#40: LA Kings Game

So this year I have seen the Lakers, the Dodgers, and the Trojans. In the past I've seen the Clippers, the Galaxy and even the Angels, and the only team left (besides the Sparks and let's be honest, when has the WNBA ever counted) was the LA Kings hockey team.

I've never been a fan of hockey, for no particular reason. I just always thought it was super violent so I wrote it off (silly me!). But luckily for me, my boyfriend is a huge hockey fan and surprised me with tickets to the Kings for New Year's Eve. I didn't really know what to expect, but I went with an open mind and was just happy to be doing something different for New Year's.

We took the train into downtown again - and this time, instead of parking in Hollywood (massive cluster normally, epic cluster on New Year's) we parked a few stations further away FOR FREE at Universal Studios. We took the red line into downtown, then since we were being lazy, transferred to the blue line that lets out right next to the Staples Center. The train was packed with Kings fans, so it was a party-like atmosphere on the ride down.

With all the logistics of parking and trains, we thought we would be late to the game, but we got there even in time to hear the national anthems! The Kings were playing the Vancouver Canucks, so they sang the Canadian anthem as well as ours. Which was great because it gave us some extra time to grab food quickly before making it to our seats before the drop of the puck.

Now, I thought I would be apprehensive about seeing dudes beating on each other with hockey sticks, but evolution be damned because I LOVED it! Ronny was patient and explained the basics to me, like penalties and power-plays, and the proper way to taunt the opposing team's goalie after a shot is made (I loved it!) The level of participation from the fans - which had a great showing of Canuck fans as well - was unlike any other kind of sporting event I've been to. It was so exhilarating and exciting, and I also loved the pace of the game. The hardest part about watching football for me is the fact that it stops every 10 seconds, but hockey keeps going.

During one of the intermissions, we got up to get beer and stood in line in front of 2 hardcore Canucks fans, traveling here from Vancouver. And you can keep making those Canadian stereotypes, because they were SO nice and polite and respectful. They even complimented us on being Kings fans, because Kings fans are just "so great". What the heck. Raiders fans shoot the opposing team's fans, Dodgers fans beat them nearly to death, but Canucks fans compliment you and shake your hand. Awesome. (Oh, Ronny did just remind me that they also riot when they lose...)

After we got beer we did a lap around the Staples Center, and went outside to the balcony/ smoking section to see all the New Year's revelers in the LA Live plaza below. While we were out there, an epic chant-war started, with the beligerant Kings fans shouting "U-S-A! U-S-A!" in the faces of a group of Canucks fans. And God bless 'em, the Canucks fans retorted with "WEEE HAAVVE HEAAATHCAARE! WEEE HAAVVE HEAATHCAARE!!" Burn, Canada. Buuuurrnn.

The Kings ended up winning 4-1, which is a pretty solid win for a hockey game. All the fans were going crazy and I was there right along with them. I have absolutely fallen in love with hockey games and I can't wait to go again! The best part about it is that you don't have to have a master's understanding of the game to enjoy yourself, and tickets are a fraction the cost of Lakers seats. I highly recommend it to anyone that wants to try something different - and I hear this season's Kings team has a chance at the Stanley Cup!!

Note: Apologies for the picture quality, my camera broke and my iPhone has been working overtime!

This is how close the Staples Center is from the train drop off. I'm never walking from the Red Line again!

View from our seats

Wearing our Kings Crowns!

PS - I just realized that I spent three major holidays this year at sporting events. Dodgers was on July 4th, USC Trojans was on Thanksgiving weekend, and this one was on New Year's Eve!

#36: Runyon Canyon Hike

Back in the day, my parents used to think that the best family activity was hiking. We lived out in the desert, so we would drive into the mountains for a day of fun activities and hiking. Obviously, this was before the internet. As could be imagined, when I was eight years old I was totally not into it, and was notorious for my constant whining on the trails. But, I have to hand it to my parents, there is now a soft spot in my heart for a good hike.

Living in an urban area, however, there aren't that many hikes close by. Don't get me wrong - drive an hour out of the city and there are amazing hikes all over the place. But there is one special little trail, right in the middle of the city, called Runyon Canyon. It stretches all the way from Mulholland Drive to Franklin Blvd in the heart of Hollywood. I'm sure pretty much every celebrity ever has been photographed hiking on the trail in those "Celebs are just like us!" sections of gossip magazines.

