To say this past weekend was fun would be a tremendous understatement. It was truly one for the books, and I can’t wait until the chance to go back to LA! I went down with a couple girlfriends super last minute. DJ and I were planning on maybe going to Napa for President’s Day Weekend, but he had to work (or thought he would have to), so this trip worked out super well! He knew I had been dying to go to LA ever since we’ve moved out here and encouraged me to go especially before the job starts. I have never been (neither has one of my friends, Dani- dark hair). SO, Tammy (blonde hair), lived in the OC for a good part of her life and offered to show us around West Hollywood (WEHO). Best tour guide ever!!!!!!!!!
I definitely have to make this post into two parts (maybe even three), because there are SO many pictures and SO many good memories to share! I didn’t think I’d get a chance to blog this yet, but I came down with something bad last night and am stuck in bed. Hence, time to blog. Also- I think this is the fifth time I’ve gotten sick in three months. I’m guessing it’s just all the stress, little sleep, change in climate, and insane amount of activity going on!
Anywho, on our way down Friday the weather was rough. We were getting texts from just about everyone we knew to be careful or to just turn around. BUT us girls are from the midwest (and Washington), so a little rain didn’t deter us.
When we were about an hour into the trip, my tire pressure light flashed on. Of course, because what is a road trip without a little needed car maintenance? We pulled off the next exit and gave the wheels some air. When Tammy was running back inside the gas station to return the tire pressure gauge, I spotted a flash of color out of the corner of my eye. I whipped the car away from view and Dani said, “What the heck are you doing?” I said, “I just saw a Peacock!!!”. She didn’t believe me for a second until the big feathery creature trotted on it’s way in our eye’s view. Sure enough, it was a peacock. So far I have seen wild zebras and peacocks in California, so I’m not sure what to expect next!
When Tammy came out of the gas station she didn’t see us (we had drove around the corner to chase our pretty little friend). I said to Dani, “That’s okay, she’ll call us.” Then we both noticed her phone was still sitting in the passenger seat. We quickly drove back around and she was standing there with the most bewildered look on her face. We had some explaining to do, but we were both laughing so hard it was all we could do to spit out the word “peacock”.
In the evening we arrived at our Air B n’ B! I will say I was a touch skeptical about this service as I’ve never used it before, but it was AMAZING. We were located in the heart of Beverly Hills, walking distance from Rodeo Drive and within short miles from anywhere we wanted to go. The house itself was adorable, clean, and the hostess was easy to communicate with. She left us clear, amicable instructions about keys, the parking pass, and even said we could help ourselves to tangerines on her table. Hospitality is apparently not dead! This was a steal too. It was about $140 for the entire weekend per girl. (I know it’s taboo to talk prices, but I really wanted to emphasize how great this is!). If you have never used Air B n’ B, I highly recommend. But do a ton of research and look at MANY places to make sure you are getting the best/most safe/accessible place around! Traveling is becoming easier and cheaper by the day!
For dinner we went to a place called Saddle Ranch Chop House. I tried to grab pictures, but it was quite dark inside and none of them were showing up. We had snacked a bit on the way and weren’t starving, so we spit their famous jalapeño mac and cheese and cotton candy.
I rode their mechanical bull and since I didn’t fall off I was awarded a second gargantuan cotton candy. I don’t even like cotton candy, but how can you resist this?!
After, we headed to a place called Hyde Sunset Kitchen & Cocktails. Someone had recommended this place as we were on our way out as a good place to go to just hangout. Ready for the most epic part? Where are my bachelor fans at? We saw Chase McNary, Luke Pell, Jasmine G., Christian Bishop, Lace Morris, and ready for the kicker? Amanda and Josh- together. Yep we knew they were back together before TMZ! There were all these articles coming out Monday about them being seen Sunday night together. Haha- we were freaking out when we read this.
In the morning I woke up at 7:30 to go for a run. I got in about 9 miles just running around Rodeo Drive, different neighborhoods, and Winchester Blvd. I LOVED these morning runs, although I was going on little sleep every time I did one.
Once we were ready for an epic Saturday, we headed to the legendary Urth Caffe. If this was close to me, it could be dangerous. They not only have the BEST matcha green tea lattes on planet earth, but their food is phenomenal.
I ordered their salmon scramble which included toasted ancient sprout bread (YUM), roma tomatoes, and chives and then added capers and red onion with egg whites.
Tammy ordered the rustic poached which included two poached eggs over toasted whole wheat bread garnished with capers, basil oil, heirloom tomato, and red onion. Isn’t it pretty?!
Dani ordered the Mexican Omelet which included three organic eggs, roma tomatoes, green chilies, red onions, monterey jack cheese and cilantro, served with salsa. Unfortunately I didn’t get a pic of this for you to salivate with your eyes, but I’ll take her word for it and she said it was delish!
