This past weekend was my first true weekend in LA! While I was ~here last weekend, I landed on Saturday, grocery shopped on Sunday, and that’s it, haha. Then I spent a week working 9am-6pm! While it was rewarding, it was a lot of work. I was mentally and physically drained by the end of the week. I couldn’t wait to spend the next three days (thanks, long weekend) catching up on rest and exploring the city!
Friday Night
We got home from work and immediately started getting ready. My two roommates, Alejandra and Kelsee, our friend from another floor, Lauren, and I were so excited to finally be getting out of downtown! After showering (we did Zumba at work), dressing up, and doing our makeup we were ready to hit the town. We all piled into Lauren’s car and headed out to West Hollywood, where we had reservations at a super fun restaurant called Taste on Melrose.
We chatted about life, work and everything in between over delicious cocktails, pommes frites, and pastas and pizzas. Our table was outside on a terrace, that was in between two inside parts of the building, so we didn’t feel that we were truly outside. although it was chilly, so we definitely were. However, the restaurant had heaters AND blankets on each chair. It was so cute and cozy, I absolutely loved it. The vibe was amazing, it was very trendy and very fun. We thought about possibly doing more after but we were honestly exhausted. The week had worn us out! We took a pic to commemorate the experience and headed home to go to sleep.
Saturday
Saturday was probably my favorite day. While I tried to sleep in, for some reason my body still woke me up before 8am… oh well! I forced myself to go back to sleep and woke up again around 10:30. We spent the morning relaxing, showering, and getting dressed. Kelsee mentioned that she wanted to go shopping, so we looked up shopping places in LA and decided on Hollywood & Highland, since it was by the Walk of Fame, and close to West Hollywood, where the restaurant Pump is located. (We were planning on hitting it up for happy hour!) Hollywood & Highland was CRAZY packed. We were super impressed but super overwhelmed. We grabbed some Starbucks, browsed Sephora, and quickly hit up Forever 21. Then of course we spent some time checking out the Walk of Fame and taking pictures of some of the stars.
Soon after we left for Pump, and I still can’t believe what happened next. I’m a strong believer in “Everything happens for a reason” so I know there is a reason that we couldn’t find parking and spent at least 15 minutes driving around. We finally found a meter, put some coins in, and started walking down the street. On the way to Pump, we passed The Abbey, and siting right there at the closest table to the sidewalk was SHAY MITCHELL!!!!! I couldn’t believe it! I am such a fan of PLL and I recognized her immediately. We took some pics with her and then headed to Pump.
Pump was amazing. Happy hour cocktails were $7 and happy hour plates were $8! Not only were the prices great, but so was the experience. The entire vibe of the restaurant is incredible. It’s in a garden, and it feels magical. Almost as if you’re somewhere foreign or European! We ordered multiple rounds of drinks and appetizers and just had so much fun hanging out/reminiscing on our experience with Shay!
After happy hour we went back home and quickly changed for our last adventure of the evening. We went up to the Griffith Observatory, where you can get the very best views of the city! We took some pics, gazed at the beautiful lights, and explored some parts of the astronomy and science exhibits inside. Then we ordered an Uber to In N Out because we were starving and because it had been over a week since we got to LA and we hadn’t tried it yet. As a Floridian, I can tell you I was wildly excited to try it, and it was good, but it was not mind-blowingly amazing. (Sorry, Cali peeps, if I’ve offended you.)
Sunday
Sunday was extremely refreshing, because we knew the weekend was far from over. We slept in again, (even though my body woke me up early again…. *insert angry emoji here*) After spending the whole morning and afternoon relaxing, we got dressed and left for Santa Monica! We were so excited to explore the Pier and possibly enjoy some beach time, since we hadn’t been to a beach yet. However, it was FREEZING, and again, extremely crowded. We explored the boardwalk for a few minutes and then headed into the “downtown” area to find dinner. At the recommendation of a friend, we put our names on the hour-long waitlist at Blue Plate Taco. Thank GOODNESS we did.
IT. WAS. AMAZING. I ordered a Passion Smash margarita, we split chips and (the most amazing) guac, and then Alejandra and I split lobster tacos with TRUFFLE OIL. (My weakness). Best dinner ever. Santa Monica was a true dream. We will definitely be going back when we have more time! After we got home, I was exhausted. It was somewhat “early” but I just climbed into bed and watched Hulu.
Monday
Even though it was our one day off, we woke up earlier than we do for work! I know, can you believe it? But, we needed to get dressed and order an Uber to get to Burbank by 8:30am because we had tickets to the 9am WARNER BROTHER’S STUDIO TOUR!!!!! I could not WAIT! This was the very first item on my CA bucket list, so naturally I ~had to do it my first weekend. Friends, Gilmore Girls, and Pretty Little Lairs are my three favorite tv shows!! I could not wait. The tour was over two hours long and it was so much fun. We learned a lot, viewed a lot, and heard so many interesting facts. I even got to be an extra on the Friends set for scene filming, and got to order coffee at a working replica of Central Perk! Also, the movie we watched in the very beginning was incredible, Alejandra, Kelsee and I joked that the clip alone was worth the price of the tour. Honestly though, with all of the amazing things we got to see, (and do!) the tour was very reasonably priced. We even got to record a video while we flew on a Harry Potter broomstick against a green screen! I had so much fun and I’m so so glad because I will actually be doing the tour again in a few weeks. The PLL/Gilmore Girls shared set is called “Anytown, USA” and it was closed that day… So. I will be going back to view it, haha! I HAVE to see Rosewood, PA and Stars Hollow before I leave LA.
After the tour we went back home and spent the day relaxing to prepare for the upcoming workweek. We also watched some Friends to reminisce on our fun morning! We couldn’t believe we were on the real Central Perk set, ahh!!
Overall, it was an INCREDIBLE first weekend in LA and I wouldn’t change a single second of it. We had the perfect balance of fun and rest. I am already looking forward to next weekend, but until then, it’s time to work, work, work!
