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Sunday, June 26, 2011

I went to LA and I didn't see Kim Kardashian or Justin Bieber

Hello Y'all, I'm back from a whirlwind 3 days in Los Angeles. It's been a week since I got back in Houston, but I've been busy recovering from traveling the last 2 weekends in a row, so I am excited to update you about last weekend.
We stayed on Redondo Beach, an adorable beach community, just south of Manhattan beach. Actually, adorable doesn't even begin to describe this place. It was more like the scene from last month's Pottery Barn Catalog shoot. We were able to get bikes and ride them up the bike path along the beach, getting breakfast at delicious cafes, gazing at the beautiful beach homes, browsing in the cute little shops, and enjoying cupcakes at a cupcake bakery. I know, leave it to me to smell out the nearest cupcake bakery. First let's talk about real estate. I couldn't help myself from taking pictures of all the pretty houses. I know it's marginally weird, but clearly I don't really care.

Evidence that I'm a crazy house stalker. But, even more, evidence that Malibu Ken also thinks I'm looney. Thanks for the pictures babe.

Turquoise trim??!! Could you die?

My favorite house by far. These people probably thought I was the DEA or something with the number of pictures I took of their place.
Hello?? Is Martha home?

How big is this house?

 Pottery Barn. I die.


 I didn't know Hansel and Gretal lived in California
Yes, we're THAT couple. I know.

Now for trip highlights, mostly about food.

Here I am with Malibu Ken on our beach cruisers. How California.

The North End. A restaurant featured on Triple D. What? Do you think I would go on vacation and NOT find a Food Network location?

 Guy's famous stamp of approval.

A mocha flavored with orange zest. In fact there was a gigantic orange rind under all the froth. It sounds kinda weird, but it was seriously delicious.

I don't actually remember the name of this dish, but it had some amazing sauce on eggs over bacon and sausage on corn tortillas.

The next culinary adventure. Cupcakes Couture.

Vanilla bean with vanilla icing and white chocolate shavings and a strawberry shortcake cupcake. To drink, a pomegranate Italian soda and a raspberry iced tea.

Engineeringirl stamp of approval
 For those of you following the Houston cupcake shop challenge, my vanilla cupcake was delightful. I'm not sure how I'd rank it against Crave or Sprinkles as the cupcakes I order there were both of the chocolate variety. I'd definitely visit Couture Cupcakes again.
Besides shoving my face full of food all weekend, I enjoyed the landscape all around, which included succulents. And boy there were some crazy ones.

Purple succulents. I thought my brain might explode!

I thought these looked liked sea creatures. Aren't they cool?

Succulent box. Genius.
Garden boxes outside a restaurant. LOVE IT.
Sunday brunch. Garden in background.
Other than cruising the town on our bikes all day, I also went on my first sailing adventure EVER. And it wasn't just any sailing trip, it was a sailing race. Oh yes. A race. Ultimately this was a multitasking exercise as I was:  1) trying desperately not to throw up, 2) trying to be helpful by pulling the ropes and follow the sailing directions Malibu Ken Senior (that would be Malibu Ken's Father) was giving me, 3) ensuring I didn't get smacked in the head by the boom (the thing the sail swings around on), and 4) most importantly, trying to look cute.
Clearly I succeeded at the last objective.

Primary ingredient to looking hot on a sailboat, a hot sailor

Nice looking sailboat. Looks like the one we were in, I think?

Sailboats lean in the wind. Nope, wasn't ready for that.

These are all the boats in our race. We were all sailing around starting line, waiting for the race to start.

Sailing was fun, and I managed to accomplish all my objectives. I would definitely like to go again, in a calmer scenario. That's on the list to do for next time.
We did also go the Hollywood Bowl, which is a huge outdoor amphitheater. It was opening night, so it was super special. Harry Connick, Gloria Estefan, Cirque De Soleil, and the orchestra were performing, with guest speakers Helen Mirren and Hilary Swank. It was a beautiful outdoor theater and a very romantical time.
So that's all for now. Does anyone have any sailing tips for me for next time or any LA recommendations?

Cheers,
Hollywood Engineeringirl








1 comment:

jb said...

Glad you enjoyed the trip :)
I know I did! Great pictures from sailing, I think the one of us in front of the boat is my fav

- Malibu Ken