I finally made my way up to Runyon when I had a few days off after Christmas. It was a typical lovely LA December day, sunny in the mid-70's. I would say the hike is easy, but it still definitely raised my heartbeat! I remember having to hike for miles and miles once with my parents, and we even had to scramble up rocks and other hardcore stuff. Runyon is not like that, and in fact is pretty much paved the entire way, but does get pretty steep at times.

A great part about the trail is not only is it dog-friendly, but the majority of the trail is actually a dog park, where you can take your dog off-leash. My boyfriend and I were dog-sitting for the day, so it was a great activity to do with the pups (though, we didn't take them off-leash. Those dogs are totally unpredictable and I didn't want to be responsible for either of them going missing!). Another great part of the hike is that, unlike most hikes -where the view that makes the hike worthwhile is only at the top- Runyon has amazing views the entire way. At every turn you either have a close-up view of the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Observatory, or the downtown skyline.

We hiked the trail backwards, starting at the top at the Mulholland entrance. It was fun starting from the top because we could enjoy all the amazing views at a leisurely pace. Just coming back up was the tough part! Overall it was a great hike, under 2 hours, full of really beautiful people (shirtless men, women in sports bras, etc), lots of cute dogs, and even some celebs (we saw Ron Jeremy... eeww). I really look forward to going again, and maybe I'll even see Ryan Seacrest... Rumor is he runs the trail every day!

Downtown skyline views from the trail

Sign at the top entrance on Mulholland Dr.

#8: The Getty Villa in Malibu

As anyone who knows me knows, in college I studied abroad in Greece. I didn't just pick that destination out of the blue; I had been borderline obsessed with ancient Greek culture since I was 11 years old and first learned what ancient cultures were. While in Greece, I toured around all the big cities, historic sites, museums, etc, and was absolutely in love. But anyway, I'll save the boring recap details and just get to the point of this post. When the beautiful Getty Villa opened a few years ago, exclusively featuring Getty's extensive collection of Greek, Roman and Etruscan art, it immediately went on my "must see someday" list.

My boyfriend and I made reservations to go the day after Christmas. We had lunch in Malibu beforehand, and then made our way to the Villa. It is worth noting that the only way to get to the museum is from the PCH going north-bound. That would have been fine if we just came from LA, but since we went further into Malibu for lunch, we ended up going south towards the museum and had to make a u-turn, which is pret-ty stressful on the PCH and I don't recommend it! Entrance to the museum is free (you have to make a reservation online) but parking costs $15.

A little Getty Villa history, courtesy of the 12-minute orientation video:

The first Getty museum was staged in J. Paul Getty's own Malibu home in the 1950's. As his collection grew, he commissioned the building of the Getty Villa, built adjacent to his home in the Malibu hills. The Villa opened in the 1970's - after Getty's death- and housed his entire, eclectic collection. But soon the Getty Trust was expanding the collection at a rapid pace, and they ran out of room again. The Trust soon began plans to build the Getty Center, which opened in 1997 and is a landmark in Los Angeles, sitting in the hills above Westwood next to the 405 freeway. (It is also a destination I highly recommend. I have been there probably 10 times and always make a beeline for the West Pavilion!)

When the Center opened, the Trust began extensive renovations on the now-empty Villa property. 8 years later it reopened as the home to Getty's most prized treasures - the ancient Greek and Roman art, pottery, statues and artifacts.

I must say, the setting of the villa couldn't have been more perfect. It was built to emulate a mansion found in the ruins of Mt. Vesuvius, and flowed perfectly from indoor to outdoor, and had several outdoor gardens and courtyards. Not to mention that it is literally on top of the hill above the beach in Malibu, and the views are unparalleled. I've never been to Rome, but I could imagine this is how the wealthy Romans lived 3,000 years ago.

As the collection is all from roughly the same period, the pieces are organized by theme instead of chronology. There were rooms dedicated to Gods and Goddesses, Luxury Vessels, the Trojan War (a personal favorite), and Dionysus and the Theatre. But the real reason to visit the museum (if you aren't an Ancient Greece nut like me) is for the gardens. They were built to feature the statues (replicas are outdoors), popular plants from the era, and the views.

Overall, it was a really great experience. I saw pieces that added to things I learned while in Greece. There are also several different tours offered throughout the day, but I decided to pass on a tour since I already had a base knowledge on the era. It is easy to compare the Villa to the Getty Center, but it's not a very fair comparison. The Getty Center is more awe-inspiring both in its collection and its location, but for Greek and Roman art, the Villa can't be beat. I recommend it for anyone that wants to spend an afternoon in Malibu - just make sure to go on a sunny day for the most amazing experience!

