Third and Fairfax

At 3rd and Fairfax you will find a little place called the Grove/Farmer's Market. This is another place that I used to frequent as a teenager living in Hollywood that has now become a tourist attraction and home of tv's Extra (why??). But it still has a soft spot in my heart and I love roaming the stalls at the Farmer's Market and trying some new delicious meal. Although, let's be honest here- most of the time I end up at the French crepe stand. Look at the goodies we found!

On this particular day it happened to be very hot outside so my sister and I decided to treat ourselves to a nice air conditioned lunch at the French restaurant inside the Grove. I adored their wall near the entrance and had to snap a shot...

I love how perfectly imperfect it is. 

Well, that's all for now. Have a great evening!

Butter goes to...

A visit to Los Angeles just would not be complete without a trip to the beach! We always seem to end up at Venice beach (the part off Washington, not so much the boardwalk). It's less crowded than the touristy Santa Monica beach and there are lots of fun places to visit near by. We usually end up taking a stroll down to the boardwalk but quickly return once we are feeling overwhelmed by the masses of people, body builders, and smoke scented air. If you are feeling hungry I always enjoy C&O Trattoria just up the street- their garlic rolls are amazing! 

As you can see the weather was perfect and it was great to spend some time relaxing in the sun (with sunscreen, of course!). Julian was the only one brave enough to enter the water this time (it was very cold!) but even that was a short lived adventure. I ended up burying him in the sand after just so he could warm back up!

Nothing quite beats the California coast.

The Good Urth

Oh, Urth Cafe. I loved you long before you became a mecca for the "see and be seen" crowd that flocks to you in hopes of accidental fame these days. Your strong Italian lattes stole my young heart when I was only fifteen years old and I will never stop loving you. Your bake sale pastries and deserts fill me with joy and you are still the only place I will order a restaurant pie. Mr. Butter and I often catch ourselves saying "if only we could go to Urth Cafe right now..." and daydreaming about the treasures you offer. 

Note to visitors: My favorite treats are the decadent chocolate pound cake (they give you three huge slices) and the deep dish peach pie. Always ask for your treat warmed- it will make it taste 1,000 times more delicious! The belgian waffle with strawberries and bananas is also delightful!

These visions of creamy coffee treats are going to dance around in my head as I drift off into sleep tonight...

To Infinity and BEYOND!

In all of my years spent in Los Angeles I am surprised to say that I never actually visited the Griffith Observatory. When I first arrived in the City of Angeles it was under renovation but I remember there was a big to do when it reopened. I have visited the park on numerous occasions but this, my friends, was my first trip the the observatory itself. 

We went with the intentions of viewing one of the planetarium shows about vikings and the Northern Lights (sounds amazing, right??), but much to our surprise the place was packed. We had to park so far away that we practically got in another hike. We missed our viking show and had to settle for one about the Mayan prediction of the end of times. It wasn't nearly as dramatic as we had anticipated but very fun indeed!

I think my sister fell in love and this is her new favorite place/soon to be second home. She was quite smitten with the Tesla coil and the Cafe at the End of the Universe. I even caught her pondering the ways of the universe with Albert Einstein. 

Another must see next time you are in Los Angeles!

Until next time- May the force be with you.

(Yes, I am aware I am a total nerd.)

Butter goes to...

My sister is living the fabulous LA life and just happens to live down the street from Runyon Canyon. What is Runyon Canyon, you say? It's the hot spot in LA to go for a run. We used to visit Runyon frequently when we lived in the Hollywood Hills and I have fond memories of walks taken there with my mom and Greg. I don't know why on earth I ever stopped going!

There are a couple of courses to choose from in the Canyon, and one happens to be very steep and quite the challenge. As you can imagine, I was feeling pretty accomplished after reaching the top. My brother Julian patiently waited for us at the top and then we ran back down as one happy little family. 

But the views! Oh, the views- you must see them! You can see the entire city and quite a good glimpse at the Hollywood sign. Plus, it's excellent people watching up there. Hardly anyone is wearing proper work out gear, and I spotted numerous women attempting to "exercise" in bikini tops. 

It's a fun little adventure if you ever find yourself in that neck of the woods! 

A Walk Down Memory Lane

After work I often walk over to the coffee shop down the road and spend some time working on the blog, doing research on graduate programs, reading a good book, etc. Today they are playing The Postal Service "Give Up" album in it's entirety and it's making me rather nostalgic. I listened to this album on repeat when I was in high school and have every song memorized. I would write all of my papers, work on art projects, and spend endless hours chatting with my friends online with this album on in the background. I kind of forgot just how much I loved it until now. Knowing me I will probably start listening to it on repeat again. 

And now let's journey back in time and meet the Postal Service loving high school Amanda:

So I can't figure out how my hair always looked nice back then...Either I spent an obscene amount of time on it (as many high school girls do) or it had some magical teenage powers because it never looks like that anymore. And I have very little patience for styling it. I've got to get that hair back! I do remember that I used big purple hot rollers, which I have repurchased now. But I still have to blow dry my hair first, and all you thick haired ladies out there will agree when I say that is just no fun at all. 

And let's take a moment to appreciate the absurdity of our cap and gown color choice. Yes, that is shiny silver. The boys wore dark green and we wore silver. In the field on a sunny California day we looked like baked potatoes roasting in the sun. But at least we were fabulous. 

Sometimes it is rather fun traveling back in time. It makes me even more excited for the future!