LA Last Bits & Goodbyes

We arrived back in LA Wednesday evening in time to pack a picnic and head to the Hollywood Bowl to see the George Benson Inspiration Tour - A Tribute to Nat King Cole with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Dianne Reeves. It was a gorgeous concert in an amazing setting. We topped off our evening at Chateau Marmont with tasty cocktails and unsuccessful celebrity spotting.

Our last day was spent in LA at the Getty. We had initially planned on stuffing in so very many things - coffee at Intelligentsia, a swim in Santa Monica, a drink at the Drawing Room - but when it came down to it, the Getty was just too amazing to leave. So instead, we had a leisurely coffee on the main level, toured the east and west buildings before getting a little lunch before viewing the north and south. We spent the majority of the afternoon in the garden soaking up the sun and the views of LA. I imagine if I lived in the city the Getty would become my go-to for a day off.

We met up with our friends and grabbed sushi at Sakura to cap off our lovely honeymoon and stay in LA. It was fitting that we said goodbye with the delicious fresh fish we've come to miss so much living landlocked in Montreal. Like I've said on repeat - I'm already planning our trip back and can't wait.  

California Coasting : Desert Adventure

Our trip to the desert started out as a day trip. A quick drive to Joshua Tree National Park with a 2 hour detour to Desert Springs Premium Outlets. Well, that was unrealistic. By 3:00pm we finally finished our big 3 - Last Call by Neiman Marcus, Levis (510s for Jack) and my personal favourite, Off Saks Fifth Avenue - and realized we needed to book a hotel.

We arrived in Palm Springs as the sun was setting, dropped our things in our room and then ventured out for dinner. We were exhausted from the unanticipated shopping spree and most definitely hangry; the Nest was exactly what we didn't know we needed! As we were about to opt-out after seeing a pricey dinner menu a kind man convinced us to stay and order off the bar menu. We grabbed a table in the corner and had ordered our bites when things started to heat up. The piano singer got the crowd bumping with renditions of Smooth Operator and a bunch of other throw backs; not something we were expecting for a Wednesday night!

We began our morning with a swim in the pool before heading into Palm Springs for search of breakfast. Our friends had recommended Cheeky's but alas, it was not open. Instead we found Farm, a charming restaurant with crepes to die for hidden down a side street and tucked around a corner. The food was delicious and the staff beyond nice. It would be a regular go-to for me if I lived close-by. Joshua Tree National Park was beautiful. Being from East Coast Canada I had never been to a desert before and didn't realize how beautiful it would be! The mountains in the distance were breathtaking and the miles of desert plants and rock piles were incredible. Next time, we will plan to spend three days.

California Coasting :: Conan & Premieres

Monday, we had tickets to Conan. The Conan Show was one of the few things we had planned in advance, getting our tickets over a month before the trip. We got to Burbank early and grabbed lunch at The SmokeHouse, begrudgingly succumbing to the waitress' demands to order the "World's Greatest Garlic bread" - if you're a fan of dusty nacho cheese topping then you're in luck... If not, well she's staring at you while you eat it so you had better smile. The portions were massive so we killed enough time and headed to Gate 8 for holding. 

As our previous experience with live tapings were for podcasts and comedy shows, essentially held in basements with fold out chair seating and fend-for-yourself security, we weren't sure what to expect. It was very all very well organized, with a lot of waiting, a strict no cell phone policy - which was fine because I did not need to be tempted to instgram myself into a data debt vortex. Walking through the lot was fun (everyone on 2 Broke Girls seems to have Porsche Cayenne. but who cares, Kat Dennings is wonderful) and the show itself was great! Our main guest was Patton Oswalt, which worked out perfectly since we missed seeing him while we were in San Francisco. 