The Villa, sitting atop the Malibu hills

The biggest outdoor garden, with a view of the main museum building

A typical Roman vase (there are about 3,000 more similar to this in the museum!)

A statue of Heracles carrying a lion carcass - one of the more famous statues in the collection

Such a beautiful setting on a beautiful day!

#2: The Los Angeles Zoo

I have always been a huge fan of zoos. Especially living in a city, zoos are one of the only ways I actually get to see animals besides the standard city pigeons and chihuahuas in bedazzled tutus. I love the San Diego Zoo (and the Wild Animal Park!), and have been meaning to check out the LA Zoo for years but just have never gotten around to it.

So last Sunday my amazing, always-a-good-sport boyfriend and I made our way out to the zoo, on the far end of Griffith Park. As we entered the zoo, Ronny said he wanted to see the pandas first (of course)... and it was then that I had to break it to him that there were no pandas at this zoo. The look on his face showed me that that was the only reason he had agreed to come. Well, at that point I was just hoping the new "Elephants of Asia" exhibit could somehow make up for the lack of pandas (hint: they didn't, as if they could).

Despite that first hurdle of disappointment, I had high hopes. The map made the zoo look huge, and all the directional signs kept pointing us toward pictures of zebras, koalas and other cuddly animals. However, 10 minutes into our walk and I could hardly hide my disappointment. I know it may be an unfair comparison, but where the San Diego Zoo really excels is making the animal habitats look spacious and natural. The LA Zoo hardly seemed to put much effort at all into this. The hippo pool is 3 times the length of the actual hippo. I wonder if he can even turn around :( The brown bear was sweltering in the mid morning sun, with only a tiny pile of quickly melting snow to even give him a hint of his "real" home. The zebra had a smaller corral than most rodeo arenas. I mean, it was sad. I guess most zoos really are, but only being to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park in recent memory kind of let me forget how small, cramped, and "caged" the animals really are.

Don't get me wrong, there were some highlights. The adorably cuddly koala bear high in his tree, back to the crowd. You do you, little koala. The perfectly camera-ready zebra, who saw me aiming my camera and posed perfectly so I could get a good shot. No joke, as soon as I took the picture he started moving around again. The mountain goats perched high up on the rocks, doing down at everyone with a "holier than thou" expression (though I will never be able to take them seriously with those ridiculous goatees.. I mean really guys). And then there was my personal favorite, the giraffes. Their habitat seemed to have a bit of breathing room, and lots of tall trees to reach up and eat from. I saw the tallest giraffe in his 16-foot glory stretching his 20-inch black tongue up into the branches.'

The "Elephants of Asia" exhibit, which I have seen billboards for all over the city for months, was a big disappointment. They seemed to put a big emphasis on educating people on the elephants from different regions (India, China, Thailand, etc) which was cool, but the elephants were literally stepping on each other's toes! They just looked so sad.

Overall, I'm glad I went, but I definitely won't be returning to the LA Zoo. If you want a good zoo experience, there is none better than the two in San Diego (plus, they have pandas). But, if you insist on checking the LA Zoo out for yourself, make sure to arrive early. We got there around 11am, and by the time we left at 1pm, we could hardly walk there were so many people and kids.

Can you see all my stripes from this angle?

Just... a little... further...

Sup.

The elephants were camera-shy so I settled for a picture with the sign.

#5: UCLA vs. USC Football Game

Surprisingly, I get asked a lot by non-Angelenos how I feel about Los Angeles not having a football team. Well, obviously it doesn't bother me, because we do have a pro football team, the USC Trojans. They are so pro that they aren't even allowed to compete in college bowl games anymore (true story!)

And you can't mention the USC Trojans without mentioning their cross-town rival, the UCLA Bruins. The rivalry runs pretty deep around LA. Football fans, basketball fans, hipsters picking out scarf colors, douchey guys at bars... they all belong to either the "SC" camp, or the "LA" camp. The majority of my coworkers are USC alumni, and several of my friends from high school went to UCLA (bestie Barbara actually works there) so I have been exposed to both sides, and, though neutral in my own personal preference, have my own prejudices about what type of people cheer on each team. Which obviously makes the idea of watching an LA collegiate rivalry sports game - and the people watching that goes along with it - all that more exciting.

