Five Things - Los Angeles Edition

1. Sprinkles Cupcakes

The most adorable ATM on the planet. That is, until they create a puppy ATM? Actually, that's just cruel.

The cupcake craze of recent years shows no sign of slowing down, and despite many copycats, no one has beat the original king (or maybe more fittingly, queen?) of the cupcake shop, Sprinkles. Due to a perpetual line out of their Beverly Hills door, they recently created a cupcake ATM, which is genius due to both its convenience and novelty.

My older sister, Michelle, worked at Sprinkles during her UCLA days, and our little sisters who are visiting from Israel had it on their Los Angeles bucket list, so visiting the cupcake chain was an inter-generational, sweet experience.

Plus, Sprinkles opened their own ice cream shop next door, which I definitely have to try next time! They had me at red velvet ice cream cone. Uh huh, *drool*!

Romy and Maya retrieving their cupcakes!

Me with my black and white cupcake.

Clockwise from left: red velvet, cinnamon sugar, banana, black and white.

2. Family Time

I guess this is a universal favorite thing, but it's made all the more sweet when family is separated by distance. It's been great living in the same city as Michelle since I moved back to Sacramento, but we've missed our little twin sisters dearly since they moved to Israel last year. They're at a great age (13) where they have adorable questions like: "Is driving a car like driving a bumper car?" and "What is contouring anyway?"

Having lived in Los Angeles their entire lives before Israel, they miss LA culture - the beach, Pinkberry, hiking at Tree People - so they created a bucket list of destinations (mostly food-related) that created a fun-filled outline for our trip together.

Added bonus: our cousin, Eleanor, had just returned from the Peace Corps after two years in Mongolia! It's amazing how much more mature and confident she's become. Just when you thought a personality couldn't get any better, Ellie goes and proves you wrong. What an amazing metamorphosis!

Eleanor just as she returns home from Mongolia. I'm so glad I got this shot.

Romy, Maya, Eleanor, and me at a Santa Monica beach.  (Michelle is behind the camera).

Hiking at Tree People. So many memories here!

3. The Santa Monica Farmers' Market (specifically, pluots!)

A hybrid of plums and apricots, pluots are my favorite of the summer stone fruits. So juicy and sweet, they're more like sweet plums than tangy apricots. Nom nom nom.

4. Lemonade

Back when I lived in LA, I worked on trendy Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Although it was named "the coolest block in America" by GQ this year, there weren't a whole lot of quick, affordable lunch options for us office workers. Enter Lemonade - gourmet salad buffet extraordinaire! Self-described as "seasonal Southern California comfort food," it can always be counted on for fresh, healthy salads and unusual lemonade flavors. I'm pictured below with Peach Ginger.

5. Summer Salads

One of my favorite foods is salad; I never get tired of them. There are so many possibilities, they're easy to throw together, and duh, they're good for you. Summer salads are the best because there's so much good produce in season which allows you to get creative.

For one of our family dinners during our LA trip, we all pitched in for a homemade Mexican fiesta. We love doing theme meals! Too bad I didn't photograph the tasty veggie enchiladas Michelle made, but here's the simple recipe for this bombasia salad.

 The Labis' Fiesta-in-My-Mouth Salad

• Grape tomatoes
• Freshly shucked sweet corn
• Red Onions
• Avocado
• Feta cheese or crumbled queso fresco
• Cilantro
• Spinach, arugula, or mixed greens

 Dressing: Olive oil, lemon juice, coarsely chopped cilantro.

I think salads look prettier before adding greens.

The finished product - with spinach.

 Till next time, Lala Land!

Outside Lands

Last week provided another opportunity to polish my packing skills as I was challenged to pack for both sweltering 100 degree temperatures in Los Angeles and foggy San Francisco days in the 50s. I'm proud to say I came out on top! It's as if I'd been competing against myself in a lifelong pursuit of acing the sport of packing and finally earned the golden suitcase trophy.

I'd been looking forward to San Francisco's three-day music festival, Outside Lands, all summer and it didn't disappoint. It provided the perfect canvas to meet with LA friends and an eclectic assortment of music, all of it amazing.

Unfortunately, the weather was less than amazing. Each day began with the promise of sunshine in the Pacific Heights neighborhood where I was staying, which inevitably dimmed as we bussed into foggy Golden Gate Park. You could literally feel it dropping five additional degrees upon penetrating the park on foot.

The first day I naively wore a white sundress with a hippie sensibility I thought fit the atmosphere. Cut to me shivering through a 30-minute hot chocolate line later that night. As I chattered through Neil Young's set and mourned the last sip of said hot chocolate, I vowed to layer up for the rest of the weekend. So the rest of the days, I forgo-ed (forwent?) fashion for functional layering. I also gave up my intentions to fishtail braid my hair, opting to wear my hair down as a quasi-scarf.

Here's a cheat sheet for the weekend:

Sexiest band: Portugal. The Man. Each band member was sexier than the last! Hubba hubba.

Most sardined moments: 1) Squeezing onto the jam-packed bus at the end of each night. 2) Being funneled through the exit as part of a molasses-moving crowd that erupted into "Build Me Up Buttercup."

Most hilariously long guitar solo: Neil Young. It wasn't so much a guitar solo as an 8-minute outro that consisted of one note played repeatedly. The legend dragged it out (albeit passionately) until it reached an unbelievable, comic height.

Best of the weekend: Stevie Wonder. His voice just as clear and beautiful as ever, Stevie's two-hour set was a feel-good session packed with hits. He's just so good.

