NYE in the City of Angels
"There is a city by the sea, a gentle company,
I don't suppose you want to
and as it tells it's tale in harrowing detail, it's hollowness will haunt you.
............Los Angeles I'm yours."
-The Decemberists
I went to the City of Angels to ring in the new year, enjoy the beach (probably should have checked the weather first) and eat good food. However, what I got was something much different, complete with 38 degree temperatures. The night before leaving I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned, had full length sleep conversations and finally around 2 am got up and stayed up. Our flight wasn't too far off, but even as we departed for the airport around 5 am I just felt off....strange. I put in my ear buds, started a playlist and figured I'd shake it off.
Turns out shaking it off was harder than I anticipated. Upon landing I had a raging headache so I took a pain pill. If the zombie Apocalypse had started that moment I would have blended right in. I spent the next 5 hours just staring off....into...sp...aaace. My travel companion (TC) wondered if I should be admitted or put to sleep. The truth probably lay somewhere in between - espresso and a pain pill do not a breakfast make. I managed to snap back into reality in time to check in to our airbnb apt. It was only blocks from the beach in Santa Monica. It was smaller than the pictures and had stained carpet, but overall it was nice and I would recommend it and stay there again. We took our convertible (even in 38 degree weather a convertible is still totally acceptable) to the parking garage, unpacked and collectively decided we.were.exhausted. We napped, hung out and just did our own thing. There are times when it's good to hit the ground running and other times it's ok to just relax. After a couple weeks of traveling over the holidays I especially enjoyed not moving and just enjoying the company. I was aware I still felt different, but at least I was no longer zombified.
Dinner that night was at Eveleigh (I've been numerous times and it's always consistently good) and then out to Good Times at Davey Waynes. It's a 70's esque bar complete with an old refrigerator door as the entrance. I knew I was hooked the second I saw it, then they played KC and the Sunshine band and I was ready to move in - given it was a converted house it wouldn't of been to hard to do.
Turns out shaking it off was harder than I anticipated. Upon landing I had a raging headache so I took a pain pill. If the zombie Apocalypse had started that moment I would have blended right in. I spent the next 5 hours just staring off....into...sp...aaace. My travel companion (TC) wondered if I should be admitted or put to sleep. The truth probably lay somewhere in between - espresso and a pain pill do not a breakfast make. I managed to snap back into reality in time to check in to our airbnb apt. It was only blocks from the beach in Santa Monica. It was smaller than the pictures and had stained carpet, but overall it was nice and I would recommend it and stay there again. We took our convertible (even in 38 degree weather a convertible is still totally acceptable) to the parking garage, unpacked and collectively decided we.were.exhausted. We napped, hung out and just did our own thing. There are times when it's good to hit the ground running and other times it's ok to just relax. After a couple weeks of traveling over the holidays I especially enjoyed not moving and just enjoying the company. I was aware I still felt different, but at least I was no longer zombified.
Dinner that night was at Eveleigh (I've been numerous times and it's always consistently good) and then out to Good Times at Davey Waynes. It's a 70's esque bar complete with an old refrigerator door as the entrance. I knew I was hooked the second I saw it, then they played KC and the Sunshine band and I was ready to move in - given it was a converted house it wouldn't of been to hard to do.
The next day was NYE and my TC and I got up and took a yoga class at Core Power Yoga.Once the shock of entering a 98 degree room with 75 people wore off my TC really enjoyed it. It might have been the first time I felt like myself since we arrived. Given I used to teach at the CPY in Dallas it had a familiarity about it that I instantly connected with...and missed.
That night we went to dinner at Ink., a Top Chef fanatic I was excited to eat at Michael Voltaggio's restaurant. It did not disappoint. Each dish was better than the one before it. My favorite part though: the balloons covering the ceiling (my inner 6 year old was thrilled).
That night we went to dinner at Ink., a Top Chef fanatic I was excited to eat at Michael Voltaggio's restaurant. It did not disappoint. Each dish was better than the one before it. My favorite part though: the balloons covering the ceiling (my inner 6 year old was thrilled).
