West Coast Fun

This year Rosh Hashanah fell on a Tuesday and Wednesday and my two teenage kids and I made it a five day weekend. We took off for LA Friday after school, played hooky Monday and returned Wednesday night!

The kids had never been to the west coast before so they were really stoked about this trip! We visited my niece and one of my closest college friend's kid who both live in LA.

In my family we live to eat, not eat to live, and travelling is a way for us to try new foods and cuisines. We ate our way through our five day trip starting with a tuna poke bowl at Venice Beach while watching the skateboarders doing their tricks at the skateboarding park right by the ocean. Licuados (smoothies) at a Mexican fruit stand were one of my personal favorites as it brought me right back to the time I travelled through Mexico by bus in my 20s and lived on licuados.

While in LA we dined at a Michelin Star Mexican seafood restuarant, The Holbox. The restaurant is located in a warehouse like building called Mercado la Paloma in South LA. The Mercado was created by the Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, a social justice and community development organization. The idea behind the Mercado was to create a local version of the vibrant markets of Mexico that many LA residents left behind in their home countries.

When my niece suggested we go to a Michelin star restaurant I had pictured a fancy restaurant with white tablecloths and formal table service. I was quite surprised upon arrival seeing a bustling market with eight restaurants, artisan shops and cultural events. After the hour wait just to get inside the mercado, which was well worth it, we could choose to order from any restaurant and then the food was brought to the table we had selected. It was far from fancy but more our style and the food was incredible. Squash blossom tacos, a plate mounded with the most delicious ceviche and the octopus tacos were among my favorites.

Later that evening we cruised through Hollywood, saw the stars on the sidewalk and drove up as high as we could to get a view of the Hollywood sign. It was a gorgeous night slightly interrupted by a drunk man who insisted on taking our picture in front of the Hollywood sign. We told him it wasn’t the real sign and it was just there for tourists. That seemed to totally confuse him! The sign was not lit up, apparently it is only lit on special occasions and holidays but it was still worth it to strike a pose in front of the sign with my teenage kids.

The next day, we managed to squeeze in a short trip to Joshua Tree for one night and one day. After hiking and climbing rocks in the 90 degree desert sun in the Joshua Tree National Park we had lunch at the iconic Tiny Pony Tavern. Delicious hibiscus lemonade, juicy burgers and fresh salads all hit the spot while sitting outside soaking in the view of the mountains.

The last night in L.A. we stayed with my dear friend Senta, who is an emergency veterinarian and has four cats (2 three legged ones) and three dogs. People often can't afford whatever surgery their animal needs and leave them at the hospital. Senta with her big heart ends up taking an animal home every so often. We ate Korean food (our go to favorite cuisine) sitting on the floor amidst all the animals.

It was a chock full trip, as pretty much all of our trips are and I am looking forward to the next one ... Yellowstone National Park!