A Birthday Weekend in LA
Helloooooo everyone, we are so happy to be BACK! We had such a great winter holiday enjoying some much needed rest at home, and we managed to squeeze some adventures in too! It was my (Taylor's) birthday on Friday, and I had pretty much the perfect weekend down in LA celebrating with good food, art, and some warm sunshine. AKA all my favorite things!
The weekend started off with an oh-so-healthy and oh-so-delicious meal at Forage in Silver Lake, which is a farm-to-table restaurant full of amazing salads, open-face sandwiches, and . Silver Lake is an area of LA that we really need to explore more, I think it's definitely the next neighborhood for our LA city guide.
Next up, we headed to LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art), which is equally artistic on the outside as it is on the inside! We somehow missed seeing Levitated Mass though, so that will be on the list for next time!
The palm trees were overflowing, and a visit to the LACMA lamps is a classic LA tourist photo that just has to be done at some point. Fun fact: the James Turrell exhibit is what inspired Drake's Hotline Bling video.
Bestia has been at the top of our foodie list for ever, but it's pretty tough to get a reservation unless you plan a month (or more) in advance. Our advice? Start planning now! Our friend Alisson totally pulled through though, and somehow snagged a reservation for my birthday dinner! If you're heading to LA, you must visit!
The vibe at Bestia is low-key and casual (it's in the Arts District after all), but the food is anything but. It's so nice to be able to enjoy fine dining in a comfortable atmosphere without feeling stuffy and pretentious. The cocktail menu is adventurous (bone marrow egg nog, anyone?) and all of the pastas are made in-house. Pro tip: order the lamb meatballs!
The good eating doesn't stop there, and the next morning we headed to check out the new Gracias Madre in West Hollywood. We love the one in San Francisco, but this location has a totally different vibe. A little brighter, and the patio is amazing! The owners have their own farm, and their sister restaurant is our other love Cafe Gratitude.
Gracias Madre is a completely plant-based Mexcian restaurant (read: vegan) but it's done soooooo well! From Mexican mimosas to mezcal margaritas, it's definitely the perfect place for a healthy, weekend brunch. Plus, Beyonce eats here.
After a few mimosas, we took a trip to the Getty Museum, which is free! You can either drive there ($15 parking) or Lyft there, and then you take a tram up the hill. It was pretty overcast when we were there, but on a clear day you can get a view of the entire city. Plus, free art!
Later in the night we headed to the Arts District and visited Petty Cash Taqueria for some amazing tuna ceviche (and bomb margaritas), and ended the night at Angel City Brewery with a bunch of our friends. It was pretty much the perfect weekend in LA! Minus losing my passport. If you want more ideas of what to do on your weekend, check out our local LA City Guide here. If you want to know how to replace your Canadian passport in the US, we got you covered there too ;)
PS - it's Elaine's birthday this Friday! Yes, we are a week apart. No, we do not share the same sign. Stay tuned for her birthday trip next (she doesn't know where we're going...yet).