The rivalry game this year was hosted by USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where the 1984 Olympics were hosted. When UCLA hosts, they play at the Rose Bowl. That would have been pretty cool too. Barbara was able to get us UCLA student tickets for half the price of tickets from the USC box office, so as a thank you for saving us $100, we dressed up in Bruin Blue and made our way to the Coliseum.

As we got close to the Coliseum, we began to see more and more red shirts, and more and more police officers and caution cones. Always a good sign when heading into downtown LA. We had planned to just park at the Coliseum and like noobs didn't really explore other options, but when we saw that stadium parking was SIXTY DOLLARS (I swear, only in this city) we had to readjust our plan, and fast. We ended up parking at a slightly shady strip mall (complete with a Metro PCS... only in strip malls) and paying off the security guard not to tow our car.

As we made our way from the strip mall to the stadium, we walked past the entire stadium parking lot. There was some Grade-A tailgating going on. Well, it looked Grade-A to me, but being a Dodgers fan and attending a dry college have severely limited my tailgating experience. There was music blaring and meat barbequing and beer being spilled all over the place by people that, to me, looked too young to be drinking. Does this mean I'm getting old? Probably. We ended up walking behind a group of UCLA students, because we all know that there is strength in numbers and some of those USC fans looked pretty big and intimidating. Luckily my borrowed UCLA hoodie and Ronny's polo shirt helped us blend in perfectly with the other college students.

Also like noobs we assumed that this really was a professional sporting event and that we could buy drinks once we got inside the gates. However, little did I know (this being my first college football game) that they don't serve beer. What the heck!? Where are we, Cal Poly?! Seriously. So poor Ronny and I had to prepare ourselves to deal with screaming college kids acting ridiculous, while completely sober. Ugh. (Sidenote: lesson learned).

Ronny had warned me in advance that the game would be a blowout, but I really didn't understand how serious he was. Within the first 45 seconds, the Trojans had scored. Cue the Trojan mascot complete with mohawk helmet on the live white horse to gallop around the stadium as 90,000 people lost their minds and did that dumb little "fight on" hand motion. The other 10,000 people were the UCLA students in my section, chanting obscenities and saying "Just wait! We'll get them soon!"

Cut to the half-time mark, when the score is USC 29, UCLA 0. Trojan fans, still 90,000 strong, were still waving their arms chanting "fight on" or whatever, but those once confident UCLA fans were now deflated and hanging all 10,000 of their heads in their hands. Not even a marching band rendition of "Moves like Jagger" by Maroon5 (complete with some sweet band dance moves) could cheer these kids up.

Ronny and I took it as our cue to exit, and get out of the stadium before the paid-off security guard decided to tow my car. If nothing else, we HAD to escape the girl behind us, a rouge USC fan in the UCLA section, who was screaming her head (and our ears) off. It was a blood-curdling, shivers-down-my-spine scream that still haunts my dreams. As we were walking back to the strip mall, I felt like we took a wrong turn. What had been crazy busy full of people, and honking cars, and music and drinking was now completely deserted. The only sign hinting at what had been was the insane amount of trash. I'm surprised I didn't see a little Wall-E roving around making a skyscraper out of all the plastic cups, kep taps, potato chip bags, napkins, and other general filth. Ew.

When we got home my brother so graciously gloated to me that the final score was USC 50, UCLA 0. I don't really understand why he's an SC fan but that's neither here nor there. And regardless of how obnoxious the fans were (on both sides) I walked away from the game completely envious of the fact that these schools have a venue like this to display their school spirit. And apparently this is small-time compared to schools in the South. It was something so foreign to me, but overall was a lot of fun. It made me feel like I was a college student again (hoodie and all!) and I just wish that my alma mater had something that cool that I could follow for the rest of my life. I guess I will have to settle with watching Cal Poly's one famous football player, Ramses Barden, make 7-yard catches for the NY Giants.

Oh, and I am still convinced that the majority of USC Trojans fans have NO idea where Troy is. Just saying.

Our view of the red sea from the blue corner

Some sweet marching band action

Go... Football!

#22: Horseback ride on the Hollywood Ridge

Like I mentioned in my Playboy Mansion post, in college my friends and I were obsessed with The Girls Next Door. So you better believe I saw the episode where Holly, Bridget and Kendra went horseback riding with some friends up on the ridge of Mt. Hollywood. A simple google search told me that the horse stable in the Hollywood Hills is called Sunset Ranch. A few months of coordination later (my friends are really busy), Marsha, Nicole and I made the trek up Beechwood Dr to the stables.

