First All-Star Break

I have had my eye out for All-Star Break as soon as January hit for a number of reasons. With Jarrell’s 2-way contract, there is really no way possible for us to plan a date-night, so I was really looking forward to getting to spend quality time with my favorite person.

At first we thought it would be a good idea to just spend the break at home, but we both were dying to get out of the snow. So we decided to go to LA!

Los Angeles is close enough to Utah that flying is not a hassle and it is inexpensive to get to. I have been to LA only once before for just two days, so I was pretty excited to get out of the cold and spend a few days in a fairly new city.

Stay

We both miss living by a beach so we decided to stay in Venice Beach. We stayed at the Hotel Erwin. The hotel was not fancy, but the location and rooftop restaurant made it worth it! The accommodations were very comfortable and the customer service was amazing.

Hotel Erwin’s rooftop restaurant was definitely the best part of our stay. The restaurant is open to the public, so reservations are a must, but you are able to enjoy the bar menu at hightop tables. We spent a lot of time enjoying the view of the city of Los Angeles from the rooftop.

Food

During our stay we definitely had lots of great food! My favorite dinner was at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse in Central LA. I had the Filet Mignon, and for sides we shared creamed corn, brussels sprouts, and of course lobster macaroni and cheese. Lobster macaroni and cheese is definitely my favorite side to order when I go to a steak house. I would not say this was the best lobster mac & cheese I have had, but I would recommend it to anyone that is going to Del Frisco’s.

Utah does not have that many options for “southern food” so I was definitely on a mission to find something that reminded me of home while I was in LA. Bruxie, in Downtown Santa Monica, definitely hit the spot. I ordered chicken tenders with french fries and Jarrell ordered chicken and waffles. We both smashed our meals and even considered going back the next day, but we decided to venture out.

Most of our meals during All-Star break were great, but there is one thing that we ordered that we literally had to have twice. The Guacamole at our hotel was literally AMAZING. I have never had pomegranate seeds in my guacamole and Jarrell actually did not like guacamole before the trip, it definitely was a hit.

Favorite Part of the Trip

My favorite part of the whole LA trip was our mini spontaneous photoshoot. Jarrell and I both are kind of awkward when it comes to taking pictures together, so I pretty much have settled with the fact that we may go a trip without any pictures together. While we were walking around the Beverly Center, there was a pop-up photo museum that interested us both. The museum consists of a number of really cool artistically pleasing rooms where you pay to walk through and take pictures. We decided to do the packet that included all of the rooms and then a photographer who followed us and took pictures the entire time. It was a great experience and we got some really great photos out of it. The pop up was called, Museum of Dream Space and I highly recommend it!

Overall, the trip was great and much needed. I definitely understand why players who do not participate in the All-Star events go out of town instead of staying home. All-Star break felt like a real break from reality and it was amazing!