I returned to NYC from LA on Thursday night but still feel somewhat like I'm running on Pacific time — I slept until 11 both days this weekend (which doesn't happen that often).  It could be that I'm just recovering from the trip generally, as it was jam-packed.

I drove straight from the airport to visit my cousin and his family in Culver City, and spent a chunk of the day catching up with them and meeting their baby Kai for the first time (he's adorable, for the record).  We had a snack at Ugo Cafe, then I drove to my hotel in West Hollywood, the Farmer's Daughter (which I loved, BTW.  Thanks, Sarah!), quickly showered and changed, then @ThirstyinLA picked me up to head to Jonathan Gold's Cocktail Speakeasy fundraiser for Zocalo at Union Station. At the event, I was able to taste food from a wide variety of restaurants and bars — an efficient culinary tour of LA!  We went for a nightcap at Varnish, but I was fading fast, thanks to the jetlag.

Sunday I slept late, then headed to Venice for a day with my friend Arielle.  We probably walked more that day than most Los Angelinos walk in a week — after lunch at the Venice Beach Wines, we wandered over to the beach to admire the skaters, take in the activity on the boardwalk, and relax in the sand.  We walked back to her house via the Venice Canals, then rested up at her lovely, bright apartment watching Garden State before a sushi dinner at Kiriko.

Monday I visited the Original Farmer's Market and started the day with a donut and coffee from Bob's and a walk through the market and the Grove.  After a bit of work in the courtyard of my hotel, Marco picked me up for a delicious lunch at Pizzeria Mozza.  Highlights included the bruschette with white beans alla Toscana with extra virgin olive oil & saba, the pizza with squash blossoms, tomato & burrata, and of course, Marco's wonderful company.  I spent my afternoon hiking of some of my lunch with a hike up and around Runyon Canyon, where I caught my first view of the Hollywood sign, but no celebs walking their dogs (which I was told I might see).  After returning home for a bit more work, I met Zac for dinner at BLD, where we took advantage of Dine LA week.  Speaking of dogs, Zac's story of his recent dog adoption definitely helped to convince me that I want a dog too.  Soonish.

Tuesday I got up early to catch up with Chris over breakfast; I was happy that we were able to catch up and that he was able to squeeze me in before heading off to shoot for Law & Order LA (ah, actors!).  Then back to my hotel for some work before meeting yet another Chris (hee) for lunch at Umami Burger, my first of two meaty meals for the day (hatch burger!).  He and my friend Jimmy had both suggested visiting Griffith Observatory, so I took a detour there after lunch to wander around a bit before heading downtown to my new hotel.  Once downtown, I went to visit Allan at Caña, where Jono joined me for a quick drink.  Afterwards, I picked up some work friends and headed to Animal for an amazing dinner, heavy on the pig parts (although the fried rabbit legs might have been my favorite).

Wednesday was a work day, beginning at 7:30 a.m. (eek!) with a meeting, followed by the APBCo Academy.  I've got to admit, I'm very lucky to have not only a job that I like that makes a difference in the world, but I've got an amazing pack of colleagues across the country, and it's always inspiring and fun to see them.  Plus, we had lunch from the Border Grill Truck — yum!  After a long but productive day, I took a nap before heading to Rivera to meet @LushAngeles for some excellent pre-dinner cocktails (V.E.P. Chartreuse Swizzle, anyone?).  The last stop of the night was Drago Centro for dinner with @tallnoe.

I headed back to NYC Thursday morning and had a relaxing recovery weekend from my jam-packed trip.  Thank you, L.A., for a fun-filled first visit.  I'm not moving out there anytime soon, but I had a great time, and, as your Governor says, I'll be back.  Thanks to all who were a part of it — it was wonderful to see you and I'm sorry it took me so long to get out there!  Pictures from the trip are here.