SD Invades LA - Part Three

SD in LA – Part Three

Now that I’ve had a chance to decompress a bit from the celeb extravaganza, I wanted to provide a quick recap. The red carpet rocked! ET, Access Hollywood, International Foreign Press, everyone in Hollywood was out to impress! We watched several stars arrive, give interviews and walk the red carpet – such as Bradley Cooper, Topher Grace, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Jessica Biel,Jewel, etc.






Once inside the premiere, Director Garry Marshall stood up in front of the theatre and made a speech – introducing the entire cast and thanking everyone involved. He was really funny! And I got to see Julia Roberts!!! One of my absolute favs!!

Good film, and then off to the after party. Check out some pics:
































NOW... On to my final day in LA -----
What can I say about my final day? Traffic. Traffic. Traffic. Insane. Insane. Insane. It is amazing how every road… back roads, the 405, I 10, Santa Monica Blvd., Sunset Blvd., Hollywood Blvd., the Pacific Coast Highway, etc…. are INSANELY slow and backed up ALL the time. Simply mind-boggling. Where does everyone have to go at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday? And is the event/meeting/shuttle launch/child birth/etc. that involved where everyone in the world is filtering in the same direction at the exact same time?? It really is a sight to behold.

Besides the traffic, we also enjoyed some amazing eats and great sites! Thanks to our Facebook fan recommendations, they hit another suggestion out of the park with The Griddle on Sunset Blvd. If you are driving too fast down Sunset, you might miss it. The only thing making the joint stand out a bit is a little red awning. But don’t let this little place fool you… it has some of the BIGGEST tastes I have ever experienced! Its menu was full of innovative breakfast options with pancakes larger than your plates, thick French toast, eggs cooked all different ways, etc. I rocked the Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookie French Toast. Um hi… amazing! Insane how the French toast was cooked in the cookie crumbs and then topped with it as well. My boyfriend had the “Hear me roar” pancakes – made with frosted flakes and strawberries…. One of the best breakfasts we have ever had. In the battle of man vs. food though, I'm sorry to say food won!! I will certainly be going back on my next visit.

After breakfast, we went down to Santa Monica Beach, walked the pier, played some air hockey, car racing games and skeeball (I lose every air hockey game known to man, but I typically dominate car racing and skeeball!), and then headed down to Venice beach for yet another incredible meal – this one took place at Bondi Barbeque (known for its Australian style). This joint was also feature on “Man vs. Food” about a year ago. Fantastic pulled pork sandwich!!

The rain slowed us down a bit, but not too much! So much to do and see…. So little time!

Drove out to Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway… and then headed back to LAX to fly home to Tampa. Just ran into Joe Madden – head coach of the Tampa Bay Rays. Sal, of course, walked up to say hello and received a very firm handshake. GO RAYS!

So, that is my trip in a nutshell. ☺ Good times, great experience, and I really enjoyed stirring things up in Hollywood!

SD