Two weeks ago, they called me up saying they would be in California for the National Hot Rod Anniversary event. Huh? Ok random. They went on to explain some of our good friends of our family’s dad was being honored at the event. Evidentially he is one of the five founding members of the Hot Rod Association, and it was honoring him with a parade. Initially the plan was to meet my parents in Pomona for a quick visit; however, last week they called me up to inform me they wanted to stay in Santa Monica for a couple of days. This was a win, win for me. First, I didn’t have to drive an hour to the middle of nowhere. Second, I would get to show them all my favorite LA places. Needless to say, I was more than a little excited for my parents to visit.
Sunday night, the gauntly crew arrived! I gave my parents a variety of dinner choices, but the second I mentioned a delicious burger place the decision was made. My dad is something of a burger connoisseur. I always get a little nervous sharing my favorite places with my parents because my mom is very vocal if she likes the food or not. Thankfully The Counter was a hit! I wouldn’t be surprised if my dad looked into franchising just so there would be one closer than California.
While I was at my internship Monday, they went to the Getty Villa and then drove around Malibu for a while. Searching for the cheapest gas, they also took a little detour up to Topanga Canyon in the Valley. Evidentially it doesn’t look so far away on the map, when in actuality it is about 45 minutes away. Oh well. Thankfully they made it back in time to pick me up and watch the sunset off the Santa Monica Pier, which I had never done before. It was beautiful watching the sunset into the ocean just left of the Malibu Mountains. The only problem was the wind. Burr. It was around 52 degrees outside, which is very cool for Los Angeles. It was an interesting sight watching the sunset over the ocean wearing my winter coat and wishing I had some earmuffs. After a little perusing on the 3rd Street Promenade, we headed in for the night in preparation for our long Tuesday.
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| Sunset off the Santa Monica Pier |
The crew picked me up bright and early for breakfast at The Griddle. I have mentioned this place before because I am absolutely obsessed with it. It has pancakes the size of small pizzas and a rustic dinner feel. I warned the group of its huge pancakes, but only my mom seemed to heed my warning. She smartly only ordered one pancake, while my dad and his friend ordered a stack of three. I decided to branch out from my sweet tooth and ordered the huevos rancheros. This ended up being the perfect choice because neither of my parents finished their pancakes, and I got to take home to sweet leftovers. After we were stuffed to the brim from breakfast, we took a walk along the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Saw our favorite stars, took some pictures with the Hollywood sign and checked out the King’s Speech new Best Picture tile in the Kodak Theater.
After we had our fill of Hollywood, we set off for the La Brea Tar Pitts. I had heard of the Tar Pitts, but I never realized I drive by them twice a week. I definitely recommend seeing these for anyone who wants to see something absolutely unexpected. Right in the middle of Los Angeles, millions of fossils have been found preserved in tar, which is actually assault. I can’t really describe the experience because there was just too much going on. Needless to say it was very educational, and I will always think about all those fossils when I drive on Wilshire. We topped the afternoon off with a stroll down Rodeo Drive and a cupcake from Sprinkles. I really need to stay away from Rodeo Drive. The fashion is so beautiful and artfully crafted; unfortunately it’s all above my H&M price range. We ended the evening with dinner at the restaurant at my parent’s hotel.
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| Mother Mammoth Stuck in the Tar |
Upon arrival to FIG, we were met with a delightful surprise. If we ordered before 6 pm, our entire bill would be half off. This gave us exactly seven minutes to decide and order. We hurriedly ordered, but I was the only one to read the menu extensively and select a variety of appetizers for the table. One of my best decisions was the honey-roasted dates filled with goat cheese. OMG. I will be back just to have another order of these delicious dates. I also ordered a cheese plate for the table that was met with mixed reviews. For me though it was a perfect mix of strong and mild cheeses paired with candied tangerine rinds, apples, fresh honeycomb and assorted breads. I might take some of your suggestions and write a whole post about my restaurant critiques because I could go on forever about this restaurant.
The final day of their visit, we went to the famous Venice Beach. My parent’s friends had never been and wanted to see what all the hype was about. Even on a cool day, Venice Beach didn’t disappoint with its variety of weirdos. No offense if Venice is your scene, it is simply not for me. You can’t go two feet without someone trying to sell you juke or to sign up for your medical marijuana license. Thankfully we only stayed for a short while. The highlight of our trip to Venice was lunch at Lemonade. This restaurant is a fun mix of cafeteria-style food in a modern environment. Three words: Blueberry Mint Lemonade. Get it. It does not disappoint. We ended the day driving around Century City with me pointing out the buildings of businesses I want to work for. All in all it was an extremely packed visit. My parents and their friends had a great time, and my mom already wants to come for another visit. After being very homesick the week before, it was the perfect remedy to get me out of my funk.
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