We're thrilled to have Trisha Wheeler on the Mr.&Mrs.H Guide today! Trisha is not only the makeup guru behind A Glittery Life (ladies, if you haven't subscribed already, her YouTube channel is a must for amazing beauty tips), but she's also an artist and a dear friend of ours who impacted our lives deeply when we lived in Northern California. Since then we've moved twice and Trisha has made her way back down to her roots in SoCal. No matter where Trisha is, she finds beauty and creates beauty. So, it's a treat to see the beauty of LA through the eyes of Trisha Wheeler!
M&MH: To start, what
do you love most about LA?
TW: Well so
far what I love most about this crazy city is the culture. Music, art, fashion, food, faces, architecture…each block has something new to offer. LA is really made up of a million little
cities and communities and each one has a distinct feel and flavor. The other thing that makes LA so special is
that she is made up of dreamers.
Everyone here is at some stage of chasing or realizing a dream, which
means the city is made up of equal parts hope and heartache. It’s an interesting but beautiful tension to
live in, but I love that everyone I meet is trying to live out their
dreams!
 {I love living in a city that celebrates art and street art is very much a part of the LA art scene!} |
Food+Beverage:
M&MH: Favorite
_______?
TW: Well my answers are all going to be coming from a normal person’s world. I’m not living large in LA so I’m not going to list any of the spots you read about in the tabloids! This is LA food non-baller status. However, these are the places I think about when I’m hungry!
➺ Breakfast
Saturday Brunch at Hugo’s.
It’s always a toss up for me between the BYO omelet, Cinnamon Swirl
French Toast or the Almond energy Pancakes.
And it just depends on how clean I am eating that week or how bad the
traffic has been. They are all about the
organic everything so you can feel good about what you’re putting in your
body. There
happens to be a Hugo's right behind my building so I never have to find a parking
space!
➺ Lunch
John’s Garden in Malibu. I
work in Malibu three days a week and if I get to choose our lunch spot it’s
always John’s Garden. Their sandwiches
are legendary in Malibu. It’s a favorite
for locals and tourists alike. The guys
are friendly and will get to know you by name and order. I get the surfer/princess every time! It’s heaped with roasted turkey, the freshest
avocado and lettuce etc. Warning though, it’s definitely a sharing size sandwich!
Half is all I can manage! It’s a
walk-up stand and I always enjoy sitting outside eating and people
watching. The thing about Malibu is you
never know who you’re going to run into.
And Malibu has such a cool beachy vibe that you can’t help but relax!
➺ Dinner
Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica.
Their menu is seasonal which is great because everything is fresh and
fits your mood! It’s located in the
heart of trendy Santa Monica and is always busy. A reservation from open table is always a must. They also have a great selection of beer from
Artisanal Beers, American Craft Brews and a few from Germany, Japan and
Belgian. My snobby beer friends are
always impressed. My favorite approach
to Rustic Canyon is family style eating.
Go with a few friends and order a bunch of different plates and then
share them all so you can have a rich culinary experience!
➺ Coffee shop
Intelligentsia Coffee. I
actually don’t drink coffee. But every
once in awhile I will find myself at Intelligentsia with an iced coffee in my
hand. I’m a non drinking coffee: coffee
snob.
{Intelligentsia}
➺ Health/Wellness
For
this I have to say Urth Caffé in Santa Monica.
It’s definitely one of my favorite food/drink spots in LA. It’s all organic and there are 4 or 5
locations in LA. I always have a tough
time deciding on what to order but I will say that the pot roast sandwich will
melt in your mouth and it has showed up in my dreams! It’s so good!
And, for breakfast I love the fresh grapefruit bowl! My favorite is to sit on the back patio with
some great friends and share life over good tea and delicious healthy food!
➺ Sweet
spot (ice cream, cupcakes, dessert spot, etc)
Carmela Ice Cream at Artisan Creamery in Pasadena!
I die over their organic homemade Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean and Salted
Caramel ice cream with salted caramel sauce poured all over it! It’s a drive to get there but worth it every
once in awhile!!! Go with some friends
and then plan on sitting on a nearby curb while your mouth goes to ice cream
heaven for a few moments!
{Here is the menu from Carmela! Expect the line to be out the door!}
Second to Carmela is this amazing little organic cotton candy cart called Bon Puf. The owner is this hip young entrapreneauer Named Cloe and you can actually rent her cart for a party! My favorite flavor is The Aloha! It’s banana, coconut & watermelon swirled together for a tropical treat. And guess what?!?!?!?! You can add edible glitter to it!! 
{Bon Puf}
➺ Dive
Well so
far I haven’t met a food truck I didn’t like!
LA is the land of the gourmet food trucks! You can get fresh organic juices, lobster
sandwiches, sliders, hotdogs 500 different ways, organic salads, truffle
grilled cheese and of course tacos! And
these are just a few of your choices! I
won’t even go into the cupcake trucks!!!
During the summer months all the food trucks gather in Venice for first
Fridays and it’s food truck paradise.
Through out the rest of the year you can find them just off main street
on Tuesdays also in Venice. Truth be
told I’ve barely even scratched the surface when it comes to the food truck
community but first Fridays has been a great introduction to the goodness that
is created in those mobile kitchens!
