Day 5 - peace out, LA!

Today was my last day in LA. Lar and I had one last brunch on the ocean, this time at Rodando. 

 

We (read: I) chose this diner because it was where they filmed a lot of scenes from the OC there. I wore my new OC hoodie because I couldn't help myself. Slash I had a little photo shoot. Lar was a great sport.

 

 

After brunch I picked up my rental car (a red Jetta) and  hit the road heading North, thus beginning my great Californian road trip. I was really psyched about being RIGHT ON the coast, so naturally I kept taking pictures of the views while I was driving. Safe.

Eventually I want to put them all together in sequence to show the slow change of scenery as the desert blends into rocky cliffs to greenery to redwoods, but I'm lazy so you might not see that for a while. Sorry folks. 

A night out in LA

After spending a spectacular day in the OC Lar and I went out with her friend Brian. We picked him up and made our way to the One-Eyed Gypsey to hear some LA-folk music. After driving in circles for about an hour we made it there only to find a chain on the door and a hand written sign saying they were closed for the night. Effers.

So we went to their sister bar (I can't remember the name). It seemed like an old warehouse or barn or something, and the walls didn't go all the way up to the ceiling. It was pretty sweet because you had the fresh air of being outside without the wind ruining everything. (Fun fact: It's rumored that this place was a brothel in the 1920's.)

It was a Wednesday night so the place was nearly empty, which was just the way I like it. We easily got a seat at the back of the room with a clear view of the man playing some solo blues guitar. The music was good and not over powering, and we even danced for a hot second. 

The drinks were fancy-schmancy and damn tasty. Check out this ice ball:

After the music wrapped up we went to one of Lar and Brian's favorite places for some Korean-style tacos. We got there at, like 12:02 only to have the bar tender tell us that the kitchen closed at midnight and they had a strict 'no late orders' policy. Heffers.

We hung our heads and headed home, but I've been promised I'll receive one of these tacos in the mail. I'm waiting.

Day 4 - Orange County

THE OC IS A REAL PLACE! But I didn't see Ryan or Seth or anyone who would remember me from all those hours we spent together in high school. whatever.

Lar and I started the day off at Newport Beach. I was so excited it was a little embarrassing. But Newport Beach itself wasn't all that interesting - lots of beautiful homes on a nice beach and a little boardwalk. We had what I call "California Breakfast" at a little place that reminded me of a Long Island deli and walked around. (California Breakfast, in my mind, involves produce that is special and/or hard to come by in NY but that's widely available here, like flavorful tomatoes, avocado, and lemon.)

I stuck my toes in the water just so I could say I did and it was really effing cold. Then we walked around the little boardwalk area - I bought a postcard for Kim since we always watched the show together and got a hoodie that said the OC in the right font. It was from a store/horder's den with a bunch of California hoodies and tank tops and totchkis from your grandmas attic. Weird, wild stuff. We also stopped by a psychic to get Lar's palm read - she said she'd get a part time job that would turn into full time - hopefully we'll find out if that's true sooner than later!

We left Newport to go to a state park we were told was amazing and beautiful. From the front gate it certainly looked that way, but they wanted like $12 to go in so we peaced and went to Laguna Beach - another place that exists in real life! I've never seen the show but damn, I can understand why it's so expensive to live there. It was so beautiful I broke out into giggles a few times.

I actually gasped when I turned the "corner" and saw this view.

The water is turquoise! 

I basically looked like this the whole time we were there:

We walked to an area of small pools and were told by some local volunteers that they're protected little ecosystems, so while you can walk on the rocks you can't touch the swirly pools of water.

We sat on the beach for a lot of the afternoon, with Lar meditating and me reading Cannery Row in preparation for Monterrey.

It was so beautiful I never wanted to leave.

Day 2 - LA

My second day in LA started off dreary, like it couldn't decide whether or not it should rain. California has been experiencing an intense drought for a while so even though I didn't want rain everyone around me did. It spat a little and it was chilly (I'm glad I brought a jacket - I had considered not bringing one!) but Lar and I enjoyed it all from inside a diner on the ocean. No litterally - ON the ocean - the diner was on the end of a pier so there was water all around us while we ate our french toast. Not a bad way to start the day!

