LA baby

Just got back from a weekend in LA with my sister, Jackie, and was it eventful! So eventful that I didn't do a very good job at taking pictures...sorry. Here's a break down of our memorable weekend...

Fri, Sept. 21:
Dreadful flight on AA. No movie, no food, but we did get there on time. Rented a car from Enterprise...got the only purple one in the lot (no joke). Drove to our hotel, Maison 140, in Beverly Hills (yes, in our purple car) http://www.maison140beverlyhills.com/ with our fussy, but trusty GPS system. This boutique hotel is small, but nicely decorated if you are into things French / Asian, Chinoise I should say. Met up with our friend, Grace, for dinner at Massimo http://www.massimobh.com/ where they serve delicious homemade pasta. Afterwards, stayed out late to have drinks with old Cooper Union friends whom I haven't seen in 10 years! Lots of running in the rain. Weaning off the jet lag quickly. Maison 140 has the most comfortable bed ever!

Sat, Sept. 22:
Cloudy and rainy...had brunch at Little Next Door http://www.thelittledoor.com/lndhome.html which was absolutely delicious. Left the car window a bit open (brilliant) and the driver's seat got soaked (it's just the beginning). Decided to do some shopping on Roberston, then drove to a couple of stationary stores, Pulp on La Brea and Soolip http://www.soolip.com/ on Melrose. Pulp (no website) is my favorite with a huge array of lovely cards, stationary, and fun gifts. While on Melrose, we stopped to have a snack at Elixir Tonic & Tea http://www.elixirtonics.com/ in their serene garden. Walked back to the car to find a ticket on our windshield for our just expired meter. I mean really! No cop in sight...did he jump out of the bushes the second the meter stopped?! We then drove to downtown LA to meet my mom's cousin for the first time, as well as, our cousin, Wendy, for dinner. He prepared for us a fabulous shabu-shabu feast (japanese hotpot), so we ate and drank until 2 am again. Looking forward to our hotel bed, we go to our purple car only to find that the battery has died and the keys won't come out of the ignition! That's the kind of ride we get for $15 a day. Long story short, after 2 tow guys came, it finally got fixed. Luckily we were home by 3:30 am. It definitely could have been worse.

Sun, Sept. 23:
Finally...the beautiful LA weather we were waiting for! We met Wendy for brunch at Toast http://www.toastbakerycafe.net/ which was interesting. Lots of LA types for good people watching. Then we drove to Venice to meet up with Grace. Noticed quite a few new stores on Abbot Kinney from the last time I was there. Some that caught my eye were Tortoise http://tortoiselife.com/, a lovely Japanese design store of mostly home products and jewelry, The Modern Dog http://www.come-sit-stay-shop.com/, a place to buy all things to spoil your pet (or my pets), and Urbanic Paper Boutique http://www.urbanicdesigns.com/, a cute local card shop. We also took a stroll on the boardwalk and stopped at a cafe to find Mos Def hanging out there with friends. YES, he looked good...and NO, I did not get a picture (he looked exactly like the internet pic above). Later, we had dinner at Joe's http://www.joesrestaurant.com/ with Grace and her boyfriend. Looks conservative, but more laid back than you would think...delicious with French flare (the restaurant, not the boyfriend...haha).

Mon, Sept. 24:
Packed in the morning to go to the airport. Sad that we had to leave so soon, especially with the nice weather. Dropped off our now beloved purple car at Enterprise (no road side assistance charge...yes!) and stocked up on snacks for the flight home. Practically a day on the plane.

Need any tips on LA travel (not that you would necessarily want them from me), or if you have stories / recommendations of your own, email yours truly or post a comment!