We have been residents of Orange County for less than a month, and I am already missing LA something fierce. Don’t get me wrong, being ten minutes away from Disneyland is a lifelong dream (and saving me a ton of money on gas!) but I am definitely jonesing for some of my LA hot spots. I know I will continue to find awesome places here in the OC that can fulfill my pseudo-hipster needs, but for now, I’m going to take advantage of my LA work days and hit up these favorites whenever I can!
So the good news is that I have checked off eleven boxes on my Los Angeles summer bucket list. The bad news is this might be the end of the list. For reasons I cannot disclose at the moment ;o) More info to come, promise! But I do have some other cool events to share with you, and they are all things that you should do whether you are an LA native or just visiting on vaycay!
One of my all-time favorite summer events in Los Angeles is the Independent Shakespeare Company’s summer productions. This group stages FREE Shakespearean productions in the old LA Zoo (part of Griffith Park) and they are always so good. I went to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream this past weekend and I loved it. Midsummer is a great show, super accessible (even for kids) and the production as a whole was really well done. I am REALLY looking forward to going back later this summer to see Titus Andronicus because it’s one of the few Shakespeare shows I’ve never seen. Also, there’s lots of murder in it so it’s gonna be fun!
If you do a Google search for “LA brewery kid-friendly”, Golden Road is going to be at the top of every single list you find. We love Golden Road, but we had never been there with Squirt, so we headed over one afternoon for dinner, beer (obvs), and play time. The best part about Golden Road is their large outdoor space with lawn games and plenty of space for the kiddos to run around. Did I mention there’s beer?
Matt and I had an epic date night last weekend where we checked off THREE bucket list boxes in one night. Our first stop was the Upright Citizens Brigade for an improv show. I had actually never been to a show there before, but after reading Yes Please by Amy Poehler (one of the founders of UCB) I knew we needed to check it out. We went to the earliest show, at 7:00, and it was hilarious. Plus, tickets were $7 each. So for $15 we got an hour of quality entertainment and in LA, that is a steal.
After our improv show, we had dinner, and then headed over to the Dresden. The Dresden is famous for two things: its appearance in the movie Swingers and its two superstars, Marty and Elayne. Marty and Elayne are a couple in their eighties (???) who play jazz standards five nights a week at this bar and lounge that has not seen a remodel since the 1960’s. I imagine that to many outsiders the appeal of the Dresden is questionable at best. The place is old and quite frankly, the music is not great. But the kitsch and the charm are off the charts, and honestly, it’s a must do if you want the real LA experience.
After the Dresden, we hit up House of Pies. For pie. I wish we had eaten dinner at this classic diner, but honestly, it’s totally worth it to go just for dessert. Also if you watch Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, you will recognize this spot from the Kristen Wiig episode. The pie is bomb y’all. ‘Nuff said.
I’m hoping to check off at least a couple more boxes on the list, but life is about to get crazy so I can’t make any promises. Stay tuned for some very interesting life updates to come!
As part of my summer bucket list AND my 18 things to accomplish in 2018 challenges, a trip to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles (NHM) was on the docket. And since it has been ridiculously hot the past few days, the museum was the perfect place to escape! I put the NHM on both of my lists because I know how much Matt loved it as a kid, and given Squirt’s penchant for all things dinosaur, I knew he would love it as well. And we picked the best time to visit the museum because one of their exhibits is called Becoming Los Angeles, and it was something I really wanted to see. So the boys got dinos, and I got LA history, and everyone was happy. Here are some of the highlights of our visit!
I really responded to a lot of the displays in the Becoming Los Angeles exhibit. I’ve always felt a close connection to LA, especially in the past ten years or so when we have spent a good amount of time living in the city proper. Even though we are now technically in the ‘burbs, we are close enough to experience all the amazing offerings of Los Angeles, and the city will always feel like home to me.
This display was one of my favorites. I could look at this for hours. Lots of different LA landmarks are represented, and I love the Dia de los Muertos vibe (lots of Coco reminders in this one!).
And I of course can’t go anywhere without finding some Disney reference somewhere. Disney is responsible for a lot of growth and development in LA, so it’s only fitting he have his own display in the Los Angeles section.
This was another favorite display of mine, a model of LA back in the day. It’s cool to look at all the landmarks that have been a part of downtown for decades.
Of course, we spent the bulk of our time exploring the animal and dinosaur skeletons and displays in the museum. Squirt was pretty into all the bones!
I also enjoyed these sections of the museums. As much as you know, logically, that dinosaurs were huge, there’s something about seeing the fossils in person that is a little bit mind-blowing. Look how long that neck is!
We had a really fun (and educational!) day at the museum, and Squirt has already asked to go back. I’m sure we could spend many more hours there and still not see everything. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to go back soon!