They serve their coffee in a BIG cup. Their coffee is super strong, as is their espresso. If you go here, get the matcha latte!
After breakfast we walked around to check out all the shopping on Rodeo Drive! These stores astounded me. WOW- just the pure wealth is mind-blowing. We were wide-eyed at the price tags on everything 99% 100% of the time! We were waiting in line for the restroom somewhere and one woman said, “I love your shoes! Who are they?”to a girl standing next to me. Lol. “Who”. Glad she didn’t ask me because I’d be like, “Uh, my boy Target”.
So the thing that sparked this trip initially was our bonding over Vanderpump Rules and Housewives of Beverly Hills. I’m honestly so embarrassed to admit that, but we all have our guilty pleasures, right?! Pure entertainment. I consider them more comedies than anything 😉
Anyway, stopping by and seeing Kyle’s store was essential for us. The clothes were crazy expensive like everything else, but ridiculously soft. I don’t know if I have ever felt such soft clothing in my life.
Don’t mind us, we’re just casually drooling over these dresses.
There were also some gorgeous hotels we popped into to check out!
After walking around there for a while we went to get the classic Hollywood sign landmark!!!! I was ecstatic when the renowned block letters came into view. I’m such a sucker for the touristy attractions.
The Boomerangs were our favorite!
And, of course, we made our way to the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
Our last stop was the Bel-Air House, but we needed some coffee from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to give us a pick-me-up. (Peet’s still takes the cake 😉 ).
We then headed back to our Air BnB to get ready!
The excitement could not be contained. We were finally going to SUR!!!! If you watch the show, you know this is a huge deal. If you don’t, then just don’t mind me while I lose my cool a bit.
When we arrived we didn’t have reservations, and there were only three tables that were “First come, first serve”. It looked like a group of married couples was about to leave, so we asked them if they were. They said they might leave soon, but weren’t committing. However, they said we could sit with them if we wanted to to order food! It was incredibly kind of them to offer. We finally were able to get some grub- we were STARVING.
We all agreed we had to try the famous goat cheese balls. I’ve got to say, they were even better than I had anticipated. If you are ever in WEHO, you MUST stop in SUR for an order of goat cheese balls. We also tried the ahi tuna and Dani & Tammy tried the sliders. It was all insanely delicious.
Now, I know many of you are wondering, “Well did you see any of them (the cast)?”. The answer is a big ole’ YES! We didn’t see many waiters or waitresses, but we saw Peter, Ken, Lisa, and Giggy! We were all fan-girling so hard.
Here is Lisa walking out of SUR…
WEHO is popping in the evening. We walked around the strip, stopped in a few different places, and then were hungry once again since we hadn’t had a huge dinner. We stopped by Mel’s Drive In for one of the best veggie burgers/milkshakes/and sweet potato fry meals before heading home! I had wanted to try Mel’s for a while, and it certainly lived up to the hype. I can’t wait to take DJ there.
^This picture above was taken at Mel’s and was basically me the entire trip- on the lookout for celebs.
I am going to work on part 2 tomorrow! There is way more to come, way more celebrity sightings, and wayyyy more fun to record! See you then!
Blog Birthdays:
Susie @ SusieOpinions on February 14th- I’m so sorry I’m so late, but I hope your birthday was absolutely spectacular!!
xo <3
Love coffee bean and tea leaf!!!! Oh and that cotton candy is ridiculous! Get out of here with that mess! 😉
Hahhaha – right?!?! I couldn’t get over it! SO CRAZY!
Hi Mack ,pics are amazing specially green latte
Awww! I’m so glad you like it 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, dear!
It’s all my pleasure
Holy guacamole how awesome is that cotton candy?!?!?
It looks like you had the most incredible time!
It was AWESOME!!!! Thanks for reading, Naomi! <3
Hmm, I’ve been hacked – I didn’t post this!
Oh no! Well at least it was a nice comment…. haha. Would you like me to delete it?!
No that’s fine, at least the hackers were polite whilst violating my privacy! Oh dear!
Thanks xx
Oh goodnessss! Haha. Have a great weekend- I’ll let you know if I see any other fishy activity!
Great photos, Mack! LA is always a great time! There’s always so much to do and see there! I haven’t gone in about six years now! That shake and cotton candy look really good! I like the photos of the Hollywood stars and Beverly Hills! I see the Louis Vuitton store in the background! 😍
I am now officially a BIG fan of that city! I can’t wait to explore more- do you have any suggestions if I get the chance to go again?! Also- Mel’s Drive In has the best milkshake around!!! It was PHENOMENAL! I highly recommend grabbing a shake from there next time you’re in Cali! And yesss I was drooooling over the different stores! So funnnn! I hope you are having a great week, Lisa:)
Last time I went, I took my son and my ex. My son was 5 so we took him to Disneyland and Universal Studios. Those places are fun for anyone! I also like going to Chinatown and the Hello Kitty store! Lol. There’s a comedy club I really want to check out there too. I can’t remember the name of it though! Going to Venice Beach is interesting to say the least! Lol.
