LA Trip: May 2017

 

A recent visit of mine has been the excessively photogenic state of California. We got to visit in early May, so luckily shoulder season for Hermosa. As such, I got to experience things that much more authentically. With late-night pier strolls and breath-taking runs at dawn. Of course, there were touristy things, too.  Watching Dancing with the Stars, biking along the beach, strolling down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and pictures of the Hollywood Sign all proved we really were tourists. Just out of LA, Hermosa Beach was the perfect escape while remaining a cheap Uber ride away from the airport. Here are a few of my favorite places from our stay.

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Like I said, we are tourists after all. Now, it's true that there are some unbelievably pushy salesmen ready to pounce on the naive and weirdos in costume all too ready to charge you for a quick snap with them but seeing the stars is just too legendary an experience to miss. Don't forget to stop at the Chinese Theatre, either! It's truly marvelous how enormous The Rock's hands are. Plus I almost started hyperventilating when matched my own heals up with Meryl Streep's. A couple of my friends got on Jimmy Kimmel Live and I snapped a picture with Ella Fitzgerald's Star so we all ended up happy by the end of the day. I don't recommend the heels we adored for the experience, though. Dancing with the Stars that afternoon required cocktail attire but the blisters I suffered were absolutely hellish. 

Hermosa Beach

Obviously, a visit to the beach is a must. For us, this included swimming numerous times as well as a bike ride one morning. There was also a bit of tanning and time devoted to taking polaroids. Personally, I found the swimming to be my personal favorite. As long as I can remember, I've loved dashing through the waves and avoiding gulps of salt water.  I don't believe any coastal visit is complete without at least one day in the water.  Another favorite of the visit was the bike ride. The price point was around $20 a piece for two hours of riding. Not too bad compared to other activities. We made it up about four beaches before heading back; admiring surfers, million-dollar homes, and the ocean along the way.

Downtown

The last favorite spot I'll talk about for now was walking downtown. There are loads of boutiques whose windows were adorned with preppy dresses and luxurious jewelry. Others had swimsuits whose styles wouldn't reach my home in the Midwest for months yet as well as casual wear from more popular favorites like Free People and SunPac. As I've been saving for my European Endeavor this summer, I had a pretty low budget and didn't get to dive into shopping quite as wholeheartedly as my comrades but even then, I had a blast.  I did get a cardigan, however, from free people that was positively to die for. I managed to borrow from friends to accommodate my lack of cocktail attire for the Dancing With The Stars day, keeping my total shopping-spending just under $100. Next time, I'd love to have a bit more wiggle room in that department, though. There's the Lighthouse Cafe just a couple blocks from where we were staying. It may sound familiar if you've watched the recent Award-Winning movie, La La Land. Our favorite stores were Ocean Spray and Spider; both of which had a combination of indie and preppy styles to accommodate the polar tastes of our group.

I'll go into our favorite eats during the trip later on but hopefully, this gave you a glimpse into our California days. As always, feel free to message me with any questions or comments! I love hearing from readers and knowing I'm writing to more than myself.