I had been looking forward to this outing for a few months and had pretty high expectations. I am happy to say that it exceeded all of my expectations, and is something I would highly recommend to locals and tourists alike. The views are amazing, the guides were super nice (both were aspiring actresses who grew up on ranches) and informative, and you get to see a part of Los Angeles that most people never get to see. Griffith Park continues to amaze me and I can't wait to explore another part of it soon (perhaps the LA Zoo?).

If you do decide to take a horseback tour from Sunset Ranch, go in the morning before it gets too hot. You will be sweating like crazy on your ride because you have to wear a helmet, and the horses struggle with the heat too. Wear long pants, because there's nothing grosser than having your legs covered in horse hair and sweat (eewww). Spend $15 extra dollars and do the 2-hour ride instead of just the 1-hour ride. For $30 you get to walk on some paved paths and see bits of downtown, but for $45 you get twice as much time, and get to go all the way up to the top of Mt. Hollywood. You get unparalleled vistas of downtown, the valley, the Griffith Observatory, and the interior of Griffith Park itself. It was well worth the extra time and money. Yet another bucket list item that lived up to the hype and did NOT disappoint!

This is as far as you can go by car up Beechwood Dr. To the right is the Hollywood Sign hike, and a short (yet steep) walk to the left is Sunset Ranch.

Me, Marsha and Nicole geared up in our helmets and waiting to get our horses.

Me with my horse Malcolm and an incredible view.

Marsha with her ironically-named, very large horse Tiny.

Nicole on her horse Kennedy. They named him that because they say he only likes to be ridden by women... hahaha

Walking "nose to tail" on the Old Mulholland Highway.

With views like this, we almost forgot we were actually in the city.

I always claim that "there is no smog in LA.. it's just fog." Unfortunately, this picture proves me very, very wrong :(

Looking down at the Griffith Observatory

A bonding moment with Malcolm, after the ride and a much-needed water break for both of us!

#32: See the LA Philharmonic play at the Disney Concert Hall

If you live in central Los Angeles, you have undoubtedly seen these all over town:

They always feature pictures of the Walt Disney Concert Hall (on the back side) and pictures of Gustavo Dudamel, the head conductor of the LA Philharmonic, in action.

And, if you're also like most Angelenos, you know that the cheapest tickets to see the LA Phil at the Disney concert hall cost well over $100.

I've always heard that the acoustics in the Disney Concert Hall are unparalleled, that the LA Philharmonic is one of the best orchestras in the world, that Dudamel is dynamic and brilliant... but all that can't justify me spending $120 for one ticket. Luckily, I have a loud voice, because one night I was at dinner with a friend, lamenting over the fact that I probably won't be able to cross this one off my list, when a nice lady leaned over from the table next to me and told me about a glorious thing called "rush tickets." I'm actually surprised I hadn't heard of rush tickets sooner, and apparently all major theaters have them. Two hours before showtime, anyone can go to the ticket booth and ask for rush tickets, and get almost any tickets that are still available for a fraction of the original cost!!!

Seeing the LA Phil at the Disney concert hall just went from "most expensive item on my list" to "definitely affordable." I picked a night to go when I knew Dudamel would be conducting, and had back-up plans (artwalk!) just in case the show was sold out.

I invited my new-to-LA friend Joli to come with me. We made it to the concert hall around 7:00 (for an 8:00 show) hopeful but doubting we would still be able to get tickets. But it was our lucky night, because there were plenty of rush tickets available. Turns out that night was supposed to feature pianist Yefim Bronfman, but he had fractured a finger and couldn't play, so lots of people returned their tickets. So for $20, yes, twenty dollars, we got seats in the fourth row of the front orchestra section. At the Disney Concert Hall. Joli had the quote of the night: "When I see things like this, it makes me wonder how anyone could hate LA." Amen sister, amen.

When Dudamel walked out on stage, and I was profoundly disappointed. All those hundreds of light-post banners featured not only Dudamel, but his glorious Sideshow Bob-esque head full of curls. I could only imagine what he would have looked like jumping around, waving his arms with his hair all over the place. Dudamel walked out with his hair slicked down and downright tame. Alright fine, I guess the show will have to be just about the music, not the conductors glorious hair.

The opening number was Vivier's Orion (yes, I am referencing my program right now.. not like I would ever remember this!) and it was sooooo boring. Lots of percussion and bells and banging and as Joli and I agreed, it took itself way too seriously. Plus, Dudamel's hair barely moved at all. Luckily it was the short number and only lasted about 15 minutes. The next number, replacing the pianist performance, was Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe, Suite No. 2. This one was so much better. It was uplifting, happy and beautiful.