M&MH: Favorite shops? What are their goods?
TW: Well, I’m a beauty products junkie so I’m
always excited to see a LUSH, Sephora or MAC store. But, there is great shopping all over LA. I enjoy the atmosphere if shopping at the 3rd
street Promenade in Santa Monica because of all the street performers. But, the Grove has a cool vibe too as well as
being home to LA’s only TopShop. And, if
you have an endless supply of cash then you better make your way over to Rodeo
Drive in Beverly Hills. And for really cool shops with a wide variety of price
points I love Montana street in Santa Monica.
There are so many cool boutiques and places to eat there. I always come home with something cool.
M&MH: Your "must see or do" while in
LA...
TW: My list of must see’s are: watch the sunset at
Zuma Beach in Malibu, picnic on the back lawn of the Getty, visit to
Disneyland, shopping at the 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica, and take a
late afternoon/early evening trip up to Griffith Observatory.
{One of my favorite places to watch
the sunset in Malibu! The cliffs by Zuma
Beach.}
{The gardens at The Getty}
{Enjoying a warm summer walk around
the gardens at The Getty}
{Celebrating our birthdays at Disneyland! This is my best friend Danielle.}
{Sunset up at Griffith Observatory
on a warm spring evening.}
M&MH: Are there any cool markets (farmers
markets, flea markets, etc)?
TW: There are a million good farmers markets in
this city! They are easy to find and
have the best prices for organic fresh produce!
As far as flea markets go The Melrose Trading Post is the one you can’t miss! It’s
open rain or shine every Sunday from 9am-5pm in the parking lot of Fairfax High
School. The vendors are top notch and
have some of the most interesting and unusual items I’ve ever seen. The best part for me is that the price of
admission goes straight to funding the arts at the high school and they have
raised millions of dollars for their arts programs over the years!
M&MH: Where do you go when the weather's perfect
and you want to bike/walk/run/etc. or have picnic?
TW: I love to ride my beach cruiser bicycle along
the beach from the north end of Venice through Santa Monica and into the
southern part of Malibu. It’s a
beautiful stretch of the coastline and makes for a nice ride. Plus there is no end to the interesting
people and things you will see. And if
you’re here for a visit there are plenty of spots to rent a bike along the
beach!
My favorite place to have a picnic is up at
the Getty. It’s an incredible museum
that overlooks the Beverly Hills/Brentwood/ Westwood part of town. It’s on top of a mountain and the views of
the city from the backside are beautiful.
The best is to grab food from Trader Joes and head over there in the
late afternoon. The museum is free but
you do have to pay for parking. I love
to sit on the back lawn with friends and just hang out. It’s so pretty, peaceful and relaxing! I think it feels like you are out of the
city!
{The Backside of the Getty in the
gardens on a hot summer day with my friend Micaela.}
|
M&MH: Is there a touristy spot that's actually
worth the visit while in LA?
TW: Well, I
try and avoid Hollywood, and the surrounding area, as much as possible because it’s so crazy
and dirty, but most tourists want to go see the Walk of Fame. And, I get why but
once in a lifetime is enough! I’ve not
been to the LA zoo yet but people keep telling me how great it is, so I will be
trying that as soon as the weather cools off!
I love all of our amusement parks so I think those are worth it! Especially if you are visiting LA between
September and May! The lines will be
short and the parks won’t be so crowded!
Disneyland on a Tuesday or a Wednesday in the off season will have 5
minute wait times for the best rides!
You can’t beat that!
{My friend Kassie and I going Back
to the Future at Universal Studios!}
M&MH: Is there anything else you'd tell a tourist
not to miss if they really want the local's experience while in LA?
TW: Well, I almost hate to give away my favorite
restaurant! But tucked away on Riverside
Drive in Tolucca Lake is a little spot called Sweet Salt. I actually dream about eating here! Everything on their menu is amazing and I am
currently obsessed with their lettuce cups.
I would eat there everyday of the week if I could. The staff is super friendly, the place is
cute and if you time it right you can get there when the line isn’t out the
door!
M&MH: What
does your perfect day in LA look like?
TW: Oh that’s an easy one! You would find me up at Chavez Ravine with a
bunch of friends eating an all beef Dodger dog cheering on the boys in blue! I’m a huge Dodger fan and I go to
as many games a month as I can! They
call Dodger Stadium "Blue Heaven" and after one trip up there and you will know
why. It’s my most favorite place to be
in the whole city! Partly because it’s
sentimental for me and reminds me of my childhood, but also because it’s such a
beautiful stadium and sunset over the 3rd base line is unreal! The Dodgers have had such an epic season this
year and getting to be part of that has been so much fun!
{The rush of celebrating after a Dodger victory! This game went to 13 innings!}
{All Beef Dodger dogs during the opening series this season!}
M&MH: Trisha, thanks so much for sharing the beauty of LA with us! We are dreaming about a trip to LA to try some of your local hotspots and go to a Dodgers game with you. Until then, continue enjoying the "glittery life" in the City of Angles.
-mr.&mrs.h
No comments:
Post a Comment