Dallas to Los Angeles

Now that I have finally recovered from LA, I am able to share my experience with you. Please note, I have only been to LA one other time so I am no expert but I thought it would be fun to share with you my experience. I have included some places that we visited as well, so I hope you enjoy.

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Criss cross tee: Forever 21 / Leopard Shoes: Amazon / Jeans: Nordstrom

Friday Fun

Andrew and I landed in LA and got in an Uber to Santa Monica. Our friend Jayme works in tha area and said it would be a great place to visit the beach, grab some lunch and then meet up with her when she is off work. I am so glad that she recommended it because we found this amazing restaurant called Blue Plate Oysterette and it was truly amazing. The chef even asked me what I thought after we ate, I guess he heard me talking about blogging about it. Or he was just really nice, but either way, it was quite delicious. We had the ceviche (not pictured), ahi tuna tacos, and lobster tacos.

 

Huntley Hotel 

After lunch, Jayme took us to the Huntley hotel. Let me just say that this hotel is a dream. The views are amazing and if you get to ever visit Santa Monica, do yourself a favor and go visit. I wish we could have stayed longer but the traffic back to LA would have not been fun on a Friday afternoon. After all, we were only there for 36 hours to do all the things that we needed to do. When I go back, I will for sure take my professional camera as these pictures do not do the view justice.

 

Brunch at the Hudson

 

Saturday brunch: We went to this place called the Hudson.  They are known to have the best mac and cheese in LA. We did not try it but we did have a couple of brunch items, and it was so good I could have licked my plate. The best part of the Hudson for us was the atmosphere; we were treated like celebrities the moment we walked into the door. They offer a fun, casual and easy going environment and it just felt like everyone was part of a family. The entire space is filled  with windows that are open so you can enjoy the outside air. It was very refreshing. I am mad at myself for not taking more pictures but you can visit them on Facebook to see some examples of what I mean.  I would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting the West Hollywood area, as it is it is very inviting and you will not be disappointed.

Pink Wall

Pink Wall: Paul Smith store sticks out because of its pink wall. This has become one of the most photographed places in on of the most photographed cities in the world. The pink wall is really everyone’s dream, especially if you are a blogger. The best part of this post is that I do not know how to pose at all and Jayme is a natural. Every picture I am doing something different or making fun of myself and she is picture perfect. I thought you all might get a good laugh out of some of these pictures. But truth is if you are ever visiting LA, make sure and go find the Pink Wall. It will change your life.

Over all, I will say that I love everything that LA has to offer. One of the most powerful things I noticed in LA was that the people seem to be more engaged with eachother. They are not on their phones as much as they are in Dallas, and they just seem to enjoy the QT with people. I particularly noticed this at the Hudson, the place where we enjoyed brunch. There was a point that I sat back and watched people and no one had phones out, period. Not even resting on the table. That really touched me. I also realize how stressed out I allow myself to be on a daily basis. People in LA really go with the flow and do things on their own time. I have never been that type of person but I walked away from my trip knowing that I plan to make that change. I have spent so much time losing sight of what is the most important to me because I have been on social media, keeping up with someone or something, and not living in the moment. I know one thing that will change in my personal life, and that is focus more on being in the moment with the people I love. As we get into the holiday season, I hope you can start all take some time to spend it with the people that matter the most to you. Life is truly short, and we are all so lucky to be alive.

So…I will leave you with this quote. “This morning, with her, having coffee.” – Johnny Cash, when asked for his description of paradise.

 

Cheers,

HO