Why I Heart LA

I had a pretty typical weekend.

Yesterday, I attended Pulp Shakespeare, a mash-up theater production of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction as if written by William Shakespeare (umm, hilarious and brilliant).

The day before that, I was at the Kodak Theater watching the Cirque Du Soleil show, Iris (umm, WOW).

And the day before that, I was cheering and simultaneously wincing at an MMA cage fight at the Commerce Casino (um, yeah bitches).

What made this weekend so typical? Well…

Everything I did was fun and entertaining.

Everything I did was wildly different.

Everything I did was in LA.

I LOVE this city. There is always something interesting to do.

When I was traveling abroad, and people would find out where I was from, I’d often get this reaction: “Bleck. I HATE Los Angeles.”

I get it. It can be a little bit shallow. A little bit pretentious. Can’t escape the Hollywood wannabes. Can’t escape the hipsters. Traffic is horrible. Public transportation’s a joke.

But if you’re like me – living life eternally with a curious, travel-minded spirit – none of that shit matters.

Everything I experience, I experience with the wide-eyed wonderment of a traveler – and on some level, a child. I allow myself to be constantly amazed by life, the people in it, the things that happen in it…the sights, the smells, the flavors of everything around me.

And I say “yes.”
I say “yes” a LOT.

I’ve been back in LA since Halloween – just over two months now – and my days have been jam-packed with awesomeness.

Thy, wanna play hookie tomorrow and go to Disneyland and California Adventure? YES.
Thy, wanna go backstage at the KIIS FM Jingle Ball concert? YES.
Thy, wanna go hiking in Malibu with me and my dog today? YES.
Thy, wanna come watch my award-winning barbershop chorus sing Christmas carols? YES.
Thy, wanna volunteer at the Midnight Mission and feed the homeless on Skid Row? YES.
Thy, wanna take a day trip to San Diego and drive around the city in go-karts? YES.
Thy, wanna go to a wine-tasting and cooking class this weekend? YES.
Thy, wanna go to the Improv tonight and listen to Russell Peters talk about losing his virginity? YES.

ALWAYS something to do. And it doesn’t hurt that the weather has been totally amazeballs either. Blue skies and sunshine every single day since the new year.

And the food, oh the food…hmmm I don’t know if I should go there…this blog post may never end. My lunches and dinners were booked solid for weeks, not to mention weekend brunches. How bout the highlights, shall we?!

• Truffle infused honey fried chicken at Craig’s
• Potted pork and some seriously mind-blowing cured meats at Salt’s Cure
• Also at Salt’s Cure, possibly the best burger in town (yeah, I said it!)
• Chocolate souffle at Pace
• Just about everything on the brunch menu at Blu Jam Cafe
• Slow-cooked Sonoma duck taquitos at Red O
• Pan seared foie gras & duck confit with lingonberry gastrique at the Green Street Tavern
• BOILING CRAB!!!

Ok. I’m hungry. And in case you’ve ever wondered how insanely happy I am when I’m eating, look no further than the photo above.

I digress.

Los Angeles! Food! Yes! Eating has its obvious benefits of course (you know, like, providing nutrients and sustaining life – that’s all pretty awesome I guess) – but when you eat in this town, 1) it’s often DELICIOUS, and 2) you might see some famous people. Errr, ok, average people who happen to be on TV or in movies. In the last month alone, I’ve had brunch next to Topher Grace and Zach Braff and eaten birthday cake with Stan Lee. In my former life (pre-Traveling Thy), I’d seen some pretty big stars at various restaurants: George Clooney and Cindy Crawford at Firefly, Jessica Alba at Katana, Elizabeth Taylor at The Abbey. So basically, if ya wanna see a celebrity in LA – just go EAT!

You might be wondering – how does Thy eat so damn much and stay so small? Well, for starters, I’m not that small – I only post photos of me looking small Second, this city keeps me active. Two of my favorite things to do here:

Go bike-riding at the beach. There’s a 25-mile bike path along the coast that starts up in Pacific Palisades and runs all the way down to Torrance. I only do the 3-mile bit starting at the Santa Monica Pier and ending at Marina Del Rey. Reason being – besides it being super pretty – it’s the most fun. The path takes you through Venice Veach, where you could sit for hours just people-watching (which I often do). You’re riding alongside total weirdos, hot surfer dudes, cute puppies…people meditating, flying kites…there’s the occasional whiff of weed and incense…braniacs gathering at the chess park…and the opposite of braniacs gathering at the drum circle. I usually go alone. I rent a bike at the place next to Big Dean’s Cafe, grab an overpriced hot dog on a stick and cruise southbound with the wind in my hair and a huge smile on my face.

Go hiking at Runyon Canyon – let me start by saying that despite its local reputation, this is actually a nice hike. There are some really steep bits that get me huffing and puffing, the views of the city are spectacular and it’s very dog-friendly. This place is hilarious though. It’s right in the middle of Hollywood, which means I am 100% guaranteed to see girls hiking in full make-up and accessories and talking very loudly about their agents or their last audition. Plus really hot guys without their shirts. I’m not complaining there.

Seriously, I could go on and on about LA. And I probably will. Me thinks I’ll be writing some more about what this great city has to offer.

I don’t know how long I’m gonna stick around (I’m dying to hit the road again!) but while I’m here, I shall never be bored.