Los Angeles will always be home to me. It is the place I love and for so many reasons. With my sister and nephew in town, I have definitely made it a point to enjoy some of the sites and venues of Los Angeles. They love the city as much as I do. We all think it is worth making the nearly one hour pilgrimage into the city.
Last week, we went to my ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE PLACE TO GO in Los Angeles during the summer...THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL. We took the park and ride shuttle in (which I highly recommend). I did do the stacked parking earlier in the week with my hubby for the Stevie Wonder concert and we got lucky because we were the second car in line to get out of the lot. For the most part, however, I recommend the park and ride shuttles. Anyway, my sister, nephew and I listened to New Orleans Jazz (awesome) under the stars and dined on an Italian dinner and wine (well my sister and I drank the wine). There was such a great vibe at the bowl and we swapped wine and dessert with people sitting around us. It is a must do if you are anywhere near Los Angeles during the summer.
Then today we ate lunch at Maddelena's Restaurant at the SAN ANTONIO WINERY downtown! I haven't been there in years and it was just as fun as I remember! It is in the heart of an industrial area between Boyle Heights and Downtown. When you are in the restaurant, you almost forget that you are surrounded by industry. There is a selection of pretty good inexpensive wines right in the restaurant. You can just open the fridge and select a bottle or grab one from the shelves. We selected a bottle of chilled red blended wine from Spain. It was a tiny bit sweeter than we expected, but a nice surprise on a hot day. After the winery, we went to the MERCADO in East L.A. So fun! I have not been there since childhood. I had so much fun. I thought of my parents and the many times they took us there when I was a kid. I bought my daughter a very cute pair of sandals that were Hecho in Mexico. I bought dulce Mexicana too. It is such a cool place. It definitely compares to the mercados I have been to in Tijuana, Juarez and Mazatlan. It was culture shock to my nephew and he absolutely loved it. He was very amazed at the huge Virgen De Guatalupe shrine outside of the Mercado. Awesome. I definitely recommend a visit there if you are interested in a true L. A. landmark filled with locals going about their daily business. There is definitely nothing contrived there!
We ended the day by visiting our old stomping grounds in Southeast L.A. There were many "moments" for my sister and I when we were there. We thought of our simple childhoods, how much our worlds have changed, and of course of Lalo and Elena, our parents. Now...I've been aching to visit the La Brea Tarpits. I think that will be my next L.A stop this summer. It has been years since I last visited! I love L.A!
Last week, we went to my ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE PLACE TO GO in Los Angeles during the summer...THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL. We took the park and ride shuttle in (which I highly recommend). I did do the stacked parking earlier in the week with my hubby for the Stevie Wonder concert and we got lucky because we were the second car in line to get out of the lot. For the most part, however, I recommend the park and ride shuttles. Anyway, my sister, nephew and I listened to New Orleans Jazz (awesome) under the stars and dined on an Italian dinner and wine (well my sister and I drank the wine). There was such a great vibe at the bowl and we swapped wine and dessert with people sitting around us. It is a must do if you are anywhere near Los Angeles during the summer.
Then today we ate lunch at Maddelena's Restaurant at the SAN ANTONIO WINERY downtown! I haven't been there in years and it was just as fun as I remember! It is in the heart of an industrial area between Boyle Heights and Downtown. When you are in the restaurant, you almost forget that you are surrounded by industry. There is a selection of pretty good inexpensive wines right in the restaurant. You can just open the fridge and select a bottle or grab one from the shelves. We selected a bottle of chilled red blended wine from Spain. It was a tiny bit sweeter than we expected, but a nice surprise on a hot day. After the winery, we went to the MERCADO in East L.A. So fun! I have not been there since childhood. I had so much fun. I thought of my parents and the many times they took us there when I was a kid. I bought my daughter a very cute pair of sandals that were Hecho in Mexico. I bought dulce Mexicana too. It is such a cool place. It definitely compares to the mercados I have been to in Tijuana, Juarez and Mazatlan. It was culture shock to my nephew and he absolutely loved it. He was very amazed at the huge Virgen De Guatalupe shrine outside of the Mercado. Awesome. I definitely recommend a visit there if you are interested in a true L. A. landmark filled with locals going about their daily business. There is definitely nothing contrived there!
We ended the day by visiting our old stomping grounds in Southeast L.A. There were many "moments" for my sister and I when we were there. We thought of our simple childhoods, how much our worlds have changed, and of course of Lalo and Elena, our parents. Now...I've been aching to visit the La Brea Tarpits. I think that will be my next L.A stop this summer. It has been years since I last visited! I love L.A!
Inside Maddelena Restaurant at San Antonio Winery
I love this sign! It is at the Mercado.
This is in front of the huge shrine in the parking lot of the Mercado.
At the shrine.
Sandalias!!
This is a picture of the old Newberry store in Bell from the good ole days. It is the sight of the famous candy cane story involving my sister (inside joke)!
Our childhood home in Bell. There are still a couple of rose bushes in front of the house on the right that my father planted...sniff.
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Hollywood Bowl!
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5 comments:
Oh yeah! I know the candy cane story! LOL! What a fun time you are having. Whooppeeee!
Love, Linda
What fun I had that day Sis! It brought back so many memories about our simple childhood; and we weren't even aware of the simpleness. I loved seeing the old library and our old neighborhood. Growing up in Bell was great. I had mom and dad on my mind the whole time and once we were on the 710 Freeway heading back to your place, I had tears in my eyes with the warm memories of Bell,CA.
OH it is times like this when I miss being nearer to you guys!! What fun we had growing up in Bell, just sitting on "Dookie's" wall (that big ass Doberman Pincher)was fun or trying to climb on top of roofs!!! These kids nowadays just don't know what they are missing...lol
LOL Norm! Dookie! That damned dog! He always gave me a heart attack when I was coming around the corner. I swear I have a heart murmur because of him! My mom used to call his owner, "Dookie's Father". We did have great times growing up on Park Drive in Bell, huh? I wish you lived closer too. I always have.
OMG, Dookie!!! That damn dog! What great times we had growing up in Bell...
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