So where did we leave off in our last post? Ah, yes - Yamashiro… crispy rice cakes and gorgeous views of Hollywood 😋

What we discovered over the next few weeks is that L.A. not only has a lot to offer, but it also provides access to a wide range of activities. It’s not that surprising, but it’s different being able to experience and take advantage of it. We’ve pulled together a few highlights from mid-May to June. Disregard the fact that we’ve fallen behind in documenting our adventures as we’re now in Pacific Grove. We’ll have to catch you up.

L.A. Renaissance Faire

We coordinated to meet up with my college pal, Thor (save your jokes, he's heard them all), and his friends at the L.A. Renaissance Pleasure Faire (the “Ren Faire”). Apparently one of, if not THE first of the Ren Faires, originally started in Malibu, and later moved to Irwindale. They boast that more than five million attendees have visited the faire and average 20,000 people per weekend.

We rolled up, somewhat unsure what exactly to expect. We did not have costumes… we felt like plebeians. Thor had given us the tip that you can also rent once you get there. So we went that route. We went through the gates and immediately found the costume shop. I was a bit underwhelmed... I had imagined being a Viking with black leather, a drinking horn, and ruggedly handsome. The best I could pull off with the options was more of a ruggedly handsome poor merchant. Annie had similar aspirations. She was planning to go for a shadowy assassin with a cowl, but ended up more as a tomboy pirate (less rugged, more handsome). 

Once you pick your items, you can grab a hat and a pouch you could tie to your belt. There were also no boots, which was unfortunate. So we ended up with tennis shoes that did not complete our look. When you are pure “noobs”, you don’t get to skip levels. I like to think of it as if we were starting a new video game. We were Level 0, no perks, no credits to buy fancy garb. But hey - at least we’re in the game! We did see a few people dressed as normies and they were the ones who stood out. We felt like we could at least blend in. I’ll also note - the pouch came in very handy, as it became the only place to actually store things - like your phone, wallet, potions, and rupees.

And so we commenced with our day, going past the many shops and stalls. There were drinking horns and costume shops where you could purchase the legit costumes for wayyy too much. Jewelry shops, trinkets, face-painting, beer, food stands - you name it. We also passed by a few shows that were ongoing: an old bearded man telling stories by a wood-burning stove, falconers holding owls and hawks on their gloved hands, and others trying to draw you in for some paid attraction. We probably spent the most we’ve spent anywhere for a basic beer... I think it was $17 for a tall boy. 

We met up with Thor and his crew and had a blast! Annie had her hair done up at  “Braids for Maids”, we watched a joust, stopped by a hookah joint, and took in the environment. It became more and more packed as the day wore on. We ended our day by watching a “Dungeons and Shakespeare” live show, where the host pulled some folks from the audience, rolled a giant d20 die (dice?) on the stage, and crafted a story based on the audience's choices and the dice roll. We parted ways with Thor and crew and made it back to our pups who were waiting (patiently, I’m sure) for us to return.

Escondido Falls and Calabasas

The next day we had planned to visit Malibu again - we visited Escondido Falls. This is where we came across the tent guy who posted up his tent directly in front of the main attraction (see post). Afterwards, we stopped by Malibu Seafood (an amazing beachside restaurant with fresh seafood, one of the must-do stops I recalled from my college days). We also stopped by Malibu Yogurt again, probably. Because how could we have skipped it anytime we’re within 10 miles?

From there we drove down Malibu Canyon Road and into Calabasas, looking for a few more old haunts – we looked for my old apartment at the “MCAs” or Malibu Canyon Apartments. I think we found it? We drove down to the Agoura’s Famous Deli, which was well known for curing hangovers the day after a long night. And we made a stop by the Erewhon grocery, so Annie could see what could be higher tier luxury than a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. Apparently they have amazing smoothies and great vegan options. But she also came back with a Sea Moss water? That’s when we bumped into Kim Kardashian…

J/k…obligatory Calabasas Kardashian reference

Local San Pedro, Long Beach, and Rancho Palos Verdes (RPV)

The next few days we were pretty consumed with work but we were able to venture around the local areas within our bubble. 

A few local stops we made:

• Redondo Beach 
• Averill Park (which we promptly aptly renamed Avril Lavigne park)
• Naples - a little island with tiny beach and a nice walkway through some nice waterfront homes right by Long Beach
• Hangar at LBX - lots of good food options in an open Hangar, lots of people hanging out outside with a local market set up
• Botanic Gardens in RPV for dog day!
• Annie visited Hart House for some great vegan fast food on her way back in from Seattle
• Ocean Trails Reserve, by the Trump Golf Course (the very, very best golf course, better than any other course, many have told me)

We learned that when considering places within our bubble, we really like Ranchos Palos Verdes (RPV), Redondo, and Torrance has some nice shops and cafes. Long Beach has also been close and fairly easy to get to for a nice stroll or beach walk.

