July in Los Angeles

Summer is not necessarily Los Angeles' finest season. For most of the year, southern Californians can look at the U.S. weather map and smile. When the rest of the country is being pummeled with ice storms, we have cool, breezy days. When spring rains are drenching the east coast, we have abundant sunshine. (Of course this has its own problems, like droughts, but I'm just talking about weather here...) But in the summer, especially in the valley, we have smog and unbearable heat.

Despite the less-than-desirable weather, the nice thing about Los Angeles in the summer is that there is a ton of stuff to do. Last summer, I discovered Malibu and the Getty. We basically headed to one or the other at least once a week all summer. The Getty is beautiful and high enough up to catch some of the ocean breeze. And Malibu? Sure it has beautiful beaches and tidal pools, but more importantly, it's generally about 20 degrees cooler than the valley.

This summer, we're trying out some of the other activities. Toby's dad is here this week and yesterday we took Lucy and Noni to the Hollywood Bowl Summer Sounds Brazilian concert. The show included both Hip-Hop and many styles of Brazilian music and dancing. The girls were mesmerized. Today, we checked out the free kids' yoga on the lawn at The Americana at Brand. I'd never been to the Americana before, but we'll definitely be back. Not only was the yoga great, but they also have free kids' concerts on Tuesdays. And we have yet to try the Grove's summer concert series, which I hope to check out soon as well. Also on my list? The Getty Villa and the Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center.

We'll see if we get to all of it. When I asked Lucy a couple of weeks ago about starting kindergarten in the fall, she looked at me like I was crazy and said, "I can't even think about that, it's too long from now." I remember summers feeling like that when I was younger and love that she views it that way. Unfortunately for me, despite the smog and heat, summer seems to be flying by much too fast.

Bar Centro

It didn't take long after moving to discover that we had landed in the heart of the movie industry. Almost everyone I have met is either a producer, actor/actress, writer, director, you name it. If not, they are probably involved in the music industry. Yet it occurred to me last night that, while we may live in the heart of the industry, we live far from the glamorous side of Los Angeles. Sure, George Clooney lives up the street, but most likely he's heading over the hill when he heads out on the town.

My friend Jane is determined to show me and Sarah (both new to Los Angeles last summer) the Los Angeles that we don't normally see. Last time we went out, she took us out for a hilarious night of drag queen bingo. This time we headed over the hill to Bar Centro, where the people watching is at least as good as the exotic drinks. Despite being known for glamor, Bar Centro's signature drink involves an ingredient typically found at the county fair - cotton candy. Sarah ordered a "magic mojito", which the waitress made at our table by pouring out a drink as shown below.

While we sipped our drinks (mine a Bellini, not involving any spun sugar) and chatted, I couldn't help but notice that pretty much every other woman in the bar looked like she had just stepped out of a magazine spread. And yes, the camera adds ten pounds. Aside from being a little top heavy, these women were extrodinarily tall and skinny. I wanted to steer them to the nearest steak house. And yet, they fit quite well with the ambiance. Everything was designed with an air of fantasy. From the drinks to chandaliers to the people, as Sarah said, it almost felt like a bar meets Alice in Wonderland.

In general, a prefer a good Irish bar where you can wear jeans and a t-shirt, sit in a booth with friends, and enjoy a cold mug of beer. But I will say this for Los Angeles - there are a lot of interesting places to explore.

And it's on to moustaches and boyfriend jeans

I have never considered myself a trend setter, but before I moved to Los Angeles, I at least thought of myself as a few steps above mom jeans. (OK, OK, maybe a few is pushing it. I know I have worn nothing but jeans and t-shirts for the last...lifetime...but hey, those are Lucky jeans and they're at least moderately stylish. Or I thought they were last year anyway.) The thing is, living in Los Angeles, you are constantly reminded of how completely unstylish you are. I have yet to buy myself the right pair of Uggs to wear over my skinny jeans, but already the city has moved on to the next trend: super baggy, ripped up boyfriend jeans. Worn with flats. I knew this was coming of course. Those hours with Star magazine while on the bike in the gym have to pay off somehow. And yet I have yet to run out and buy myself some stylishly unflattering baggy jeans. Toby would point out the environmental unfriendliness of fashion, but mostly it's also just too expensive to keep up with the trends.

