Los Angeles: Weekend Guide
While it began to snow in Nashville, my first college spring break came around!! If you know me, you know how much I love Los Angeles----so where in the world else should I have gone for spring break?! My mom’s best friend lives outside of LA so it was the perfect plan—mom gets to hang out with her best friend while my boyfriend (P) and I get to run around southern California! We were there for about a week and did a LOT. It was my boyfriend’s first time in LA so we got to show him around all of the touristy spots, as well as the hidden treasures. The day before we flew out, however, he dragged me to the doctor because I had been miserable for about a week and we found out that I had a freaking EAR INFECTION. That made the flight out super fun…jk I thought I was going to die of pain (we flew through a literal tornado when landing back in Nashville and that was more fun than flying with an ear infection). Because of my untimely illness, I had to stay in bed the first full day we were there on account of being unable to move my head…however that day ended in having In-N-Out delivered so all is well that ends well I guess, right ? So because of how much I love LA and love talking about it, I figured I would post a few of my favorite things we did on this last trip! While we spread all of this out over the course of about a week (and because we've been a few times), you could easily cross all of this off your list during a long weekend!
Urth- I don’t know how many times I’ve been to Los Angeles, but I do know that every single time I have been, I have eaten at Urth. Their mac and cheese is to DIE for, and so is the gossip that you overhear from the celebrities at the table next to you.
Griffith Observatory- One of P’s good friends was in town visiting his sister for a few days while we were there and wanted to meet up with us so we met at the observatory half an hour before it closed one night. This is a place I had never been to, and holy cow was it incredible. The road was closed so we had to hike up the mountain in the dark (in a brand new Free People dress and sandals to make it even better) but it was so worth it. We got to see the last demonstration of the Tesla Coil for the night and after just watching La La Land, I can definitely 100% say it was so much cooler in person.
Hollywood Boulevard- Because P had never been to LA, we HAD to show him the stars and touristy shops on the iconic Hollywood street. We had a pretty good view of the Hollywood sign, got to buy a bunch of little California trinkets, and I also got to flip off Trump’s star so that was fun.
Santa Monica Pier- Another staple of every LA trip, the pier is so much fun to walk around. The carnival rides and food gives it such a cool atmosphere with such a pretty view.
Pepperdine- I’ve been obsessed with this school for as long as I can remember because of my volleyball history. The first time we went to California we stopped here and I told my parents that I was going to go to college at Pepperdine. That obviously has not happened yet, but I’m still holding hope for grad school. In addition to the legends created on Pepperdine’s volleyball courts, it is also where Zoey 101 took place. Since that was my all time favorite show when I was little, it is always cool to get to walk around the actual PCA and see the stunning views—spoiler alert: the beach is not actually hours away like they say it is in their spring break episode, it is literally across the street.
Duke’s Malibu- Another first, this country club-like restaurant sits on a rock wall right on the ocean, with stunning views of the Pacific. Their valet-only parking lot and comfort colors merchandise make you feel like a local.
2 Broke Girls- Probably 110% my favorite part of the trip. My mom and I have been watching 2 Broke Girls since 2011 and it was so cool to be able to watch the filming process of it. My mom has scored us tickets to Hot in Cleveland (the Betty White show—she laughed at me, it was and still is the highlight of my life) and I Can Do That (the Joe Jonas game show—still my favorite brother) but 2 Broke Girls was definitely the most stressful show experience. We got there a little later than we have in the past, but we were still early. However, we didn’t take into account how many people would be there wayyyyyyyyy before the waiting area even opened, so we were put on standby. After they sent about 200 people home, we somehow were miraculously able to get in. In order of the line, it was Mom, me, and then P behind me. P was the second to last person to get in before the line was officially cut off. Not saying Mom and I would have left him behind, but I mean….It was so cool to be able to see Kat Dennings (my queen), Jennifer Coolidge (the stepmom from A Cinderella Story) and Jonathan Kite (my comedic king) in person and see how they act when they’re not on tv.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art- So. Much. Fun. If you know my mom in real life, then you know how ridiculously inappropriate and fun she is, so like what else should you expect when going to an art museum with her ?? From taking goofy pictures imitating the art to joking about the size of certain statues’ parts, the entire time was so much fun. Outside the museum they have on display “Urban Light,” which is a bunch of old fashioned street lights that have been in several movies—they were so fun to walk through and framed the palm trees perfectly!! The lights are in No Strings Attached (aka the best movie), Maybe California, a Glee photoshoot, and so much more!
North Etiwanda Preserve in San Bernardino County- The day before we left, we went hiking and almost died. What we expected to be a mile and a half hike turned into four miles, and when we got to the top we met a rescue team fishing lifeless people out of the waterfall. Once we got past that, we were met with an incredible view of different waterfalls hidden in the woods and a very pretty view of Rancho Cucamonga.
Temecula Wineries/Old Town Temecula- It was a little chilly and very rainy, so it was the perfect day to hit a couple wineries and go antiquing. The vines were empty since it was still technically winter, but we were able to walk through the buildings and gift shops, which were all so pretty. In Old Town Temecula, we went to Swing Inn Café for lunch and then hit a couple antique shops and a few boutiques. Swing Inn Café was an old school diner, and came with everything you would expect in an old school diner from the booths to the music to the pie. In the antique shops, I found an incredible cartoon drawing of Hillary Clinton for $3 (!!!) and P got a bunch of baseball cards, so I’d say that day was a success.
Farmer’s Market- If you go to LA and do one thing, this needs to be that one thing. The Farmer’s Market is not a typical farmer’s market like what you have in your town. Sure, there are a few fruit and vegetable stands here, but it is so much more. It’s filled with tasty restaurants and eclectic shops and backs right up to The Grove, which is a very LA-place to shop complete with a Laudree, Topshop, Nordstrom, and more!
So if you haven’t realized already, my first college spring break was awesome. I got to spend it with my two favorite people (still wish Morgan could have gone) in my all time favorite place. We did things we always do and we did things we’ve never done, and it was all still so exciting and fun. California is my favorite place on earth and I am so glad I got to experience it yet again!!
