Tourist Day!

I live Hollywood adjacent. So I'm close to the hustle and bustle of Hollywood life, but far enough away so that it doesn't drive me crazy.  Occasionally, I get a hankering to experience what the tourists experience. So I hit up the most cheesy, touristy thing I could think of. The Guinness World Records Museum and it's neighbor across the street, the Hollywood Wax Museum!

There is a definite cheese factor to both of these.  But knowing that going in, made it all the more fun. The Guinness is very flashy on the outside, but unbelievably antiquated on the inside!  Most of the facts and displays haven't been updated in 10 years!  Some of the interactive items are broken. Everything has a dingy, dirty feel to it. And if you walk briskly, you're done in 20 minutes.  And for the $12.95 entrance fee, I wanted a little more zing, flash, sex. Okay, maybe not the sex part. But at least something that wasn't so dated. Even the TV's were tube TV's. I haven't seen one of those in years!  And the Hollywood facts/figures portion of the displays were ridiculous!  Your museum is in the heart of Hollywood, and you don't even have the most current information on movies!

Guinness World Records Museum 

6764 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028

(323) 463-6433

On the plus side, you can buy a two-fer ticket that gets you into the 

wax museum across the street for $17.95 or $14.95 online.
The was museum was slightly better in that you could look at creepy wax figures of stars. But we were shockedat how much they did not look like the celebs they were modeled after!  We stared at a model of Jessica Alba for 20 minutes --naming every single person we could think of-- before we realized who it was.  And if I was Tom Cruise, I would sue. His figure looked so awful!  But there were a few that were pretty spot on-Harrison Ford as "Indy" and Tom Hanks from Forrest Gump.  Another cool thing,you can take pictures right up next tothe figures. And even make inappropriate gestures with them. Right on! Worth the price of admission.
Hollywood Wax Museum 

6767 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028

(323) 462-5991 ‎ 






So to recap, would I go again? Not likely.  If you are in town from Indiana and have an hour and some money to waist? Why not. 
Happy Tradventuring!

Ahhhh....Paradise!

Glendale has been in desperate need of a decent cafe/bakery.  Portos is way too packed to enjoy on a regular basis. And everywhere else in Glendale seems like you need a passport to order a cup of coffee. But all of this has changed since I found Paradise Pastry & Cafe on Glenoaks. Hurray!

 First, there is ample parking in front and a lot in the back.

Then there are three sections to this large business: A cafe, a deli, and a bakery. The bakery has some of the most delicious looking pastries, cakes and sweets that I've ever seen. Their cakes look like works of art! I can't wait until someone invites me to a party and I can go buy one! (hint, hint!)  They also have an incredible stock of fresh bread. This is a hot item here! (get it? hot item!)  And everything from rum balls (.50 cents!) to fresh croissants ($1.95).

The middle section is a huge deli/grocery store. So many meats and cheeses! And there's a small section of fresh fruits and veggies. Boom. Shopping done.

But the piece de resistance has to be the cafe at the end of the shop. It's a lovely selection of Armenian foods (what, it's still Glendale) and regular lunch items. The potato balls are super delish (better than Portos I think) and they're only $1! Yes, a buck!  In fact, everything in this cafe seems incredibly cheap. But it certainly doesn't taste cheap. My husband and I ate breakfast for $7. Total!  I had a moist egg and cheese croissant sandwich, a potato ball, and a raspberry danish (yes, i was hungry). All for around $4.50. You can't beat that.

I highly recommend Paradise Pastry & Cafe in the Glendale. No passports required ;)

Happy Tradventuring!

http://www.paradisepastry.com/

Bliss? Sort of.

I recently had a birthday. Hurray! That means presents. One of my favorite gifts to get, is a spa day! And this year my husband did not disappoint. He gave me a gift certificate to Bliss at the W in Hollywood. Schmancy! I was feeling very well-to-do when I made my appointment. I picked a Saturday morning thinking it wouldn't be too busy. And I was right.

The spa is inside the W hotel in Hollywood. $7 to valet park, or street parking for only an hour. The entrance looks like a store front. And it is a store, but it's not the spa. You have to check in there, then they walk to you to the hotel elevator to go upstairs to the actual spa.

When I walked in, I was expecting a bustling spa given the reputation and popularity of Bliss. But it was empty! I was the only person in the entire place when I went in for my treatment, and the only person when I came out. Huh.  Kind of strange for such an expensive spa in a nice hotel. The ladies waiting area was nice (there was cheese and brownies!). Very clean, a few steam rooms, and a dry sauna. All of which I enjoyed, utterly alone. Nice!

My massage on the other hand, not so nice.  It was just okay. But for the $115 price tag, I feel like I should have been floating on a cloud when I left. The massage oil was ice cold, the therapist seemed in a hurry to get done, and the room was sad.  I say sad because it had absolutely no decoration. It looked like a medical exam room. In fact the entire spa kind of felt a little medical.  No warmth, no relaxing features that I'm used to. And especially, no soothing music.  I remember laying on the tabling thinking, is this Jet? Mumford and Sons? Coldplay? All of which are great to listen to, but not while you're trying to tune everything out and enjoy a massage.  It just seemed disjointed and not very relaxing.  My therapist was nice and polite. Recommended a ton of products for my skin needs. Then I went back to the ladies room, got dressed and left.  And in all honestly, probably never to return. I've had massages at far less fancy places, that melted me to the floor. The ambiance is important, but if the massage isn't great, it doesn't matter what the place looks like.

This was my experience at this particular Bliss. They have several locations around the world and your experience may be completely different. So if you'd like to experience Bliss for yourself, check out their info below.

