Christmas Time in Tinsel Town

As you all know, I have been traveling a lot lately! I absolutely love traveling but I must say, I am so glad to be home for the remainder of 2011. With that being said, I did enjoy my time in LA and I'm grateful for the opportunity to travel. It was so refreshing to see a city decked out for Christmas while watching the palm trees sway. Definitely different than what we are used to here on the East Coast. It was a whirlwind trip but we hit up some great places for sure! We started out at Nic's Martini Lounge in Beverly Hills (which was just featured on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) where we had drinks before heading to dinner. Two rounds of drinks, a few great appetitzers and a trip to the "VODBOX" all before heading over to Bouchon Bistro for dinner. Geez! Please note that I was still running on Eastern Time at this point! Before I get to dinner, I must tell you about the VodBox. This is the coolest thing...literally! The VodBox is a walk-in freezer housing tons of vodka bottles. It is climate controlled and kept very cold so the Vodka is at optimal serving temp. Because it's freezing in there, guests are provided a very fashionable coat and hat before going in. Once in the VodBox, your eyes are met with hundreds of bottles of vodka from all regions of the world. The vodka expert points out a few notable ones, gives you some history on the vodka and then pours you a shot of your choosing. As you can imagine, we totally had a photo shoot in our fancy coats and hats while sipping our vodka shot. It was hilarious! If you ever have a chance to go to the "VodBox," do it!

In the VODBOX!

Next it was on to dinner at Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills.  I had an amazing roasted leg of lamb with spiced figs, toasted farro, rutabaga, and cavolo nero. It was seasonally appropriate and very savory. I chose a wine from the Cotes du Rhone region of France to accompany my dinner. I must say, it was the perfect pairing for my taste buds!

Delicious Dinner!

The following night we headed out to Santa Monica for girls night. Our first stop was Shutters on the Beach for a pre-dinner drink. It was beautiful but the Santa Ana winds were whipping and prevented us from taking any pictures. If you aren't familiar with these winds, let me just tell you...they are fierce! As an East Coast girl, the only time I've seen winds like that was when there was a hurricane passing off the coast. I'm talking 80-90 mph winds. It was no joke. After drinks we headed over to La Cabana in Venice, which was the cutest little hole in the wall Mexican joint recommended by a local. Great service and excellent food! We were starved so I didn't get a chance to snap a pic here. Following dinner, we headed back to the hotel in fear of getting blown away!

Our last night, we really lived it up! That afternoon we had headshots taken complete with hair and makeup. What girl doesn't love having her hair and makeup done? It was perfect for the evening line up...We all looked great!

Our first stop was Takami Sushi & Robata for happy hour. Rooftop seating provided amazing views and a prime location to watch the sunset.

Next up was The Edison for drinks with a vendor. I was super excited about going there especially since it was named "one of the best new bars in America" by Esquire Magazine. Formerly LA's first private power plant, it is now a speakeasy style bar, complete with a stage for live music and a 1920's theme. Much of the original architecture still remains which makes for an interesting ambiance. It was dark and cozy and therefore, my pictures didn't turn out, but visit their website to get a feel for this happening little joint. I adore this place!

Now onto to dinner at LA Live, the Times Square of LA. There was so much to see here but we were starving and quickly settled on dinner at Yard House. I had a grape martini for starters and for dinner, I had sauteed scallops with mushroom and sundried tomato rissoto. Delish!

We weren't quite ready to head back to the hotel and insisted on one more stop at the Ritz Carlton Los Angeles. We headed up to the top floor lounge, known as WP24 by Wolfgang Puck for a nightcap. Along the way we spotted some beautiful Christmas decorations.

Beautiful Christmas Tree in the lobby of Ritz Carlton

Our last day flew by and the next thing I knew, we were headed to the airport. I couldn't decide if I wanted to wear my sunglasses to imply I was someone "famous" or if I wanted to keep my eyes peeled for a star. :) I went with the latter and it served me well! I spotted one of my favorite Young and the Restless stars...Lauren Fenmore/Tracey Bregman. I saw her as we were going through security. To my surprise, she was on a flight out of my terminal so I had the opportunity to talk with her while we were waiting for our drinks at Starbucks. She was so nice and appreciative of my kind words. For those of you that don't know...I am a huge Y&R fan! Crazy, I know, but when you grow up in the South, Mama always has on her "stories." I grew up on CBS soaps and Y&R is by far my favorite...it's pretty much the only one left.  I totally DVR it during the day and catch up before the husband gets home from work! ;)

Well, there you have it, the highlights of my LA trip. Have you been anywhere fun lately? I'd love to hear about it!

The holidays are among us so don't forget to spread some Christmas cheer, and of course, Be Social! :)