Cali

This past weekend, I made my LA debut.  I have traveled to many cities in the US, but had never been to California.  Since my best friend/suitemate/sorority sister from college (Crystal) lives in LA, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to go for a visit.  Since we both have busy work schedules, I only went for the weekend, but in the short time I was there, I really had a good time.  I was able to eat at several places that always get rave reviews, like Roscoe’s Chicken N Waffles, In-N-Out Burger, Pinkberry, and Pizzeria Mozza.

When I got there on Friday, it was already late, so we just went to the Grove, which is an outdoor shopping mall.  Since the Cheesecake Factory was open late that night, we were able to catch up over appetizers and cheesecake.

The next morning, we decided to head to brunch at Roscoe’s Chicken N Waffles…VERY good.  The chicken was perfectly seasoned and fried and the waffles were prepared in a way that did not make them too soft nor too crispy.  Paired with the homemade lemonade, it was a great brunch!!  After getting stuffed on chicken and waffles, Crystal and I went to get pedicures and relax from our overeating.  After a drive down Rodeo drive, we visited Westfield Century City Mall where I was introduced to my new favorite thing… Pinkberry.  Wow… I really cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this wonderfully sweet and delicious frozen yogurt treat!!  It is hard sooooo delicious… not to mention fat free!!!  You can top it with fresh fruit toppings like strawberries, raspberries, chocolate shavings, kiwi fruit, mango… even fruity pebbles!  I honestly think it was wonderfully delicious just by itself.  It has a sweet and perfectly tart taste as it is, so I was very impressed. So far they only have locations in New York and Los Angeles.  Pinkberry… please come to Dallas!!

***Star Sighting***  While at the mall, we saw Robert Downey Jr!!  Of course I did not go up and make a big deal out of it, but I hadn’t had a star sighting in a while, so I was excited.

Later that night, we decided to see Obsessed, but it was sold out and we had to go to the later showing to avoid sitting on the first row.  When we got there at 9:30 for the 10:00 showing, Crystal and I were blown away that there was already a line at least 50 people deep.  Really?  Are you sure this line is for Obsessed?  The one with Beyonce?  I mean… I like Beyonce, but wow… I was not expecting that.  Since Crystal and I went into the movie with low expectations, we were not completely disappointed.  It was actually better than either of us thought it would be.  Since Beyonce’s role was somewhat limited and I thought she had some poorly written lines, I really don’t have much to say about her performance.  Ali Larter had more of the lead role in the movie, and she was very convincing as the “obsessed”.   Before the movie, we had time to grab a quick bite at the ever popular In-N-Out Burger.  I must say that the fresh ingredients were nice, but I would not say it is the best burger I ever had.  It was very good though.

On my last day there, we enjoyed lunch at Pizzeria Mozza, a popular restaurant with an eclectic variety of pizzas.  I enjoyed a more traditional pizza, but it was good.  We also had some gelato for dessert.  Gelato was my favorite frozen treat until I tasted Pinkberry 🙂  We also traveled down to Santa Monica Pier.  There is a large beach area with an amusement park, playground, beach volleyball courts, biking path, and many more activities.  It was a great area.

A weekend was not long enough to explore the wonderful city of Los Angeles, but I do plan to return soon and explore a bit more.

Summary of trip:

• Discovered that LA has tons of parking garages everyone that charge for parking.  The parking situation seems to be stressful… so I was not a fan of that.  Even the CVS has a parking garage!  Can I just get a plain parking lot?
• Westfield Century City Mall had free parking for 3 hours and the best part was they have a system that has lights above parking spaces so you can quickly find a green light identifying an open parking space.  What a great invention!
• There is a very electic variety of cultures, personalities, fashion, etc…  in California.  I enjoyed this diversity.
• People at Santa Monica Pier thought 65 degrees was the perfect temperature to throw on the bikini and jump in the freezing cold water (wow… I was cold and needed a sweater!)
• If you have a shiny black car, you will fit right in (I wish I could keep my car that clean)
• Pinkberry is the best frozen treat EVER!!

I did not take as many pictures as I should have, but the few I did take are posted on flickr.  Click Here to see them.