So of course I was thrilled when I noticed a new trend that is both carbon neutral and free: the moustache. It's popping up on guys all over Los Angeles. I'm not just talking about older guys who have been sporting one since they came into fashion in the 70s, but young, trend-setting guys. Guys that are just barely old enough to grow one. And I'm assuming that not every young guy in this area is trying out for a role on a Western film.

I think it's going to take a while for this trend to catch on completely. When I posted about my observations on Facebook, the responses ranged from a whole series of "yuck" to one lonely "I think they are HOT!". But still, I'm predicting the moustache is going to be here for a while. The only question is, who's going to be the Tom Selleck of this generation?

Country Roads

Yesterday, we headed out of the city to Animal Acres farm. My friend Margaret and her daughter Gabriella had gone a few days before and suggested we check it out as a possible location for Lucy and Gabriella’s birthday party. It was a good day to take a break from LA - it had been uncomfortably hot all week, resulting in a blue sky directly over head but a cement gray horizon of smog obscuring the views of the mountains surrounding Studio City. As I was driving, I kept squinting my eyes and looking around to try to even get a glimpse of the outline of the mountains, but it was as if they had been erased altogether.

After twenty minutes of driving, we finally arrived at the mountains (still in existence) and the smog began to clear. We continued driving through the dramatic scenery that these tall brown mountains offered, set against the now perfectly blue sky. As we drove further, it became more and more rural. When we turned off the highway, we took a wrong turn and ended up driving by ranch after ranch on a dusty dirt road. We finally stopped to ask an old man wearing overalls and a baseball cap for directions. He smiled, crinkling his sun-worn skin, and pointed us the other way down the road. I thanked him and thought to myself that even if we turned around right at that moment, the whole trip would’ve been worth it, just for the taste of country that he offered.

When we pulled in to Animal Acres, we were greeted by the largest pig I have ever seen. She towered over Noni, whose eyes widened with awe and fright. Evie pulled the brown twine cord to ring the bell and a young woman in pig tails came out of the building and, pushing pigs out of her way, let us through the gate.

Animal Acres is a rescue farm and all of the animals there have been saved from either a slaughter house or another type of abusive situation. The girls pet the scratchy fur of the pigs, rubbed the goats’ noses, and took pictures with the sheep. Noni walked around instructing the animals on what they should say - “maa”, “baa” or “moo“. (She’s still working on “oink”.) By the time we left, there wasn’t much question that Lucy would have her birthday at Animal Acres.

When our tour was over, we still weren’t ready to head back into the city, so we drove down the road and found a park where the girls picked flowers, played in the dust (Noni did at least) and chased huge balls of tumbleweeds. {Evie’s piano teacher later informed us that in LA you make snowmen by collecting tumbleweeds, stacking them, and decorating them. Tumbleweedmen.} As for myself, I mostly just breathed in the fresh air and enjoyed watching them romp with a beautiful landscape for a backdrop.

Since arriving to Los Angeles, we’ve escaped the city either by trips to the beach or to the mountains, but there’s something about a rural farm town though that’s relaxing in an entirely different way. I have a feeling that Lucy’s birthday party isn’t the only time we’ll be back.

First Impressions

It is a long way to Los Angeles from Frederick when you're carrying a 9 month old, especially if you've been up all night with one daughter throwing up and another daughter who kicks in her sleep. Especially if you love your little town with all of your heart and with each passing minute it just seems further and further away. And if you are struggling to keep still a wiggling, screaming baby whose ears are bothering her, and look out the window and see that you are descending into a giant brown cloud you would probably do what I did: lay my head against the window and think, shit.

