Roller Skates, Birds, and Beachside Bistros. There's nothing like the drive down PCH from Malibu to Santa Monica to Venice Beach with my youngest cousin, Jade, aka the hippest person I know. Wind in our hair, famous houses on our right, and miles and miles of sand and sea. We head all the way down to Washington BLVD near Marina Del Rey to park and work our way back north on the Venice boardwalk that is currently covered in "Birds" or scooters you can now rent on your smartphone. Our first stop is Figtree's Cafe, a bistro with healthy options and an array of non-alcoholic drinks (and cocktails for those who can drink). I've come here many times for a "salty dog", but this time it was camomile tea for me and a delicious chai latte for Jade. I would also highly recommend the avacado chicken melt and for my vegetarian friends, they've got a killer veggie dagwood (I'm looking at you Ruhi and Alyna!) From lunch, we headed down the boardwalk stopping in the occasional store for some light shopping. My favorite was California Love where I found the cutest onesie complete with a retro VW Van printed on the front. I also indulged in a cute California Love bib and had to resist the urge to buy the pink one with the roller skate because we still don't know if it's a boy or a girl... Jade, being much hipper than me, wanted to check out Gotta Have It, a Venice Beach vintage treasure that will have you thinking of Nasty Gal Girl Boss, Sophia Amoruso. Inside we gushed over leather jackets, brightly colored accessories, sequined dresses, and even vintage Chanel bags. Finally, we walked back to our car at Washington, eating ice cream cones and posing in front of the sunset.
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Cabanas, Piña Coladas, & SpeakeasiesDay two started out unassuming and ended with a bang! We began the day by rolling out of bed around 9am for breakfast. Being pregnant, I needed to eat immediately, so Royce and I headed up to the 69th floor for a breakfast from heaven at Dekkadance, the hotel's international eatery. We were instantly wowed by the floor to ceiling city views and lengths and lengths of breakfast buffet options. Royce and I headed to the buffet line and waited patiently for fresh Eggs Benedict to be prepared. There were pancakes, and french toast, and omelets... oh my! I loaded up on two Eggs Benny and grabbed a grapefruit. A waiter brought us drinks, and we noticed a few members of a K-pop group dining near us. We headed back up to the room where the rest of the girls ordered room service to die for. After breakfast and a quiet morning, we headed to the pool and enjoyed a cabana suite on the 7th floor. Surrounded by city views, we sipped piña coladas and champagne poolside. A live band played beach-y covers of our favorite songs as we ate lobster avocado toast. After some fun in the sun, we got dressed up for our evening. Que the false lashes, "Team Bride" temporary tattoos, themed buttons, and cocktail dresses. We started our evening at "The Little Easy", a New Orleans style restaurant with victorian furniture and bumping music. We waited in a separate bar area while our table was prepared. Then we were led down a hallway into a room complete with a fountain and a private curtained dining area that felt more like a lounge than a restaurant. We ordered everything from Gumbo to Chicken & Waffles and I was happy to see a list of "mocktails" on the menu. Finally, we ended our night at Clifton's, the type of one-of-a-kind club you can only find in a city like LA. This place featured everything from an open three-story nightclub, to a 40's swing dancing room, to a Tiki Bar themed speakeasy. We entered into a room that could only be described as a an urban jungle full of flowing streams and self proclaimed "cabinets of curiosities". Ahead of us, was a massive club, and up an old country club style wooden stair case, was a room filled with 40's swing and what I can only assume were professional swing dancers. I was asked to dance and then instructed on the Charleston where I "graciously" stepped on a poor stranger's feet for the length of a song. Covered in smiles, I thanked him and headed back to the girls. We danced to club music in the "Gothic Bar" and worked our way to the Tiki Bar in the back, waiting patiently to get in. Once inside, the private decorated alcoves, and quiet bar was well worth the wait.
![]() Pink tinsel, confetti balloons, and Jeffrey Campbell glitter heels... It's almost here! In less than a month, Morgan Hall will become Morgan Cullari! (Let's take a moment to acknowledge how much we love her fiesty, spicy, super loyal fiance, Antonio. It's not every bachelorette that turns out this spectacular, and its why I have to give Royce Nelson and Kiki Williams a sincere thank you for planning such an amazing event. Friday evening began by checking into our hotel room at the Intercontinental downtown. To say this place is high tech, is an understatement. We arrive and are directed to the 70th floor to check in. Surrounded by little figurine art, we head to the first elevator. Check in is gorgeous with floor to ceiling windows and a view of Los Angeles like I've never seen. It's quite ego boosting to be looking "down" at the Ritz. We're directed to another set of elevators and punch in our destination on a digital flat screen to request our elevator. Our ears pop a second time on our way down to our room on the 41st floor. We arrive upon a rosegold tinsel door and Morgan knows it's for her! Inside the room is floor to ceiling windows, a view of the city's best helicopter pads, and a heck of a suite complete with an automatic HEATED toilet! From the leather stitched pillows, to the marble bathroom floors, this place is everything posh. The party begins with a meet and greet and some ice breakers as Morgan's friends from East to West Coast all arrive. We've got drinks, chicken wraps, hummus, and the entire hotel's supply of ice buckets filled with champagne. Later that evening, we head up to Spire 73 on the roof of our hotel. The open-air bar is the tallest of its kind in the western hemisphere. Take that New York! Surrounded by 360 view of the city lights, we order lush cocktails (or in my case, mocktails) and spread out throughout the intimate bar conversing with each other over life, men, and new business ventures. It becomes evident that Morgan keeps only the most interesting of friends. We're offered shots, the single girls lead on a few guys, Morgan cat-crawls on a bench, EDM plays, girls cluster into groups by the view, we huddle under crosshatch canopies, and finally we gather everyone for a night cap at the lobby bar. Those of us staying in the hotel stay up late catching up and getting to know one another. We sleep like babies. Spent this morning on a light walk with my MIL and enjoyed some beautiful home-spiration from the city's best seaside suburb, Torrance.
This sweet neighborhood is nicknamed "Candy Cane Lane". In the winter, it's strung up with thousands of lights and Christmas decorations, and crowds of people walk door-to-door sipping the hot cocoa that's sold on the street. This time of year, the crooked trees and manicured lawns lend to show off the variety of architecture in the area. From cottage-y cape cods, to restored craftsmans, to tiled hispanic mansions, it's not hard to see why this neighborhood is some of LA's most sought after real estate. |
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