can make anything work. So I waited. The word arrived, one day before I left on my trip, and drumroll … the word was … cooking!
Cooking, really? Come on Mom and Dad. Couldn’t you give me something easy? I’m getting ready to leave on a one-week trip, one where I plan to do absolutely NO COOKING!
Gotta make it work so here goes. This will be about my week in LA. I did not cook one single meal ⸺ and it.was.awesome!
Highlights:
Almond Chévre cheese and Burnt Brussel Sprouts at Seabirds Restaurant
Seafood on the Santa Monica Pier
In-N-Out Burger on Sunset Boulevard
Eggs Salmone at Urth Caffé
Everything we ate at Terrace by Mix Mix
I cook for my family. They don’t go hungry. But it’s not something I enjoy. There is the hour or more in the kitchen prepping, then the eating, then the clean up with another 15-30 minutes of dish washing. Not to mention the ever-present “what to make for supper” cloud hanging over my day. Not my idea of fun. So when I go on vacation, I think what I look forward to most is eating out, letting someone else plan the dishes, do the prep work, table setting and clean up. My one and only job is to eat their food and enjoy it. That I can do!
Day One
When we landed at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, it was rush hour. After finding our bag did not arrive with us, I opened Google Maps and saw the 45-minute drive to Hermosa Beach had grown to 1 ½ hours with LA traffic snarls. I figured a nearby restaurant would be the better choice, allowing traffic to clear out while we ate.
We hopped in the rental car, powered up Yelp, and found the nearest vegan restaurant, per the request of another in my party. I don’t have much of an opinion one way or another on vegan food, but I like new flavors so I was game.
Seabirds Restaurant in Costa Mesa, California, did not disappoint. I tried the Roasted Beet and Chévre Salad, Burnt Brussels Sprouts and Beer Battered Avo Tacos. My daughter declared she was in love with Brussel Sprouts after trying that dish, served with yummy blackened bits and lime Dijon mustard. The Seabirds staff was so sneaky. We were seated next to a group eating dessert -- Caramel Apple Crisp. One look and we were persuaded. I loved all of the meal. Who knew cheese made from almonds could be so delicious? Will I cook any of this at home? Probably not, except possibly the apple crisp. The rest were well outside my usual repertoire, which is the point of vacation for me, trying new dishes I would never make at home.
Then we headed out on the road to tackle LA traffic. We hooked up with the 405 and headed towards Hermosa Beach, where we had a room for the next two nights. It would have been much better flying into LAX, only a 15-minute drive from our hotel, but when I booked flights on Black Friday, the best deal was flying into John Wayne. Back then, I didn’t know if we would be heading to Disneyland or the beach first. I got a heckuva deal on a rental car, $37 for two days, cheaper than one Uber ride from John Wayne to Hermosa Beach, and honestly, I was looking foward to experiencing the LA freeways in all their glory.
We got to the hotel, crashed, and our luggage showed up at 2 a.m. the next morning.
Day Two
We woke up at the beach! That, to me, is a very LA thing to say. With the day forecast as the sunniest during our stay, we grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel. Nothing too special there. Then drove up the Pacific Coast Highway to Venice Beach. We parked, reached the beach quickly, and kicked off our shoes to walk along the ocean. It was too chilly for swimming, but we got splashed by waves a few time so I still felt the beach vibe.
And guess what I saw at Venice Beach? Tractors!. They rake the beach with tractors, which have to detour around the sea gulls and the occasional homeless sleeping on the beach.
As the mist burned off, the sun came out and the palm trees waved. We walked the 1 ½ miles from Venice Beach to Santa Monica Pier, snapping pictures, soaking in the sun, relishing that we were in California!
At the pier, the rides were open so we grabbed a seat on the Ferris wheel. It felt like we were hanging out above the ocean on each rotation with the sea breeze whipping our face.
