Starting Over.

This blog gets further and further away from Venice, but I promise, on my honor, the next post will be about my beach city life.

But this post is about Idaho. and weddings. and my summer vacation. which lasted a whole 6 days. That's a really long time when you're not in school. I remember thinking about how summer vacations seemed endless when I was in highschool and college, and toward the end, I just wanted to be back at school with my friends and starting something new. Not a chance, now. That 6 days was gone in the blink of an eye.

There's still the excitement of starting something new, though. My good friends Alex and Liz are starting their new marriage together, Fall is starting, and football is starting, and I am starting over. I'm turning over new leaves, making new promises to myself, vowing to start (another) diet, and stop sugar-coating things (literally and figuratively), and thinking about starting a new blog (or two). More on that later.

I'm excited to get started with starting things.
But in the meantime, here are a few pretty pictures of my vacation, and my pretty friends, and a pretty wedding in pretty Sun Valley, Idaho.

You're invited.

Bridesmaid dresses and gilded shoes.

Like I said, I have pretty friends.

There never was a more handsome group of Fantasy Football nerds.

The blushing bride.

Team Midnight. And John.

Team Mist!

Congratulations Alex & Liz!

Downtown Cinderella

On television, living in LA usually looks very glamorous. In reality, it's not; I spend most of my days working 8 hours to make a modest living, hanging out with friends, and generally just trying to keep things interesting. But every once in a while, the LA stars align and I get to do something really cool.

This past weekend, I got to go to the Spinster's Ball and explore the finer side of Downtown LA living.

Now before you say it, I know you're thinking, "Why on God's green earth would you want to be associated with anything called Spinsters?!?!" Trust me, I was thinking the same thing. It turns out, the Spinsters are a very old-money, elite social/charity organization that puts on these grand events every year, and in spite of bringing to mind the image of an unmarried smelly-old cat lady, they are actually a very exclusive, well- respected group of young ladies. Granted, I'm only friends with one person who's in Spinsters, but she's incredibly friendly and fun, so I'm giving the entire the organization the benefit of the doubt. Anyway, to make a long story short, due to some scheduling magic and a very generous invitation, I got to attend the ball with several girlfriends.

Similar to Cinderella, I had a few obstacles to overcome before the ball. The chief one being, that the ball was black tie, and I needed to procure a gown. Luckily for me, my parents live about an two hours away, and my Mom has graciously not thrown away all of my junk from teenage years, so I took a trip home, and brought back all of my formal gowns from high school. Let me tell you, if you are feeling a little to cocky and self-assured, try on some of your clothes from junior year of high school. It's like a swift kick in the face. Luckily for me, 1 out of the 4 formal ball gowns that I own still fit, so although there was no fairy godmother involved, I got my dress.

So last saturday, ball gown in tow, I arrived at the Downtown Los Angeles Biltmore hotel, where my friends, Marisa, Lauren, Brittany and I were staying. Biltmore is absolutely gorgeous. Downtown can be a seedy, hodge-podge of noise, traffic, smog and people, but the Biltmore and the area surrounding it can only be described as old-hollywood glamour. Everything is gilded, and has ornate frames, and there are about 9 different people you're supposed to tip during a 48-hour stay. That's how you know it's classy.

After we absorbed the shock of how nice everything was, we went up to our room to get ready, and then met up with some friends before walking about half a block to the Cicada which was where the ball was held.

After seeing how beautiful and historic the Biltmore was, I couldn't imagine that the Cicada could be any more stately and beautiful, but once again, my expectations were exceeded. We entered a sprawling ballroom with old fashioned fixtures, and chandeliers, dimly-lit, with tables covered in black linens and delicate white hydrangeas. There was a live band, a winding staircase, and lots, and lots, (and lots) of champagne. It was swanky.

Did I mention there was champagne?

Some important things to note about this ball: It did not contain prince charmings, a waltz, or chaperones. It did contain a four-course steak dinner, men in kilts, and a very interesting assortment of lawyers, investment bankers and people who didn't actually know how to articulate what they did for a living, but were liberal in talking about the excess of wealth they possessed (It takes all kinds to make a high society event).

Anyhow, we met lots of interesting people, ate until we were stuffed and danced the night away... and then when that was over, we went back to our hotel and danced some more.

That's right. We party hard. and then we promptly fell asleep exactly 10 minutes later.

The next day, I was expecting my carriage to turn back into a honda civic pumpkin, but we woke up and decided to prolong our Los Angeles staycation by going to brunch and exploring downtown. A short walk led us to one of the most beautiful bakeries I have ever seen: Bottega Louie. The food and atmosphere at Louie are phenomenal and the service was impeccable. Words don't even do it justice, so I'll resist the urge to try to describe it, and just show you:

Photos courtesy of the Bottega Louie blog: http://www.bottegalouie.blogspot.com/

You would think that by this time, we would have had enough of Downtown LA, but no, we decided to make one more stop on our Los Angeles Staycation. The Standard Hotel. Now, to preface, I've been to the rooftop pool at The Standard many times, but this was the first time I've been during the day. In my several visits, I've noticed several trends: It's always crowded and the bouncers are always unfriendly (even though you pay to get in, whether you are a girl, a boy, or Cindy Crawford herself). In their defense, The Standard hotel is a very modern, chic establishment, and I'm sure they have to regulate who they let in, but I've got to say, for all of their posh and sleek exterior, they have terrible guest relations.

