Shiny and New

It's raining here in L.A and has been for the past five days. I love the rain, though we hardly get to see so much of it. It's given me the perfect opportunity to stay in and settle into my apartment while watching Sex & the City on DVD and admiring Carrie's amazing collection of form-fitting silk and jersey cocktail dresses.

I've also spent some time hitting the pavement, revisiting a few of my favorite city staples and exploring new additions that weren't here when I last lived in the area. It's new and familiar at the same time. Like the City Target that just opened downtown near the Staples Center inside the brand new 7th At Fig shopping center, also home to Gold's Gym, CPK and a few other eateries on the way.

THREAD Eyebrows is a threading boutique that's made it's home over on Melrose Ave. I received and invitation for a complimentary service (with all the moving, I've hardly had the time to give my eyebrows a thought) and even though I gave threading a try back in college, I was surprised at how quick and mostly painless it was. Nina, gave me tips on letting my brows grow in thicker and showed me how to fill them in with powder. I wouldn't mind adding this to my list of regulars.

I also caught up with girlfriends at one of my favorite Hollywood lounges, Cafe Entourage. The staff is friendly, food and drinks are always good, and local well-known Chef E-Dubble offers a guest menu accompanied with live music on Tuesday nights. This is pretty much my go-to 'let's catch up' place but it's also great for nightlife and mingling.

Lastly, I finally got to check out Graffiti, a new coffee shop on La Brea Ave. that I'd been dying to check out since I first noticed it back when I was still commuting. Better than I even imagined -the inside space is huge, with more than enough seating (bars, booths and even lounge style in front of a fireplace), decor is supremely simplistic, and the coffee is good, albeit pretty pricey. It's a great addition to the trendy district that this area of La Brea is quickly becoming, with an art gallery across the street and boutiques like Stussy, Black Scale and And Still just a few doors over.

I also found it the perfect time to try Fonuts, vegan and gluten-free baked donuts. Fonuts opened about a year ago over on 3rd street, but a variety are also sold inside Graffiti. I opted for the Strawberry Butttermilk fonut and it was simply amazing. Like a tiny little cake.

I cant stop gushing about being back in the city, but it's so fab, can you really blame me?