Thursday, July 19, 2012

right back where i started from


photos of corona del mar from 2007, a million years ago

this saturday leon, elias, and i are going back to southern california for the rest of summer (FIVE whole weeks!). i'm hoping to make it up to the bay area to visit a few friends and do a little research, as well as finish an article and a book proposal. there are so many places i want to see in LA, but it gets harder and harder to make the trip from south orange county with two squirmy littles. somehow we always end up riding the carousel at south coast plaza or going to disneyland instead of exploring the city.

i've flown with leon, but this will be my first time alone with two children. if i'm lucky i'll be able to go to myrtle, mohawk general store, steven alan, and what else??

14 comments:

roberta jane said...

are you from south orange county?
good luck flying with two littles!

erica said...

i grew up in long beach, but my parents moved south when i went to college.

i just bought a few cheap toys for leon. it's a shortish flight, only 5 1/2 hours, so hopefully it won't be murderously awful!

joyce said...

Have a great time! I miss California so much it hurts sometimes. But then I think about how much it costs to buy a house there.

Creatures of Comfort is always worth a visit. Steven Alan Outpost in Los Feliz, Lawson Fenning for design books, and Crispy Pork Gang in Thai Town! Oh and Umami Burger.

erica said...

lawson fenning! will have to take matthew there. thanks joyce!

kay w. said...

yep, the SA outpost is really good - i've been able to consistently find gems there right before they're sold out. tortoise general store on abbot kinney is also great, but my highlights would definitely be the food. wood spoon in dtla for brazilian, mama lu's in sgv for xiao long baos & best scallion pancakes i've had in la, wurstkuche for frites, grain in atwater village (vintage furniture/home stuff and i guess not food related)...just a few ideas.

actually, i'll also be in la very soon! three weeks, to be exact.

Anna McClurg said...

Sounds like a fantastic vacation! Have a wonderful time!

erica said...

ooh, thanks for all the great food recommendations! i usually end up eating with my parents (nothing but korean food), so it's hard to be adventurous, but a trip to the SGV is a must!

Andrea said...

Shareen in downtown/Little Tokyo is awesome. It's kind of overpriced, but it's a warehouse filled with vintage dresses! Squee! Other artists and vintage concerns have space in the same building. Bloomfest is happening downtown this Saturday too and if you come early enough, it's probably kid-safe.

leanne said...

You are so brave traveling with both of them! Noah is so squirmy that I don't think I could handle both. We're splitting up the kids for our trip (we have to fly separately / on different dates).
Other than the usual places in LA (venice, los feliz, heath, lacma) I'm looking forward to going to Laguna. I like Laguna Supply, but am especially excited about trying to get my hair cut at Morrison Hair and eating guacamole at la sirena.
I hear you about trying to get out of the house, let alone the neighborhood.

Lena said...

erica,
we'll be in sf july 30-aug 7. tho we'll be east near yosemite for part of it. any chance you'll be there then??

Caroline said...

i would take a day trip to abbot kinney blvd in venice. so nice esp when it's sunny out

erica said...

caroline- yes to abbot kinney! i love venice beach so much.

lena- we haven't booked tickets yet, so i'm not sure when we'll be there, but i'll be in touch if we are...!

leanne- my parents live right off the 133 in laguna woods, so i try to sneak down to laguna supply every chance i get. what's this about morrison hair? my hair is falling out right now, but i really need a trim.

unknown- thanks for the shareen rec! my brother lives near little tokyo, so hopefully i can check it out.

Katie said...

If you're on the east side of LA, there's Ooga Booga in Chinatown for zines, books, clothes and assorted items.
Closed Sunday – Monday
www.oogaboogastore.com

In Atwater, there's Proof Bakery and Cognoscenti Coffee, which share a space. Though Proof has its own identity of course, I likened them to a smaller version of SF's Tartine when they first opened. So good.
Closed Mondays
www.proofbakeryla.com

Forage is just up the street from Mohawk General and it's a great place for lunch. They use locally grown (farms and neighborhood backyard growers) ingredients. And they're really kind to kids.
Closed Sunday – Monday
www.foragela.com

Can't help recommending food places—these are my favorites! Have a great trip...

leanne said...

I saw pictures of Morrison Hair on the brick house and am intrigued. Everyplace I go in DC I end up with the same boring cut so I figured that I might as well get my hair cut in California instead of going somewhere new here. I want to check out the interior as well - looks like a great space!
Love Laguna. Lucky you for getting to be so close. Do you go to the playground at the beach often?