Happy April! This month I’m coming to you from the sweet sweet sunshine of LA where we have been since the beginning of the month. It’s been so nice to unpack, settle in, and not be living out of a suitcase. We rented a cute quaint little AirBnB in one of my favorite areas in LA, Venice Beach, that is a 20 minute walk from the beach, but perhaps more importantly, a 5 minute walk to Erewhon {both the bane and joy of my existence}.
If you’re not familiar with Erewhon, it’s what I would imagine Whole Foods was like well before Amazon bought them – very focused on health and wellness, and supporting small makers and businesses. Everything is impeccably sourced. They have fresh young Thai coconut milk on their coffee bar menu, grass-fed meat and free-range poultry, wild-caught fish in their sushi, a robust selection of vegetable-forward food and the best selection of vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and/or refined sugar free treats. They also don’t use canola oil anywhere {one of my biggest pet peeves with a lot of the “healthy” grocery stores out there today} and make most everything in house. They stock tons of small brands that I’ve usually only been able to find online. I swear every time I walk in there I always walk out with at least 5 different photos of products or brands that I had never heard of before and want to look up. I know they get a bad rap because they are pricey, but I really think it’s worth it!
This month my intention is to focus on being present and in the moment. One of the big reasons that we decided to spend a full month in LA is to gauge whether or not we would like to live here {either part-time or full-time} so I want to make an extra effort to observe how the whole experience makes me feel. Typically when I travel, I like to always be out and about in taking it all in. With this trip, I’ll be making a bigger effort not to over-schedule or over-work, keep up with my daily rituals and routines like working out and journaling to keep me grounded, and carve out down time to let things soak in.
On The Calendar
Since we’ll be in LA for the entire month we’ll be out and about a bit more than we are back in Portland. We have a few friends down here that we can’t wait to get together with {outside, socially distanced of course} and plan on getting lots of beach time in since we are so close to it. Our plan is to work as normal during the week, perhaps a few morning or afternoon hikes if our schedule allow and then use the weekend to explore.
Naturally I have a laundry list of restaurants that I want to go back to and try which will account for most of our social outings while we are down here. Some of my favorites are: Cafe Gratitude, Plant Food and Wine, Botanica and Sweet Laurel Bakery. I’m also determined to try some new spots like: Breadblok, Chez Tex, Gran Blanco, Bondi Harvest, and New Deli.
We also have a lot of outdoor activities on our list! In the past when we’ve been in LA it’s usually been for a very short about of time so we’ve kept to the city and what I call “smoking” {eating, drinking, shopping etc.}. This time we’re planning to get in a few hikes {Runyon Canyon and Temescal Canyon Trail}, checkout Manhattan Beach and Palos Verdes, and get a lot more beach time in Malibu {I love driving the PCH early in the morning when the rest of the world is still waking up}.
Cooking
Nothing! {Or at least very little.}. I mentioned it before on Instagram, but last year really took it out of me on the cooking front. It just felt like 24/7 and began to feel more like a chore than it did a passion and hobby. With lockdown closures and simply being 20-30 minutes from many of the restaurants that we know and love, we found ourselves cooking {and cleaning} all the time.
On My List
We had one 85+ degree day here and I realized that I have zero shorts which catapulted me into a full-fledged hunt for a few pairs that I an order when I get back to Portland.
I simply love AGOLDE denim and their shorts are no different. I have a pair of their Parker shorts, but really like the longer version they came out with this year. I’m also intrigued by their Riley short as I already love the cropped denim version.
I haven’t had much luck with Levi’s shorts, but I’m willing to try again with these! Also came across these which remind me of a pair that I bought in Bali and absolutely love!
These shorts look perfect for bumming around the house, running errands, or even an impromptu trip the beach. I could easily pair it with a bathing suit and the linen shirt that I mentioned last month!
xo
S
