California Adventure, My Weekend in LA

Last Friday my friend Paige and I flew out to Burbank to ‘surprise’ our friend Jaana for her birthday. It was a long weekend, long in the making. The three of us have been so fortunate to cultivate real-life friendships over the interwebs. My time with them is life-giving and good for the soul.

I reported for airline duty in my favorite vintage jeans, leather jacket, and my comfiest non-sneaker shoes. I was determined to fit all I wanted for three nights and days into a carry on, despite my need for hiking accommodations. You can’t tell from the photo but my beloved Cuyana tote is packed to the GILLS! I had to sneak my Babaá sweater in there to avoid overstuffing my suitcase – which was not in its expanded form, thank you very much. However, my tote was very full and awkwardly squeaking against my leather jacket; not my finest hour.

I flew from PDX>BUR, which is ridiculously easy. Both airports are simple to navigate and mostly uncrowded. Flying to the LA area from Portland usually only takes about two hours, which was just enough time for me to dig into a good novel.

I met Paige at the airport – she flew in earlier in the day from Denver – and we took a Lyft to a coffeeshop near Jaana’s house to map out our next move. The plan was to wait about 20 minutes until she left to pick up her son from school, and then her husband would snag us from the coffee shop so we could stage inside the house. She knew something was up that weekend, so she was very suspicious the whole day, but I think she was pretty stoked when she came home to find us.

After chatting a bit with Janna’s family (and incredibly sweet son) we headed to our super cute AirBnB in the Silver Lake neighborhood of LA.

The views from this place were beautiful, especially as the sun went down. But dang, this Oregon girl couldn’t get outside fast enough to feel the semi-warm air! It was such a welcome change from cold, rainy January in Portland.

I tried to impress them with my margarita recipe (thanks Lindsey!) and we cozied up on the deck to catch up while the sun went down. If there’s one thing I learned about staying in AirBnB’s, it’s the importance of a good outdoor space. It’s so nice to have the option to ‘stay in’ but still be outdoors. It truly rounds out the vacation experience.

I couldn’t get enough of the Spanish-inspired architecture in LA. This cute house (above) was about two doors down from our AirBnb.

And the PLANTS! I had to restrain myself from taking pictures of every cactus and succulent insight. They were just amazing. I clearly need to get out of the forest and into the desert a little more often.

The next morning we hiked our rears off at Runyon Canyon. The views were almost as good as the people watching. We got to see a real life influencer in action and an LAPD helicopter did a u-turn above our heads to say hi.

I don’t know how many miles we hiked, but I loved every minute of it, even though my legs were sore for the rest of the trip.

Later that day we explored Union Station and Olvera Street. Janna, the near lifelong Los Angelean pointed out the oldest house in LA, which is on Olvera Street. When I got home, my mom, a Los Angelean in a past life, told me that she used to go on field trips to Olvera Street in grade school. Super cool.

Later that night we took in rooftop views at Perch in DTLA while taking our conversation next-level deep.

There are fewer things as satisfying to me as drinking my morning coffee al fresco.

Gluttons for punishment we decided to do another (urban) hike on our second morning. I will admit to pushing this idea, in part to get out in the sun, and part to help compensate for a weekend with endless chips and salsa. I loved taking in the vegetation, the views and the architecture. And the last hill we climbed was no joke, we pretty much had to lean forward to get up it!

My post hike clean up part deux. These shoes were perfect for this trip. If I wasn’t planning on hiking, I probably could have used them exclusively. Paired with: aforementioned wool sweater, vintage jeans, Jane blouse and leather crossbody bag.

Not pictured: delicious brunch at Home in the Los Feliz neighborhood.

Sunday night we headed west and drove through Hollywood Boulevard which was very touristy. I also had no idea that the Hollywood walk of fame literally goes on for miles!

We were spoiled with a beautiful sunset from the top of the parking lot at the Grove. (I think the skyline is Beverly Hills.) I asked to see the Grove due to years of reading People Magazine (there always seem to be events there), but I immediately regretted it. It’s just like every other mall in America, and if you’re not a mall person (I am not) then it’s not worth your time.

We spent the rest of the night doing some more catching up over crafts (thanks Paige!) and snacks. By bedtime we were tired, and sad to part ways the next day, but also excited to return home and hug our babies.

I caught a lucky break and got upgraded to first class on the way home. Did you know they bring you hot, lemon-scented towels to wash your hands, free drinks and warm nuts. (Seriously, they taste better warmed up.) But the best part was definitely the leg room. It’s going to be hard to go back to coach next time.

I forgot to take a picture of my Monday outfit, which was a bummer because I loved it. You can see half of it in the photo: work pants, leather booties, and on top I had a striped shirt and my leather jacket.

Home again. Rested, refreshed, and ready to take on energetic kids and a bustling household. Thankful for a full tank.

Until next time!