Most badass chick: Alison Mosshart of The Kills. With a black and white striped blouse, platinum-to-red ombre hair, and skinny black jeans and boots, she evoked a sexy rock & roll Tim Burton character.

Things I'm definitely bringing next time: hand sanitizer, gloves, a flag to make it easier to meet up with friends. "Meet me by the windmills" or "in between the churro stand and the speaker" just doesn't cut it.

Geeking out with my ticket before entering on the first day.

Me and the beautiful Stephanie. She was way tougher when it came to the cold.

Neil Young. He grimaced through most of his set, which made his smiles all the sweeter.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

Alison Mosshart of The Kills.

Dr. Dog, or as we renamed him, Kanine M.D.

Hangin' on in the jam-packed bus!

Wine Lands.

Who says you can't eat healthfully at a music festival?

Corn dogs and chile cheese fries? As if! This is San Francisco!

Healthy eating has its limits though, hence Choco Lands!

Michelle fashioned this flower crown herself. She's one crafty lady.

Passion Pit.

Lights and music are on my mind.

Stevie. His hairline is receding but he's committed to those dreads. I respect that.

Despite two dead phones and a vague meeting place, I still met up with Michelle! Whew. Sister sister!

Brooklyn Babe

Despite having been a pretty frequent traveler for most of my life (flying back and forth from Sacramento to Los Angeles to visit my dad), I still haven't mastered the art of packing. The basic rule is simple enough: select a combination of outfits that don't wrinkle easily and can be mixed interchangeably. And to guarantee the wearability of said outfits, it's best to try them on before stuffing them in your suitcase. But who has the patience or the time for that when packing is usually a slap-dash afterthought that occurs the night before? Or maybe that's just me....  Anyway, I felt pretty self-congratulatory that I'd packed rather lightly for my 3 day trip to New York, but once I arrived, I discovered that for once in my life, I'd packed too lightly. I found myself wearing a slight variation of the same outfit the whole time. Wait a second, maybe that's what's supposed to happen...!

The trip was equal parts relaxing and sight-seeing. We walked along the High Line, ate delicious food (oysters, Venezuelan arepas, some of the best sushi I've ever had), visited the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, met up with a couple friends, and walked... a lot.

Tank: Funktional, shorts: Anthropologie, belt; Madewell, boots: Minetonka.

A tentacular mural in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The New Yorker building peeking out of the skyline view from the High Line in Manhattan.

Yep, pink shorts again at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Bye, Williamsburg, I'll miss you!

Quest for the Perfect Everyday Boots

Clockwise from top left: Rum Moto Boot by Jeffrey Campbell, Dolcetta by Dolce Vita Harness Heel Boot, Areas Boot by Jeffrey Campbell, Matiko Ace Boot.


When it comes to shoes, there are women who choose to buy many pairs at a super low cost, those who would rather invest in statement pieces that last longer, and then there are those lucky ladies who have both -- the arsenal of crazy expensive designer shoes. I'm a member of the middle troop. I like to invest in good quality, semi-trendy shoes that will go with a lot of things.

I've been in need of a new pair of boots for a great, long while. Fortunately, my go-to puppies look kind of cool scuffed up:

Although I've been able to prolong the life of these boots by polishing them every once in a while, sometimes I wonder if it's against their wishes and they'd rather me just pull the plug already.

Either way, I need boots that are more versatile - a pair that have a more of a heel so they're more feminine and can be worn with dresses (but are still tough-looking). So what do you guys think about the above candidates?

Babesicle Make Pretty

Do you ever have that tug-of-war with yourself about when you should finally go in for a trim? One day you may look in the mirror and think, Ugh, I need a haircut. It's looking pretty haggard. But maybe the next day you style it differently and think, Huh, not that bad. Dare I say it even looks good. Plus I'm growing it out... And on and on until you're this close to legally changing your name to Scraggles Mcgee. I've recently been in the on-the-fence stage, but I decided to book the appointment anyway since I'll be visiting New York in a few days and I want to arrive "stunning and impossibly fresh-looking" (SATC quote).

I went to Emily at Deeda Make Pretty Salon which occupies a beautiful space on 34th St. in East Sacramento. It's a Bumble and Bumble salon and contains a mini boutique of Cuffs clothing inside. I have my eye on this dress they carry. I tried it on and it's sublime! The perfect, elegant LWD (or LCD since it's more cream than white). Anyway, I went in to get my ends freshened up and a nice shiny blowout and am happy to report that I emerged sans scraggles!

Before: Scraggles Mcgee.

After: Smoothie Mcgee.

Business card rainbow.

Chalk is an underrated medium.

Alley Cat

Rompin' Around a Boulevard Park Alley

It's that meow again, guys, I mean time. Speaking of time, nothing beats the golden hour when it comes to lighting and atmosphere, and I was fortunate enough to catch it right before it transformed into a cool summer night. Before the sun took its daily dive, however, it was in the nineties, so this light, backless romper was the perfect thing to throw on. This belt is a genius piece because it permits me to wear any color shoes I want since it has brown, black, and white accents. It also adds interest and ties the look together. Then I proceeded to blast the sea of chocolate with colorful accessories.

 Today's G St./H St. alley is pretty down-home and old-fashioned. A no frills alley, if you will. It forgoes pavement for gravel and is home to an old Ford pickup that made me feel like I was in a country music video. Sweet home Sacramento....

Romper: LF, oxfords: H&M. Accessories detailed below.

Purse: Reform School, sunglasses: spray painted by Navid Deghgan, ring: Sugar Shack, bracelets: Urban Outfitters, belt: Petro Zillia

Meow! Alley cat out.