The thought didn't dissipate immediately. I'll fast forward through the long wait at the baggage claim, the even longer line at the car rental place, the car in standstill on the clogged, dirty freeway and the greeting by the way-too-attractive receptionist at the office because my sentiment remained the same. I think Toby knew it was better not to say anything at all because he whisked me out of the office, got me some food, and we drove in silence to the hotel. I looked out the window and counted the signs along the road advertising the "bodies" exhibit at a local museum. You know the one - where they have a bunch of dead people posed in different positions. If you saw the 60 Minutes about it, you also know that those dead people come from a warehouse in China and the exhibit is basically about as low as society can possibly stoop. Okay, so logically I know that same exhibit came to D.C. But as we were driving through L.A. I couldn't help thinking that the whole city seemed soulless and dirty.

So my first impression wasn't so good.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that a good meal can change my whole attitude on life. After some food (and realizing I'd had none my whole trip out to L.A.) and a little retail therapy, I felt much better. I then went back to the hotel room and indulged in four back-to-back Sex In The City episodes, where Carrie does some retail therapy of her own in Paris, though she leaves with about 20 bags from Yves Saint Laurent, where I spent $84 at H&M (bargain hunters will appreciate: two skirts, two shirts and a pair of pants for $84!) O.K., so Carrie ultimately decides the move is a bad idea, but my Mr. Big is moving out here with me, I speak the language and already have some friends in L.A. (You can see, the food helped.)

The next day, I felt even better. It's hard to be in a bad mood on in sunny, 70 degree weather. I began my tour of L.A. public schools that have been ranked a "10" by greatschools.net. At the first school I visited, in Hancock Park, I was greeted by the principal who reminded me of my old boss, Juana Brown, at Sacred Heart - she had a warm smile and a passion for all things education. As she walked me around the open "halls" with art-covered walls and students planting a garden, I began to picture us living in California and it started to look much better. At Ivanhoe Elementary, in Silver Lake, my tour guide talked about the gifted and talented program there and the strong parental involvement. By the time I reached Carpenter Elementary, in Studio City, where the classrooms were bursting with color from student artwork, I was considerably impressed with the L.A. public schools.

I liked Studio City immediately. It feels a little bit removed from the city, there are great stores, parks and nice neighborhoods all within walking distance of each other. When Toby and I ate at the diner there the next morning, we met a woman (and fellow BC alum) with her daughter in a stroller who talked about the story time at the bookstore every day, the children's bike parade on the fourth of July, the community of parents in the area...I was sold.

To bring it back to shopping, it's usually a good idea to check the price tag before falling in love with a dress. Studio City isn't exactly H&M. We are still reeling a bit from looking at prices, but as far all L.A. goes, it is apparently considered reasonable. I can picture us living there and am hopeful that we can figure it out.

Coming home to cherry blossoms, my mom watching the girls, good friends and our house, the hesitation about moving came flooding back and continues to come back in waves every once and a while. But when I start thinking that way, I remind myself of two things. First, I remember talking to Diana the other day and expressing my concern about moving. She reminded me, "But you loved California." I keep thinking about that - about the vacation lifestyle, the trips to the beach, the incredible hiking and parks nearby and about how resistant I was to coming back east ten years ago. I also think of my dad's toast at our wedding to me and Toby, which was to a life of adventure together. His toast came fresh off the heels of a year in Ecuador and San Francisco, and a life of adventure was a lot easier to picture before we had kids. But when we were out in Los Angeles, walking in the sun and checking out the neighborhoods while talking about what our future holds, it brought me back to Ecuador and to our relationship then, when we had a million things to figure out and were so excited about figuring them out together. It's a good feeling, one that brings us closer, and I think will bring our whole family closer together as well.

So we're off to our west coast adventure. I think that we'll have a lot more ups and downs than in our normal routine, but that's what will make it memorable. And, in case I forget, this blog is to help me remember our journey!