<p>I second (or fifth) the Griffith Park observatory, Farmer’s Market, and recommend a drive up Pacific Coast highway with a stop for food if you want to, on the water. On driving, I would also do Mullholland Drive at night from about Cajuenga west to… whenever you get sick of the views The views on the valley side are very different from the city side, since it is much more planned development and orderly. Best if someone else drives of course, to see stuff.</p>
<p>How was the trip?</p>
<p>Thanks for asking! It was busy, but relaxing since we enjoyed the warm weather so much. Two mornings we got in the car and did some exploring on our own since D is not a morning person - one of those days we found a lovely park in Beverly Hills called Greystone Park (next to Greystone Mansion) and spent some time there walking around. Our GPS had us coming back to Valley Village on Coldwater Canyon Dr., which was, interesting (didn’t expect so many switchbacks!). We then went to Topanga for lunch at a little place called Inn of the Seventh Ray, which was lovely (but again… all those switchbacks driving on Topanga Canyon Rd.!!). Then went to Pasadena shopping (at a store that I don’t have around here), then to the Apple Store; that night we did dinner for D’s birthday at one of her favorite restaurants - The Six, in Studio City. Sunday, H and I took another morning drive, starting in Santa Monica on the PCH - took it a little past Malibu, then cut over on Decker Canyon Rd. (OK… those were some serious switchbacks - 14 miles of them!) back toward Thousand Oaks before heading back to Valley Village to grab a bite at an In-and-Out in North Hollywood; then we met up with H and her SO and did the Warner Brothers studio tour, where I realized just how little network TV I watch because I knew nothing about most of the shows they talked about (but it was interesting to learn about the productions process of bringing a TV show to the screen). After the tour, we headed up to Griffith Park for sunset - kind of a mistake - because it was a holiday weekend and many people had off of work/school on Monday, the park was packed! We had to park way below the main parking lot and walk up the hill, and even then, it must have taken us at least 20 minutes to get up to that part in the park to find a place to park, because of the traffic. Saw a beautiful sunset from the observatory - one of my favorite pictures I took was the one I took of all the people lined up to take pictures of the sunset! D’s SO fixed us a lovely dinner Sunday night (he’s a sous chef). Monday, H went over to UCLA to hang with some of his buddies he’s met at various conferences over the years and they took him out to lunch. A mom that I’ve met once through CC (our daughters were in the same program in college and have reconnected since D moved out to LA) came all the way from Orange County, picked me up, and we went to Santa Monica for lunch at a great place called Coast (on the beach); we were sort of pressed for time, so we only walked over to the pier, but didn’t really walk out it very far. She dropped me off in Beverly Hills where her daughter and mine were finishing up their class, then D and I went to The Grove - we were mostly there for the Crate and Barrel store, but walked through the rest of it, and she took me through the Farmer’s Market. We hooked back up with H and went to a place called Mexicali for dinner (brought S’s dog along with us). Tuesday we had a late breakfast with D and SO, then went back to her place for a little bit before heading to the airport. </p>
<p>The trip was a real eye-opener for me - seeing D settled down and establishing roots really got to me - I cried as the plane was rolling down the runway and taking off, realizing that this is the real deal - she’s not coming back home. I also spent much of the flight home contemplating how I could scheme to move out there - I love the idea of urban living, with so many various outdoor activities within 20 minutes to a two-hour drive away. I loved what a pet-friendly area it was! However, I couldn’t care less about the entertainment industry, and suspect after time I would find it incredibly annoying (even though this is why D moved out there!). And I loved all the fresh fruit and vegetables available in the stores and restaurants!</p>
<p>I really appreciate all the suggestions people have, and definitely have a bucket list now for future trips. I feel like I got a real lay of the land, where things are, etc. </p>
<p>Oh, regarding the 405 work… yes, getting up to Valley Village on Friday afternoon from the airport was pretty bad, although the lane closures had not happened yet. When we went to Santa Monica on Sunday morning, the northbound side was not too bad, but kind of heavy; southbound was fine. On Monday when I went back to Santa Monica, it was very bad northbound (but we went to Beverly Hills from there so we didn’t have to go back on the 405), and on Tuesday all lanes were open again. </p>
<p>Sounds like a successful trip!!</p>