So, now we’re at Monday and Morning Due Cafe. Chris and I decided to take one last trip to LA. It was a partial birthday celebration and there was a metadata symposium that I wanted to attend.
Tuesday, June 9: We drove to Monterey and then cut over to take Highway 1 along the coast. I am continually impressed by the beauty of the the drive! We stopped at many little pull-outs and tooks pictures. We had lunch at Jack in the Box (because we couldn’t find the In-N-Out Burger!), but it was still satisfying. Although we didn’t do a lot, it was a great day. We arrived in Santa Monica at about 7:30 and checked into the hostel. The hostel was in a perfect location – one block from the beach. It was really cute and I would easily stay here again. Once we were settled in our room, we walked to the Third St. Promenade. We found an Italian restaurant to eat at. The food was good enough, but the bread and olive tapenade was delicious!
Wednesday, June 10: We got up earlyish (around
to catch breakfast at the hostel but decided to go get breakfast since it was a little sparse. We got breakfast at Jack & Jill’s in Beverly Hills. Our waitress was adorable and the food was good, although way too much. We then drove around and around and around. We saw some mansions in Beverly Hills and Bel Air, drove Mulholland Dr., and to Studio City. I ate a late lunch at In-N-Out and then we decided to go to the Griffith Observatory. It was really interesting and had some great exhibits. We decided to go get drinks and guacamole at the Border Grill, which I would highly recommend.
Thursday, June 11: The AMPAS Metadata Symposium was today. Wow! I learned so much and it reinvigorated my excitement about metadata. I know, so dorky, but whatever! I never realized the amount of information gathered during the filming process, from screenplay to marketing to archiving. It gave me much to consider. I might write more about this but will have to think about what. I had lunch at a place called Bowery, which was delicious. I had a burger with gruyere, grilled onions, and sweet potato fries. After the symposium, we went out with a friend of a friend. It was a great time.
Friday, June 12: We had breakfast at a restaurant called Jinky’s, which was right across from the hostel. It was another filling and flavorful meal. Then we headed to the Getty Villa – if you’d like to go, make sure to get (FREE!) tickets online prior to your visit or you won’t even get close! It was striking – filled with Roman art. There were so many details to take in, from the architecture to the plants and of course the art. I would recommend going in the afternoon if at all possible to avoid school groups during the week. There was also an amazing herb garden as you leave the villa. When we were done with the villa, we also left LA (slowly). We drove Highway 5 home. Although still beautiful, not nearly as scenic as 1. Two expansive ranches are along 5, and they STINK!!! But otherwise, a very uneventful (and enjoyable) drive.
Saturday, June 13: It was Chris’ birthday! We got up and went to brunch at Tangerine, a pan Asian fusion restaurant. Brunch was not too fused, but extremely enjoyable. The we went to the library
… We took all our just-checked out goodies to the park and read for a few hours. We also took a little picnic of cheese and bread and grapes. It was really happy! We met friends out for dinner at Suppenkuche. It was delicious and they even brought birthday cake out for both of us! It was a great time, made even greater by having friends to share it. After dinner we went to a local bar for a drink and good conversation. I think it was a perfect end to our birthday celebrations!!!
Sunday, June 14: We went hiking in San Bruno. It was beautiful with the San Francisco skyline so nearby, kind of an interesting juxtaposition of urbanity (did I make this word up? sometimes, I like to do that) and natural. The hiking was relaxing and it was a perfect day for it – super sunny and not too windy. We came back to try to spend an hour in the park but it was too chilly.
What an amazing week! So much happiness. Now it’s time to buckle down, finish some much necessary work, and get to some serious job searching. I suppose there’s no better time to begin than now. Until next time… <3