FROM SNOWSTORM TO SPRING - LOS ANGELES

After arriving to a bit of a blizzard in New York, L.A welcomed us with warmer temperatures (although nothing close to the 30 degrees they'd been seeing prior to our arrival - what is it with our weather luck?!). One of my besties from London happened to be there at the same time, so on the Sunday we all met up for brunch and a drive around Beverly Hills in a rented Mustang - what an amazing way to see some of L.A!   

Wearing: Banana Republic dress (now out of stock), similar here and here.

Here's how we spent a day and a half  in L.A:

Sleep: We stayed in West Hollywood, at the Andaz hotel (known as the 'Riot House' due to previous rockstar guests' wild antics and debauchery). Since Jarv is hugely into rock and metal (and I am more than partial to it), we felt like we were staying somewhere with an interesting and exciting history - all around the hotel there are posters, photographs and references to the rock and roll royalty that has previously graced its rooms. 

The Andaz also has the highest rooftop pool in the Hollywood area, with beautiful views across L.A.

Eat: We arrived in L.A. late on Saturday night, and went for a stroll on the Sunset Strip looking for food. Pink Taco was a mere five minute walk from our hotel. It's an awesome restaurant with outrageously friendly waitstaff, a chilled out vibe, fast service and delicious fish and meat tacos.

For breakfast, we grabbed some food from the small farmer's market next to The Grove. You'll even find a dog bakery there. That's right. A dog bakery. A bakery for dogs. Only in L.A.

For brunch on Sunday, we ate at the iconic Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel. A gorgeous setting with some interesting characters and great (if not small-portioned) food.

Dinner was had at Animal. I have to say, though the service was lacking, the food was absolutely excellent. The place was rammed at 8pm on a Sunday night and even though we had a reservation we ended up waiting half an hour for a table to free up. If you're unfamiliar with the concept at Animal, it's pretty much all about offal - brains, sweetbreads, marrow, pigs ears, etc. All expertly done; top quality. 

Shop: We strolled around Rodeo Drive (the go-to for luxury brands), whipped our Amex cards out at The Grove (a lovely, albeit small, outdoor shopping area where you'll find Michael Kors, Banana Republic, Nordstrom, DvF and more) and spent a little more at the Beverly Center (an indoor shopping mall with everything from YSL to Uniqlo). 

See: Unfortunately, we didn't have much time for sightseeing, but we managed to make it to Hollywood & Highland to catch a quick glimpse of the Hollywood sign and have a little nose at some of the stars on the Walk of Fame. Next time, I hope to check out the Getty Center and the Griffith Observatory.