LOST BREAD & FLYING SHEEP

There were a few unique gems that we managed to discover in LA.

The Farmer's Daughter Hotel-

One of those newer genres of design centric budget hotels. It's a renovated old motel on Fairfax in Hollywood. You can tell all the money went into the public spaces. They manage to bring a modern twist to the farm theme. They even provide lemonade & potato chips at the front desk. The room is much simpler. Kitschy extras like the flying sheep art & the tiny wooden red stool definitely bring some interest to the space. They certainly provided us with some good photo ops...

We had brunch at the hotel's restaurant, Tart, on Saturday. Unlike most hotel restaurants, it does seem to hold its own in the city. We ate outside under the big market umbrellas. Good food & a great atmosphere. I'd definitely recommend it on a sunny morning.

Comme Ca-

I admit it, I give any restaurant with a French name a few extra points, but this one did actually deserve them. The food was amazing! I had a roasted beet salad with pistachio encrusted goat cheese & a horseradish cream sauce. Soooo good! Based on my friend's reactions, I'd say the Pain Perdue ("Lost Bread"- otherwise known as creme brulee french toast) was equally as delicious. As a designer, the interior is practically as important as the food & the service and they did not disappoint. The interior is all black and white with just a few subtle red accents and the stark contrast is quite striking. The chalkboard wall of quotes & sketches ties it all together nicely. There were several sayings that caught my eye, but I think my favorite was, "How can one make friends without exquisite dishes?" Indeed... I highly recommend a visit.

ROAD TRIP! WOOHOO!

There doesn't seem to be a more fitting way to spend the most American of holidays than going on a road trip- the quintessential American vacation. My friends and I decided it would be too depressing to spend another freezing 4th of July bundled in blankets and catching flashes of fireworks through the fog here in San Francisco, so we piled into a minivan and headed down to LA. No true road trip would be complete without a fast-food stop (since you have no other options) and don't forget to spice things up with a few cartwheels to get the blood flowing while making a rest stop.

The road trip seems particularly appropriate for LA, mainly because its practically impossible to get anywhere without a car there. It was my first visit. We kind of threw things together on the fly and didn't do a lot of research, hoping it would be easy to stumble across some more unique parts of town, but unfortunately we ended up basically doing the top 10 most touristy things there. It's not an agenda I would recommend. I found myself completely unimpressed. Hollywood Boulevard was so dirty and every time we asked for suggestions on what places to check out we seemed to get directions to the nearest outdoor shopping area. I felt like I was lost in a sea of strip malls. I know there has to be more to it than that, I'll just have to get better suggestions for the return trip.

We still had a wonderful time. There's nothing better than goofing off with friends and it was great to get a taste of real summer weather.

It was definitely a weird feeling spending so much time in a vehicle again. I gave mine up 2-1/2 years ago when I moved to the city and I really don't have cause to spend long periods of time in them anymore. So, despite all the fun we had, I was definitely ready to get back out of the car and on my feet again. I was happy to be home.