LA is like that friend that you only like in short doses, or so it would appear since I never stay there very long. Since Cerra was there for a work shoot, I flew down Saturday morning for her birthday weekend. I scored a non exit row seat on the plane that had tons of leg room and easily caught a bus to Santa Monica for exactly $1 (Big Blue Bus will be your best friend from LAX). Cerra’s hotel, Viceroy Santa Monica, was only a couple blocks from the bus stop. Easiest trip ever. The hotel interior was really spectacular, and when I got to Cerra’s room on the top floor with a full ocean view & huge marble shower, it definitely felt like vacation. It’s likely the only time in my life I’ll ever stay in a room that goes for over $400, for free. With a room like that, I didn’t mind that Santa Monica was completely fogged over for most of my trip.

We met up with some of her co-workers and had brunch at Coast. Our level of hunger made us opt for a window-side seat vs the outdoor space. We still enjoyed an interesting view of cyclists, skaters, and chihuahuas wearing sunglasses going by on the path outside. One of the girls knew the chef, so he sent out free mimosas for our table. Food was really good. I found a new love of wild blueberry spread on accident. Grape is my default jelly and always has been. I only grabbed that jar because I thought it was a little symbol of grapes. Turns out grapes & blueberries look a lot alike in miniature graphics hehe. I was a total fan and just found a jar at Safeway, which mentioned it was created using the French method, same as the jar at the restaurant. Sure enough, taste is the same. I also noticed it’s made with grape juice, so no wonder I like it.

In the evening, the production company for her work shoot was taking the team to dinner. I was fortunate enough to be able to join. We dressed up and piled in cabs to Soho House West Hollywood (definitely look at their photos, since we couldn’t take any photos inside), a members only club on Sunset Blvd. We walked through a back entrance in a parking garage, rode up to the 18th floor in the plushest elevator I’ve ever seen, and made our way up the marble staircase to the lounge area, where a flowing view of the lights of LA greeted us through the glass walls. After a drink, we walked over to the rooftop garden for dinner. From our table, we had the same view of LA behind us and a view of trees with lights & candles inside.

There were about six different appetizers and a few different desserts for the table. For the entree, most of us went for the bone-in ribeye with chimichurri. I never eat steak anymore so this meal was a rare treat. Having grown up in a house where farm-raised beef was served on a weekly basis, I know a good cut of meat when I see it. It was huge, delicious, and perfectly cooked. I didn’t even touch the sides to save room to eat as much of it as possible. My wine glass was filled back up literally the moment I would take the last sip. I don’t even like wine, but an amazing white was ordered for the table and my glass was refilled at least 10x. Thank goodness for the huge steak or I might have blacked out haha. We were truly wined & dined. The production company guys were all British and full of great stories. The director was seated across from me, and so it was my moment of glory to introduce myself as a video editor to a real director and talk about Final Cut. I fought the urge to caveat my introduction and acted as if it’s what I’d always done. I have to embrace it. I still have to pause a minute when people ask what I do heh. Cerra, her writing partner, and I were exhausted so we left soon after dinner, around 12:30am, but not before spotting some stars in the lounge area. It was an incredible evening.

Unfortunately, I woke up at 5:30am, wide awake. I blame all the alcohol. We spent most the day in the hotel room anyway so it was a chill day. Cerra ordered us pancakes from room service and then we had a late lunch at Cha Cha Chicken, which was literally across the street from the hotel. It was great Caribbean food and a cool patio space. I had the jerk chicken enchilada. It was way spicy, though, so I’ll know to get the sour cream next time. My biggest regret of the trip was not going back to sample the strawberry mint drink of the day, which I didn’t notice existed until after I’d ordered. Great spot & very reasonably priced, if you’re ever in the area, though. (It’s the triangular orange building in my photos of the view.)

I hopped back on the Big Blue Bus for my return trip to LAX. The bus takes you to a bus station just outside LAX, where you catch a free shuttle to the terminals. I asked the shuttle driver a stupid question, which I felt dumb about for the entirety of the shuttle ride. Turns out, I was the last one to be dropped off, so the driver started chatting me up, asking where I was flying to and why I’d been in town. He was definitely hitting on me, and he was pretty cute (see Taye Diggs). He pulled up to my stop and said, “I can’t believe you’re leaving me already.” haha

I used a mobile boarding pass for the first time ever, which is my new favorite thing. I was able to check in to my flight & choose my seats during my 5:30 AM insomnia. I just had to hold my phone over the scanners at the entrance to security & boarding the plane. Of course, I found an aspect to fret about…what if my phone dies or AT&T service fails?? I’m sure the counter could just print me out a paper one, but I needed something to worry about :)

The captain came out to announce that our flight was being grounded due to an air traffic back up in SF from the fog. I’d never heard a group of people in the terminal all simultaneously sigh before, when he said our departure time could be pushed back almost 2 hours. I was really happy with the way they handled it though. The counter lady tried boarding us anyway and the captain was like, “let them stay out here where they can stretch their legs.” Thank you. We ended up getting in the air earlier than they thought we would, though, and didn’t have to hold before landing, so I only got in an hour late. Jeremiah had to come get me at the airport. We had a bit of a mix-up happen. I took him to the airport, but we got stuck in traffic from construction (at 6 AM on a Saturday). I ended up having to drop myself off first as to not miss my flight and he parked my car. None of it was a big deal until we ended up never crossing paths in LA. Therefore, when he caught an earlier flight home, I was a bit panicked about how I was going to get my keys back. It all worked out, though. He had fun driving my car around, and I enjoyed not having to drive home in my exhausted state.

All in all, it was a fun last minute weekend trip. Like Kali told me, I should enjoy that I have a lifestyle which lets me decide to fly to LA with 3 days notice. And, I do.