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CALIFORNIA: Thanksgiving In Paradise

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I’m so desperately beyond on my blog posts. You all know the reasons why. I’ve told you in every post for the past ten months. I don’t think I’ve ever procrastinated anything quite so forcefully in my life. Because the events of my trip to California were so long ago, I thought I’d regale you all with a photographic essay and sparse descriptors because I was recently told that my blogs are too long and sometimes boring. I’ve taken great offense. DON’T READ IT IF YOU’RE BORED. These people are fake fans. If you’ve made it this far you must be a real fan. So let’s go to California.

For Thanksgiving of 2016, I was in great need of escape, so I scuttled off to my favorite state for a week with my cousin, Pam. It was glorious and a much needed respite from normalcy. Enjoy these images. The trip went by far too fast and I can’t wait to see her and this marvelous place in a few weeks!

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Flying from LA to San Luis Obispo. Every time I go to California I struggle justifying my life in Iowa. It works but it’s not what I dream it to be. Imagine living in a place with the sea and palms and islands and movie stars and rolling vineyards and that addicting West Coast lifestyle!

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Driving to Los Angeles. These tracks carry Amtrak trains and is one of the most beautiful journeys you can take by rail.

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At the Pig N’ Whistle on Hollywood Boulevard. It’s right next door to Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre and is one of the older restaurants in town. It’s dreamy to think of Cary Grant and Gloria Swanson smoking up a storm and drinking martinis here.

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The Chateau Marmont will forever be one of my favorite places in the entire world. It’s decadent and sublime. Every time I visit LA, I make sure to stop in or stroll by. I didn’t manage to make a lunch reservation, so I just sighed wistfully while I was out on a late night walk. There is no better place to walk around at midnight than LA. Always something wonderful to stumble upon.

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View of downtown Los Angeles from on top of Runyon Canyon. I have hiked these hills in a number of decadent outfits and I still haven’t been discovered or seen a single celebrity.

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No matter how many times I see it, the Hollywood sign is always and forever captivating.

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The apartment we rented in LA had a Karl Lagerfeld styled French bulldog and I was OBSESSED.

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A beautiful vista near Pam’s home. I love it there so much. I’m so much myself.

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The intricate and beautiful exterior of part of Hearst Castle. We try to visit each time. It’s fabulous fun to dream we were billionaires with a castle on the hill.

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One of the many bedrooms at Hearst Castle. Imagine waking up to that view. It might get me out of bed once instead of flopping listlessly back and dozing for another hour.

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#bodgoals at the inside pool.

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Looking out on San Simeon and the ocean beyond at Hearst Castle. Too beautiful.

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Hearst even had a statue of Sekhmet to grace his home!

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I’m not a model, I swear, the camera just accidentally went off while I was posing picturesquely and Pam accidentally was holding a camera pointed directly at me.

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The inside pool. So lovely. I want to take a dip.

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We visited a monarch butterfly grove on my last day. You can barely see anything here, but high in the upper boughs, hundreds of monarchs were clinging, waiting for the next part of their journey north.

And that’s that. It was a great trip. I had a phenomenal time learning more about California, meeting friends, eating delicious Middle Eastern food in Arroyo Grande, experiencing new things, arguing with airlines, drinking martinis at Musso & Frank’s, drinking in the sunshine, and being in the only place I belong in America. California is flawless. I can’t wait to get back!


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