Memorial Day 2019 in LA ⋆ blonde & bubbly ⋆ Travel

Happy Friday Eve everyone! This week is going by pretty quickly & I’m looking forward to a nice, low-key weekend at home. It’s going to rain all day Saturday & Sunday so I’m going to take that opportunity to clean the apartment & catch up on TV! Below I’m sharing all about my Memorial Day 2019 in LA!

I spent Memorial Day in LA while Tristan went to Malta (small island country off the coast of Italy, in case you are as clueless as me!) for work. I was super excited to get back to LA but slightly bummed because the weather wasn’t great. For anyone who’s new here, I lived in LA for 3 years & moved back to NC (where I’ve from) 3 years ago. I miss LA a lot but we’ve made it a tradition to go back each year for either Memorial Day or Fourth of July. Last year we were there for Memorial Day & it was hot & sunny, but this time around it was in the 60s. It was still kind of a nice break from the sweltering NC heat & I definitely made the most of it.

I got in late Friday night, Cara picked me up from the airport, & we went to dinner in Hermosa Beach at one of our favorite spots, Fritto Misto. They also have a location in Santa Monica & it’s SO good.

Saturday was super sunny & got up into the high 60s which was great. We decided to spend the day in Venice Beach, starting with brunch at Great White. It was super cute, kind of small yet open, & had excellent healthy options (I had the smoked salmon bowl, super yummy). We walked around the boardwalk a little then headed over to Hotel Erwin’s High Rooftop. I used to go there a lot when I lived in LA so it was nice to go back. They have an amazing view & good cocktails. After leaving there, we walked to Waterfront, a new bar right on the boardwalk, but the line was a mile long so we opted not to wait. From there, we rode scooters over to the Venice Canals, another favorite spot of mine. After walking around there a little, we made our way back to Silverlake. We decided to get Korean BBQ for dinner & went to Road to Seoul in Koreatown. It was great, as KBBQ always is! If you haven’t tried it, I would highly recommend you do so asap.

Sunday was the worst day, weather-wise. We woke up to really overcast skies, cool temps in the high 50s/low 60s, & on/off rain. Cara & I went to brunch at Loupiotte Kitchen, a new French restaurant in Los Feliz. It was delicious! After brunch, I headed downtown to check out The Last Bookstore by myself. It’s a massive place, with books & records downstairs & a gallery & small shops upstairs. You could get lost there for hours, which I did. Right outside of The Last Bookstore was a farmer’s market so I checked it out & grabbed some CBD oil, loose leaf teas, & green juice. Then I walked over to Bottega Louie, my favorite place for macaroons. I got a 5 pack & sat at the bar to enjoy them with a cappuccino. From there, I went over to Echo Park Lake. I lived in Echo Park, right around the corner from the lake, when I first moved to LA & it will always hold a special place in my heart. Later in the afternoon, I decided to head up to Griffith Observatory. After what seemed like a century of driving around, we found a parking spot & got up there just in time for it to start pouring rain! I love the Observatory but the best time to go is early AM or right before it closes (the view with the city lights is beautiful at night). We decided to get ramen for dinner (it was the perfect weather for it) & headed to my all-time favorite restaurant, Silverlake Ramen. Every time I go the wait is longer than the last time, but we decided to wait next door at the Thirsty Crow. We ended up waiting for 2 hours but honestly it was 100% worth it!

Monday was my last day & luckily the weather was nice again! I hiked up to the Secret Swing in Elysian Park early that morning while Cara was at the gym. It’s such a cool spot with a beautiful view of downtown LA. After that, we got ready & headed to Mama Shelter in Hollywood with friends. It was super busy & we had to wait an hour to get up to the rooftop, but it was worth it. The rooftop is beautiful and has an awesome view. Cara & I decided to go downtown to Skyspace around sunset. We both went down the Skyslide, grabbed drinks at the bar, & enjoyed the sunset from 71 stories up. After that we met friends at Bar Caló in Echo Park for appetizers & drinks. It’s a new bar, super cute but extremely tiny. Good food & cocktails!

The next morning I had to leave for the airport at 5am (worst decision ever) & I will never do that to myself again, haha! Overall, it was a great trip & I enjoyed spending Memorial Day 2019 in LA. I was happy to go back to a lot of my favorite spots & also check out some really cool new places.