YESS! I want to go to Disneyland and Universal badly! Except I have this agreement with myself that I will finish the Harry Potter series first- HA! And I didn’t realize there was another Chinatown there too?! I’ll have to look into that! I am ALWAYS down for a great comedy club, so if you remember send it my way 🙂 And the two places we didn’t make it to were Venice Beach and Santa Monica pier- NEXT TIME. Another trip is definitely a must with all there is to do there!
Lol. I think I’m on book 3 of the Harry Potter series! I haven’t been to the updated Universal Studios with it yet. Oh yea…that comedy club is called The Laugh Factory. There’s several but that’s the one I was thinking of. Going to LA never gets old! I have family there too so I get to visit them. This might sound cheesy but when I was a kid, I liked going to Medieval Times. It’s like a family dinner show with knights, jousting on horses. You eat your food without utensils. 😂
Yayyyy! Okay, I’m writing down “Laugh Factory” right now. I love a good comedy! And YESS! Not cheesy at all, those are so fun! I went one time in eighth grade and DJ has been a few times- we always said it as a fun experience!!!!!! Also I loved in India how we ate without utensils, and it was honestly hard for me to go back to using a fork after that. Hahah!
Ha ha! Wow you went to India?? That must’ve been an experience of a lifetime!
YES! It truly was! I’ve been meaning to make a post for SO long about it. I will one day! 🙂 It was incredible!!
Oh my gosh Mackensie, what a fun girls weekend !! From seeing the peacock( Poor Tammy!) to air b&b( I got to try it) the wonderful food . I bet riding the bull was fun. That is some awesome cotton candy! Rodeo Drive brings back memories from when I was there in 1999 , I know I am showing my age! But again it lokks so much fun , fun fun, I wish I was there with you! Big hugs, Terri.
Awwwww thank you for stopping in, Terri, and sharing our adventure with us!!!! It was a blast beginning to end (part 2 is posted now- wooohoo!). I wonder how much it’s all changed since you have gone! I think it’s time for a trip back to find out;) Hehe! *HUGS*
Ahh Mackenzie what a fabulous weekend!! Loved all the pics!!! Green latte and Cotton candy pics wow!!! Such fun to see these places with a great bunch of girls. Great pics at the Hollywood sign. Loved it all 🙂
Awww thanks for reading, Anna!!!! My mouth waters at the thought of the Green Tea latte, it was soooo delish! Writing these posts is making me reminisce hardcore. I can’t wait to go back!!! Hope all is well- I can’t wait to hop over and see what you are up to 🙂
What a fun read! We used to live really close to where you stayed and the Urth Cafe in BH was (and is) my daughter’s favorite place to have lunch with me. Last time I was there I ran into Mike Tyson and took a pic with him. Crazy!
NO WAY!!!! A pic with Mike Tyson would be SO cool. I hear that a lot of people are spotted at Urth- I totally get why- it’s amazing! I am envious that you actually lived in that area. It’s AMAZING! (I do feel like I fit in better with the folk up here in San Francisco though!)…. but there is something about BH that is certainly intoxicating!!! Have such a great weekend!
EEEK I’ve been eagerly awaiting for these LA posts as I was watching all your snapchats!!! I literally adore you and your sassy little hair toss in your video in front of the Hollywood sign LOL yas girl, work it! Your friends jumping up and down was such a cute one too. Did you guys get to do the Wax Museum? That was one thing I wanted to do while I was out there (uh 4 years ago) but we ended up doing the Riply’s Museum, which was still cool. You and your girl friends look like such a blast to hang out with! Your outfit choices are so cute too, the olive green dress you’re wearing….okay girl I see youuu! I also see the cotton candy mound like goodness!!!! I gotta know, how much of that did you finish!? I’ve always been a skeptic over Air BnB too- I creepishly always in the back of my mind think of like crazy “Taken” scenarios that could happen if I stayed in one but honestly, everyone that I know that’s done it raves about how awesome it was and how nice the place they stayed at was. Andrew and I were thinking of doing one out in Napa somewhere for 1 night but I was like IDK I’m scared! haha I’m a tad dramatic.. but now I’m thinking we should’ve! Anyways, enough ranting lol can’t wait to read part dos…and possibly tres!!!
