Weekend in Hollywood!!!

Erica flashing some bling

Cheese!

Can you tell we've been drinking???!!!

Being total tourists! Erica was the BEST tour guide!

Courtney's current State Farm assignment is in Ontario, CA (about 45 minutes from LA). So I flew in on Friday night for a much needed girls weekend! I LOVE the Ontario airport and that I didn't have to deal with LAX even though maybe I would've had a celebrity sighting at LAX. . .no celebrities leaving from Ontario! So CT picks me up and from the moment she gets out of the car I can tell she's lost weight! *see the previous post about the wiki and I'm so proud of her and excited that this weight loss journey is finally working for us!! She raves that she notices it in me too so it's a great way to start the weekend. . .who doesn't want to be flooded with compliments??!!

So we swing by the hotel, drop off luggage, change clothes, and must find food. It's late and we're both STARVING!!! We stumble across Harry's Pacific Grill and it was the most perfect place! The restaurant was cute, our server was awesome, and the food was UNBELIEVABLE!!! YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!! We asked our server for help with choosing some healthier options and she was all over it. It was so nice to have a knowledgeable waitress! After dinner we went back to the hotel to chill and catch up. You all know that both of us can talk like there's no tomorrow so we needed ample time to chat since it's been a month since we've seen each other!

We slept in and made our way to Hollywood around noonish. We stayed at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel (next to the Kodak Theater) so we were right in the heart of tourist haven. It was a great hotel (thanks Erin!) and the concierge made some great recommendations. First stop was to check-in and visit with the concierge. We knew The Ivy was a must (hello, I'm an avid reader of US Weekly) so we made those reservations and asked for suggestions for dinner. They get these questions all the time because they had a list ready and waiting for us. We decided on Asia de Cuba because apparently if you dine at the restaurant you are allowed access to The Sky Bar. We were armed and ready. We had the food covered and also got suggestions for happening night spots, and a great place for brunch on Sunday. Bring on the weekend!!!

Erica is joining us for the day so since we can't check in and Erica's on her way we decide to head over to the outdoor shopping center adjacent to the hotel. OMG, cheerleaders were EVERYWHERE!!!!!! There was some competition going on so the cheerleaders had taken over our hotel and the mall!!! We found one restaurant that didn't have any cheerleaders so we stopped in to start our vacation off with a drink (of course!) So we chatted, drank, and made friends with the other people who were partaking in noon drinks at the bar.

Erica picked us up just in time for our reservations at The Ivy. It's a small, quaint little restaurant that has a very "french country" feel. We were pretty excited to see a few photographers on the sidewalk because that was a sure sign that I was FINALLY going to get my first celebrity sighting after 4 trips to LA!!! So we're casually glancing around trying to see who it is when Erica spots Jenny McCarthy in like a nanosecond! Jenny was "hiding" behind big sunglasses, but if she really wanted to hide she would dine inside instead of on the patio, but no complaints from me. . .I HAD A CELEBRITY SIGHTING!!!! I really like Jenny McCarthy especially because she's a WW spokesperson so I thought it was only fitting that she was my first (celebrity sighting)! We of course were tucked away in a little corner and enjoyed a very pricey, but yummy lunch. Best of all was the conversation!! It was SO GOOD to see Erica and to hear all about the engagement, upcoming wedding, John, etc. She's a glowing bride-to-be!!! The restroom is down a narrow hallway that you have to share with the kitchen staff so we all wanted to make a stop before we left and since there was no room to wait inside we all walked out of the restaurant separately. It was a surreal moment. I'm the first to walk outside and the moment I step onto the patio, I see that the number of paparazzi has increased tremendously and they are just taking picture after picture after picture. So I'm trying to walk down the steps while trying to see who they are taking a picture of. I couldn't figure it out to save my life. . .none of us could! I even asked the paparazzi and they wouldn't look at me or answer me. . .so what, they have some code to protect the celebrity??!! PUHLEASE!!! After doing a little google research it was apparently Sophia Vergara that was there while we were. Once I saw the pic, I remember seeing her but have NO IDEA who she is!

So after lunch, Erica plays tour guide and takes us all over. . .Rodeo Drive, more of Beverly Hills, the Regent Beverly Wilshire (must see for Pretty Woman fans), and then finally back to the hotel to rest, change, and get geared up for our night on the town.

We have late dinner reservations at Asia de Cuba and I must say that the food was AMAZING!! Honestly, one of the best meals I've ever had! It's more of a family style restaurant, but we decided to share appetizers as they looked so yummy and were! Seriously, every bite was pure joy!! YUM, YUM, YUM!!! After dinner our next stop is The Sky Bar or at least we thought so until meat head bouncer dude said "you're not on the list". What list? He sends us around to the front entrance (not the one near the restaurant) and Erica tells the bouncer our story and he empathizes because he knows we're probably not on the list as the concierge didn't say anything about being on the list, but he's going to check anyway. So Erica gives him Courtney's last name (Tuel) and he has too much fun with it. After cracking himself up, he decides to let us in so thanks to cutie pie Erica and the Tuel name we were granted the much sought after access to Sky Bar. Okay, it was cool, but Dallas & Vegas have cool bars too. . .I think I'm too old. . .shishi bars just aren't that cool anymore!

We have a drink and decide it's time for more celebrities and head to the Chateau Marmont, but of course the bar is closed for a private party tonight so I guess that means no more celebrities for me. It's getting late so Erica drops us off at the hotel and smart girl that she was went home to bed. But not us, "we're on vacation" so we grab a drink at the hotel bar that decides to close at 12:30 so we go to the next best thing. . .Lucky Strikes. Yep, there's a bowling alley right next door. It's not your typical bowling alley as it's very upscale and actually has a great bar, but we were cracking up that we ended our night at a bowling alley!

We finally make our way back to the room and at this point, I'm so excited for my bed and hopefully for the world to stop spinning (why do I do these things??!!!). We sleep in and I seriously pay for the all day drinking binge for 2 days!!! We were miserable on Sunday and still didn't feel great on Monday. It's official. . .I'm OLD!! Oh well, it was fun but I hope to not have any more hangovers in my future!!!

The trip was the perfect way to spend the weekend! I can't wait to see Erica in April and can't wait for CT to come home!!!!!