Travel Notes from Los Angeles

So I'm back from Los Angeles and had a great week out there! I stayed at The Farmer's Daughter on Fairfax Ave. in West Hollywood,  since it was a great location for me to hang out as I had work in the area so the location was prime and the hotel was great! A real gem! I really liked their adjacent restaurant, TART, and the patio area -- we had breakfast there a few times and really enjoyed it -- so fresh and delicious. Even if you don't stay at the hotel, you should hit TART to eat and drink.

The Farmer's Daughter

We had a special dinner at TART one night with the book designer and oh la la the cocktails were divine, especially the raspberry Tartini. :) Those came in handy after long days on shoots! Across the street from the hotel is the Original Farmers Market which is this large outdoor area packed with food "kitchens" and plenty of seating. Most of the food was locally sourced and most places seemed to be owned by small, local businesses but there was a pinkberry and a few other chains as well but I liked the mashup of things and enjoyed having so many great meals at super affordable prices directly across the street.

The Farmer's Daughter

The Farmer's Daughter

Also next to the farmers market I found a massive outdoor shopping area with a big Barnes + Noble, Anthropologie, Nordstrom (they had a killer sale that week and yes, I picked up some things), movie theater, more restaurants, J.Crew, I could list the stores but I don't want to bore you - you get the drift. Being a tourist and out of the country for nearly a year, it was fun to shop at some of my favorite big box stores because we don't have the same stores here in Germany and when I was in New York City the week before, I had little time to shop as we had 7 shoots in one week. Anyhoo -- I loved that The Farmer's Daughter hotel was within walking distance to so much because L.A. traffic is brutal and the less time I am bored in a car the happier I am!

So if you're ever in L.A. and need a clean, inexpensive hotel with all the basics, great customer service, on-site safe parking, and walking distance to tons of great places to shop and eat then perhaps you'll like this place. It was suggested to me by Victoria from SFGirlByBay and also another fab lady, Annie May from Yolksy -- thanks, ladies! I needed a great place to stay, put a cry for help out on my facebook page, and they suggested a great one. Loved it and will definitely stay again!

LA Trip Highlights

Other great LA spots I hit: Dinner with Leslie Shewring and some other nice peeps at Katsuya on Hollywood and Vine (lots of paparazzi there, very Hollywoodish), the Santa Monica pier and 3rd street promenade (I saw Bruce Willis! For real!), an afternoon on Hermosa Beach just chillin', dinner with Paul and Marcia from Zia Priven at R+D Kitchen (yum) in Santa Monica, the Getty Museum (gorgeous views and great places to lay in the sun and eat your lunch!), and a slew of random vintage shops and boutiques though I barely had a moment to really "enjoy" any of them as I was constantly on the go but that is how business trips usually are, right? Next time I'm in L.A. though I am organizing a meet and greet because I wanted to hang out with so many of my friends and had no time to do it. Next Spring, for sure!

I'm getting close to wrapping up the travel portion of this book project by the way -- next week I'm off to Belgium and the Netherlands, finishing up in Amsterdam, then I go to London I think the week following and that is it! I can't believe it, I've been on the road since the end of April on and off so I won't know what to do with myself being back at home so much - ha ha! I've enjoyed this experience immensely but I've really missed connecting online so I look forward to hanging out with you guys more often going forward. :)

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Oh and a big P.S. -- I cannot forget to tell ya -- if you are in the Los Angeles area, then don't miss the Designer Tag Sale organized by Vanessa De Vargas in Brentwood on July 31st, here is more information in case you are lucky enough to make it!

(images: holly becker for decor8)

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