Bliss Spa

At W Hollywood Hotel and Residences
6250 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood,CA 90028

hours:
9am-9pm 7 days a week

appointments:
877 TO BLISS (877 862 5477)
We require 24 hours notice to cancel any appointment.

Happy Tradventuring!

Heather

Little Lounge...Lotta fun!

Please welcome, guest blogger  @uziqguy!

Finding a nice, quiet place to have a drink can be challenging in Los Angeles. And if you do, chances are several thousand other people have already happened upon it and it never really becomes a “unique” place to go and unwind quietly. Well…I think I may have found a place!

Now, I’m not really sure how we happened upon it, but the Horizons Lounge on the 19^th floor of the Glendale Hilton is a great, scenic place to go and unwind after a long day/week or whatever. Its got some fantastic views of Glendale, Downtown L.A. and the surrounding mountains. And the few times we’ve been there, it’s never been too crowded or noisy.

The drink prices are pretty reasonable too. I think the last time we were there, we spent around $6-$7 for a large Sam Adams, which seems like a pretty fair bar price (wine was about $7 and most cocktails/martinis were in the $10-$12 range). They also have a pretty good menu consisting of typical bar fare like sliders, calamari, etc, etc (also at pretty fair prices). The only thing with the food is, be prepared to wait a bit if they have a full bar, as the waitstaff has to all the way down to the kitchen on the first floor to get it. And if you can get there for the happy hour (7 days/4-7pm) you'll find even better deals!

Parking isn’t the best however, but I’ve definitely seen worse in LA. You’ll have to park in the below-ground parking under the hotel. Normally $20/day for hotel guests, the first two hours are free with validation at the lounge. After you park, it’s just a quick elevator ride upstairs, walk through the lobby, then another short ride to the 19th floor.

So if you like great views (try it at sunset – beautiful!), and a comfortable environment to have a nice cocktail and some conversation, Try the Horizons Lounge in the Glendale Hilton. We’ve enjoyed it every time we’ve gone!

Horizons Lounge
(Inside the Hilton Hotel)
100 West Glenoaks Blvd
Glendale, CA 91202
Tel: 1-818-956-5466

Happy Tradventuring!
Heather

Fat Dog.

Yes. I said Fat Dog.  However, I personally feel it could be named "Phat" Dog. This place was awesome!   My husband and I hit up the Dog on a random Thursday night.  The seat yourself atmosphere was easy and we quickly found an open table.  But most of the place was packed. I assume it's because of their sweet happy hour deals.  $3 drafts including Stella, Dos Equis XX, and Miller.  And delicious apps that range from $4-6. Not bad.

We had just missed happy hour though, typical. So we settled in for a nice dinner.  We got our beers, Chimay for me, Fat Tire for the man. We started with the blue cheese stuffed olives. The hubby is a big fan of blue cheese and he nearly died of happiness while eating these salty bombs.  They were very, very good. But super salty and a little greasy.  But you got a nice portion of them for only $5. I thought it was a great bargain!


Now, I always read Yelp reviews of a new place. But I rarely believe what people are saying. I find that most people on Yelp have had a bad experience and just want to bitch about it.  Not all, but a lot of Yelp reviews are so jaded.  So while reading the Yelp of Fat Dog, I saw a lot of suggestions for the mac and cheese.  I like to consider myself a mac and cheese aficionado. I love it. I want it in my face all the time. So we decided to get the jalapeno mac and cheese, $15 (we added crab for $6-totally worth it). And we got the trio of burgers.  Wow. Just wow.  We sampled each other's meals and could not have been happier.  The mac and cheese was worth all the hype.  Super cheesy and creamy, with just a hint of heat. I don't like things that are so hot you can't taste the food and that's exactly how this was.  Yay!  And the burgers were 3-bite sized, each with their own toppings. And it came with fries, but I upgraded to sweet potato fries for a dollar. So glad I did. They were some of the best sweet tater fries I've ever had. Again, Yay!

Overall we agreed we would definitely come back to the Fat Dog.  It has a cool sports bar feel, but with food that doesn't feel sportsy at all. It's definitely got a gourmet twist and we couldn't have been happier. Our bill was high, but we had 2 beers, an app, and 2 entrees. So that's to be expected for good food.  Our server was attentive, but not annoying.  The only real hiccup we had, was that we had tried to go there once before for lunch, but they aren't open for lunch during the week. Most days they don't open until 4pm, and I think Sat. at 2pm.  So check the times before you drive out to Montrose so you don't waste your Fat time.

The Fat Dog
2265 Honolulu AvenueLa Crescenta-Montrose, CA 91020
(818) 236-4810


www.thefatdogla.com


Happy Tradventuring!

Heather

Shut your Pie Hole..but not before trying a slice!

I haven't blogged in a while, but this place I tried today has vaulted me back on the horse. So here it is!

I am in love!! Finally LA has a cozy and delicious pie shop. This place is brand spanking new in the Little Tokyo Arts District. And right when you walk in, you feel at home. Everything is bright and airy- where rustic meets modern decor. I'm told the owner made the tables and counter himself. Awesome!

But the best part is the pie! Duh! They have a number of selections from a chocolate and peanut butter pie with pretzel crust, to more savory fair like this amazing empanada thing my husband tried. And there's an actual barista who makes your coffee. Not a Starbucks quickie! I'm still thinking about my perfectly foamy latte ;)

This is definitely worth the trip if you want sweet and savory pies, fresh made coffee, and a lovely place to enjoy both in.  Thank you Pie Hole for inspiring me to get back to blogging about the awesome places to visit around LA!

The Pie Hole

714 Traction Ave.

LA, CA 90013

Open 10am-9pm daily

www.thepieholela.com

Happy Tradventuring!

Heather