My Trip to...

California is so beautiful! And that is that I only saw Malibu and the different parts of Los Angeles. The weather is simply unreal, it is so perfect that you can't help but feel happy all of the time. Immediately upon my return to Houston, I realize just how much I hated mosquitos!

THURSDAY. We started our trip with a visit to the Getty Villa in Malibu. What a fantastic site! J. Paul Getty has left such an enormous legacy to the collection and research of antiquities and art, and the property and architecture of the villa itself are breathtaking.



We followed this visit with lunch at The Ivy in Beverly Hills, and walking in and out of the shops on Robertson and Rodeo Drive. The food was really tasty at The Ivy, and it has a really great ambiance of light and casual, yet sophisticated and exclusive. Katy and I both had caesar salads with grilled chicken, Owen had the chopped salad and Mark had the lobster ravioli.


After we finished lunch, Mark took us up and down Rodeo Drive. It is amazing how many wonderful shops there are on the drive, and I had always wanted to see, in person, what it felt like to be in the famous stores that people always hear about. And being on Rodeo Drive immediately made me think of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman!




After a nonstop day, we enjoyed an amazing dinner at Toscana in Brentwood. I had grilled salmon with vine-ripened tomatos, yummy! I wish I would have gotten a photo from inside the restaurant, but didn't think of it at the time. The day was certainly not over though, as Mark took us on to our next stop on the express train... SkyBar in West Hollywood at the Mondrian Hotel. SkyBar has such an incredible ambiance, and our group had the best table on the outdoor patio. Lounge tables, chairs and candles inside of empty wine bottles surrounded the lit pool in the center.