{ Life Lately | L.A. Edition }

After sharing a few snippets from our trip to L.A., I wanted to talk a bit more about our getaway from a couple of weeks ago! Honestly, I think part of my heart stayed in L.A. Even though we’ve been back for twos weeks, I’m still daydreaming of the energy and sites of the city of Angels. I’m at my happiest when I travel. I’m like a little girl that can’t stop smiling, that gets excited for the smallest things and who wants to have ice cream for breakfast lunch and dinner. I’m so grateful to be able to travel as much as I do, but whenever I do travel, I get even more motivated to get to a place in my career where I can travel even more. I love exploring new sites, discovering new cities, learning about new cultures and foods. It’s heaven to me!

I wanted to share a L.A. Edition of this ‘Life Lately’ series because I enjoy looking through travel blogposts so that I can daydream a little and step outside of my bubble. Part of me gets envious when I see other people traveling all the time, but my intention is to inspire you to start thinking and PLANNING for your next trip! Traveling is such an important part of life and personal growth and I really encourage everyone to travel as much as possible. So hopefully this blogposts offers a bit of a distraction during your day, but also inspires you to get excited and make your next trip happen.

{ Day 1 }

We went into this trip with a general idea of a few things we wanted to do, but without a detailed schedule so that we could really enjoy our time there without having to rush. And that was a great decision because we felt relaxed and enjoyed every moment of it. When we arrived, we jumped right into it and headed to Chipotle for lunch because duh, a little bit of shopping at the Beverly Centre, and then went to the Persian Square so that I could check out a few Persian stores and boutiques. We got the most delicious jasmine ice cream. My hubby doesn’t have a big sweet tooth and even HE loved it!! We then went to Santa Monica to wander around the streets. I loved the laid back and chill energy. I think being in close proximity to the water has that effect on people. It was nice relaxing evening strolling, watching the sunset on the peer and grabbing dinner. The perfect start to our trip!

{ Santa Monica pier }

{ Day 2 }

On Saturday, we headed to Universal Studios in Hollywood. It was SO. Much. FUN! It’s not our first time going but I’m still in awe at how realistic everything looks! I also overcame a serious fear of zombies and did the walking tour of the Walking Dead where you’re walking through a building like you’re in the tv show with zombies popping out of small places and hiding around the corner. Not my cup of a tea but hubby tags along to a lot of things with me so I wanted to be a good sport. He had to deal with the subsequent tears. Even though I was hiding behind my hubby the whole time and my eyes were mostly closed, I’m still proud of myself because that’s one thing that really scares the sh*t out of me.

{ I was starstruck – I MET A MINION! Don’t tell my hubby that I snuck in a kiss haha }

My favourite part (after the minions) had to be The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Oh yes, I’m one of those people. I grew up reading Harry Potter and I watch the movies over and over again, especially during Christmas time. So being able to walk around and feel like you’re IN the book is really magical (pun intended). They did an incredible job. For those of you who are HP fans, they even had an audio of Moaning Myrtle in the bathrooms. I mean, COME ON!! I sent a Snapchat to my sister because I thought it was so hilarious. We strolled around at Universal Walkway and then headed to dinner.

{ My typical travel shot because I’m so darn happy }

{ Just for the record, I won the staring contest }

{ One of my favourite views ! }

{ The storefronts inside Harry Potter World are so intricate and captivating }

L.A. has the biggest community of Persians outside of Iran (if you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m Persian). So we thought, what better place to try Persian food? We did a quick research on Yelp and went to Darya and had one of the best meals of the trip. My grandmother and mom are both amazing cooks so I’ve been spoiled, but it’s still fun to try dishes in a restaurant and make my hubby taste things that I haven’t had a chance to make him for yet. It felt like my grandmother was in the kitchen cooking for us. I would really recommend this restaurant if you want to try something different or authentic Persian cuisine!

{ Part of our dinner at Darya restaurant: saffron rice, cherry rice (don’t judge before you taste it – it’s the best sh*t EVER) with chicken skewer and beef kabab }

{ Day 3 }

The next day, we were on the hunt for a fun record shop. Beside the second store we checked out, there was a farmer’s market and I enjoyed it so much (you know you’re adult when a farmer’s market excites you….). At one booth, there were a dozen varieties of peaches and we ended buying a white peach each and oh goodness, it was delish. I love stumbling on unplanned events like that, it makes the trip all that more exciting to not know what you will find next!

{ This was just one third of the peaches in the booth! }

We then went to Venice Beach to enjoy the sites and walk around. Although I really enjoy Venice Beach, it’s a bit too crowded for my taste, but I love being close to the water and being in the sun, so no complaints here! Next stop was Beverly Hills where I got my Amorino (lime basil gelato say whattttt?!) but then there was also a Sprinkles ATM two doors down……….so I just had to get one….. we’re on vacation! The calories don’t count….riiiiight??

{ Amorino is a must whenever I travel because we don’t have any in Canada. I always get the hazelnut chocolate flavour! This time I also got the coffee which was quite good, and the lime basil – AMAZING! }

{ I chose the flavour of the cupcake based on which one would look the nicest for an Instagram picture haha Don’t judge me }

{ Gus’s World Famous Chicken – worth every calorie! Hubby got Mac and cheese, I got fries (not pictured) }

For dinner, we had Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken. My hubby and I rarely have fried food let alone fried chicken, but he swears by this stuff whenever he goes to SXSW in Austin, TX. Let me say, it was worth every calorie. And you have to get the sweet tea, it helps wash everything down.

Finally, we went over to the Troubadour, which was the main purpose of our trip – to see DJ Quik! This was one of hubby’s bucket list items and it’s so special to be able to share that experience with him and be there as he’s crossing off something from his list. I almost felt emotional! It was a really fun show – laid back and chill, just how I like it!

This was a really memorable trip. The past few months have been a bit challenging on a personal level and it’s sweet that I have a hubby who’s always thinking of ways to take care of me so that I can have fun and be happy. This trip definitely helped. I still have a lot on my list of things to do, see and eat in L.A. but it’s okay, we’re hoping to be able to move there in the next couple of years!

Have you ever been to L.A.? What are some of your favourite spots? I’m always on the lookout for recommendations to add to my list so make sure to share in the comment section below!