Guys, I don’t want to alarm anyone, but summer is almost halfway over. How the eff did that happen and how can I turn back time? So far, this summer has been pretty awesome. With the exception of the past few days, the weather has been mild, the temperatures warm during the day and cool at night. Matt has been off work so we have been doing all kinds of fun things, and I have been taking all kinds of solo work/coffee excursions. Life has been good. Now it’s hotter than hell and Matt is in rehearsals for basically the remainder of his summer break so glorious summer has mostly come to an end. Luckily, I still have many items on my summer bucket list to keep me busy. Oh, and a sweet ass trip to New York coming up in just a couple of weeks! So don’t feel sorry for me, I’m going to survive ;o)
And speaking of my summer bucket list, I’ve already checked off quite a few boxes. I am kicking names and taking ass. (If you still don’t get the reference, get out. Jk. Please stay!) And so far on my list, everything has been super fun and exceeded my expectations. Here’s what I’ve been up to:
The other day Matt and I had lunch downtown at Grand Central Market. How have I never been here before?!?!?! Seriously, this is like a food lover’s paradise. And I am a food. lover. Inside of GCM you can find everything from a deli to a coffee shop, with everything from tacos to Chinese food. There’s a Golden Road Brewery and a McConnell’s ice cream. I could pretty much live there. Sadly, we only had room/time for one meal, review of which will be coming soon, but I wanted to eat all the things.
If you’re going to go to Grand Central Market, you might as well hop across the street and take a ride on Angel’s Flight. Built in Los Angeles in 1901, Angel’s Flight is a piece of LA history. And yes, it’s where they filmed part of the dance number in La La Land. No, there is no choreographed dance waiting for you at the top (sadly).
Matt, Squirt, my brother Zach, and I all hit up a mid-week Dodgers day game, which was awesome, except for being in the sun most of the game. But tickets were cheap, and sweating so much meant no desire to spend a small fortune on beer, so I guess it was mostly a good thing.
I wrote a whole blog post about my experience on the Proper Sightseeing bus tour, so I won’t say too much about it here, other than to reiterate it was tons of fun and everyone should go at least once.
Another item checked off the list is outdoor movie night. This is actually one of the first things we did, because I just happened to find a screening of Incredibles at my alma mater, CSUN. Yay Matadors. The only downside to the screening was that it didn’t start until about 8:30, which is already past Squirt’s bedtime, so we didn’t make it through the whole movie, but we still had a fun family picnic, and it was a gorgeous evening.
Even as I write this, I’ve already checked off four more events in addition to these, so stay tuned for another bucket list recap post, coming your way soon!
I was compensated in the form of a discount, free product, or monetary payment in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.
Being born and raised in Los Angeles comes with so many perks. One of the downsides is that I don’t ever to think to experience many of the city’s tourist offerings because, well, I’m not a tourist. I’ve lived here my whole life, and so has my mother, so the city has just always been an everyday part of life. But the truth of the matter is that Los Angeles is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and while many of us locals look down on some of the “tourist traps” that are all too frequent in the city, there are some out there that are kind of awesome. As part of my summer bucket list, I decided to find a bus tour of Los Angeles and see the sights like a tourist would. I went into this bus tour with some serious reservations. And I was pleasantly surprised. I had so. much. fun. And I took my mother, born and raised in the heart of Los Angeles, and she loved it too.
I reached out to Proper Sightseeing after reading their reviews, and was invited to experience their hop on/hop off tour. One of the awesome things about this tour is that you have access to the tour for 48 hours. You can jump off the bus at any of the stops, and get back on at any of the stops, and you have access for two full days. Honestly, it’s worth the price of admission just to not have to try to park in LA for two days! I especially loved the freedom to be able to get off the bus and have lunch (and pee) and then jump back on when we were ready. And it’s a great way to experience some of the sights you want to explore in depth without being tied to a particular timeline.
The Proper Sightseeing buses are double decker, and the view from the top deck is awesome. Honestly, it was an Instagrammer’s dream. Even though many of these sights are places I drive by all the time, it was really cool to see them from this totally different angle. I took about a million pictures and these are just a few of my favorites…
The El Capitan is one of my favorite theaters in Los Angeles because it’s owned by Disney and exclusively shows Disney movies. I have had a lot of great experiences in this theater, as each movie is accompanied by a live show and a costume exhibit. It’s definitely on my must see in Hollywood list.
Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city. You probably know it as the theater with the hand and footprints out front.
This is the famous gate at the entrance of Paramount Pictures…
Can you believe I have never eaten at Canter’s Deli? I need to get on that! It’s one of the most famous restaurants in Los Angeles.
CBS Studios, which is next door to the Grove and the Original Farmer’s Market is home to all kinds of TV shows, including So You Think You Can Dance and some soap operas.
I go to the Original Farmer’s Market all the time. It’s one of my preferred lunch spots, and Squirt and I love hanging out here and walking around the Grove. This is where my mom and I hopped off our bus tour. It was the perfect spot to grab a little snack, take a potty break, and walk around for a bit before jumping back on the bus.
