I unexpectedly found myself in the “City of Angels” multiple times these past two weeks. On the 13th, I brought my friend Vanessa to accompany me while I interviewed for a marketing internship in Westwood Village. In order to avoid the usual traffic with the additional fear of added traffic from UCLA’s graduation, we arrived about two hours early for my interview and ended up exploring the shops around the area before I headed to my interview. The interview was walking distance from the central area of cute boutiques, cafes and trendy food stops. Me and Vanessa ended up eating “lunner” at Native Foods Cafe, a vegan-based restaurant. Being the vegetarian I am, I was excited to share this place that I discovered that past weekend while eating with a couple of friends prior to heading to a bonfire in the area. I ordered a Twister Wrap accompanied by sweet potato fries and lavender lemonade. I unexpectedly loved their lavender lemonade. I have been wary about lavender-flavored things because of an odd experience I had with lavender ice cream that I tried during a vacation in Berkeley, California. Anyways, I digress. Below is a picture of the delectable wrap that I enjoyed that afternoon.
On the 17th, I took the Metro (public transportation system) to Hollywood with my aunt and cousin. It was the first time I had ever taken public transportation to this area and it definitely was an experience. It took about an hour and a half to arrive at Hollywood and Highland. If you are unfamiliar with the area, this stop brought us right to the heart of Hollywood. We were on the street where the Dolby Theatre, El Capitan Theatre, Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Walk of Fame and Madam Tussauds Wax Museum is. It was interesting to step into the shoes of a tourist because even though I have lived in Los Angeles County all my life, I never really took the time to really explore the areas LA is famous for.
A couple of days later on the 19th, my friend Joseph and I found ourselves at what I now believe is my favorite spot in Downtown LA: The Last Bookstore. If you are ever exploring DTLA, make a visit! It’s a wonderful place to get lost for an hour or two. Not only are there a variety of books to choose from (at bargain prices!), but there are events that are held there and art displays on the top floor. Me and Joseph decided to go because we were talking the night before about how we both wanted to find new books to continue our summer leisure reading. We spent about three hours in there roaming around. It got a bit stressful when I couldn’t find several books on a list I was referring to. But not to fear, we both found a book in the end! I loved everything about the place; the quirkiness and artistic, cafe-esque atmosphere was right up my alley.
After spending an unexpected and ridiculous amount of time in the bookstore, we visited Little Tokyo to have a late lunch. It was a warm and clear day in LA, so it was perfect walking weather. We ate at a small mom and pop restaurant…with a name I seem to have forgotten. But none the less, it was delicious. I got vegetable udon noodle soup which was delicious!
After returning home from Little Tokyo, I ended up leaving not very long after to go back to the LA area with my girl friends. We got together to visit Vanessa (previously mentioned above) at Loyola Marymount University and enjoy happy hour at Buffalo Wild Wings. It was the first time in a long while we were able to get together, minus our friend Kristina, who was being an awesome human being and volunteering as a camp activities coordinator for the Ronald McDonald for Good Times summer camp. We ate dinner and specifically calculated our time to finish dinner at the beginning of happy hour 😛
After a few drinks, we found ourselves a few doors down at Dave & Buster’s. We took some fun photo booth pictures and played games until closing.
All-in-all, I had a great week of unexpected LA adventures and I couldn’t be happier about it. I loved the spontaneity of it all. I am definitely taking this summer to unwind, relax and enjoy the company of my family and friends. It has been a great year and I had the pleasure of witnessing a lot of my friends graduate from college. We are all finally home this summer to live it up as much as possible! I hope you enjoyed recounting my LA adventures 🙂 I’m sure I’ll have more adventures to share through out the season.
Sincerely,
Mez ❤
melissabeee.com 