The walk had made us hungry. You know, sea air and all, so we found the nearest restaurant and ordered fried shrimp, calamari and sweet potato fries. Was it the best shrimp I’d ever eaten? No, but had I eaten shrimp on the Santa Monica Pier before, nope, so that made it a special treat, sitting out on the boardwalk in the sun.
Just a note in case you find yourself in any touristy place in the near future. If you’re at any iconic picture-worthy spot, say the Route 66 End of the Road sign on Santa Monica Pier, or the rainbow-hued lifeguard station along the beach, be prepared to wait in line for a shot without a millenial crowding in. Usually said millenial is a female and accompanied by a patient boyfriend with a professional looking camera. He is required to take at least 50 shots in various poses, in search of that one perfect post for Instagram. I just wanted one picture, so move!
Facing a 1 ½ mile walk back to the car, we grabbed an Uber instead. We did a little shopping in Santa Monica and even saw a Brandy Melville model, which I semi-stalked much to the embarrassment of someone else in my party who shall remain unnamed.
I found I should have checked the traffic map earlier as our 20-minute drive back to Hermosa Beach to catch the sunset had again bloomed into a 45-minute drive. We just barely made it in time to skid into a parking spot, spring the beach and catch the spectacular show from the Hermosa Beach Pier.
We picked up the rest of the family later that night at LAX and found a nearby restaurant in Manhattan Beach open past 9 p.m., Rock’N Fish. Surprisingly, it was hard to find a restaurant open that late. I guess Thursday nights south of LAX are not prime time for eatting out. The atmosphere was fun but I didn’t think my coconut shrimp was any better than other places. Stil, I wasn’t cooking so I’m not complaining!
After supper, we walked to the pier to admire the ocean in moonlight. Then we called it a night.
Day Three
We hopped in the car bright and early to head up into LA. First stop was the OUE Skypace for a ride in the glass slide at 10 stories up. I’m sure it is usually a thrilling experience, but when the entire downtown is fogged in, the view is less than spectacular. Oh well, can’t do much about the weather!
After that we headed to Beverly Hills for shopping at The Grove outdoor mall. Then we grabbed lunch at the In-N-Out Burger on Sunset Boulevard. Let me just say, “grabbed” is not the right term, as we waited in line with about 100 other people before placing our order, then hovered next to those lucky enough to have a table until a spot opened up, then ran to claim the seats. The burger was pretty tasty, and it was an iconic experience perfect for experiencing LA.
We got in more shopping along Fairfax Avenue in the Golf Wang and Supreme shops. Golf Wang is the store of Tyler the Creator, a rapper. Supreme is a much hyped skater brand. You are not allowed to take out your phones or touch the merchandise in either of the stores. Tall, burly security guards in standard issue black and sunglasses watch the doors. And of course, I pulled my phone out in Golf Wang. The pink-haired cashier politely reminded me about the no phone policy, but then chatted while my daughter shopped. In Supreme, when I couldn’t tell who was a customer and who was an employee (they all looked like skater types to me), I picked up a t-shirt. That cleared things right up as an employee appeared out of thin air to grab the shirt and not so politely say, “Let’s put that right back there.” Once out of earshot of the security guard, we died laughing.
Then it was 30 miles, and a 1 ½ hour drive, to Anaheim for the next leg of our trip. I dropped the family at our new hotel and took the rental car back to Costa Mesa. The drive there took 20 minutes. The Uber ride back took 45 minutes. Oh this traffic!
Day Four
Disneyland! Yep, this was our one day for Disneyland and guess what, it started raining shortly after we arrived. But we figured out the FastPass app, found the indoor rides and made the most of it. I’d been there when I was in middle school and it was fun to return to see what had changed, and what was still predictably Disney. The rain and clouds broke by noon.
No culinary adventures to speak of. It’s Disney and you just grab food where you don’t have to stand in line forever. I did have spinach artichoke pizza at Space Mountain, so that was something new, if not entirely fresh baked.
