Passing a Day in Beverly Hills

Although its quite small, Beverly Hills is renowned around the world for its shopping, people, and luxury. It is always a must on a trip to LA. Considering its small size, there are quite a few options for passing a day in the 90210 zip code. Some of my favorite things to do are shop, dine, and people watch. 

I recently spent a few days in Beverly Hills so I was able to do quite a bit. Here are a few of my recommendations for things to do while soaking up the California sun in Beverly Hills.

Rodeo Drive:

One cannot visit Beverly Hills without strolling on the very famous Rodeo Drive. Whether shopping or window shopping, it is a must. Virtually every designer has a shop along the stretch of Rodeo. The best is to start at the bottom near Wilshire Boulevard and walk up towards little Santa Monica Boulevard and grab cupcakes at Sprinkles once you reach Santa Monica!

The Montage:

The Montage is a beautiful luxury hotel located on Canon Drive. The property also features private residences, so you are sure to see the driveway lined with Bentleys and Rolls Royces. The Montage is a great place to stop and relax in the gardens, grab afternoon tea, or a cocktail on the great rooftop bar.

Villa Blanca:

Yes- the restaurant owned by Real Housewife of Beverly Hills, Lisa Vanderpump. I must admit, it is quite the scene, however, the food is actually pretty good. There are more high-end places in Beverly Hills such as Mr. Chow, but it is fun to make at least one stop at Villa Blanca for the experience. 

Pressed Juice:

Juicing is very popular in New York with a lot of different options, but one of my favorites recently opened in Beverly Hills. Tucked away on Bedford Drive is a Pressed Juice. If you are looking for a light, healthy afternoon option, grab a green juice from Pressed while you stroll the streets.

Via Rodeo:

A little offshoot from Rodeo, this tiny passage is also lined with great shopping, but features some dining options as well. This street is home to the famous Versace and Tiffany & Co. stores. 

STK West Hollywood

Why choose STK in WeHo when we have2 of our own in New York? I have heard from multiple sources that the original in LA beats the ones in New York, and seeing as I havent made it to the one in New York yet, I figured I would give it a try.

STK is in the ranks of those trendy restaurants where everyone pulling up the valet in their Range Rovers and Mercedes is getting up of the car while pulling down their Herve dresses and trying not to fall in their sky-high Louboutins. 

Inside, the atmosphere is great. White booths capped with faux alligator are surrounded by many, many dark pink orchids. The tables are all semicircles so you can take a look around at all those beautiful people dining with you.

The food was great. While it is known for its steaks (STK), no one at our table got a steak. We opted for fish and chicken. But a word of advice: GET the truffle fries...amazing.

LA Round Deux

Over spring break I took a short trip to Los Angeles. It always nice to get out of the hectic, stressful city for a little and what better way than with a little relaxed west coast vibe? You know a trip is off to a good start when 1) your domestic flight is not delayed and 2) you arrive to your gate 30 minutes earlier than scheduled.

We didnt really have a set schedule or list of things we wanted to do which I must say is kind of nice. We just got up each day and did things that we felt like or just hung out. So what did we end up doing? We spent a lot of time Soulcycling in West Hollywood, or as some like to call it "WeHo" :D. I must say, west hollywood seems like a lot of fun, but why is everyone so perfect looking?!

Numerous afternoons were spent in Beverly Hills eating, shopping, an walking around. If you havent been to the Montage, I highly recommend it! In my effort to transition to the LA lifestyle, I ate at numerous vegan restaurants, got a chemical peel, drank green juice, and hiked. I was told I am well on my way to being "LA".

One night we went to downtown to eat at the Palm which is also a well known spot here in New York. It was my first time downtown, so we walked around LA live, and went to the 24th floor bar of the Ritz there. The view is great, I definitely recommend!

