My gushing lovefest for Los Lngeles continues.
But let me start by explaining that I have not always seen LA with this “wide-eyed wonderment of a traveler.” It took several years for me to develop this passion for the city.
In fact, it didn’t happen until I was just about to leave it over two years ago.
I had lived in Southern California for five years before embarking on my trip around the world. And like countless others who live and breathe the Angeleno smog, I took for granted all the great things this city has to offer. Millions of people from all over the WORLD visit this city annually to enjoy the things I’d been ignoring in my backyard for years.
So in the summer of 2009, when my countdown to said round-the-world trip commenced, I realized the error of my ways.
I decided I would cram as much LA goodness into my last few months as possible.
I attended the annual Long Beach Lobster Festival – YUM!!!
Went horsebook riding up Mt. Hollywood to catch the sunset over a magnificent view of the city (it’s hard to tell in the photo, but that’s the Hollywood sign behind me on the left!).
Got my astronomical geek on at the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium.
Played bingo with drag queens – and WON!
I won the rimjob round which, I know, sounds gross – but I swear, it’s just winning by getting all the numbers in a square around the board!
And when you win a round of bingo at Hamburger Mary’s, you’re required to get up and run around the entire restaurant Rocky-style while everyone pelts you with their losing, wadded up bingo cards. One got me right in the face. It was rad.
Praised the Lord at Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues on Sunset Blvd. Seriously some of the most fun I had in those months. I feasted on delicious soul food while rockin’ out to incredible performances that had us all on our feet and with our hands in the air!
Nom nom’d my face off at the LA County Fair (deep fried White Castle hamburgers, deep fried Oreos, deep fried Twinkies, deep fried zucchini wrapped corndogs, Flintstones-sized ribs, enormous turkey legs, chocolate covered Cheetos, chocolate covered pickles, chocolate covered bacon and more!).
Naturally, I made sure to scratch a few restaurants off of my been-wanting-to-try list: Susan Feniger’s Street, Osteria Mozza, Luque’s, Hungry Cat, Geoffrey’s Malibu. I even returned to Animal to indulge in the foie gras loco moco (holy crap) and checked in with my peeps at Boiling Crab (seriously, I can’t get enough of that place).
I also took advantage of LA’s close proximity to other fantastic destinations:
Spent a magical day at the San Diego Zoo.
Spent another magical day at SeaWorld.
Hopped a catamaran for a solo day-cation on Catalina Island for some sun and kayaking.
(Check out that totally smog-tastic view behind me as I leave the mainland behind! Woo!)
Took a motorcycle ride up to Santa Barbara for a weekend of cruising and wine-tasting.
I even managed to squeeze in a quick trip to Vegas and a weekend in San Francisco!
Did I go overboard? Maybe.
Did I have an amazing time? YES!
In retrospect, I see how my LA-fun-cram-of-2009 could be perceived as overkill and an exercise in futility – of course I was gonna come back at some point and have the opportunity to do these things another time! I wasn’t dying. In the moment, however, I honestly didn’t know if I was ever coming back.
But inevitably, and as you all know, the good times in Los Angeles would continue.
Let’s be clear though – this exercise was not futile or just for shits and giggles. It was training ground for the two-year adventure that would follow and hopefully for the rest of my life. Getting out there and doing everything that piques my interest – and saying YES a helluva lot, even to things that don’t – is exactly why my travels have been such a success. By opening myself up to trying new things and finding enjoyment in anything and everything – big, small, local and afar – I find that the traveler in me is always present. And in that spirit, my life is enriched every single day – no matter where I am.