This installation in front of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is one of the most Instagrammable spots in the city. I loved getting a birds’ eye view of this super cool spot! (Also, I love that my photo includes a girl with her Instagram boyfriend, checking out their photos!)
The La Brea Tar Pits are right next to LACMA, and not going to lie, this is my favorite way to see this location because the tar is smelly and I don’t want to get too close!
If you wanted to do some shopping during your tour, the Beverly Center would be the spot for you to hop off. This is one of the bigger malls in the city and is one of the best places for a little retail therapy.
The Beverly Hills City Hall is absolutely gorgeous. I took about fifty pictures of this building alone!
One of my favorite places to drive through is West Hollywood (WeHo). Especially since it is Pride Month, there are rainbows everywhere, including the famous rainbow crosswalks on Santa Monica Blvd. Plus, the tour takes you past Pump, which my Vanderpump Rules loving heart was super into.
Sunset Tower is another one of the most beautiful buildings in LA. Staying there is #lifegoals.
The tour also drives along Sunset Blvd so you get to see some famous comedy spots and music clubs including the Comedy Store, Laugh Factory, and the Whiskey A Go Go.
Including our one hour break at the Farmer’s Market, our tour took about three hours. It was the perfect amount of time and I loved the freedom of being able to get on and off whenever I wanted. Honestly, I expected the tour to be kind of cheesy and lame, but I had so much fun, and I would 100% do it again. And I live here! If you are visiting Los Angeles and you want to experience some of the most popular sights in the city, I cannot recommend the Proper Sightseeing tour enough. You will have a blast!
The other night Matt and I had one of our rare date nights when we went to see The Color Purple at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. Since we have had season tickets to the Pantages for a couple of years, we have established some go-to restaurants in the area, but this time, we decided to try something new. So of course, I turned to Yelp, and as soon as I saw The Parker Room, I knew we had to check it out. The Parker Room used to be a jazz club in the 1940’s and hosted the first West Coast show for Charlie Parker (hence the name). My husband is a musician and jazz aficionado so as soon as I mentioned the name, he was on board. The place is super tiny, but it’s super cute, steeped in history, and if you go during happy hour, reasonably priced (for Hollywood).
The food menu at Parker Room is limited, but the cocktails abound, and really, that’s what matters, amirite?
I had an At Last, which was a delightful combo of tequila and strawberry. This is one of those drinks that I want to recreate at home. It was perfect for the summer months in particular, super light and refreshing.
Matt had the Dizzy G Old Fashioned, which is one of his standby drinks. He said it was good, but also just a pretty standard old fashioned (which I don’t think is a bad thing).
We decided to do a bunch of the happy hour appetizers instead of entrees, and while everything was fine, I wouldn’t say anything was spectacular. We had the chicken tacos, which were tiny, but yummy. The chicken was a little lacking in flavor, but the sauce was delish.
The fried calamari was my favorite of the items we tried. It was flavorful, and the aioli dipping sauce was awesome. We also had the fries, which were fine and not eventful enough to photograph.
I’m not sure we would come back to the Parker Room for dinner in the future, but we would definitely come back for happy hour cocktails and Matt for sure wants to come back to hear their live music sets (every Tuesday night). And while we did walk from the bar (on Vine at DeLongpre) I wouldn’t say it’s super convenient to the theater. Check out this bar if you’re into jazz or just want to grab a quick cocktail when strolling around Hollywood, but skip it if you need a real meal.
Summer is one of the best times to be an Angeleno or to visit Southern California (it’s also great during winter, which still feels kinda like summer). Since the hubs is a teacher, summer is especially awesome for us because we get to hang out as a fam and do all kinds of cool shit. I’m freaking terrible at following through on these bucket list type posts, but I figured I’d make one anyway to possibly help keep us motivated and on track (bahahahahaha). And I’ve included a printable if you want to try to keep up yourself. Some of these are bucket list items-specific things to do at specific locations, but some of them are more scavenger hunt like-a general idea that has multiple possibilities. I’m going to document our activities on my LA Insta @girllovesla so go follow if you aren’t already!
A couple of things on this list are things I try to do on the reg. I’ve attended Shakespeare in the Park pretty much every summer except for the one when Squirt was born (priorities were off that year, I know). And I love going to Scum and Villainy Cantina, Dodger games, and Odd Nights at the Autry. (I love them so much, I’ve blogged about them in the past, so go check out those links!). But many things on this list I have wanted to do for a while and haven’t had the chance. Now that Squirt is a little older, we can take him along on most of our adventures with us, so it opens the door for things like outdoor movies and concerts in the park. We will likely choose kid-friendly options for nights like those, and save the babysitters for events like trivia and the Dresden. Also, probably won’t take Squirt on a murder tour. #momoftheyear
If you want to print out your own version of my bucket list/scavenger hunt, there is a link for you below! I’d love for you to share your pics if you complete any of the items on the list. Make sure to tag @girllovesla on Insta, and if you think about it, use the hashtag #gllasummer. Let’s get our summer on!
