LA, Part 2: Possibly One of the Best Days of My Life
Friday:
While thinking about Friday, I realized it legitimately could have been one of the best days I've ever had. Like EVER.
The day started out early. We got in the car with picnic lunch in hand and picked up two of Trisha's friends. Sadie and Alice were very cool girls and we were immediately talking about our love lives and celebrity sightings. Trisha nervously got onto the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and we were on our way to Malibu, eventually going to a vineyard for some wine tasting.
I was stunned by the beauty of the PCH. It was straight out of a movie. Huge mountains set against the startling blue of the ocean... the horizon seemed to go on forever. We made our first stop at a beach and hiked the short distance to the edge of a mountain where some of us took pictures and gazed at the ocean. We also saw some lizards, which caused Trisha to scream in terror.
Back in the car, we discussed a "private" beach that no one really knew was actually public. We spotted it, pulled over and went through a sketchy door and numerous stairs until we were on a stunning stretch of beach with luxurious houses behind us. We were the only ones on the beach. I ran to the water and dunked my feet in. It was freezing.
Soon we were on our way to the vineyard. We went down some terrifyingly narrow roads and got a little lost before we finally arrived. The vineyard was beautiful. The employees were helpful and soon we were set up with two bottles of wine. We unpacked our picnic lunch (several kinds of cheese, garlic bread that had whole cloves of garlic, hummus, olives, fruit, crackers) and ate and drank as we talked at the serene picnic tables outside. I ate a lot of garlic product (which was going to bite me in the ass later, literally*), and then lazed in the sun taking in the scenery. We all got another bottle of wine and sat at the top of the vineyard for a spectacular view.
Reluctantly, we were soon on our way back to Santa Monica. Trisha had to work, so Katie and I relaxed and took naps. I woke up and didn't feel right. Assuming it was just the wine, I rallied, and Katie and I took the bus to the Westwood area (which is a big college place) and went to a charming restaurant called Pomodoro. I wasn't feeling very hungry and just felt off, but I ordered the pasta primavera anyway. I ate 3/4 of my meal before my stomach started rumbling. I preceded to poop (A LOT) and then my poop turned into diarrhea (TMI?). I felt AWFUL. I soldiered on as Katie and I walked to the main area of Westwood and tried to find a bar. Somehow, there were no bars in the area. We ended up at a Japanese restaurant ordering some shitty beer. After shitting a few more times, and drinking a glass of beer, my stomach had finally settled. I was still unsure if I should continue on with the night, but I decided to anyway. I'm so glad I did.
Trisha met us at the Japanese bar and we headed to a private karaoke room. This private karaoke experience was nothing like Do Re Mi... well, it kind of was. The room actually looked exactly the same as a Do Re Mi room. But instead of dead silence when you walked out of the room, there were drunk people everywhere, singing from all corners and a line for the bathroom. There was actually a wait list to get a room. A wait list! Crazy...
I had never been to private room karaoke with all girls before. It was a much different experience. Lots of power ballads, passionate sing alongs and more dancing. Dare I say, it may have been the best private room karaoke experience I've ever had (I'm sorry, Do Re Mi)!
So despite the diarrhea, Friday in LA may have been one of the best days ever. It included a lot of my favorite things: cheese, wine, friends, karaoke, warm weather and sight seeing.
*I've realized I'm probably allergic to garlic. I tend to have awful gas every time I eat it, and I really think the cloves I ate from the bread mixed with the garlic hummus put my stomach over the edge. I'll never stop eating it though!!
To be continued...
While thinking about Friday, I realized it legitimately could have been one of the best days I've ever had. Like EVER.
The day started out early. We got in the car with picnic lunch in hand and picked up two of Trisha's friends. Sadie and Alice were very cool girls and we were immediately talking about our love lives and celebrity sightings. Trisha nervously got onto the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and we were on our way to Malibu, eventually going to a vineyard for some wine tasting.
I was stunned by the beauty of the PCH. It was straight out of a movie. Huge mountains set against the startling blue of the ocean... the horizon seemed to go on forever. We made our first stop at a beach and hiked the short distance to the edge of a mountain where some of us took pictures and gazed at the ocean. We also saw some lizards, which caused Trisha to scream in terror.
Back in the car, we discussed a "private" beach that no one really knew was actually public. We spotted it, pulled over and went through a sketchy door and numerous stairs until we were on a stunning stretch of beach with luxurious houses behind us. We were the only ones on the beach. I ran to the water and dunked my feet in. It was freezing.
Soon we were on our way to the vineyard. We went down some terrifyingly narrow roads and got a little lost before we finally arrived. The vineyard was beautiful. The employees were helpful and soon we were set up with two bottles of wine. We unpacked our picnic lunch (several kinds of cheese, garlic bread that had whole cloves of garlic, hummus, olives, fruit, crackers) and ate and drank as we talked at the serene picnic tables outside. I ate a lot of garlic product (which was going to bite me in the ass later, literally*), and then lazed in the sun taking in the scenery. We all got another bottle of wine and sat at the top of the vineyard for a spectacular view.
Reluctantly, we were soon on our way back to Santa Monica. Trisha had to work, so Katie and I relaxed and took naps. I woke up and didn't feel right. Assuming it was just the wine, I rallied, and Katie and I took the bus to the Westwood area (which is a big college place) and went to a charming restaurant called Pomodoro. I wasn't feeling very hungry and just felt off, but I ordered the pasta primavera anyway. I ate 3/4 of my meal before my stomach started rumbling. I preceded to poop (A LOT) and then my poop turned into diarrhea (TMI?). I felt AWFUL. I soldiered on as Katie and I walked to the main area of Westwood and tried to find a bar. Somehow, there were no bars in the area. We ended up at a Japanese restaurant ordering some shitty beer. After shitting a few more times, and drinking a glass of beer, my stomach had finally settled. I was still unsure if I should continue on with the night, but I decided to anyway. I'm so glad I did.
Trisha met us at the Japanese bar and we headed to a private karaoke room. This private karaoke experience was nothing like Do Re Mi... well, it kind of was. The room actually looked exactly the same as a Do Re Mi room. But instead of dead silence when you walked out of the room, there were drunk people everywhere, singing from all corners and a line for the bathroom. There was actually a wait list to get a room. A wait list! Crazy...
I had never been to private room karaoke with all girls before. It was a much different experience. Lots of power ballads, passionate sing alongs and more dancing. Dare I say, it may have been the best private room karaoke experience I've ever had (I'm sorry, Do Re Mi)!
So despite the diarrhea, Friday in LA may have been one of the best days ever. It included a lot of my favorite things: cheese, wine, friends, karaoke, warm weather and sight seeing.
*I've realized I'm probably allergic to garlic. I tend to have awful gas every time I eat it, and I really think the cloves I ate from the bread mixed with the garlic hummus put my stomach over the edge. I'll never stop eating it though!!
To be continued...