After the intermission (sidenote: Joli and I both thought the show was over after the first two numbers, and the fancy old ladies next to me had to convince us that it was just the intermission) Dudamel came out again to conduct Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5. Minutes into the performance, I saw what I had come here to see all along. The hair. It has been fighting its way out of the slicked-down neatness during the last number, and with every crescendo and each tympani bang (at some points he was literally jumping in the air while conducting), it got bigger and bigger until it reached full fro. It was a sight to see, for sure.

Dudamel's hair aside, watching the LA Philharmonic perform this 40-minute long symphony was an interesting experience for me. The first ten minutes were enjoyable, and then... it just kept going. And going. Every time the musicians turned another page, I started to think to myself "Ugh, will this ever end???"

Then I had a little talk with myself.

"You are what is wrong with your generation! You have no attention span! For hundreds of years, this is what people were entertained with and it's not good enough for you??! Do you realize that not only did it take unthinkable genius for someone to write this music, but sitting right in front of you are 100 musicians that have dedicated their entire lives to perfecting their craft, just to play this symphony for your enjoyment!!!! You are going to regret when this is over, that all along you were wishing for it to end! Not to mention that you are sitting in one of the most famous buildings in the world! Get a grip!!!"

Yes, I talk to myself in multiple exclamation points. Don't judge. It was a growing-up moment for me. After that little talking-to, I sat back and just enjoyed the rise and fall of the music, listened to the "story" Tchaikovsky was telling, and reveled in the absolute genius and discipline of the people playing. It was superb.

I cannot wait to go back again. Dudamel is leaving the LA Phil soon, and I am so grateful I was able to see him (and his hair) in action. But for $20 (or $10 for seats higher-up) I am looking forward to a relaxing evening watching and listening to world-class musicians, in a world-renouned venue. What more could you want on a random Thursday evening?!

I was able to snap a few pictures before an usher snippily told me there was no photography allowed. Here the orchestra is warming up.

The breath-taking organ above the orchestra.

Bonus: The Elizabeth Taylor Jewelry Collection

When Elizabeth Taylor died last March, every Hollywood trade publication had beautiful black and white pictures of her on their covers, with tributes to her iconic life, crusading philanthropy and legendary film career. After the initial eulogies, they started talking about her other, and most fabulous legacy: her jewels.

Unlike most stars these days who just borrow their jewels for the red carpet, Liz Taylor actually had an impressive private collection. When her estate announced that every single piece of her collection was going to be auctioned off, my boss (who is a fan of anything old-school Hollywood glam) and I obsessed together over the auction catalog. The Taylor-Burton diamond, the Taj Mahal diamond, the Mike Todd diamond chandelier earrings, la Peregrina (the legendary pearl), the ping-pong diamond rings... not to mention the sapphires, Cartier rubies and Bulgari emeralds. We read stories about where each of the jewels came from - most were from her ex-husbands (and she had 7 of them, so you can imagine how much jewelry they bought her) and others were bought for her by the studios she worked for (given to her on the first day on set, to "guarantee" from her that she would be well-behaved and keep her diva-demands in check during filming). True to Taylor's over-the-top lifestyle, these jewels are all larger-than-life. She actually wore her 33-carat diamond ring from husband Richard Burton every day. Women these days just aren't on her level.

And then it was announced that before the jewelry collection went on auction at Christie's in New York, it would be going on a 7-city exhibition around the world, with a stop in Los Angeles at the Museum of Contemporary Art. I went online and bought 4 tickets before I even knew who to go with. For $20 each, Marsha, Barbara, my mom and I got to see all the famed gems, plus other artifacts like a script from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, all 3 of her Academy Awards, 2 original "Liz" Warhols, and some fabulous 70's and 80's couture.

Since words can't really do a 33-carat internally flawless diamond justice, I will just post the pictures. There are other beautiful (professional) pictures you can look at here. Overall, the experience was once-in-a-lifetime and I am SO GLAD I was able to see the famed collection in person!

The Taylor-Burton diamond. 33.19 carats, internally flawless. Given to Liz by Richard Burton for their first marriage.

La Peregrina, or "the legendary pearl" was once part of the crown jewels of Spain. Now it sits in a Cartier-designed necklace of pearls, diamonds and rubies.

The Mike Todd diamond chandeliers. He was her 3rd husband.

