Areas I Love: Runyon Canyon

Finally, another installment of "Areas I Love." Here's parts I and II for reference.

While this blog sub-genre is usually reserved for streets or small parts of LA, today I'm using it to declare my love for a certain Runyon Canyon.

Tucked up in the Hollywood Hills at the top of Fuller Street, Runyon Canyon is one of those not-so-secret Hollywood Secrets. Locals know about it, but its never a place a tourist would find, even though it's a hop, skip, jump away from Hollywood and Highland.

While parking can be dicey (just give it up and park a ways away. You're going to hike... you don't need the closest parking spot...), its absolutely worth it.

There's a little stand where you can grab water and a banana. Its an honor system "leave money" situation. Don't make them take it away by grabbing a water and running. Don't be that douche.

And then you're inside. Weekend mornings, grab some friends (see below) and head in.

There's an easy way up (read: sloped) and a more difficult (read: steps) way to the top, but no matter how hard you climb, the view from the top is phenomenal (assuming its not a super smoggy day). The hike takes around an hour and is a great little work out.

Look at this! It amazes me that amidst the city is this beautiful pocket of nature. Its easy to disappear away from the city for a while- that is, until you get to the top and catch a view of it all.

But lets not kid ourselves. There is a reason I love Runyon Canyon above all others: PUPPIES!

See that picture? That is Runyon on a good day. There are puppies EVERYWHERE. Its easy for me to get to the top of the hike because I just run from puppy to puppy. They're off their leashes and SO DAMN CUTE. With their tongues dangling out of their mouths, they get just as tuckered as their human counterparts and pass out on top of the hill.

TANGENT: One time I was hiking and stopped to tie my shoe. Out of nowhere a golden retriever leaps on my back and begins to lick my face. Her owner, mortified, apologized profusely to which I responded: Why would you apologize for that? It just made my day.

And you know what? It did.

Because how do you NOT try the garlic ice cream?

If there is one thing I can say about my group of friends it is this: we eat DAMN well. We've taken to trying new restaurants and this Sunday was no exception. Ladies and gentlemen, The Stinking Rose!

Our reason for going was twofold.

1) We needed to celebrate Denny's promotion. Blog Shout Out: Congrats Denny!

2) We needed to try this restaurant.

The Stinking Rose is a restaurant dedicated to garlic. I love garlic, so naturally this is a match made in heaven. We had no idea if we'd need reservations and so Mikey called and we got their voicemail which sounded like it was narrated by this guy:

I'm already in love with it (and we didn't need reservations). So Denny, Mikey, Amy, Jackie, Caroline, Daniel and I climb around a table and stare at the menu.

Garlic Wine.

40 Glove of Garlic Chicken.

Surf and Turf (All garlic enhanced, of course).

Garlic Encrusted Baby Back Ribs.

Garlic Rolls.

Garlic Ice Cream.

Holy friggin' crap. This is awesome. Our poor waitress, not only was her name Agnes, but she told us about how she cannot get the smell of garlic out of her hair. Now, I love garlic as much as the next guy, but its not exactly a scent you want for yourself. The price you pay to work with delicious food, I suppose.

We pussed out when it came to the garlic wine, so we made sure we hit up the garlic ice cream. Do NOT- I repeat, DO NOT- get it. The consensus was WHAT THE FUCK ARE WE EATING?!

The surf and turf was delicious (and it was amusing watching Denny and Amy trying to get the crab out of the shell).

And the decor is lots of fun (just not as fun as the garlic hat they make the poor host wear). Will I be back? Sure. It's an event place though- not so much a place you could just.... go.

We all went home and brushed our teeth and took showers. It was coming out of my pores, I swear it.

Definitely hit the place up if you have a taste for garlic (and lets be honest, who doesn't?) and a fun group to smell really bad with.

IT'S GOT LAVENDER IN IT aka My Triumphant Return to Blogging

I am aware that it has been a good many months since I've last set pen to paper, or rather, finger to keyboard. It isn't so much a matter of not having anything to say, as it is not having the energy to say it. That all changed when I was re-energized by a little cocktail at The Library Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel.

IT'S GOT LAVENDER IN IT!

The Kentucky Bubble Bath - but alas, I'm getting ahead of myself- so let us go back...

Sass and I are obsessed with this bar. Where other bars have a counter top, the Library Bar has a mother fuckin' garden.

Here's one of the bartenders. With his garden. Notice all the fresh fruits, herbs and vegetables? Well they get mixed into drinks. That's right... getting a drink with orange juice? Hold please while he MUDDLES THIS FRESH ORANGE.

This being said - you can't just get a screwdriver. No regular drinks allowed. Here its about flavor. Looking for something savory? sweet? sour? that doesn't start with an "s"?

I came looking for kiwi. I walked in and there was a row of them on the counter/garden and I was like "whoa, hold up. What are you making right now with kiwi?"

Turns out it was a Bourbon/Sage/Kiwi cocktail that had my head a-spinnin'. I don't even drink bourbon and I was in heaven. Not to be outdone by my 3+ ingredient cocktail, Sass orders the Library Bar version of a Bloody Mary. The one that has 17+ ingredients (including hand picked, ripe vine tomatoes squished in the bottom. Squished with love. And care. And vodka).

I'm on a high from this bourbon drink and I want to know what else he can do with this smooth as silk Bulleit Bourbon. Well, he asks - Do you like lavender? I saw yes before I even think what this entails... I mean... I like the smell of lavender. Its a pretty color and the lavender ice cream I had once at Mashti Malone's wasn't bad but....

And by the time my brain got to that point this beauty was sitting in front of me. Its a Kentucky Bubble Bath. Bourbon and Lavender and Cynar all shook up to the point of frothy deliciousness. Sass and I didn't even know what hit us, because mind you, this is lavender from the flower. As in... I'm going to take this flower and put it in your drink. Wrap your mind around THAT.

So delicious. Must go back... I mean... IT'S GOT LAVENDER IN IT.