Labor Day Weekend in LA

Hey fam!

I’m back again with the fourth and final post in my “Great American Road Trip” series! If you missed the previous posts, please feel free to check them out! There’s the cross-country road trip with my sister, a list of essentials to pack for a cross-country road trip, and our adventures in the Bay Area!

So, I’ll just hop right into our weekend in LA! When we left the Bay Area, we got right back on the road for yet another road trip to LA! 6 hours and 16 minutes of more torture. Side note: It’s nearly two months later and I still hate riding in the car. I’m traumatized. LOL.

At the time, I was having an allergic reaction to the huge horse pill antibiotics I was taking for a sinus infection. Fail. I was popping Benadryl like tic-tacs. Ha! And because I was drugged up, I was the worst road dog of all time. I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

I woke up a few hours later and we were still on the road. The view was subpar. I think the most exciting sight was a series of Taco Bell advertisements. They spelled out “A taco a day keeps the hangry away.” That’s like my life motto. I LOVE tacos.

The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. We saw some fruit trees, Six Flags California, rode through a rainstorm in Angles National Forest, and went down yet another 5% downgrade.

Once we finally arrived in Rosemead, we got something to eat from the food court in the mall and checked into our hotel. We were absolutely POOPED and so happy to be in our own space. We just kind of lounged around like couch potatoes for the rest of the day. 

As I flipped through the television channels, I found “Coach Carter” and Kiki and I burst out laughing. “Coach Carter” is one of my favorite movies but it was super hilarious because EVERY TIME we rode past the Richmond exit in Oakland I said, “RICH WHAT? RICH-MOND!” like the guys on the basketball team in the movie.   

Friday September 1, 2017

The next morning, we woke up with exactly 14 minutes left to catch the free breakfast in the hotel. We scurried downstairs, ate our food, and crawled back into our beds. That darn Benadryl put me into another coma.

When we finally got ourselves together, we went to get Sameera from her apartment at USC and went to have dinner at Chick-fil-A.

Once we finished eating, we went to First Friday at Venice Beach on Abbott Kinney Blvd. There were all kinds of food trucks, bars and restaurants.

Did the “Pickles and Peas” truck actually sell pickles and peas? We will never know. They closed before we got to it. Lol.

Saturday September 2, 2017

We had breakfast at the hotel again on Saturday and we made it with much more time to spare. They had all kinds of stuff! Waffles, eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, cereal, and pastries.

Once we got dressed, we went to get Sameera. It was the first USC game of the season and we had planned on going, but it was far too hot outside to sit and watch a football game.

Instead, we went to BJ’s in Culver City to have lunch and watch the game. I had a pepperoni and sausage pizza. (Had to get pizza at least once! It’s my thing!) Kiki and Sameera ordered shrimp and asparagus with penne and jambalaya.

We also got free mini pizookies after we downloaded their app. They were delicious. I had a warm chocolate chip one and Kiki and Sameera both ordered monkey bread. Eek! (If you’ve seen “Beauty Shop” with Queen Latifah, you’ll get that reference. LOL)

After dinner, we went to the Los Angles County Museum of Art and the La Brea Tar Pits where we walked around and took a million pictures.  

That night, I went out with Sameera and her friends to a party at the “Swim House.” It was like I was back in college again. Only... Old. LOL. Oh, the memories.

  

We ended the night with these doggone street tacos that I whined about getting for days… BIG mistake. Those things tore my stomach UP!

Sunday September 4, 2017

On our last full day in California, we laid in bed all morning and had a late lunch at “Urth.” My bougie niece suggested this place and they had nothing but healthy food and overpriced salads. Ha!

After lunch, we walked around the Arts District and took pictures of all of the cool murals.

Then we went to Venice Beach and strolled up and down the boardwalk.

It’s such a great place to people watch. There was all kinds of stuff going on! Skateboarding, bike riding, people preaching about Jesus, bands playing, and a whole slew of people playing basketball. 

We sat on the beach with our toes in the sand and watched the sun set. It was a perfect end to our trip.

  

For dinner, we went to Honey’s Kettle Fried Chicken in Culver City. The line was out the door and the music selection was SUPERB. I literally sang along with every single song they played for the hour+ we were there. I’m so embarrassing. Bahahahaha.

Because they were so crowded, they ran out of nearly everything! They didn’t even have any sides. I ordered chicken wings, mashed potatoes and gravy and a biscuit that tasted like it came out of one of my grandmother’s ovens. Yum!

Sameera dropped us off at the airport at 5:00 am the next morning and we began our long journey back to Maryland. I was so glad we were flying instead of driving.

Twas a great adventure! I love the west coast. I’m absolutely moving out there one of these days.

As always, thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave me a comment and share with your friends!

I’ve got some good stuff up my sleeve for November! Stay tuned!

-A