The Taj Mahal diamond, given to Liz for her 40th birthday by Burton. This necklace is from the 1600s and the gold and ruby chain is by Cartier.

The Bulgari emerald suite - another gift from Burton. This guy really knew how to give gifts!

Necklace from the Bulgari emerald suite. These gems were my favorite because they were so clear and deep green.

Cartier ruby bracelet.

Diamond and amethyst "Triphanes" necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels.

An original Andy Warhol "Liz"

Marsha, me and Barb soaking in all the fabulousness!

#26: Drive all of Mulholland Drive

This weekend I found myself in Malibu, needing to go to North Hollywood. I could have driven down PCH to the 10 East to the 405 North for a rather bland commute, but instead realized that the most glorious 50-mile stretch of road in all Los Angeles would directly connect the two places. Mulholland Drive. Bingo.

Literally minutes into my drive, I found out that Mulholland isn't just famous because of the movie named after it, but because it's also pretty much the MOST FUN road to drive on. Ever. It runs all the way from the middle of the Malibu mountains, to the Cahuenga pass in Hollywood. Driving from Malibu (where it's actually called Mulholland Highway) was exhilarating, literally everything you could want in a drive. It was windy, steep, and had the most fantastic vistas, not to mention it was well-paved and easily marked. I passed several groups of motorcyclists and saw plenty of flashy sports cars - obviously this stretch of road is well known to motor enthusiasts. I felt slightly inadequate in my little Ford Focus, but knowing that most of those sports cars were probably automatics (classic LA) made me feel a little better. Speeding up and downshifting for the tight turns was exhilarating, and the views (which I tried my best to enjoy while still paying close attention to the road) were some of the best I had ever seen. And I don't just mean of Los Angeles, I mean of anywhere. Add in the fact that the weather was absolutely perfect (also classic LA) and Ronny had just made me a new mix to blast, and I had the most wonderful time.

The drive started with mountain and ravine views, then led through some exclusive-looking, incredibly wealthy neighborhoods. It kept winding around for about 10 more miles, with mostly vegetation and mountain views, then it became a neighborhood street, and then it became a dirt road. Hmm. I figured I could handle a few miles of dirt road, but it wasn't until mile 2 when I saw the "fire and emergency vehicles only" sign. Oops. Apparently that stretch of Mulholland is for hikers and mountain bikers only. Luckily no one had seen me and I escaped un-embarassed (admitting it here kind of defeats the purpose of escaping un-embarassed, but oh well). I backtracked up to Ventura Blvd for about 7 miles, then caught Mulholland Drive as it started again in Encino.

Once I was on Mulholland again, the road became a bit narrower and more crowded (read: Priuses everywhere, going 20mph. They plague Los Angeles). This stretch of road actually runs along the ridge of the Santa Monica mountains, which splits LA from the San Fernando valley, and at every turn there are amazing city views. On my left was the valley with views of Burbank, North Hollywood and Universal City, and then as soon as I would turn a corner, I would see Hollywood and the downtown skyline on my right. Also along this stretch you can smell the pine and eucalyptus trees, which shocked me. You would hardly think you were in the city, and then turn a corner and bam! The skyline.

There were plenty of vista points where I could have stopped to take pictures, but I promised myself I would just focus on the driving, and enjoy the experience (this was probably best for everyone else on the road, too). Plus, no pictures could do the views justice.

I read on Wikipedia that the Mulholland Highway was built "to take Angelenos from the city to the ocean." But you know that cliche saying that "life is about the journey, not the destination"? That's exactly how I feel about Mulholland Highway. It's not about getting from one place to another, but enjoying the experience while you're driving on it. I was expecting the drive to be fun, but I really had no idea how spectacular it would be. Especially since this activity is completely free, I highly recommend the drive. Just as long as, if you want to go slow, you pull over for the cars behind you to pass! Stupid Priuses.

A road sign towards the very end of the road near North Hollywood.

The entire stretch of road, from start to finish! This does no justice to the amount of twists and turns.

#25: Restaurant Row

Hardly anything in Los Angeles is "walking distance." You have to drive EVERYWHERE. But I am lucky to live within walking distance of Restaurant Row, a strip of La Cienega that is home to several high-end, well-known restaurants. They are considered some of the best of the best restaurants in the city- from sushi and Korean BBQ, to Brazilian, Mediterranean, and even one entirely devoted to garlic. I drive past the whole row every day on my way home from work, and they all look so fancy and SMELL so delicious.

