los angeles city guide

|the pool at hotel bel-air|

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to head to L.A. for the Rebecca Minkoff runway show. Since we decided to pass on NYFW this time (and we are so glad we did considering the blizzard!), we thought it would be fun to head to the West coast for a very quick trip. We mean so quick, that we only spent 36 hours in L.A.! We know there is so much to see/do and so much that we didn’t get to do while we were there, but we thought we would share our itinerary of places we put at the top of our list. We’re hoping to get back to L.A. for a longer period of time, but we are so glad we decided to go, even if it was for just 36 hours!

three tops and a pair of white mule loafers

oversized white sweater with jeans and a blue handbag

Saturday:

Arrive at our hotel around noon: We flew in Saturday morning early and went straight to our hotel. Hotel Bel-Air is tucked away up in the hills of Bel-Air just a few minutes from Beverly Hills and is a serene, beautiful place. If we hadn’t been in LA for work, we may have never left the hotel! Our room had a massive patio, which William loved exploring. We left the french doors open most of the time so he could go in and out. It was a little chilly while we were there, so we loved that our room had its own wood burning fireplace. The staff will come and light the fire for you whenever you like. The bathrooms are full of marble, a deep soaking tub and heated floors. Plus, we slept so good in the beds. The hotel leaves a lavender sleep spray for your pillow on the end table and we became a little obsessed!
Lunch at The Ivy: After checking in, we decided to head to the Ivy. What’s a trip to L.A. without dining on the patio? We enjoyed complimentary bubbly and a strawberry lemonade while waiting for our table. We had the onion rings (guilty pleasure), swordfish and a grilled vegetable salad. Make a reservation prior – the concierge at Hotel Bel-Air made our reservation for us, but we still had to wait about 15 minutes once we arrived. This was great people watching!

|arriving at our hotel|

|william loved our patio at hotel bel-air|

|lunch on the patio at the ivy|

|lunch on the patio at the ivy|clutch (similar)|sunglasses|
Explore Beverly Hills/Rodeo Drive/Wilshire: Even though we’ve been to Rodeo Drive a few times before, it’s always worth a walk through. Designer store after designer store, you are sure to see a celebrity and the people watching here is also pretty incredible.

mom and daughter pushing baby stroller on rodea drive

|shopping on Rodeo Drive|

Visit LACMA: When you find yourself at the bottom of Rodeo Drive, stop for a drink at Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire and then catch an Uber to LACMA. We didn’t have time this trip, but it’s on our list for next time!
Shop at The Grove: The Rebecca Minkoff show was at The Grove and it is an amazing outdoor shopping mall. It was especially fun to be there for the runway show, but there is a ton of shopping and walking around you can do anytime.

|trolley car arriving with the models for the show|pink dress|

red and white stripe terry beach coverup

|we need this for our next beach trip|hoodie|shorts

|one of our favorite looks of the show|white dress|booties|

|finale at the RM runway show|california sweatshirt|

Order room service for dinner: Let’s just say that if William wasn’t along, we would have definitely been going to a LA hot spot for dinner. But William was such a trooper all day, we decided to head back to the hotel, get him down for bed and order room service from Hotel Bel-Air. Luckily, the onsite restaurant is Wolfgang Puck, so you really can’t go wrong 🙂

Sunday:

Brunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel: We started Sunday morning early. With the two hour time difference, William was up at 6:30 and ready to go. We grabbed coffee in the lobby, got ready for the day and let William play in the room and outside on the patio until we left for our brunch reservation at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The Beverly Hills Hotel is the sister property to Hotel Bel-Air and we highly recommend going for a meal or at least a drink. It’s an iconic hotel, decorated in light pink with green banana leaf print everywhere. We originally had planned to brunch in the Polo Lounge, but decided to eat outside by the pool at the Cabana Cafe instead. The Cabana Cafe was so much fun and was great for brunch with William. He loves being outside, so it was a much better option for us! Brunch was fantastic. We had the best avocado toast ever, the McCarthy salad was yummy and William was a big fan of the grilled cheese:)

|the iconic beverly hills hotel|

|this banana leaf wallpaper!|

avocado toast at the Beverly Hills Hotel

|brunch at the beverly hills hotel- the avocado toast was amazing|

|beautiful blooms at the beverly hills hotel|

table at the cabana room Beverly HiIls Hotel

|the cabana cafe for brunch|

baby boy standing up in green striped booth

mother and baby boy sitting green striped booth

|brunching at the beverly hills hotel|

|exploring the grounds after brunch|

Shopping along Melrose: So many great boutiques here! It was fun to see so many styles from the runway show at the Rebecca Minkoff boutique.
Visit the Farmer’s Market: The Melrose Place Farmer’s Market is open every Sunday and is a great place to walk around, shopping and snacking.
Stop at Alfred Coffee + Kitchen and Alfred Tea: Alfred Coffee is adjacent to the Farmers Market and has great coffee and the most delicious chocolate chip cookies. Alfred Tea is around the corner and is just so pretty in pink! The tea options are amazing.
Take a picture at the famous Pink Wall: This is on the Paul Smith building on Melrose- bright, hot pink! And right across the street is another fun wall with lips all over it.