beverly hills whatta thrill

it's been exactly twenty three days since I made the hop, skip, and jump from boston to los angeles, and I'm still in that weird "I feel like I've been here forever" slash "it feels like it's been 5 minutes" phase. I jumped right into work the second day I arrived (#whatwasIthinking), and have been attempting to adjust to the time difference/jet lag/settling in phase ever since. I feel like Thanksgiving, with it's sleeping in/laid back vibe/good food/humbling attitude, has given me just what I needed to get my butt into gear. what an incredible opportunity for me to be here in california, with one of my best friends, in a city with so many amazing opportunities, and limitless adventures. in these twenty three days I've managed to cross quite a few things off my LA bucket list; lunch at Lemonade (order the arnold palmer with mac & cheese- so good!), visit the urban lights at the LA county museum of art (expect a post with pictures soon because it was just too pretty not to have a mini photo shoot), shopping on melrose (surprise visit from my cousin who decided to drive down from san fran for the weekend), santa monica (celebrated a very Persian thanksgiving with Nikki's family at her grandmothers by the beach. less traditional, more rice- but amazing), but there are still plenty of adventures to be had :)

xx, marissa

let the countdown begin

well it's officially, official- one month from today I'll be hopping on a plane to begin my next adventure. a few months back when I visited california, I fell in love with LA, and knew I had to get my behind out there (sooner rather than later). the universe has aligned (fingers crossed that it stays aligned) and I'll be moving out there to live with my best friend from college, working for her company, and getting my foot in the door of the LA fashion scene. and while I'm sad to be leaving boston/new england/my family + friends, I'm ready for something new. seven, almost eight years, is a long time to spend in one place. I'll have all new areas/stores/restaurants/people to meet and see; and bellabellaboston will be coming right along with me ♥

this east coast girl is movin' west.

xx, marissa

bye bye la la land

getting back to LA after a four day bender in Vegas was amazing. it was great to unwind with nikki's family (since she had to head right back to work)- having lunch with her mom and her sister, sharing stories from our time together at college, getting to know them better, and taking my final stroll around Rodeo. we decided to spend the late afternoon/early evening before my flight just the two of us, and (of course) she knew the perfect spot.

I had been yammering on about how I wanted to visit the Beverly Hills Hotel, see the quintessential palm leaf wall paper, and have a drink at the Polo Lounge basically forever, but after hearing some appalling information about the owner of the hotel (the Sultan of Brunei- yes, seriously), it didn't seem to high up on my to-do list. instead we opted for the retro Avalon Hotel that is everything I could have ever dreamed of. the 60's have been one of my favorite decades for as long as I can remember, and it was like going back in time stepping into the Avalon. the decor was a mix of graphic prints, white and mint with gold accents and minimalist everything. the cabanas around the pool were perfect little bungalows, and since the hotel doesn't have a roof over the pool, we were able to soak up the last bit of Cali sunshine before my red-eye, munch on incredible pizza (which I was told is a good example of a "california pizza", as opposed to east coast pizza) and sip on pretty cocktails. it was beyond amazing to be able to spend a birthday with one of my best friends, finally be able to meet her family after hearing about them (and basically knowing them) for seven years, and have the perfect Beverly Hills/Vegas experience.

don't worry LA, i'll be back before you know it ;)

xx, marissa