{ The City She Loves Me }
Even though I have basically lived in and around LA my entire life, there are still so many parts of the city that I have yet to explore – restaurants to try, museums to visit, shops to hop into, colorful streets to walk along. Got to cross a couple places off my list recently though, which may sound productive but in actuality is not, since I always find myself wanting to go back and further explore the places I’ve already been!
One Saturday Scott and I did Abbot Kinney Blvd. – huge burritos at Tortilla Grill offset by dainty cakes at Jin Patisserie (thank you Scott for somewhat compromising your masculinity and venturing into the abyss of overabundant cuteness that is Jin.) So many cute shops line this quirky street in Venice, but my favorite has to be Firefly. You walk into this one and the cuteness just socks you square in the jaw. And it is WONDERFUL.
A little card I bought from Firefly… gotta love bicycles (especially with these gas prices).
Scott captured this pic of me walking along a colorful alley… so of course we had to get a flowery shot of him too.
Another Saturday was Silverlake – lots of cute cafes and shops. I loved the “green” theme of many of them, selling clothes, books, and other knicknacks all made from recycled goods. Cute, practical, AND good for the earth? I’m sold.
And one Sunday was a gig with my taiko group at the Long Beach Museum of Art – the most adorable little museum you ever will see, complete with a stunning view of the harbor. In a raging post-performance hunt for lunch, we stumbled upon 2nd Street in the Belmont Shore area and had crepes at the lovely La Creperie Cafe. How cool would it be to live around there, within walking distance of the rows of shops/restaurants and the beach!!
And one last little discovery…
While dining at the Comfort Cafe in Silverlake (highly recommended btw!), we perused a recent issue of the Los Angeles Magazine and came across the “64 Greatest Things about LA“. This list will eventually be whittled down into one BEST thing about LA. The Disney Hall? The Grove? Amoeba Music? There were so many awesome places on there that choosing between them would be pure torture, but our inkling is that “the weather” is going to come out on top. Because I only lived away from LA for a year, but wearing 2 pairs of pants in the winter time wasn’t as fun as it sounds. Neither is not being able to sleep in the summer without the air conditioner blasting in my face. But flip flops year round? And thinking the world is going to end whenever the temperature rises above 75 and drops below 68? That, is awesome.
To all those dwelling in the city of angels, where are your favorite places in LA? To those not in LA, where are your favorite places in your own little town?
Tags: long beach, los angeles
May 19th, 2008 at
very nice entry and i love the photos, especially that of food! :)
i’m from the dc area, and lately i found myself exploring dc a lot with my newfound photography friends. being from the area for over 18 years, i thought dc was a place i’d go to only when i have visitors to show around, but getting into photography really makes any place so much more interesting! ^^
May 19th, 2008 at
if you haven’t been, hiking up to the hollywood sign next to the griffith observatory is a must. i love abbot kinney (i was just there for joe’s and the venice art walk) and silverlake also (thinkspace gallery is one of my favorites). also if you haven’t, culver city next to the sony building has a lot of cute little restaurants and art galleries. montana next to ucla, of course, i know you know. what else… it’s a treck, but downtown monrovia will make you feel like you stepped into a small suburb in the midwest sometime during the 1950s.
May 19th, 2008 at
I’d say my house is my favorite place in LA. It’s pretty cool. It’s got a TV and everything.
May 19th, 2008 at
great photos.. gelatos!
that looks like a cool restaurant.. =)
May 19th, 2008 at
@minteefoto –
it’s true! that’s a big part of my new found desire to explore :)
@conichung –
thanks for all the recommendations! i haven’t been to that part of culver city (my sister often goes to the art galleries there) or montana (didn’t even realize there were shops along that street) but will definitely be checking them out soon!
@nickodani –
that IS pretty cool. you should start charging an entry fee.
@gonchoi –
thanks! this is the gelato place: http://www.pazzogelato.net/
May 20th, 2008 at
@adriennephoto –
There is an entrance fee, guizah: two fists and the will to live.
May 20th, 2008 at
oooh…i was looking up jin patisserie when i was trying to find a fancy chocolate shop to buy mother’s day gifts from (but it’s a good thing i went to boule instead otherwise i wouldn’t have my parking meter photo!)…..i still want to try it out though!
one of my favorite places in LA is eagle rock…. i love eagle rock blvd, certain not-too-bougie parts of colorado blvd, and york blvd… and all that’s in between (including oxy….in some ways….haha). i love the shops and colors of eagle rock blvd…the little alleyways with murals so vibrant i don’t know how i didn’t notice them until a couple of weeks ago, the food and culture of york….and how much things change as you travel from colorado down eagle rock to york… i love that there’s a pathway you can walk down from near the top of the hills at oxy down to the park next to eagle rock high… and the farmer’s market on fridays.
if you’re ever interested in visiting, let me know and i will definitely come with you!
May 20th, 2008 at
btw, i like that new profile pic!
May 20th, 2008 at
I think I’m too uncultured and cheap to get into what LA has to offer :P
May 20th, 2008 at
@nickodani –
oh, that’s reasonable.
@ChiKaPEA02 –
ooh i’ve been wanting to try boule! how was it? eagle rock also sounds cool. i had actually never heard about it until i saw some of the photos on your blog. looks like fun – i’d love to go sometime if you wouldn’t mind showing me around! :)
@Skunkabilly –
haha, it’s true. exploring can get expensive.
May 20th, 2008 at
Great pictures…I love L.A. One of my favorite places in the world is my ex-boyfriends house in Laurel Canyon. Really–I wanted to keep the house and lose him!
Thanks for visiting my page.
May 21st, 2008 at
oh you bad bad food bloggin woman!!!! ;) i have to stop coming here!!! great shots of that awesome food tho!
May 21st, 2008 at
Awesome pics! SO colorful =) LA looks really nice.
May 25th, 2008 at
Love these! Yummy! :)
Hope you are doing well. I’ve missed seeing you each Tues.
June 3rd, 2008 at
The beach. And not only the beach, the variety of beaches.
February 4th, 2010 at
[…] the macaron. To think that I was so clueless about your colorful little existence until just a couple years ago, when I had already lived some 20-something years without you. But since that fateful day at Jin, […]