Annie also took a quick flight to Seattle to meet her new baby niece, Fiona (😍). We'll see you again soon, Fiona! And Catherine and Ian and Baker...

Catalina Island

Next up was Catalina. We got a ferry to take us across from San Pedro pier to the island we’ve been gazing at across the water since we arrived. I recall Catalina from college and it was also popularized by the “Catalina Wine Mixer” in the movie Step Brothers. We found that they did create an event based on the movie (it did not previously exist, to our surprise), but we were just a week or so shy from the event. We met up with a local GitLabber (a coworker of mine and a member of my team, woo!). It was awesome being able to take advantage of my travels and meet up with someone from the team and get off of Zoom meetings. Alexander met us at our place, we got to the ferry and made our way to the island. The water was very choppy - we tried standing at times and taking pictures but we definitely had to sit down until the water smoothed out.

As we got in closer, the weather improved, the marine layer parted, and the city of Avalon was sparkling as we arrived. We only had 3 hours to spend before our ferry back, so we stopped for a bite, visited some shops, walked the coast and chatted. We took some shots of Alexander to fill out his online dating profile and strategized how to get him the most swipes. (Alexander, let us know if you’ve had any bites ;-) ). We also snagged a tiki drink in a little dive with the best lighting for pictures before catching our ferry back. As our ferry arrived back in San Pedro, we were able to see an aircraft carrier pulling out from “Fleet Week”, and the Battleship Iowa, which is a permanent fixture there as a WWII museum. We also got some nice shots of a “pirate ship” style sailboat and a few dolphins. The water was much more pleasant on the return. All in all, we learned that 3 hours was not enough. Catalina has a ton of hiking and water sports, so we’ve put a pin in it and we’ll have to return and do more one day!

The Getty Center

On every L.A. list you’ll find the Getty and I think leading up to this it felt something like a check-the-box type of stop. I recalled visiting during college and loving it but was hoping it held up for Annie’s sake. Some years later, I’d say the Getty’s still got it! Annie and I both found it stunning, with an amazing garden and sleek white marble architecture that perfectly captured the lighting during the golden hour. The views here, similar to Yamashiro, are grandiose.

We were unaware but it was music night, they had a cocktail/wine table and boxes of macarons (my favorite). We grabbed a drink (and macrons) and perused around the grounds and galleries in the time we had before a dinner reservation. We enjoyed some classics like Monet’s and Van Gogh’s, as well as an interesting sculpture exhibit from Camille Claudel. Due to our schedule, the stop was short, but I expect it would be a regular activity if we lived here full-time, especially to catch rotating exhibits and events!

Little Tokyo

Another step out of our typical cultural environs, we felt we had to visit one out of only three official “Japantowns” (the other locations in West L.A. and New York City). We met up again with Thor and family and learned this was a regular spot for them (or had been in the past). We might have helped them bring it back in rotation. 

As we worked our way through DTLA, found parking, and took to the streets, it felt like any other city block. But as we got closer, the vibe changed quickly as we discovered the center of Little Tokyo. It was busy, there were red lanterns and lights strewn across a promenade, and there were hums reverberating from a koto a street vendor that was playing.

We browsed all of the pastry shops with unusual milk breads and donuts filled with matcha, yuzu and other fun flavors. We perused the gift shops filled with kimonos, tea/sake sets, and I ended up with a few shirts from a graphic tee shop, Popkiller.

We grabbed some food from one of Thor and Lyndsi’s favorite spots, dropped by for Taiyaki at Somi Somi, and then split ways with Thor’s crew. If you ever remember going for an ice cream cone as a child, this is the Japanese equivalent core memory-it's ice cream in a fish shaped waffle and simply delightful.

Annie and I continued on for some Japanese whiskies at Wolf & Crane, another cocktail in the alley of Far Bar (great recommendation, Thor), and we rounded it out with a stop at a Japanese bookstore and grocery store. So we ended up taking home a graphic novel (that’s a first), some bottles of sake (too many), fresh sushi, and some other Japanese delicacies you can’t find just anywhere.

That rounds out the last few weeks for us in L.A. since last post! I think this was literally only two weeks total (🤯), so we’ll split out the last 2 weeks in a separate post so we don’t exhaust you, dear reader, as exhausted we certainly were.

-Lord Thistlebrown