melair

So, the first year I lived here I had no desire nor interest in driving into LA.  First of all, there were plenty of things close by to explore that I’d never seen before.  Secondly, the traffic is terrible.  More terrible than Atlanta?  Some days.  Some days less terrible…but it ain’t a hop, skip or a jump anyway you drive it.

After driving to San Diego many times however, and of course driving around Orange County plenty, I was getting antsy.  Not to mention, the more you drive it, the less daunting the drive becomes.  And each drives means you’ve figured out one more place to explore in LA.  And so it was…

Most trips, though not all trips, somehow involve my friend Candy.  She used to live in Hollywood (but before that, Nashville y’all) and loves going back.  She also has a husband that teaches (not at UCI) and she lives in Buena Park, which is about 30-40 minutes north of me and much closer to LA.  On one recent outing we went to a play in LA based on the Alice in Wonderland story.  This all happened to be a couple of days before her birthday, so as my treat, I asked her to pick a breakfast, brunch, lunch or bakery spot where we might get a bite before the show and where she might get a nice sweet treat to kick off her birthday week.

We ended up at Aunti Em’s for brunch, and Candy got a nice fat red velvet cupcake to get the party started.

The play started out leaving me and Candy like deer in headlights.  However, after the first act we were pretty engaged and entertained.  Though I’m certain no one will will know what I’m talking about, I’ll go out on a limb and declare it a perfect stage version of Alice in Wonderland meets Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Inside the Bootleg Theater

After the play was over, Candy was so gracious as to drive me around for a little sight seeing.  She showed me the apartment she used to live in and a mini tour of Hollywood.  We also stopped into a cool little coffee shop in Hollywood called Bourgeois Pig (hehe).  After a little green chai and a nice conversation, we went to one of Candy’s favorite Indian restaurants for some samosas and curry.

Also near the Bourgeois Pig

Hmmm…I am realizing, as I think about this day and the other adventures I’ll be filling you in on that there may be more reasons than Valentine’s weekend as to why I am on diet pills.