That said, It's a really cool pool. There are water bed pods, and a giant pool that's level with the surface of the ground, and topiary unicorns, and it goes without saying they've cornered the market on afternoon pool parties in the middle of LA's concrete jungle (note: the Biltmore should build a pool). All in all, once you weigh the snobbery against the beauty and charm, I guess you break even, which pretty accurately sums up Los Angeles as well. 

 My downtown vacation was very fun and glamorous, but I can't picture myself living like that every day. For one thing, it costs $40 a day to park your car, and there are hipsters with knee tattoos who say things like "Oh my gaaaaawd. We drove all the way from Silverlake to go to this pool party, and it's $20.00!". I'm not sure I could ever adjust to that.  Even without that though, I think I'm content with spending my weekends riding my bike, going to farmers markets and being a beach city girl, and just playing dress up every now and then.

Cheers to Summer Stay-cays!

Memories of a perfect day. and ponies.

I am so busy that I think I might explode.

My life goes in cycles of boredom and crazed panic-filled frenzy. Right now I am experiencing the latter. To be fair, it is 100% my own fault. I say yes to a lot of things, and most of those things are fun, like being a bridesmaid and throwing a wedding shower, or helping a friend design a logo, or offering to make a 30" diameter pinata by hand (this will be another post in the near future). The list goes on and on. Suffice it to say, I've maybe bitten off a little more than I can chew. And usually I can chew a lot.

Today however, I'd like to take a trip down memory lane to one of the most relaxing days I've had in recent history. It was a blustery Sunday afternoon about 2 weeks ago, and my friends Daniel and Lauren and I went to the Annual Malibu Family Wines Pick-Up party. The three of us are members of a wine club there, and every May, they throw a big party at the Saddlerock Ranch. It's invite only, and you can bring a date, so obviously, I brought my good friend Annalise (who you may remember from other Beach City Girl adventures, like this one). Now, I've been a member of this wine club for a couple of months, and have been to the Malibu Family Wines tasting room dozens of times, but nothing could prepare me for how absolutely paradise-like the estate is.

It's like a painter put that one tiny cloud in the sky.

The Saddlerock.

We drove up a winding road, through vineyards and fields, past horses, zebras, camels, peacocks, llamas (my favorite!), and some of the most gorgeous countryside I've ever seen.

Miniature pony. His name is Shaggy-do. or at least it should be.

I'm a writer, and I'm prone to exaggeration (I admit it), but this place took my breath away. Everywhere we looked there were little ponds, and waterfalls, and rose gardens, and that was just the natural beauty! In addition to all of that, there were white tents filled with appetizers, and cute little sitting areas, and a Spanish guitar duo, and wine. Oh my. So much wine. It was lovely. Normally, the assortment of wines and their ready availability might have gotten the best of me, but that didn't happen because there were tiny plates of tomato-basil quiche, sun-dried tomato and tangerine quinoa, tiny meatballs and gravy, and brownies and cookies, and strawberries, and cheese plates, and I tried them all (at least twice).

There's not much more I can say to describe how perfect this day was. It got crowded quickly, so we ended up sitting on the grass, but even that was divine. We laid out, and let the sunshine and the breeze wash over us, while we sipped good wine, and laughed, and listened to beautiful Spanish guitar music. And then, just when we thought things couldn't get any better, we went and played with the miniature ponies.

This may not seem very exciting, but trust me, it was. Those ponies were a hoot. As you can probably tell they were very friendly. They kind of reminded me of mischievous, scruffy little children running around and trying to eat things they shouldn't.

Lauren's pony was eye-ing her wine glass the whole time. Lush.

The fairytale ending to this perfect day was that we all got to be together, we took home three bottles of wine, and we took pictures with a camel. That's right, a camel. And while I'm not in possession of these particular photos, as soon as they are sent to me, I will add them to the post, because during the photo session, the camel tried to eat Lauren's hair. Seriously. He bit her on the head.

If that's not the perfect end to a perfect day, I don't know what is.

Anyhow, in the midst of my craziness, I try to recreate the utter contentment of that day at Saddlerock Ranch. There's something about spending an afternoon in the sun with friends that makes me feel calm, happy and relaxed. My goal is to recall that feeling later this week when I'm 10 seconds away from spontaneous combustion. I'll let you know how that works out.

P.S. If any of you are in Southern California, and interested in being a wine club member, I highly recommend Malibu Family Wines. Their wine is great, the membership is super affordable ($43 per quarter), and I always have a fabulous time whenever I visit their tasting room. Annalise liked it so much she signed up on the spot at the pick-up party. I can't say enough good things. Check them out here: Malibu Family Wines

Mid-week Vacations on the Westside

It's April on the Westside, and everyone knows what that means.... SUMMER!