That night we accompanied our friends, and lovely hosts, to the Children's Hospital and NTSF:SD:SUV belated premiere. It was pretty exciting! Not only because of the obvious but also because we absolutely love both shows, along with Burning Love and most anything else these folks seem to have their fingers in. There was popcorn, soda, and speeches before showing an episode of each and both finales. The event continued afterwards with cocktails, finger foods and lots of chatting. More than anything this event made me want to stay in LA and work on projects with all of these clearly creative and talented people. Honestly, can one take a vacation to go work?

I have to admit, although we saw a lot of people we admire we stayed shy and didn't approach anyone. I'm never sure if it's nice of me to respect people's space or silly of me to not take the chance when I have it. If I had been bolder though I would have definitely told Casey Wilson how much I love her and would like to listen to all her stories, June Diane Raphael that she's stolen my heart and has killer legs, Will Forte that MacGruber is legitimately funny, Jerry Minor that he was great in Delocated, Ken Marino that Ron made me cry on a weekly basis, Jon Hamm to shave and that it's sweet he eats popcorn like Cookie Monster eats cookies, Paul Scheer that I don't think Andre deserves that abuse. Jack would have told David Wain that he's loved him since before Stella, Brett Gelman that he is the BIGGEST fan of Eagleheart and then he would have rounded up the cast of The State (who were there) for a big group hug. 

...so if you any of them, pass that along, okay?

California Coasting :: LA weekends

Venice | Muscle Beach | Santa Monica Pier | Venice Beach | Assscat at UCB | mixto tacos
Figaro for coffee | Los Feliz | Mulholland | War of the Worlds [or Key & Peele sketch] on the Warner Brothers lot
obligatory shots with the Hollywood sign | Hollywood Reservoir |  those mountains
Meltdown | Harmontown taping | Jitlada for dinner | Oldfields Liquor Room for drinks

Like our trip in general, our first weekend in Los Angeles was stuffed full day and night. Saturday, we rented bikes at Venice beach and road along the boardwalk towards Santa Monica with stop at Muscle Beach and the Pier. We set up in Santa Monica and spent the afternoon picnicking with red wine & cola, treats and swimming before heading into Hollywood that night to catch ASSSCAT at the UCB Theatre. The show was great! If you're ever in the neighbourhood I would definitely recommend heading over, I'd be there on repeat if I lived in LA.

Sunday, my friend, Terra, took us on her insider tour of the city. We grabbed tacos at mixto in Silver Lake before heading to the hills for sight seeing at the Hollywood sign, Hollywood Reservoir, Silver Lake Reservoir and sneak peeks onto the Warner Brothers lot of the War of the Worlds set. (War of the Worlds?! seriously!? I don't know about you all but that's not a movie I am amped up about). In any case, it was pretty cool to see the lot and giant blue screen. That night we headed over to Meltdown to catch a taping of Harmontown with Dan Harmon, Jitlada for an amazing thai dinner and topped off the night at Oldfields for cocktails.

California Coasting :: Hearst Castle

We woke up nice and early to take advantage of our last bits in Big Sur with a hike,  some trespassing and then a delicious [and I mean, delicious] bite to eat at Big Sur Bakery. Our trip continued along highway 1 with more gorgeous scenery and our eyes set on Hearst Castle. Our tour of Hearst Castle began with a harrowing bus ride made only slightly less terrifying, by the narration of Canada's sweetheart, Alex Trebek. For those of you who have done this tour, I'm not sure whether all bus rides up are nerve-wracking or if our driver was a particular type of daredevil.

The highlight of the "ranch" for me was the pool [the GIF of all my pool pictures may be a giveaway]. This pool was so blue, clear and beautiful that it stole my heart right away. I was immediately able to imagine myself diving gracefully into the pool and then doggy-paddling the day away. It is now my life's goal to one day swim in this pool. If you have connections, please help.

We managed to wrangle some In-n-Out during the last leg of our trip down the coast and arrived in LA around 9pm Friday night to champagne, pizza and our lovely friends, Terra and Andrew!

 

Jack made this. He said it's our Tim & Eric moment.