Escape to LA for Christmas
Christmas in Los angeles was epic this year! Does anybody even say epic anymore LOL 2019 was the last time my family and I were able to return to LA because of the lockdown. We flew from Italy and arrived on Christmas Day just in time to celebrate the holiday with my best friend Ann . She got us an INCREDIBLE Christmas dinner from Erwon http://www.erewhonmarket.com
I had to include the link so you could see how bougie this supermarket is. It’s been voted the most expensive market in the USA (DUH) and I’m astounded that I still set foot in there ! You’ve been warned so if you’re in LA and want to get gouged BUT eat some amazing food (their gourmet deli is beyond) then check it out. What’s a trip to LA without being gouged !! Speaking of ….
Eats and Treats
We discovered a few NEW amazing places to eat so here’s what’s up!!
We were staying in Echo Park so every morning we’d take a short walk to Laveta Coffee Shop @lavetacoffee on Instagram and their Horchata Latte was my go to every morning . They have a delicious breakfast/lunch menu ranging from Kimchi fried rice with fried chicken to breakfast burgers. We had coffee here everyday for two weeks and it was so good! I also like Trejo’s Donuts.
They’re a bit kitschy and awfully sweet but splurge once in awhile! Tsubaki http://tsubakila.com was a cozy Japanese dinner spot we stumbled upon while on our night walk. The portions are a bit small but they did have great flavor and the service was friendly and good. They have another restaurant next door called OTOTO http://ototo.la and it’s also a Sake bar. It had a long line the entire time we were there on a Tuesday night but it moved fast and from what we could see the plates looked delicious ! Another place worth mentioning is Son of a gun http://sonofagunrestaurant.com We took my best friend Ann here for lunch then returned the following night for dinner . It was THAT good. We were impressed with their version of tuna tartare. Highly recommend…
The Dresden which is an LA institution was ok . It’s more of a spot to go have a cocktail and stroll the area around Vermont Ave. My husband and I being the Cinephile’s that we are decided to go after watching Swingers the week before. Nostalgia .. We ended the night at a fun bar called Tramp Stamp Granny’s http://trampstampgrannys.com This place is a cool piano bar located in the Cahuenga Corner. There’s a lot of bars , and it’s only 1 block away from Hollywood blvd. If you want a night out in Hollywood you’ll find something your speed around there! Have the Mattress Actress Cocktail!
We love In and Out burger but this trip decided to see how two other burger spots compared. The first was Burger She Wrote @burgershewrote_ on Instagram and then Hiho http://hiho.la
You guys, Hiho was a hell yes ! Definitely worth it and get it spicy . They put the Jalapenos in the meat so you get this spicy juicy yumminess in every bite. yes , yes, yes. That’s all ..
Of course no trip to LA is complete without tacos . DTLA across from Santee Alley and a few blocks from the flower mart you’ll find Sonoratown http://www.sonoratown.com The Chivichanga was heaven and I did a Vegan version of The Lorenza . Their horchata is made with coconut milk which is really light and has that subtle coconut sweetness. This area is great for shopping and you can get everything from make-up to electronics. Worth mentioning is Trejo’s Tacos. We like the Grove location on Beverly blvd. and 3 rd in the farmers market . Great shopping (hello Nordstrom!) and it’s an outside mall beautifully decorated year round.
Walking in LA
Only a Nobody walks in LA!! It’s kinda true though , I mean living in Europe people are (mostly) accustomed to walking a few km or miles everyday . Not in LA where you can LYFT or Valet every few blocks but there are some great walkable neighborhoods like ;
- Griffith Park Ok it’s not a Neighborhood per se but it is a nice park and a bit of an escape from the eating and shopping. The observatory http://griffithobservatory.org at the top is free to explore and there’s a great hike to The Hollywood sign if you’re feeling extra motivated.
- Echo Park Lake This is such a great area to stay in and explore. There’s a great paved path around the lake great for walking or running . You can take a swan boat ride (they light up at night so cute!!) or walk amongst the geese and swans .It’s really lush and beautiful with lots of different plants and flowers. Being in close proximity to Downtown LA makes it close to another one of my favorite walkable neighborhoods;
- Little Tokyo This has long been my favorite part of LA. The best Ramen https://group.bishamon-ten.com/daikokuya/littletokyo/ best sushi http://ukarestaurant.com and of course all the cute Hello Kitty and other sweet Japanese characters I love so much I buy here. You’ll find some great Japanese shops that sell useful Japanese household items and rare unique Japanese clothing and make-up brands.
- Venice Beach . In all of it’s wacky glory the people watching alone is worth the trip . You don’t go for the shopping that would be Santa Monica at 3rd street promenade it’s east of the Santa Monica Pier which is beautiful at sunset.
Stuff to see and do
My husband’s a huge basketball fan so we saw The LA Lakers for the second time in January for their match against the Grizzlies. Even if you’re not a fan of Basketball the games are fun to watch. Basketball just has this electric energy to it that makes it so fun to watch and be a part of.
It had been many years since I’d seen Joshua Tree National Park https://www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm and it was a fun day trip for the two of us . We left LA around 11 am and stopped in Cabazon to see those Dinosaurs I love so much! They were wearing their CUTE Santa Suits !! If you’ve never been to Cabazon Check out my post here . Such a fun pitstop if you’re if you happen to be in SoCal . Here’s more info http://cabazondinosaurs.com I just saw on their site that they have their Valentines suits on . I’m screaming!! Joshua Tree from LA will take you about 2-3 hours depending on traffic and weather conditions. Longer if you do the Cabazon / In & out burger pitstop. There’s great hiking in Joshua tree , incredible views and the trees themselves are just fascinating to me. We were there early January and it was very windy and cold. I didn’t do as much hiking as I wanted the wind was just too much for me . We captured the beautiful sunset and then drove the entire park before heading back to LA.
Off to Work at X3
It was a magical two weeks being back in LA. I was so happy to spend the holiday in Cali since northern Italy has been so cold… I was longing for my family and friends . The familiar streets I ate , shopped , and knew so well. Italy is home but there’s something about LA that will always pull me back … I had a week to myself before doing my first XBIZ -X3 industry – fan show . My first appearance in Los Angeles after maybe 10 years! I was really looking forward to it . That’s the next post so I’ll see you there friends XO Tera