I just knew that if I moved away from this apartment and I didn't take advantage of eating at all these places, I would regret it. So below are my (abbreviated) thoughts on each of the Restaurant Row spots I've been able to hit so far.

The Bazaar by Jose Andres

Tapas

PROS: Phenomenal and diverse menu, tapas style is great for sharing, beautiful interior, “mobile dining experience” where you move to a smaller room with couches for dinner, traditional Spanish flan, matchbooks (for the collection)

CONS: Very crowded valet (luckily we walked), extremely expensive

HIGHLIGHT: Philly cheese steak starter, “magic” mojito poured over cotton candy instead of using simple syrup

OVERALL : This place has definitely earned its reputation. Normally too expensive for me, their Restaurant Week menu was vast and we left incredibly full.

5 stars out of 5

Traditional Spanish Flan was amazing. I was too busy stuffing my face to take pictures of anything else.

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Fogo De Chao

Brazilian churrascaria steakhouse

PROS: All-you-can-eat, Top-grade cuts of meat, speedy service with people coming by every few seconds offering even more meat, high-end salad bar

CONS: One price - $58 - to eat as much or as little as you want. Works for someone like my boyfriend who can eat 4 times as much as me. But for me it was expensive.

HIGHLIGHT: The different salads at the salad bar, beef ribs and bottom sirloin

OVERALL : It was good food, but really expensive. I would prefer a place that would charge a flat fee but with a limit on how much meat you get, that way I would be paying for only what I ate.

4 stars out of 5

A table full of food - clockwise from bottom: plantains, mashed potatoes, and a plate full of meat.

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Woo Lae Oak

Korean BBQ

PROS: High quality meats, fresh veggies

CONS: Extremely slow service, never even filled up my water!

HIGHLIGHT: Short ribs, glass noodle appetizer

OVERALL: More expensive and less authentic than Korean BBQ in Koreatown, which is just a few miles away.

3 stars out of 5

Notice my empty water glass!

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Gonpachi

Sushi/Japanese

PROS: Beautiful courtyard garden eating area complete with koi pond, 50%-off happy hour menu, awesome soft after-dinner mints, you can watch a chef making soba noodles

CONS: Happy hour menu was limited (alcohol wasn’t included!), normal prices are over-inflated

HIGHLIGHT: Asian chicken wings, salmon and spicy tuna soy wrap rolls

OVERALL: This is a fun place to go to Happy Hour, especially since the outdoor seating is so lovely.

3.5 stars out of 5

Clockwise from bottom: Asian chicken wings, albacore on crispy rice, garlic edamame, sweet potato fries

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Gyu-kaku

Japanese BBQ

PROS: Amazing all-day Monday happy hour, generous portions of meat

CONS: Large tables with grills in the middle make intimate conversation difficult

HIGHLIGHT: Yakishabu beef was seasoned (and then cooked by yours truly) to perfection, corn and zucchini were excellent when grilled

OVERALL: The menu is actually affordable even without the happy hour prices. The meats are seasoned excellently and the whole restaurant smells amazing from everyone cooking their different foods.

4 stars out of 5

Grilled corn soaking up all the yakishabu juices.

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Tanzore

Indian

PROS: Savory and spicy food, without being too spicy, nice interior layout and décor, decent prices

CONS: Some of the dishes were less authentic, to appeal to a more generic audience

HIGHLIGHT: Lamb briani was savory and delicious

OVERALL: The food was really good, with just the right amount of spice for me. It’s not fair to compare this to my friend’s mom’s homemade Indian cooking, but it definitely came pretty close.

4 stars out of 5

Love the bright colors! Clockwise from bottom: lamb briani, nan, baingan Bharta, Punjabi chicken curry

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The Stinking Rose

A Garlic Restaurant

PROS: Fun campy interior decor

CONS: Average food, average service

HIGHLIGHT: Only worth going to see the interior and the funny vampire-like waiters.

OVERALL: The scent of garlic will haunt you for days. Ew.

2 stars out of 5

Garlic prime rib

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Matsuhisa

Sushi

PROS: Fresh fish, world-famous chef’s menu

CONS: Overly expensive, tiny servings, very crowded, completely bland exterior

HIGHLIGHT: The kobe beef taco was insane, but it was literally 2 bites.

OVERALL: For $60 a person, you’d expect to leave stuffed, but we both left slightly hungry. Quality is unparalleled, but the crowd of fedora-wearing wannabe crowd was off-putting.

3 stars out of 5

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