Browsing Tag

Venice Beach

I Miss LA

Visiting LA was amazing and confusing. I never imagined that I would miss LA, but I do. I think?

This week I visited Los Angeles. It was my first extended trip since I walked away from the city of wandering angels.

I met up with old friends and revisited familiar locations that I abruptly left almost four years ago. Jumping into the past is both energizing and intimidating. Will I feel disconnected from my old friends? Will I want to stay in the past? Will this trip trigger an existential crisis that will leave me curled up in a ball screaming, “Who am I?!?”

The longer I’ve lived away from Los Angeles the more I’ve romanticized it. I conveniently forgot the aimless journey I was taking there, long nights crying myself to sleep or staring at the ocean sky hoping life would finally happen.

I moved to Los Angeles when I was 20 after being offered an assistant position at an actor’s production company. It took me five years to realize that I didn’t want to put someone before me (more…)

May 14, 2012 by hipstercrite

Is Venice Beach the Best Part of LA?

Yesterday I spent the day in a place I frequent in my head, except this time I was there in person.

The wonderfully quirky world of Venice, California quickly became my favorite part of Los Angeles once I peeled back the sticky layer of sweat, sand, liquor and God knows what else that covers the town and saw what lies below the surface.

Windward Ave.

Venice has not changed a bit since I left four years ago. The only exception is now there is a medicinal marijuana store everywhere you turn. The employees wear green scrubs with marijuana leaves on them and scream at you, “The doctor is in!” It’s only $40 to get your medical marijuana card.

I even saw many of the same street performers who have been performing tricks on the boardwalk for years.

This street performer jumped onto a pile of broken glass

It’s as if Venice has been pickled in time.

I hope it always stays that way.

One of my favorite boardwalk homes designed by Frank Gehry

I relived my regular (more…)

May 10, 2012 by hipstercrite

Austin, Fashion/Design

The Botanical Heavenliness of Big Red Sun

There exists in Austin a magical place called Big Red Sun. It is a “full service design/build studio specializing in commercial and residential landscape services.” I’d rather call it botanical heaven. For any design junkie, this store will make you drool.

Also located in Venice Beach, California, Big Red Sun carries innovative landscape and design products such as the French-made Bacsac– collapsible above-ground planters, and Woollypocket, wall planters that not only add a fun aesthetic to any inside or outside wall, but are great tools for helping kids learn about gardening.

Bacsac

Woollypocket

Big Red Sun is located in the heart of East Austin in an adapted rundown storefront. They were featured in the East Austin Studio Tour and I went to snap some pics. Take a look!

The first thing you notice in Big Red Sun is the knit, mutant-esque deer head plaques on the wall. Yarn tentacles from the deers’ head stretch across the ceiling.

Smack dead in the middle of the (more…)

November 16, 2011 by hipstercrite