I feel so, so grateful for my life. I’m so blessed, and one of those blessings comes in the form of my beautiful, talented, unicorn of a sister. And she’s getting married to the most wonderful man! So when she heard there was a pop up bridal event in LA, we booked tickets and packed our bags.
Friday night we and jetted off to the nearby coastal city. We stopped by the grocery to grab the goods we needed for our stay – bananas, kombucha(!), some persimmons and carrots, hummus, filtered water, and a few other snacks to stock our hotel room.
Carrera Cafe | West Hollywood | Cappuccino
Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and drove out to West Hollywood to wait in line for Loho Bride’s trunk sale. While waiting, we found a cafe that makes the most insta-worthy lattes I’ve ever seen. The cappuccino was average, but it definitely looked good.
We also met some of the sweetest people ever while waiting in line! Stewart and Connie are kind-hearted people and talented wedding photographers from LA, and we had a wonderful time chatting with them about all things wedding. They gave us a number of restaurant recommendations for our stay. Lucky us! Sarah tried on all the dresses, but nothing stuck out, so we hopped over to Bao House to grab lunch with my friend Matt.
Bao House | West Hollywood | Assorted Dim Sum
I’m sure there are better/more authentic dim sum spots in LA (including a few that Stewart and Connie recommended), but Bao House was closeby, we were starving, and satisfied my endless craving for dim sum (for now). We ordered a bunch of things: crystal shrimp dumplings, xiao long bao, chicken and spinach dumplings, spicy chicken dumplings, miso chicken and chives shumai, bbq pork buns, fried rice, chow fun, and egg custard tarts. The spicy chicken dumplings were yummy, as were the xiao long bao and bbq pork buns.
Blue Bottle Coffee | West Hollywood | House Brew
Next we grabbed another coffee at Blue Bottle, which was divine. I had the holiday brew with a splash of oat milk and proclaimed my love for LA cafes with their alternative milks and chic decor.
Sunday morning we made our way to Rose Ave. in Venice. I love LA, especially some of the areas around Venice Beach. Every shop on Abbott Kinney is #goals, and Rose Ave. is home to mindful eateries, Ceremony Meditation, and so many boutique shops that are fun to browse – plus it’s close to Kippy’s. Oh, you haven’t heard of Kippy’s??
Kippy’s | Venice | Guilt-Free Ice Cream
Kippy’s is the mecca of dairy-free ice cream. Somehow, they craft coconut ice cream with all natural ingredients that’s sugar free, dairy free, gluten free, and guilt-free. Kippy’s ice creams are sweetened with either honey or dates (no refined sugar here!), and all of the flavors are created from that actual flavor – imagine that – strawberry ice cream made from strawberries! This isn’t an ad for Kippy’s, just a love note. If you are ever in LA and you care about high-quality craft ice cream, then Kippy’s must be on your list. Then please message me and tell me how much you loved it.
Okay, so we got Kippy’s out of the way almost immediately, because priorities. After perusing the shops on Rose, we went to the beach to chill and watch the sunset. Isn’t it amazing that every single day the sun dips below the horizon and creates a majestic show for us to enjoy? Every day, orange and pink and yellow rays stretch across the sky and celebrate another wonderful day of life.
Abbott Kinney Shops | Venice | Pressed Juicery, Saje, Gjelina Takeaway
As the sun continued its descent and dusk fell over Venice Beach, we drove up to Abbott Kinney and I feel in love with every. single. shop. We had juices and golden milks from Pressed Juicery. I found an essential oil at Saje that smells like the essence of the jungle, as if Mother nature had a perfume (yes, seriously). We ate amazing pizza and roasted broccolini at Gjelina Takeaway. And we gazed at honestly, the most lovely goods ever. Each shop on that street is a dream. I even fell in love with lotion. I’m tellin’ ya!
We collapsed into our beds with the weight of a long day of exploring and fell into a deep sleep.
On Monday morning, we took our time eating breakfast at the hotel and then drove to Manhattan Beach for the day. Whoa, the homes. They are lovely and huge and beachfront! We dipped in a few shops and then dipped our toes in the sand. Molly, my mom’s tiny chihuahua, galloped and jumped and rolled in the sand. She delighted in chasing after seagulls and ran, terrified, away from the waves. It was an entertaining sight – a 4 pound (1.8 kg) chihuahua scattering a flock of birds.
The Izaka-Ya by Katsu-Ya | Manhattan Beach | Sushi Lunch Special, Izakaya Plate
After Yelping to find a lunch restaurant, we walked in to Izaka-Ya and Sarah and I looked at each other with the realization that we had been here before! I was so excited to have sushi. We decided to split the sushi lunch special and the Izakaya plate, with a few exceptions, and they were excellent. I haven’t had sushi that divine in way too long, and spent the following days dreaming of it. Their lunch specials are shockingly affordable and I wish we had a location in Arizona.
Last, but certainly not least, we headed to Pressed Juicery one last time.
Pressed Juicery | Manhattan Beach | Juices and Nut Milks
I had to grab one last juice for the road, but then Pressed Juicery was hosting a fantastic deal: 3 juices and 3 premium waters for $20 bucks. You know I had to. My mom and I ended up splitting the deal – I got two juices (greens 5 and golden milk) with a chlorophyll h2o. They were so delicious – greens 5 makes me want to go salsa dancing, and the golden milk is a fantastic morning pick-me-up.
That’s a wrap on our recent trip to LA! No wedding dress, but plenty of memories.
