Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Day 10: Los Angeles, part 3

Oh, whoops. Hi. I'm not saying I forgot about this for like a month, but yeah, I guess I kind of did. Well hello again. Welcome back. On to the next part of our trip: our 3rd (and final) day in LA.

After finally getting to sleep around 3am (wayyy past my bedtime) we woke up, had a breakfast party where Sam practically force-fed me waffle crisp cereal, showered the bonfire smoke smell out of our hair, got dressed and headed to downtown LA to assist our friend Anthony on a music video shoot. But before that happened, something super incredible and wonderful happened...

IN N OUT.


As a lifelong east coaster, I had only heard of the magical place that created insanely delicious burgers and fries that you could smother in cheesy, oniony, thousand islandy goodness.. So to say I got excited about the potential of animal fries in my belly was an understatement. Before the shoot we headed to a nearby (not really, but we didn't care) In N Out to indulge in the best meal of our lives. I got a regular cheeseburger and Naomi and I split the animal style fries. Looking back, I should have gotten my burger animal style as well but all the more reason to go back :) It was worth the wait and I've craved it almost every day since.

After we inhaled our food (but before food coma set in) we headed to the incredible loft where the music video was being shot. Our friend Anthony manages an incredibly talented artist, Halsey, who we had also met a few days prior at what I now refer to as 'the Nickelodeon party'. Her song, Ghost, is breathtakingly haunting and so damn catchy. That day, they were filming a video for the stripped down version of the song, using 15 different iPhones all capturing the same images from 15 different angles. It was such a unique and artistic set up, plus the loft we filmed in was incredible. Oh, and possibly the best part: our new friend Nour. Nour is fabulously trendy, ridiculously beautiful and oh so humble and fun. I'm so glad we met because I feel like she's a little piece of my soul out in California and I can't wait till she moves to NYC (Nour, that's a hint. Get here faster).

Incredible views of downtown+insane architecture. Hi, can I live here?

Casually creeping on everyone


After Halsey's shoot wrapped, my friend Jamison texted me that he was in town. Jamison does sound for Parachute, who happen to be one of my favorite bands to see live. After discovering Nour was also a fan of the band, we all headed down to the school festival they were playing at and watched their set. Parachute did a great job as always, though there isn't much to be said about their opening acts who were a bunch of teenagers "famous" from Vine. Though their acts were laughable, we all enjoyed watching their over-the-top diva behavior backstage. Stay humble kids, and don't rent a Ferrari trying to convince people you own it if you're not even old enough to drive it.

Look at these cuties

Before Parachute's flight out of LAX, and before Naomi and I had to head to San Clemente, we (all 12 of us) grabbed dinner at The Counter. This place is incredible. Essentially it's a build your own burger restaurant and they do not mess around. So. Many. Options. Somehow I ended up with a monstrosity of a burger that was larger than everyone else's, but nonetheless, it was delicious. Anndddd I just realized I had burgers twice that day. Hashtag clean eating.

My custom creation: The Monster Burger

After we said our goodbyes, Naomi and I began the hour-ish long drive to San Clemente. We checked in to the Hotel Miramar and were delighted to find super massive rooms and tonnnsss of movie channels (have you figured out that we love a good movie night?) that made for a relaxing evening.

Next: San Clemente beach & day 1 in San Diego!

XO,

Casey

p.s. Halsey's album just dropped yesterday so go check it out because she's dope as shit and wicked talented: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/room-93-ep/id930637389

p.p.s. For all you fellow east coasters who also love In N Out, the closest burger I can find is Shake Shack, and Red Robin has an appetizer called "Tavern Fries" that is basically animal style fries PLUS bacon. So now you can get your In N Out fix anytime, anywhere. (you're welcome)

Activities mentioned in this post:
The Counter; Los Angeles (multiple locations) 
Hotel Miramar; San Clemente, parking: free, wifi: free, $88/night

Wearing:
Brandy Melville tank (Naomi's), H&M flannel (Naomi's), PacSun jeans, Mossimo combat boots, Harry Potter Time Turner necklace (custom made from a keychain)