Los Angeles – …on the B.L.

Eating in L.A.

July 21, 2017 RaeAnna

I love to eat. I mean, I really love to eat. When I lived in France, I tested every patisserie in Aix-en-Provence, the city I lived in. Eating is a major part of my everyday life. You can only imagine how it figures into my travel plans. While I was in California I ate at the obligatory: In and Out and Del Taco of course. I try never to eat places I can eat at when I’m at home.

Sprinkles Cupcakes is a now famous cupcakery. It was founded in Beverly Hills, California in 2005, and since then, has grown into an iconic treat for people across the country. They rose to national fame for their delectable cupcakes, but became an instant hit when they introduced the cupcake ATM. You read that right! A cupcake ATM for those days you just need a cupcake now. If you’re like me, it’s happened more often than I’d like to admit. I actually have a Sprinkles here in Houston, but I had to go to the original to truly reach happiness. I enjoyed a chocolate marshmallow cupcake, which was delightful. I wouldn’t necessarily suggest the Beverly Hills Sprinkles as a quiet reading destination because there are so many people coming and going. It’s an upbeat place, which brings smiles to a lot of people of various ages.

I think part of my trip to Los Angeles was planned around this restaurant… Badmaash. I saw it on Buzzfeed or something on Facebook. I already knew I was going to LA, but I really got excited to go when I found out about this Indian restaurant. I love Indian food, but this takes it to a whole new level! They are known for their Indian mashups. I personally had the traditional comfort food of Butter Chicken as well as the Tikka Poutine. Poutine? you’re thinking. Yes, Tikka Poutine. You are not seeing things. It is an amazing mashup of the Indian Tikka Masala with the Canadian Poutine. They have tons of other mashups, but I’m only one person with limited stomach space. I could rave on and on about this place and their food. The decor was just awesome. The walls had Gandhi wearing different colored sunglasses. I would not suggest this as a reading spot. Though the food is top notch, it’s definitely young, hip, and loud but in a good way.

One of the last places I ate at in Los Angeles was La Brea bakery. It was awesome. The coffee was delicious. The food was delicious. I ended up going home with three loaves of bread because vacation and carbs. Who doesn’t love carbs? I love carbs. As far as reading, this is the best place to read. There are comfy booths, it has a quiet atmosphere. It is more like a local cafe than a bustling restaurant. I would go back in a heartbeat!

Experiences, Travel

Los Angeles Trip

July 20, 2017September 8, 2019 RaeAnna

I had not been to Los Angeles in… twelve years. So, you know, I was completely old enough to remember everything but at the age where you’re just along for the ride. This is the first time since I was fourteen, I’ve done anything more than fly through LA.

If you can’t tell from the over-saturated book theme of this website, I’m not a big partier. I prefer to spend my nights on the couch with a blanket and book or at cafes with, again, a book or my laptop writing. There will be no tour of nightclubs here; it is a strictly daytime fun and embarrassingly touristy list of things to do.

I had been wanting to go to Urban Lights in downtown LA pretty much since it went up in 2008. A public exhibit consisting of 202 antique cast iron street lamps restored by Chris Burden dating from the 1920’s and 1930’s. The lamps are solar powered after the sun goes down. Sitting right outside LACMA – Los Angeles County Museum of Art – it is in the heart of the museum district and historically gorgeous. It’s incredibly touristy yet a wonderful place for taking pictures. Instagram is saturated with the lamp photos, including mine, of course! Urban Lights is a can’t miss. Being such a huge tourist attraction, it gets quite crowded around noon. In the morning, it makes for an ideal reading spot. It’s beautiful to just wander around and look up. The lamps vary size and shape but are uniformly painted a light grey.

Rodeo Drive is world famous for the shopping; of course, I absolutely cannot afford to shop there. Maybe someday, I’ll write a book (or a million) and be able to afford socks on Rodeo Drive. I call this my California dream. Anyways, Rodeo Drive is also a beautiful street to walk up and down peeking in windows, people watching, and grabbing a cupcake from Sprinkles because I can afford to spend $4 on a nibble of yummy cake. There are some really beautiful areas to sit down and read a book on Rodeo Drive if you can tear your eyes away from all the beautiful things and people.

I walked up and down Hollywood Boulevard. It’s not a place to read. It is, however, an interesting place to look at the stars in the floor. The amount of talent is enormous. Actors, producers, singers, writers, directors, and more line the street. I stopped to take a picture of a book, but the photo is about all the bookish things that can be done on that street. Too many people walking to and fro. Also, I had to hurry along because the sidewalk is black, and my dog had hot paws. So we did not tarry long on Hollywood Boulevard because the beach was calling our name!

The last thing we did before leaving Los Angeles and California was spend the afternoon at Venice Beach. It’s been almost twenty years since I had been to Venice beach. It’s just like I remember along the boardwalk. People everywhere in nothing but swimwear. There is so much going on; I do not suggest reading here. Nowhere comfortable to snuggle in with a book except for the sandy beach, which is not dog friendly. The boardwalk is fun because loads of people are wandering around with and without dogs. Lots of spots for pictures. Muscle beach is great for looking at men. Venice Beach is a huge touristy spot, but my favorite part was just off the beaten path walking up and down the historic canals of Venice Beach. The houses are in the style of bungalow, modern, cottage, and more running along the canals in every color of the rainbow. There are delicate, white wooden bridges criss-crossing the canals. I loved walking up and down the waterways. Beautiful and serene.

I really enjoyed LA more than I thought I would or at least more than I remembered. The traffic sucks. After living in Chicago and Houston, I am extremely used to it! So for me, it wasn’t that bad.

Bookstores

The Last Bookstore

July 17, 2017September 8, 2019 RaeAnna

I happened upon The Last Bookstore in downtown LA by accident, truly. I was on my way to a dinner reservation (see Los Angeles – Eating) when the strap on my high heel broke… Ugh! So I had to hobble to a Walgreens for some super glue to save the day, which it did. As I was speed walking through downtown LA to make my reservation, I walked by The Last Bookstore. Speed peeping through the window, I made a mental note to return after dinner. I did. It was worth it.

I vowed I would only spend $20 because I don’t need more books… Who am I kidding? Of course I NEED more books. I spent a bit more than $20 a few times more. I’m proud of myself; I could have spent so much more. This bookstore was amazing. Seriously.

You walk into the bookstore, and it’s marvelous. They sell both new and used books. The used books are in all but perfect condition, and at such a low price you would be stupid to buy new. Feel free to buy new, though! I was in heaven. There is the ground floor which has contemporary fiction and classical fiction and self help and cooking and rare books and biographies and more. There are hug columns, which are gorgeous. When you walk up the stairs, on each stair it says what genre awaits on the second floor. On the second floor there are art exhibits and art vendors. There is a tunnel made from books and a cute circle acting as a window to books yonder. You can find sci-fi books, mystery, foreign language, history, philosophy, psychology, you name it, you can find it. My favorite part was when I happened upon several shelves dedicated to decorative books in every array of color because, I guess, some people don’t actually read books?

Suffice to say, I could have stayed in the bookstore forever. I let my close friends know if I am ever lost they can find me here. No, in fact, I was not kidnapped; I just ran away to The Last Bookstore in LA. So if you don’t hear from me, I’ll be there!

I’m considering moving to LA just to be in close proximity to this bookstore… So if there’s anyone out there who wants to employ me for, you know, a living wage in LA, hit me up!!!