xo, JJ
Hehehe!!!! GIRL. Wait real quick- I am OBSESSED with bitmojis!!! I can’t stop. Hahahha. You’ve got me hooked. And you are too sweet- we had fun being a bit sassy on our trip- I feel like you can get away with that in Hollywood, right?! 😉 We didn’t get to do the Wax Museum, unfortunately, and I want to SO bad as well. Add it to our list?!? And we didn’t make it to Venice Beach or Santa Monica Pier- so those are all essentials. Another trip is a must! I’m thankful for these chicas! I wasn’t sure if I would make solid down-to-earth friends moving out here (you know “those californians” hahah), but there are tons of super cool people here. I had a real misconception! Also- I found a new store in the mall called COTTON ON where I found that dress- it’s like if forever21 and urban outfitters had a baby. The clothes are SO quality, but reasonably priced!! And we didn’t make even a noticeable dent in the cotton candy, sadly. I wish I liked it more because it was FREE (welll the second one), but we offered it to people walking by and made a few friends so that was fine. Haha. And I was in the same boat with Air BnB! After this experience though I’m a big fan. I don’t think we could have stayed anywhere cheaper that nice. It was awesome! Thanks for stopping in, sugar! <3 xoxo
Girls Roadtrip!!!!
Looks like you gals really had so much fun.
I love running through the streets of new places I visit, too – you get to see so much, usually earlier in the day when it is less crowded.
The food pics also look so yummy!
It was SUCH a blast, Ju-Lyn!!!! Isn’t running through places the best way to really soak it all in?! I love it! I am the exact same way! And glad you liked the food pics! So good to hear from you, dear! Hope all is well 🙂
All is well! And it is good to hear from you, too! Sounds like lots of exciting things are going on …. I love that you had the chance to take a trip before you start work! Enjoy the new job!
Awww thank you so much 🙂
That looks like so much fun! I’ve not been to California. My kids keep asking to go. They think the want to live in LA. I have a friend from high school who teaches yoga out there.
I have another from high school who has photos of him with Lisa Vanderpump.
Glad to hear Air B&B went well. I’ve been too skeptical to use them yet
I think you DEFINITELY need to make a trip, Amy!!!!!!! I love LA, but I don’t know if I could live there! Are your children aspiring actors/models/etc.?! That’s awesome your friend had pictures with Lisa. Whattt a dream!!!!!! I was SUPER skeptical about Air B&B, but I think the fact that we had such a smooth experience is changing the way I thought about it a bit! I think the research is the most important part!! Hope you are having a beautiful start to your week <3
I don’t think living in LA is anywhere on my list 🙂 My boys are intrigued because of the beach life. We lived on the East Coast of Florida before moving to Virginia. And they hear it’s much better out there. Personally, I’m not a fan of crowded cities. Glad to hear that about Air B&B. Hope your week is beautiful as well!
That makes sense!!!!!! The beaches are amazing there!!!! I’m not a fan of the crowded cities either- fun to live close to, but I don’t think I could ever live IN one. Happy Wednesday!
I need that cotton candy! Need it. It’s a medical thing. You should go back, get me two or three, and mail them STAT! And you girls are all just adorable! What a great trip!
Hahhaha. Elizabeth, your comments ALWAYS make me lol. I think that’s a perfect excuse for me to get the girls together again and head back. If you see a giant cloud of pink heading toward your home, you’ll know where it’s coming from 😉
I’ll start looking!
Seriously, it looks this really was one weekend for the books! From that cotton candy, to the AirBnB, and the whole LA experience with your friends! I loved looking at all of these pictures. I feel like there’s seriously so much to do in California, let alone LA. Amazing!
Also, I’m jealous you got to visit a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf store! What did you get?! Was it any good? I want to try coffee from all the coffee shops in America, haha.
It was SUCH a good weekend, and so last minute! I love how the spontaneous trips sometimes can just be the most fun! At the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf I had a cafe au lait with almond milk- not gonna lie, it was pretty bad. I’m a firm supporter of Peet’s, and that didn’t compare! My friend has been many times and had an iced coffee that had only like two ice cubes. She said this was an unusually bad experience for them, so I definitely want to go to another one to try it again! If you ever go to LA you will have no difficulty finding one of these- they seem to be on every single corner!!!! I admire your aspirations!!!!!! LOVE THAT! What’s your favorite?! Hope you are having a great week, lady! xoxo
You make me want to visit LA now! I love love LOVE your pics! They look like they belong in a magazine! Urth looks like coffee heaven! And I love the Coffee Bean! There are several here in the city. I love window shopping and looking at the clothes prices! And girl your outfits were so on point! Loved that cold shoulder top you wore! 🙌🏻😍💗
LA is AMAZING! You would LOVE it, I just know it! And thank youuu! I discovered this new store in the mall that I’m obsessed with called COTTON ON. Have you heard of it? That’s where that top is from! xo
It is going on my list now! 🙂 No I haven’t but I am going to have to surf the web and check it out! It is gorgeous! I hope you have a great weekend beauty! <3