Overall it was a nice little break, although I must say the weather was warmer here on the east coast the entire time! LA, I hope ill see you in the near future!

view from the Ritz at LA Live

Fashion Friday: Beverly Hills Shopping

What could be more appropriate for Fashion Friday today than shopping in Beverly Hills? It was a beautiful day in LA on saturday, so we took to the streets of BH!

What does one wear to shop on Rodeo? Thats a tough question. The california vibe is effortless and chic where we east coasters tend to put so much effort into everything. I went with gray denim, my rivieras, a polo, and of course, big aviators. 

Stroll up on down Rodeo to shop the looks of Brooks Brothers, Missoni, Chanel, and Gucci among others. Turn off the ever crowded Rodeo onto Brighton way to slip into Emporio Armani. Stepping into Teuscher for a champagne truffle is a must- but beware: that lady passing you on the street with the giant Birkin is totally judging you for even holding chocolate. What is sugar?

Linking up with Blonde Episodes for Fashion Friday

A Few LA Essentials

Source: flickr.com via Leeann on Pinterest

Since Ill be jetting off to LA tomorrow, what better way hear about the best of the city than from someone who knows it inside and out?


Hello there Life Through Preppy Glasses readers! I am so honored to be guest posting today. Normally, I'm over at my blog, Join the Gossip, chatting about anything and everything. Stop by and say hi sometime. I love making new bloggin' buds!

Since the stylish owner of this here blog is always posting about the IT places in NYC - be it bars, restaurants, or shops - I thought I'd bring a little part of my side of the country to this fabulous blog! So let's take a tour of my city, Los Angeles.

Let's start with breakfast, first we'll head to Toast to savor a delicious breakfast as we sit on the patio located on trendy Melrose Avenue. After we've devoured our sweet treats and gulped up the last of our lattes, we'll do some shopping. First up is little boutiques and vintage shops like Buffalo Exchange, then high end shops like Alexander McQueen and DVF. Upon realizing that no matter how much we dream we just can't afford the clothes, we'll head over to do some more reasonable shopping at Marc Jacobs.

Source: emrecan22.deviantart.com via Leeann on Pinterest

By now it should be about time for lunch so let's go to the center of Hollywood - Hollywood and Highland which is home to the Kodak Theater and home of the Oscars. This is the place to take in Hollyweird. From the Walk of Fame to the grown man in the Sponebob suit, people watching comes easy. Once we've pushed through the crowds, we can make a stop at Micheli's for some pizza, Hollywood's oldest Italian restaurant. To walk off our full tummies, we'll head over to an old prohabition bar tucked away right off Hollywood Boulevard called Boardner's. This cool, but errie, place is the last place The Black Dahlia was ever seen alive. They even have a drink named after her which we'll order, of course!

Since we've covered the Hollywood region let's get out of town for some slow paced beach time. We'll head to Santa Monica and stroll on the pier, take lots of scenic pictures, and maybe hop on a few rides before jumping back into the car and opening the sunroof as we drive down Pacific Coast Highway toward Malibu. Our final stop will be at Duke's. Our final mission is complete once we grab a window seat and watch the waves crash under the eatery while we sip on cocktails, dine on seafood, and enjoy the sunset.

Source: flickr.com via Leeann on Pinterest

So who wants to join me for the perfect day in LA?! I'd be happy to show you around :)

Day of Departure

You might remember when I shared that I would be meeting the West Coast....well that day has arrived! :) Im on my way to the airport and heading to the other side of this little country.

I pray, pray, pray for an on time flight, non-annoying people sitting next to me, maybe an upgrade? (pretty please), and enjoyable travel over all. Being the clothes whore I am, I somehow managed to fit my packing into a carry on....i know you probably don't believe me right? Maybe the $50 for checking bags was motivation to squeeze it into that 22 inch suitcase?

via

I might create a post or two and schedule them while I'm gone so this doesn't become completely dead for a week, again. I feel like I have been leaving this blog postless quite frequently this summer, sorry!