11 Things to Do in L.A. in 2011

Alright, I want to try things I haven't done in L.A. before so here is my list:

1. Improv show at UCB-that would be Upright Citizens Brigade. I took classes at Second City last year, and while I LOVED it, I'm thinking of switching over to UCB. Plus, they have some shows I just really want to see.
2. Slimmons exercise class-Have you heard about this? Richard Simmons actually leads the workouts and people I've talked to say they're fabulous and fun! I saw him once in the airport and he was a total drama queen, but only in L.A. can you take class from Richard Simmons.
3. Eat at Formosa Café-I just feel that this is a classic L.A. spot and yet I've never been so I want to try it.
4. Explore Eagle Rock-There are a lot of places in Los Angeles that I've only been to once or twice and could probably learn more about but I've NEVER been to Eagle Rock and I hear it's fun. I already know a restaurant I want to try and I hear the stores are cute.
5. Coffee at 101 Coffee Shop-I can't even count the number of times I've driven by and "Swingers" was filmed here and to me that is an iconic L.A. movie that I treasure so I need to go.
6. Concert at the Greek Theater-I want to go to more concerts and I've never been to the Greek and hear it's a great place to see a show.
7. Rose Bowl Flea Market-It's supposed to be the greatest flea market and I want to haggle for deals on cute apartment stuff!
8. See a midnight showing of “The Room”-if you've never heard of it, google it. It is supposedly the worst movie ever made and the midnight showing of it has become an "only in L.A." thing to do.
9. Finally have dinner at Bazaar at SLS-I feel about 2 years behind but I really, really want to eat there. Jose Andres is a genius and I loved his first restaurant Zatinya in D.C. and really want to experience his molecular gastronomy.
10. Explore downtown-it is the hippest place in L.A. now and I haven't really done much down there. I want to take an afternoon/evening and just explore. This will probably happen on an Art Walk night because I have friends that I know want to go this year.
11. I'm leaving #11 open for now. I'm not quite sure yet what this one should be, but I will definitely decide and do it before the end of the year!

So there's my list. What do you want to try to do in your city this year?

Thai Massage

One of my favorite ways to splurge is by getting a Thai massage. I got one for the first time last July and I loved it! I'm not big on Swedish massage. Actually, after the last Swedish massage I had my muscles tensed up so badly I thought I had the flu. Thai massage is different. They kind of press on you in different areas, and crack your back, and stretch your arms and legs all over the place. Oh, and they walk on you. Well at least, they might. I so far haven't had anyone walk on me, but a few of my friends have. They said it was kind of weird at first, but the after effects were worth it! Plus, the beauty of Thai massage is that it's cheap. Unlike a massage at a spa that costs $100, Thai places seem to cost between $40-60. Even though that's still a splurge, it's better than $100+! There are Thai massage places all over L.A., but the one I recommend is Thai Sabai. I've only been to there Sunset location; the Westwood one I know nothing about! So, go indulge this week and relax with a nice Thai woman walking on your back!



Thai Sabai- http://www.thaisabai.com/

Great Deals in Your City

So I am absolutely LOVING all the websites that have sprung up giving deals in your city! In case you haven't heard of these, here's the deal...

First, and probably the most popular right now, is Groupon. Groupon is a website where you sign up for deals in your city to be e-mailed to you a few times a week. They are normally for locally owned businesses which is awesome. So basically you get an e-mail saying something like, "Luna Park -$40 worth of food for $20." And then you buy your groupon for the $20 and anytime within about 3-5 months you can use your groupon at the restaurant! So the catch is you have to buy the groupon THAT DAY. That deal will not be available again. Just last week I used my groupon to Luna Park and it was great. Other recent Groupons have included pilates class, chocolates, grocery delivery, and manicures. I will say that I'm often shocked by how many groupons are to ultra-trendy, of-the-moment places. For example, last week there was a Groupon to Kiss My Bundt, and in case you haven't heard, bundt cakes are the new cupcake. Get ready! My friend bought a groupon for The Foundry on Melrose ($70 worth of food for $35) and we will be trying it out soon!

Next up is Blackboard Eats. Very similar to Groupon except it is only for food. The cool thing with Blackboard is that you don't have to pay up front. You have the day to order the coupon and if you order it you just get a passcode. Then all you do is simply give your passcode to the host when you arrive at the restaurant. The one thing with Blackboard is you have only 1 month to use your passcode. And just to give you an example of the deals, today's passcode is for Fraiche restaurant in Santa Monica-40% off lunch. I recently got their passcode for Grace restaurant and will be eating a prix fixe dinner for $38. The cool thing with Blackboard is that they keep track of what deals you've signed up for, so if you lose your passcode somehow, you can always log in and find it on their side under "My Blackboard".

Last, but not least, is Big City Deals brought to you by Pat Sajak! This too is one you sign-up for and buy like Groupon, but there is one cool feature with this one-they separate out Orange County and the Valley so the coupons are for your specific area! Nice feature, huh? I haven't actually tried Big City Deals yet, but they do some interesting things like helicopter tours of the city.

So, there it is folks. Go sign-up with each of these sites so you can make the most of our city at an affordable price!

Welcome!

     Life after college. I think my first year out was just one huge transition and I’ll be honest, it sucked. Its been four years since I graduated and while I’ve made a lot of progress I think I’m still figuring out what it means to be an “adult”. There are a lot of new experiences after graduation; getting a “real” job, moving into your own place, setting a budget, investing in a 401K. Ugh. But there is great freedom in this whole adult thing. You never have to write a term paper again, when you are done with work there is no need to study, and your time is your own (other than work, obviously).

        I remember 22-23 being especially difficult because while I was ready to move into adulthood my friends were not. Half of them still worked at Starbucks and ate dinner at Baja Fresh. They lived in apartments with four people and just wanted to hang out for a while. I on the other hand had a real job with a salary and benefits and was ready to move to L.A. So, in March of 2005 that’s what I did. I moved to Los Angeles. The city I love. I basically started all over.

      So, four years later I think I’ve figured some of it out, but I definitely have a ways to go. This blog is about what’s going on in my life at the moment along with some tips and tricks I’ve discovered along the way.