Okay, so maybe it's not quite summer, but it's starting to get warm, and the Santa Monica/Venice area has no qualms about embracing the season as early as possible.

It's only a short month or two until we have things like Tuesday night bocce tournaments on the beach in Venice, Ditch Days at the Shangri La pool, and concerts on the Santa Monica Pier on Thursday nights to make us feel like we're in high school and it's summer vacation without a care in the world (except waking up for work the next morning).

But if you're like me, and you're impatient for those fun mid-week activities to spice up you're Monday - Friday grind, then here' s a little something I recently discovered to tide you over:

Outdoor movies on the Dining Deck of Santa Monica Place.

First of all, if you haven't made it over to Santa Monica Place, you should really go check it out. It's the brand new mall that just opened at the end of 3rd Street Promenade, and it's gorgeous. Not to mention it has lots of cool stores, and great food, and a Nordstrom's (which I know for a fact one of my readers prayed for every night of her life in college while this mall was being built).

Last week, I headed over with some gal pals to watch Sixteen Candles. This particular movie was neat, because it was sponsored by designer Tory Burch, and they gave out cookies, cokes, and $25 gift cards to the Tory Burch store (before you get too excited, nothing in that store costs under $100. Seriously, I checked). But still, the swag was a fun touch. To top it all off, they had Liane Curtis* there to pass out the cookies!

It was balmy out, but they had heat lamps set up and there were people sitting outside ordering food and wine. It's pretty much the most laidback free activity you could be doing on a warm Wednesday night in Santa Monica as the sun sets behind you.

So here are the details: They show movies on the deck twice a week; on Wednesdays they show classics, and on Mondays they show indie films (last night I saw Vicky Christina Barcelona). The movies start at around 7:30PM. For more information and to see what movies are coming up visit http://santamonicaplace.com/events/event.aspx?eid=34451.

Happy Mid-week Vacay!



*I'll save you the trouble of googling her. She is Samantha's best friend in Sixteen Candles. Obviously finding somewhat out of date celebrities in Santa Monica is not a hard feat to pull off. Exciting, nevertheless.

Weekend Stroll

Since moving to Venice, I've been trying to immerse myself in new experiences as often as possible; even if they're a little bit out of the way. This has ranged from going to a speakeasy in Downtown LA, to being invited to the annual Polo Opening Day at Will Rogers State Park. I keep telling myself that most of the time the overall experience will outweigh the hassle of traveling (usually in some traffic). For the most part, I've found this to hold true, but sometimes I get lucky, and find amazing new experiences right in my neighborhood, and such was the case with my visit to the Venice Canals.

I've been wanting to visit the canals for a while now, but due to un-California like rain, a busy work schedule, and several trips out of town, I had to postpone this particular adventure.

Finally, last Saturday, the rain let up, and I was able to convince my friend Bryana to come check it out with me. We were pleasantly surprised when we got there.

I know I'm prone to hyperbole, but this was seriously so cool. The canals are on South Venice Blvd. and you could literally blink and miss them if you were driving down the street; it's like being in an entirely different world.  These tiny, shallow waterways run next to the most beautiful and eclectic mix of houses, and each house comes equipped with its own little boat.


There are foot paths and bridges going from one side to the other, and walking through them, it's easy to forget that Santa Monica is a nine-minute drive away and the beach is even closer.

 I did a little research (because, yes, I'm nerdy), and apparently, the Canals were the idea of Abott Kinney, the eccentric visionary who founded most of Venice in 1905. When they were first completed they were fully functional water ways for several miles, complete with gondoliers. Unfortunately, by the early 1930's with the popularity of the automobile, the canals fell into disrepair and were  mostly filled in by 1940. In the early nineties, some extensive renovation was done, and now the canals are not only a popular attraction, but multi-million dollar real estate as well.

Venice Canals in 1909. Photo courtesy of LA Public Library Photo Collection

Anyhow, enough with my history spiel. I'm happy to say that this is destined to become one of my favorite new spots for a quiet afternoon walk or bike ride, complete with fantasies about owning a $3 million waterfront home, a dog, and a gondola.

Hey, a girl can dream.

New Orleans? Oui, Cher!

I love my job. I meet the nicest, and most interesting people, every single day.
Today, I met with a location scout for a photo shoot, and when I handed him my card, he asked if I was French, and I told him my family on my mother's side is Cajun. He followed up by asking me if I'd ever been to New Orleans, and when I said no, he was genuinely shocked and appalled. He proceeded to tell me all about the beautiful food, art, and music, and how I absolutely must, if it's the last thing I do, go there for a visit.

The more he talked about it, the more I realized that the same things that attracted me to move to Venice, are what's supposedly so great about New Orleans: It's busy and colorful, and so culturally rich and diverse. 

Furthermore, I realized I don't know a lot about my mother's French heritage, so what better way then to do a little digging around and maybe go for a visit.

The more we talked about it, the more I liked the idea, so I've decided that's going to be my next vacation, and I can't wait!

                                           
                                          Laissez le Bon temp rouler (let the good times roll)!