Weekend in LA

Another post titled with a song title, anyone know it?!  It was by far the most played song on my iPod this weekend.  Last week was one of those weeks that started off rough and just kept getting worse.  When I found out on Wednesday that we were off for MLK Jr's birthday, I wasted no time booking Jason and I a hotel room in LA for the weekend.  Not only was our wedding anniversary on Sunday but I just really needed a weekend away.  We went without a plan and it ended up being the perfect combination of adventure and relaxation, exactly what we needed.

I found a spot that I knew my husband would go gaga over, the Old LA Zoo.  When they opened the current LA Zoo and moved the animals, they left behind the old enclosures and some of the cages at the Griffith Park Zoo.  Jason LOVES the zoo and he's a giant kid at heart so I knew he'd love this.

I was correct.

From there we headed to Olvera Street, one of the oldest streets in Downtown LA.  We had some wonderful Mexican food at La Noche Buena, and that means a lot coming from me because I don't normally like Mexican food.  The avocado cream sauce and the cucumbers on the tacos won me over.

Jason had a midterm due that night so after dinner we went back to the hotel so he could do some school work then headed out in search of a bar for a few drinks.  Our original destination was a complete bust.  It was in a seedy part of town and everyone going in was 50+ and dressed like they were still trying to be 25.  We decided to just drive toward the coast and stop at the first respectable looking bar we found.  We ended up having a great time at the place we found but we were reminded how lucky we are to have found each other at a young enough age.  Watching 30 year olds try to pick each other up was both comical and depressing.

Sunday we had a bit of split personality.  We spent half the day being tourists and half of the day blending in with locals.

First up, the epitome of tourist traps, Hollywood walk of fame.  We were there for less than an hour and that was more than enough time for us.

Then we did a little vintage shopping at the Melrose Trading Post.

Had lunch at the farmers market (my burger and pickle chips from Short Order exceeded my expectations and the Yelp reviews).

After a quick stop at our hotel to let the puppy dog out, we spent some time walking around Venice beach.

Where we were treated to the most spectacular sunset I have EVER seen in my life on our way to dinner.

I stopped so many times to take photos I thought we were going to be late for our reservation (that and the fact that I thought the map said 1.7 miles but it turns out it was 4+ miles from where we parked to the restaurant, oops!)

Seriously?!? It was perfect!

We had dinner at The Lobster.  It was a last minute decision so I was thrilled they had room for us and even managed to find us a table overlooking Santa Monica Pier.

The food was delicious and the service was spectacular.  It was the perfect celebratory evening.

After dinner I was chilly so we stopped for some warm drinks to hold while we walked around a bit in Santa Monica.  We I didn't last long, after the 4 mile trek we made to dinner, before we hailed a cab.

Sunday we had a few last "must do" things to check off our list before we headed home, starting with a trip to see the Hollywood sign.  We didn't end up where we had intended but we got close enough to take a few photos and call it a check in the completed column.

Apparently LA has some wicked food trucks so we headed to "Miracle Mile" area where a dozen or so food trucks hang out for lunch.

I had a sandwich and spring roll from Banh in the USA and Jason had currywurst and fries from the No.1 Currywurst Truck.  I should have had the curry, it was SO GOOD, mine was just fine.

And with that, we were out!  LA, you won, I thought you'd be O.K. but it turns out I kind of love you!