NYE night was spent at the top of the W hotel - great music and a great view (Dear Hollywood, light up your sign). We drank and danced and 2014 slipped into 2015 with a 10 second countdown.....
New Years day my TC and I drove the PCH with the top down and went to Point Dume Nature Preserve in Malibu. We hiked around carrying our Balenciaga and McQueen shoes - who wears those to a nature preserve? We do. It was gorgeous. Peaceful. It was there on the first day of 2015 that 24 months of a dissatisfied lifestyle finally caught up to me. The strangeness from the night before I left, the uneasiness that had followed me along the way, it all came into focus. I had a great job, industrial loft apt, friends who were like family and yet I.was.lost. I was unhappy. I needed a plan. I wanted a plan. So a plan is precisely what I set about creating. I always thought "finding myself" in Malibu would entail a beach house with prosecco in hand, a 25 inch waist, and surfing all day. Turns out it was standing in the ocean with soaked pants in 55 degree weather while holding my shoes.
Afterwards we went to Duke's - wet pants, sandy feet and all - for a drink. We used a napkin to sketch the first step of my plan. Well I should say my TC did, even though I went to fashion school drawing isn't exactly a strong skillset of mine.....
Afterwards we went to Duke's - wet pants, sandy feet and all - for a drink. We used a napkin to sketch the first step of my plan. Well I should say my TC did, even though I went to fashion school drawing isn't exactly a strong skillset of mine.....
Last time we went to LA we stayed in West Hollywood and this time in Santa Monica. If the weather had been better our apt would have been amazing. An uber into LA (even on NYE) was only around 20 bucks. If you are looking for the true "LA" experience then stay there (I recommend West Hollywood), if you're looking for something a bit more laid back then I recommend staying in Santa Monica - afterall, their sunsets are unbeatable.
As for the remaining steps in my new life plan....wait and see....but I hope next year I'm sitting at Duke's, having a drink - enjoying the sunset, feeling happy, and sketching something else on that napkin - who knows, maybe I'll even draw it.
To stay:
Airbnb (cheaper and more "local" experience than a hotel - although I have done both)
To Eat:
Ink (get the kale, the oysters, and the Branzino)
Machos Tacos (cash only, everything is good. Everything)
Eveleigh
Tacos Punta Cabras (in Santa Monica - get the tofu and the shrimp taco, skip the ceviche)
Yamashiro (get the seaweed salad and ask to sit by the window, amazing view of Los Angeles)
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| (The view was better inside, but I was having such a good time I didn't even think to take a photo) |
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| Dessert jelly filled doughnuts |
Hummus Bar and Grill (3rd street promenade in Santa Monica - get the falafel)
Pinks - 74 year old hot dog place. There is always a line, but it's always worth it (even have a vegan dog
Pinks - 74 year old hot dog place. There is always a line, but it's always worth it (even have a vegan dog
Dukes (even if for a drink, the view is amazing. Its right on the ocean in Malibu off the PCH)
Go Out:
Good Times at Davey Waynes (enter through a refrigerator and they played KC and the Sunshine band)
No Vacancy (you enter into a room where the floor opens up revealing a lower level - sold)
The Gas Lite (karoke - 'nuff said)
Things to do:
True Tattoo - go to Dave Parker (and afterwards go have some tequila next door)
Museum of Death - it's a must see...but be prepared...to sit in silence for appx 45 minutes after
Hike up to the Hollywood sign - there are several routes to take, we took the intermediate one and it took about an hour.
Rodeo Drive - even if you buy nothing, walking it alone is just cool
Melrose - where all the cool shops are, McQueen, Helmut, Fred Segal
Things to do:
True Tattoo - go to Dave Parker (and afterwards go have some tequila next door)
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| Same owner as Elm Street Tattoo in Dallas. Can't ever get too far away from the Lone Star state |
Rodeo Drive - even if you buy nothing, walking it alone is just cool
Melrose - where all the cool shops are, McQueen, Helmut, Fred Segal