The Last Bookstore + Outfit + Abbot Kinney Road

I’ve lived within Los Angeles County for the entirety of my life, and this week marked my THIRD visit to downtown… and the other two were so brief that they hardly count. I don’t give this city enough credit. I complain about how warm it is everyday, wanting to have that cozy winter holiday feeling that never seems to come, but really? Who can complain about year-round sunshine?

Michelle and I decided to go to The Last Bookstore, which is probably one of the coolest places I’ve been in a while. It doubles as artist studio space, performance venue, and even offers knitting classes. They had some awesome art installations with deconstructed pianos and sculptural sheet music! The ground level looked like a pretty standard bookstore, but upstairs is where the magic happens. Not only were the artist studios upstairs, but also “The Labyrinth above The Last Bookstore.”

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Beach Camping

This week I went camping in Central California. It was a bit chilly, but so refreshing, relaxing, and fun. I went with five of my best friends (minus a few that I missed terribly). Sometimes the most delicious food comes from cooking over a fire pit in the crisp beach air. You also come up with so many hilarious inside jokes on trips like these. I love my friends so much!

We trekked through Montana de Oro state park. The trail took us along the top of sea cliffs, and then to a beach full of angled rocks to climb and tide pools in which to observe anemones and sea snails. The beach itself was covered in smooth pebbles rather than sand, and my friend Monica and I had fun finding colorful or striped ones, or little shells. It was a beautiful trip. If you’re going to be in the area, I would recommend it.

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The Getty Museum

If you’re in LA, one of the things you have to do is visit the Getty Museum. It is perched atop a hill overlooking all of Los Angeles, and on a very clear day, you can see all the way to Catalina Island. The building itself is something to see, with bold architectural lines, made entirely out of a beautiful natural stone.

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