I’m so excited to share with you details about my LA trip!! I love visiting California and was so excited to visit LA for the first time. I was anticipating everything: the glamour, vibrant culture, cool weather, and SoCal beaches!
When we landed, we both were immediately starving. I had a whole list of restaurants I was ready to try, but I had no idea where to even begin! On most of my trips, I talk to a couple friends who have been there before and gain an idea of where to start. I was completely clueless in this case! After looking over the list of restaurants I wrote out, we decided to go to Sweet Chick in the Fairfax District. This is one of the most interesting restaurants I’ve been to because they’re known for their unique chicken and waffles. They literally have everything from General Tso’s Chicken and Waffles to Buffalo Fried Chicken and Waffles. I was really iffy about what these would all taste like, but I finally settled on the Chipotle Chicken and Waffles, where the chicken had honey chipotle sauce and the waffles were made out of corn. I’m always open to new things and was surprised with how good it is! I wish they had a location in Texas so I could go back and try another unique one! Also, the interior of the restaurant was super cute with a big neon sign behind the bar. They also had a recording studio in the restaurant where they were live broadcasting a radio show!
Ironically, the restaurant we went to was right in the middle of popular urban stores like Supreme, Bathing Ape, and Tyler the Creator’s store, Golf. Although we got there late, so most of the stores were closing, we were able to stop into Golf and I got a picture with the giant mural on the outside. I also loved the neighborhood around the stores. There were some really cute houses and the overall feel was so chill.
We headed to our AirBnb for the night, but the next morning was a big day for me. I went to tour UCLA’s law school and meet with an advisor since I’m hoping to go to law school relatively soon. I got dressed as professionally as I could while on vacation and gave it all I could during my meeting. I tried to make my outfit a little fun and wore my senior photos dress since it’s UCLA’s color. I also was excited because I was wearing my new Sam Edelman Shani Tassel Sandals,which I found for a steal at Nordstrom!
After my tour and meeting, we headed over to Malibu to check out the beach! One thing I wish Texas had is nicer beaches like the west coast. We have the heat, but our beaches are definitely not as nice! On the way, we stopped at Malibu Cafe, which I found on Instagram and looked super cute! It was tucked away on a ranch off of a beautiful scenic road. The restaurant itself was huge and it is apparently known for having weddings and receptions held there. They had just about everything, a bar area, outdoor seating for socializing, a cute pond with a waterfall, and the actual restaurant with additional seating on a tiered deck. The whole set up was really cute and it would have been a great place for a family or group lunch. After looking over the menu, I got the Blackened Chicken Avo Sandwich with a Cesar Salad on the side. It was absolutely delicious and great pre-beach food! We then walked around and took some cute pictures since it was too scenic not to!
Outfit:
Top: Wildfox Sans Emploi Manchester Tee
Once we wrapped up our lunch and photoshoot, we headed over to the part of the trip we were waiting for, the beach! We drove along the highway that ran across the beach in Malibu, and we don’t know if we were just there on a weird day, but the beaches were almost completely empty. We definitely wanted to be where the people were so we just kept driving. Before we knew it, we were almost in Santa Monica. As we approached, more and more people began to appear. We knew this was a good sign, so we went ahead and found parking and walked towards the pier. The beach itself was absolutely gorgeous. The way the waves were hitting the shore and how clean the sand is was astonishing to me. We found a spot somewhat close to the water and just laid out. It was so relaxing and I loved every minute of it. I also had the courage to go in the water, which I was opposed to at first since it was so cool outside and I knew the water was going to be freezing. I ran until the water was up to my waist and let the waves carry me back to shore. It was such an exciting experience and I got some cute photos out of it too!
After fun on the beach, we headed back towards the city to have dinner. I did a quick search of restaurants in the area, and found a Mediterranean restaurant called Bowery Bungalow. We drove over to Santa Monica Blvd and saw that the restaurant was packed, but we tried to get a table. The hostess said all tables were full and we would have to wait at least an hour, so just as we began to leave, the hostess chased us down the sidewalk to let us know a table suddenly opened. Maybe it was fate? We walked back into the restaurant and after I saw all the positive reviews online, I was excited to try. The food was interesting because it’s North African infused with Mediterranean. I ordered Tumeric Chicken with rice, and it was delicious!