The rides were fun, as expected, but my favorite memory was seeing not only Mickey, but Minnie Mouse as well, and getting pictures with both ⸺ wet, bedraggled hair and all.
Day Five
Another must on the list for LA was brunch at Urth Caffé. There are several sprinkled around the area so we headed to one in Beverly Hills. We got there shortly before the bulk of the crowd showed up. My Eggs Salmone, sort of a rendition of Eggs Benedict, was definitely yummy, but listening to the girls around us talk about Marie Kondo and her “Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and watch another group snap selfies and gab about their late night was almost as much fun.
Then we drove up to the Griffith Observatory to walk around and see the Hollywood Sign. How many times have I seen that sign in movies, but this time, I was there IRL. The place was bustling! I wondered aloud if more people visited now because of the scene from LaLa Land. My daughter quickly made fun of that observation, but not five minutes later, we walked by someone talking about LaLa Land, so one point for me!
Next up was Rodeo Drive. We visited the Chanel store and then walked a few blocks to a cupcake ATM. Yep, in Beverly Hills, they have a cupcake ATM. I ordered, what else, dark chocolate! And it was delicious. The cupcake ATM is attached to the bakery next door, Sprinkles. The novelty is in the robotic arm that grabs the cupcake box from the shelf and deposits it in the pink ATM.
Day Six
Well, in the land of endless sunshine, we woke up to rain again so we decided on inside activities, girls stuff like shopping. I’d also read about a new restaurant in Costa Mesa, Terrace by Mix Mix, that had great reviews in the hotel magazine so I booked a lunch time reservation on Yelp. No need I soon learned, as we got there and found only five other people braving the deluge. But this meal was crowned the best of our trip.
We started with goat cheese toast topped with grapes and pistachios. I also had a winter soup ⸺ butternut squash, I think ⸺ with a bit of heat. For entrees, we had short rib noodles and soft egg raviolo. Those names sound so simple but the flavors were anything but. For dessert, because we were still on vacation and so dessert, yes please!, we had tropical verrine. I have no idea what verinne is, but the menu describes it as coconut panna cotta, mango sorbet, macadamia nuts, tropical fruit and passion fruit. As I sit here typing, I want more, right this minute! There wasn’t nearly enough for the two of us to share, as we could have cleaned out the kitchen.
Before we headed back to the hotel to call it a day, we went into LA one last time to check out Glossier, a popular online make-up chain with a retail store on Melose Place in LA. The entire store was done in shades of pale pink. The staff was dressed in white lab coats. After we made our purchase, via their website and iPad, we were ushered into their canyon while we waited for our order to be brought from the back. Their canyon? Yep, that’s what it was, a pink, orangey wave of stone with changing lights. I’m thinking it’s designed for the explicit purpose of posting selfies on Instagram. I find out now it is called Glossier Canyon and is fashioned after Antelope Canyon in Arizona. I’m telling you, these new stores are trippy!
With our last day wrapping up, we had one last culinary adventure to try. I was told that all the stars, or at least all the you-tubers in LA, Postmate their food to their house. So we tried to Postmate food from IHOP to our hotel. After 45 minutes, the ordering app informed us no delivery person was available. Maybe we weren’t famous enough. So we went with Plan B. We Grub Hubbed food from a nearby sushi place instead.
With that, we ended our last full day in LA. The next morning, we flew out on a 6 a.m. flight, which meant a 3:10 a.m. shuttle from our hotel to LAX. Gotta love those early morning flights, but hey, no traffic in LA at 3 a.m.!
We arrived home by noon, but alas, our luggage did not. It decided to stay behind for a few more hours of vacation I guess. It finally arrived at midnight.
What did I learn from LA? I love palm trees, sunshine and fun new food. I can leave the traffic there. The stores are all about social media these days, and are constantly trying to one up each other with the latest gimmicks. Best of all, I did absolutely no cooking!
Now it’s back to reality. I’ve gotta go figure out what’s for dinner.
