If you haven’t read my first post aka my life story post, I am a true blooded Southern California native. This means that the city of Los Angeles is not just a place to visit on occasion, but a full part of my identity. My parents took me to the La Brea tar pits when I was little and we used to attend modeling auditions as I got older. Becoming a teenager meant that I was no longer sheltered by my folks and was fully exposed to the dark underbelly of L.A. and let me tell you- I was in love. Museums and foods and neighborhoods and shops and culture and nightlife-all within reach! And you can fit the city to your current mood whether it be happy and light or dark and dreary, there’s something for everyone. Please keep in mind as you continue to read: we did this entire trip in roughly about 8 hours and walked to each place with little to no effort. Everything is in very close proximity and we only took an uber at one point to avoid the rain.
On this particular day my best friend planned everything, which let’s face it, it’s amazing to just sit back and enjoy the ride that someone else put into play. We started with a drive across the 4th St. bridge into Downtown L.A. to Blue Bottle Coffee. I’m a full-fledged caffeine addict and can be bribed with coffee to do just about anything. Here is where I was told that we were going to the Bradbury Building. It is a beautiful landmark with a traditional Victorian interior. At the moment it is being functionally used for offices, however, the location has also been used for filming. Are you a movie buff? Cool, because I am too! And that also means that you probably recognize this inside of the building from classics like Bladerunner and 500 Days of Summer. While they do not allow you to visit above the first-floor lobby, it does not hinder you from taking in the splendor of the awe-inspiring architecture.
Conveniently enough, across the street from the Bradbury Building is Grand Central Market. Tucked inside are dozens of different food vendors with everything that your taste buds could be craving. We walked over and started the impossible task of determining where to eat. Something I should mention at this point is that in addition to being a movie buff, I was also a theater geek in high school and that love has stayed strong with me into my adult years. Combine these two loves and you get an unhealthy obsession with La La Land (expect a post about this movie soon). Come on, Ryan Gosling singing and dancing his way into Emma Stone’s heart? How can you not love it! I may or may not have seen it three times in theaters. ANYWAY…. here’s how we decided where to eat. In the middle of Grand Central Market is Sarita’s Pupuseria which also happens to be where they filmed a very short scene from La La Land. The food is amazing but that fun fact makes this place even better. And you bet your bottom dollar that we posed for a photo ❤
The motivating factor of visiting L.A. that day was that Amanda made reservations for The Broad, a modern art museum with rotating exhibits including the one we were dying to see. At the time of our visit, The Infinity Mirrored Room by Yayoi Kusama was on view and let me tell you, it is a splendor! If you have ever wanted to know what it feels like to be floating through space while completely surrounded by stars- this is the closest you’ll get to find out. Add a sappy song and you’ve got the making of a cliche best friend video that is so cheesy it’ll make you lactose intolerant (if you’d like to experience said cheesiness, click here).
Even though I’ve been to L.A. a countless amount of times, I had never been to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, home to the iconic L.A. Philharmonic. We took a quick walk around and snapped some photos before it started to rain. The Blue Ribbon Garden is lovely and tranquil and worth a stop if you have the time to spare.
Following the Walk Disney Concert Hall, we traveled over to Angels Flight Railway, a beloved funicular of this part of the city. Local Angelino’s know that the 117-year-old historic spot has been closed for years. First, it was closed from 2001 to 2010 due to a fatal accident, and then again from 2013 to 2017 due to potentially dangerous safety issues. At the time of our visit, which was February 2017, it had not yet opened so Amanda and I took advantage of the empty landing and took a look around. The arches at the top and bottom of the railway are separated by 298 feet of track and two cars, named Sinai and Olivet run opposite directions to carry passengers from Hill Street to California Plaza. It also happens to be where another short scene from La La Land was filmed (I know, I’m predictable).
After grabbing another cup of coffee from Grand Central Market, we made our way home. The energy this city gives off is low-key exhausting but exhilarating and I never want to leave but also know that there will be lots of time spent in the infamous amount of traffic our part of the state has to endure. This post is just a small taste of what the Arts District in Los Angeles has to offer, so stick with me to continue discovering its secrets in my future posts.
My Life As Gidget 
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