By the time we were done it had cleared up a bit so we decided we walk around Abbot Kinney in Venice. There are lots of coffee shops, boutiques, book stores, home goods, etc. in that neighborhood. I was so enamoured by the succulents and architecture - everything just looks so different from the east coast!

 

We ended up spending a good amount of time in (what I would call) a hippy store. They sold books about religion and meditation plus aromatherapy and other relaxation type... supplies. They have in house psychics so I got a reading from a numerologist. Apparently he's been on TV and stuff. It was my first time ever having a reading of any kind any it was really interesting. He made a chart based off some basic information (name, birthday) and then told me about myself, my current situation, and some predictions for what's to come in the next year. I was careful to only nod or say OK when he spoke so I couldn't give away information that would lead him to say what he wanted to hear. A lot of what he said was spot on and not totally generic, so that was pretty cool. Hey, when in LA!

We took it easy that afternoon and then that evening accomplished one of my life goals - we had a bonfire on the beach!!! To me this is the stuff of movies or summer beer commercials - no one in real life has beach bonfires! But, my friends, they do. There are beaches in LA with bon fire pits. It was everything I had hoped it would be. Lar and I went with her dad and her cousin met us there. We cooked hot dogs, drank beer, ate smores, talked for hours and kept warm by the fire while we listened to the waves. Lar actually kept her feet a bit too warm and melted one of her uggs. lol. I want to do it every day forever and ever!

Day 3 - Joshua Tree National Park

Today Lar and I ventured out of the city to visit Joshua Tree National Park. It's a few hours out of the city in the middle of the desert and the park is home to some pretty Dr. Seuss lookin trees. Before we left we stopped at an Asian bakery near Lar's house so I could try a specialty - salted iced coffee. Apparently they usually make it really sweet but I ordered it with no sugar. Lar said some of her friends rave about the drink but I honestly couldn't taste the salt anywhere except for in the bit of foam at the top. Whatevs.

I had to be on a work call for some of the drive which was kind of a bummer. That's what I get for going on vacation when we're negotiating contracts.

There's nothing to eat or drink in the park so we stopped by a cafe my aunt's friend had recommended to us. It was another hippy place but the food was solid. We also went in another hippy place next door that mostly sold essential oils. The place smelled really great. The town at the edge of the park is tiny. It seems like it's some locals, some people who set up shop for the tourists, and some people who come for an artistic or spiritual retreat. I was so intrigued by the homes - the way  history and nature influence architecture is so interesting. I didn't get any good pictures, though.

As we drive into the park we saw mountains made of boulders and more and more Joshua Trees. We picked a few mile loop walks to make the most of the trip. It was my first time in the desert so I was pleasantly surprised by the temperature - it was definitely hot, but not as blazing as I had feared. It was also spring and breezy, which helped, and the shade was easily 10* cooler than in the sun. I wore a shirt button down on top of a tank top to try and prevent sunburn, and I didn't even take it off because of the heat until we were on our second mile walk. I was just so glad to not be cold. 

 

 

We drive up to the highest peak in the park to look over a fault line. It was beautiful but very windy. One of the places identified on a park map was Cochella - I had only ever heard of it as a music festival and didn't even know it was a real place. Once I put two and two together all I could think is how miserable it must be to go to a concert in the middle of the desert like that. No thanks.

Before we left the park we walked through a cactus garden. I was hoping to see all kinds of cacti but it was more like a cluster of one type of crazy cactus. By that time we were a bit tired so we walked through quickly.

We stopped at a restaurant just outside the park for a pick-me-up smoothie; it hit the spot after a full day in the hot sun. The decor in the place was really cool - old west and rustic, but without being over the top kitch.

 

Well, maybe the taxidermy was a bit much.

We drove back home, ate some Thai take out, and watched Silver Linings Playbook. Good stuff.