VISITING WEST L.A. - PART 2

It's only been about a week and I've already had feelings of nostalgia for my trip. I miss my friends, I miss the potential for discoveries around every corner and I miss the food. I especially miss the weather, I've had several daydreams about it.

I didn't expect to like Los Angeles as much as I did, much less miss it when I went away. But I do! I love the expansiveness of it and how the air tells you to settle down, relax, don't worry. I love the brimming ideas, the sunshine and all of the pretty things. I've heard that the superficiality is the biggest downfall of this city, and I believe it, but I also only met truly delightful people, and all of the pretty things served to inspire me, not foster any discontentment or resentment.

The morning after the wedding, first and foremost on my mind was coffee. Intelligentsia is exactly how I imagined it but even more beards; the coffee was expensive and delicious. Janie and I spent over an hour here talking and people watching, before we headed over to the Venice board walk so that I could get my hands on the second thing on my mind: a poke bowl.

I could eat this every day!! I ate all of mine and then finished Janie's. Should I stuff in one more, I wondered?

Instead, I decided on an acai bowl and ate that all up.  I love this stuff. Sloane and I made this almost everyday last summer because we are crazy about fruit and you can make it as nutritious as you want. I'm going to get my hands on some more acai so we can start that back up again.

We headed back over to Abbot Kinney, a street with great shops and restaurants, where first order of business was ice cream at Salt & Straw. You know what, I should have eaten more ice cream on this trip!

I couldn't get over the houses on the streets nearby Abbot Kinney. I could have spent a whole day just gawking over all the beautiful houses and the flora around it. 

Abbot Kinney has some amazing shops, as well as street art and food. I loved my afternoon here so hard. I found everything inspiring and it got my creative juices pumping.  I didn't take photos of every shop we were in - although I wish I had!

Urbanic was probably one of my favorite places - I love paper products and this store had so many beautiful things.

I have it in my mind that I'm going to somehow work a giant yellow triangle into somewhere in my house..

The reason a street like this is exciting for me is because I love seeing the interiors of these various places - not just the products they sell but how they set things up.  

Not included in these photos are: visiting Hilary's place, visiting Soonie's place, driving by Venice Canals, driving around in L.A., the music I listened to while driving around, the delicious Chinese food we had for dinner for my last meal, and the Persian dinner for my first meal there - all things that helped make my trip there so wonderful.  It was a short trip, but it pretty much guaranteed that I wanted to come back someday. 

Goodbye, L.A.  Until next time...!