L is for Lazy Los Angeles.

     Halloween was a riot. So many amazing costumes, friends, and over all a great time had by all as seen and evidenced by some of these photos. No one was lazy this year for Halloween! 

     More over I saw some of the most inventive costumes of my adult life. Examples : The Virgin of Guadeloupe, Hunter S. Thompson, Shark Man, A Shark Eating a Man, Selena, The Progressive Insurance Girl, a Marionette, Purple Unicorns that eat horses, Ninja Turtles, Mary Poppins, Octopus Asian Anime Girl, Dartanian, Anna Wintor, the Health Care System, Cats and Birds, Sad foot on crutches (from Sunset blvd.), a walking Chalkboard, Green Man, Huevos Rancheros, Ketchup Bottle ( or it could have been a tampon, not sure now), Spock and of course there were two gray Mice. 

     No one took this years Halloween lightly. Everyone was out to impress.

    




I obviously donned my mouse costume proudly. I made it all on my own to boot. With a little help from our sewing machine and a quick tutorial from my mom, but otherwise, all on my own. Joel's too, my counterpart mouse enjoyed his time as a squeaker quite a bit! Gray and cream chenille for the bodies, hot pink satin for the hood lining and inside the ears, and black faux leather for our tails. And yes, I made a purse which resembled cheese, a cheese bag if you will, which I had also equipped with some string cheese, just in case. They turned out to be absolute sweat buckets, but nonetheless, really enjoyed wearing them out the the numerous parties (I think 6 in total) and showed off my new found gift for sewing 2 costumes in under 4 days. Now for years to come I will probably find my self adding things to the costume like an eye patch and sword to become a Pirate mouse, or tire treads on the stomach to be a road kill mouse. It's versatile, and cost a whole lot less than going out an buying some cheap labor costume at a Halloween mart a few days before the holiday. 


    
So a tip of my hat to all you Los Angelenos this Halloween, you didn't get lazy, and I was not bored.

     Now, Sunday's on the other hand, call for a little laziness. Waking up to the new time change I was delighted to have gained an hour, as well as happy to note it actually was only 10:30 and not 11:30 in the a.m. Exhausted from many hours of mousedom the two previous evenings, I found myself famished and thirsting for lovely cup of coffee. We rolled out of bed, rallied the troops, and got a group of 12 together for brunch at Dustys in Silverlake. One thing I can say is, I have never known someone to turn down brunch. It is an excellent pause between breakfast and lunch, if you have missed breakfast and are still craving a little egg sustenance with a side of toast and cantaloupe.  So, we laughed, drank mimosa’s with floating raspberries, enjoyed jams and breads of all flavors and regaled each other with stories from our nights as our alter egos over the weekend. Even with the 30 minute wait for a friends Crispy Southern Fried Chicken, still a great get together, lots of laughter. After brunch was over, bill paid, waiter appeased and stomachs full we parted ways to enjoy the first Sunday of November.

     

     I am one to tries to find as many ways to spend a Sunday with limited cost and maximum enjoyment. So here is a run down on the countless things I enjoy doing on a lazy Sunday in Los Angeles proper (A - L) : 

A. For the season, as well as holiday, Olvera Street for a little Dia de Los Muertos action. 

B. A movie at the Vista is always a great option, considering tickets are only $6, the theater is retro, seats are comfortable, lots of leg room, and always a great crowd. And Ensenada's Best Fish tacos is right around the corner is a habit for many to stop in for a freshly fried in front of you taco with a salsa bar to beat the band before a flick. Or walk a little further up the street to Green Leaves Vegan House and sample from their enormous menu. Or or or, just one more block and you hit one of my favorites, Alcove. Outdoor seating in a quaint garden setting, great food, fresh ingredients, and most of the time I find myself seated next to some kind of celebrity. 

C. Griffith Park offers a plethora of options, from the Zoo to a hike around the observatory, and particularly in the fall because smog pollution is usually down so you have better views. Bring a snack, or a picnic. So nice. 

D. Or maybe you may enjoy just relaxing outside on the patio of Intelligencia on Sunset in Silverlake, people watching and sipping what is truly the best espresso known to man, then run tun the corner to the cheese store and grab a sandwich or a great bottle of vino. Also walk across the street to grab some Italian gelato. 

E. Another option is always a drive to the beach I prefer to take Sunset all the way because the drive through Brentwood and the canyon is lovely. If you have the ability, top down on the car is prefered, sun roof is approved as well.  

F. Bike ride anywhere, along the LA river is funny because who knows what kinds of crazy things you can see floating in there. The omnipresent Gatorade bottle still makes me laugh. Then make your way to Heliotrope by LACC to Orange Circle bike shop for all biking purposes (and don't let the bad attitudes of the sales people turn you off, they are usually pretty helpful), eat at Pure Luck and try the amazing Jackfruit Carnitas which taste like BBQ'd pulled pork, and save a little room for Scoops across the street. The revolving flavors of homemade ice cream, vegan ice creams and gelatos are fantastic, and inexpensive. Plus they let you sample quite a few for a small fee. A recent sample of the Grape Nut rocked my world. 

G. A walk around Vermont/Los Feliz area is enjoyable too, so long as you avoid the pitfalls of good shopping, but Atmosphere is my favorite store by far, plus you can get some really good Indian food at Electric Lotus, super good Onion Kulcha, or if your in the mood, I like the cheap sushi next to the Los Feliz 6, too. 

H. One could even get real adventurous and go for a hike down in the Malibu canyons and maybe hit up Wolfgang Pucks seafood restaurant which is right on PCH. 

I. Yoga classes at Bikram's world head quarters, or a Pilaties class, or even rock climbing gyms are always great for Sundays because most people feel as if the effort is just too much after a weeks worth of exertions, so they are usually a little less crowded. Finish the session off with one of my favorite past times going to Whole Foods on La Brea, and perusing the counters. Once again, spend money wisely here, I can never leave without spending more than $40 on who knows what. Mainly Kombucha I guess. Best flavors, Green, Gingerade, No. 9, Strawberry and Superfruits.  

J. Going to any farmers market is always a plus. The one in Santa Monica is fun because of all of the amazingly different food you can find and its enormous, and once again, the fall season and summer seasons tend to be best for new fruits and veggies as lower costs. Plus, you would be supporting local farmers, and since you watched King Corn and Killer at Large, you know the importance of that now! I highly recommend sampling as much as you can but the fruit belly isn't quite fun after taking way too much advantage of samples of apples, peaches and pluots. 

K. There is always the option to find a pool party. The Standard at Downtown as well as Hollywood are usually a safe bet for bathing suit time. Also try the Roosevelt, or better yet, find a friend with a pool and take over their place.  

L. Personally I try to avoid anything that requires me to be inside if I can help it, weather permitting. But there are so many good museums as well. LACMA, MOCA, the Hammer, The Getty (which has a great restaurant), The Getty Villa, or even just go up to the Barnsdale Art Park. All in all, good choices for finishing off the weekend. 

    

     Although, this sunday I didn't take full advantage of the sunshine and outdoors, I really did get a lot of satisfaction out of listening to great music KCRW and interesting factoids from NPR while drinking detox tea and playing cribbage with my mustached man. Even though he beat me in every game we played, I still cherish those moments when you look at someone and know just how lucky you are to have them in your life. 

     

     

     What a great weekend. Thanks.