The next day, we started off by getting coffee from Carrera Cafe in the Melrose District. They’re known for their latte art where they can design just about anything in your coffee, from sports logos to the signature Louis Vuitton pattern! I, of course, ordered mine with UT’s logo on it and was amazed at how precise the design was. Just look for yourself!
As soon as we got our coffee, we decided to go for brunch! We found a restaurant named Sage Organic Bistro that was on the way to Santa Monica, where we wanted to spend more time at since we loved it so much the day before. This restaurant was great because they had wide selection of food and everything is plant based aka super healthy! I decided to order an açaí bowl that was packed with fruit and made me very happy in the morning.
After we went back to Santa Monica and spent time at the boardwalk, we went over to Flore Vegan to grab some food on the way back. This place is really close to Bowery Bungalow and has a cute retro feel to it. I ordered the Basmati Brown Rice Bowl that was really good and filling! I wasn’t used to eating so much vegetarian food, but it felt really refreshing to do it while on vacation.
The next day, however, I broke the trend after we spent two hours trying to find a restaurant to eat at. If you’re planning to go to specific restaurants in LA, I highly highly suggest making a reservation. We went to two different places and were told there was either a super lengthy wait or we were told they could not seat us. Being as starving as we were, we spotted a burger restaurant called The Golden State and decided to just go there. This was probably the first time I didn’t eat relatively healthy on the trip and it was great! I even splurged and got a soda on the side.
The rest of the day was dedicated to shopping, and we first stopped to a place I’ve always wanted to go to, the OVO store. OVO is Drake’s label and he opened a store in LA maybe a couple years ago and I definitely wanted to go while I was in town. It was really cool to see all of Drake’s products that I’ve been eyeing for years in an actual store. I didn’t want to spend too much money, so I bought a t-shirt with the OVO owl embroidered on.
To continue with our shopping en devours, we of course had to go to Rodeo Drive before it was too late! We stopped into stores like Cartier and Ralph Lauren, until we got to Louis Vuitton. We probably spent more than a couple hours there, but it was exciting to see the amount of bags they had there! I had been eyeing a small purse from there for awhile and asked to see it. Thinking they wouldn’t have it like the stores in Austin and Dallas, they actually had every bag I wanted to see! It was so hard to say no at this point, so I looked at myself in the mirror with every bag they offered to show me. Despite wanting that small purse I was looking at, they had an even smaller version of it that I thought was adorable and would be a great date night bag, I dropped $300 right there and bought it. It was such a celebratory experience though and I had to do it! To top it off, they brought us out glasses of champagne and we ended up having a great time right there in the store.
We had extra time in between shopping and our dinner reservation (yes, I actually made one), so we stopped at a dive bar that actually a girl working at Anthropologie in Austin recommended to me, Good Times at Davey Wayne’s. Once we got there, I was immediately obsessed. It starts out looking like a garage of someone’s house, full of cigarettes, neon lights, and a TV. Once you walk to the back, you notice a giant refrigerator. Once you open the refrigerator’s door, you suddenly see a staircase decked out with 70’s carpet and wallpaper, and once you walk up, you’re at somebody’s house which is the actual bar! As strange as it sounds, it’s one of the coolest places I’ve ever seen. The whole house looks like it’s straight out of the 70’s, but it’s really nice and very well put together. The backyard is also a cute hangout area, and in the inside, there’s a small stage where they had a local band playing.
The last thing we did before leaving LA is stop by the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel for dinner. This has been somewhere I’ve wanted to go to since I was young, so it was really exciting! I changed into my new BCBG dress and was ready for some fine dining. The hotel itself definitely lives up to it’s name. The inside is absolutely gorgeous and has a timeless feel. Once we found our way to the restaurant portion of the hotel, the windows were all glass, the ceilings had the iconic stripe pattern on them, and the tables were gorgeous. It was hard to take photos in the dim lit area, but I was already obsessed. Once we looked over the menu, we started off with the Think Pink drink that had Grey Goose and strawberry in it, which was one of the best drinks I’ve ever had. We then ordered and I got the Carbonara, which was really good but wasn’t exactly the type I usually like. It had thicker noodles and not too much sauce, but overall was still good!
Until next time!
xx,
Rachelle
