This trip was all about family, friends and new business with old friends! Some Sun , a lot of wine and road trip to Napa this was the perfect festive escape for Alberto and I . Our first stop is Venice Beach. When I first met my husband, I asked him “where in LA would you like to stay?” He chose Venice Beach which I found a bit odd. Let’s just say Venice Beach has its own atmosphere and it’s not for everyone! It’s a bit quirky and off the beaten path but we both like to be near the water and Venice Beach has morphed into this overpriced hipster trendy 20$  for a cup of coffee area! In all my years of living in LA, I stayed in the (818). I was a “Valley Girl”. Then I decided to buy a house in WEHO in 2010. That pushed me into the “westside” but I still never made it to Venice Beach. Taking the 101 to the 405 to the 10 was a huge deal .. If you get it you get it …Now my husband has changed all that for me… He’s made me appreciate how eccentric the area is  and it’s nice to stay a bit out of the way. Better for us…

How We Spent Christmas

Christmas Day we found ourselves at The Staples Center, for the La Lakers vs Clippers Christmas Day game! What do you get a man who has everything for Christmas? Well he’s a basketball fan so Lakers tickets!  We stayed in our favorite hotel downtown, Hotel Per La It used to be The Bank of Italy. It’s a beautiful hotel and the service is incredible!  We drove up north to see my sister and family. It was SO good to see her…. I miss my sister so much. We always cook, eat and stay up super late just talking and talking.This Christmas was great because I also got to see my oldest niece and her beautiful baby girl. I also had a sad time because  I said goodbye to my dear sweet Chopper. Many of you knew Chopper all these years as my beloved Toy Fox Terrier. He was 17 and lived his best life . I’m grateful my sister was with me I couldn’t have done it alone.

We drove up to Napa for some wine tasting.  We went to  Opus One Winery  for a wonderful lunch and tasting and also had a tasting at  Orin Swift

We stayed in Hollywood for NYE at a cool spot called Mama Shelter  We found this spot by accident but I’m glad we did! The rooms are big for LA standards and the rooftop bar had a great vibe and view. Alberto and I eat all the tacos when we are in LA! We both crave Mexican so , on NYE we found a great taco place and tequila bar. I had two margaritas they were so strong I thought “oh it will be so fun if we BOTH hop on one bird scooter. Now we are on Hollywood blvd. and the movies are a block away so in the 30 minutes it took me to figure out the scooter we missed Star Wars.  Yes I blew it for both of us. Los Angeles is always a fun time for us and this trip was a mix of bittersweet.  Until next Christmas LA! XO Tera