THE PERKS

While the town is new to me again....I'm not a newbie to Los Angeles. That means -- I'm lucky enough to have family and lots of (old, but not forgotten) friends here. That also means, I have a lot of re-acquainting to do with some of those old friends. But, the bottom line is...I'm not alone. And, THAT is a good thing.

When I first moved to NYC...I WAS alone. Well A.L. was there--barely. But, he lived in Queens. I had to get used to the city, find an apartment and basically, I was all alone in the beginning.

It's a different situation now. And...while I'm being pulled in every direction imaginable --between hanging with the fam and meeting up with friends here in LA -- I am certainly going to take advantage of every great opportunity that comes my way.

Which....brings me to yesterday's fun event! The Daytime Emmy Awards. A last minute invite...my good friend B.W. got the tickets and invited me! ME!!!! Do you honestly think I would say no to that? And, what a fun thing to do to re-acquaint myself with Tinsletown...LITERALLY, behind the scenes!

Now...maybe B.F. should have been the one to go. She IS the soap queen...but I must say, I did recognize a lot of faces, thanks to my soap-watching days back when I was working overnights in NYC. (aaah....it seems like so long ago). Anyway, my first awards show and I had a blast. Big star names: Ellen, Rachel Ray, Tyra Banks and Vanessa Williams. I have a little mini-crush on Brandon Barash from GH. And, why did soap god Cameron Matheson say hi to B.W.? She says she doesn't know him...but, it sure looked like he knew her!

2 points of interest or weirdness: Valet parking pulled up a bike-- a little TOO eco-friendly? And, one of the soap stars was wearing a stuffed cat as a purse--a joke or something more sinister? Where is PETA when you need them?!

B.W. and I ended up getting sushi after the show. While I did find great sushi in the big Apple, there is nothing and I mean, NOTHING better than sushi in Cali. Apparently (and, I don't know this first-hand yet), downtown LA is THE up-and-coming new hotspot in town. Really????? What about all the bums? What about the sketchy, empty streets? And, there's a Standard Hotel in downtown now? When did this all happen?

We ended up at Takami on the 21st floor of some building http://www.takamisushi.com/index.html.

The view was incredible and the sushi was even better. Talk about melt-in-your-mouth sushi. The manager was uber friendly (Philly native) and he said there's a hot new lounge right above the restaurant. Great view, amazing food, good service and a lounge, to boot! Thumbs up on my end!

Ok...I've rambled enough. Time to turn in.

And, here's me at the Emmys!

HERE I AM...AND WHY I'M BLOGGING

Hi! I got inspired by a friend's blog...
I read it when I miss his funny antics or when I just want to know what's going on in his life and with our mutual friends. And, it definitely has improved over the years. It's new and I'm loving it. So, here I am...

This blog is not necessarily the most unique, I'm sure. But, it's helping me get back into the groove.

A little background: I'm a Los Angeles native. Needed to get out of town back in 2001 (I'm sure you natives know what I'm talking about). Moved to Chicago...hopped around to DC, London and finally settled in NYC.

Here I am...8 years later with more than 6 years under my belt in the Big Apple. And boy...do I MISS it! Oh, forgot to say...I'm back in Tinsletown. Lots of reasons for it...but, I'm back and I'm not sure I love it just yet. It hasn't even been 2 weeks. I know you NY'ers are thinking the same thing.

The point of this blog is really to re-acquaint myself with my native town. Can I REALLY survive here after living in one of the best cities in the world? Can I adjust to the early nights (you know....that whole 1am bar close time)? Can I drive around town and stay sane sitting in the stand-still traffic? Can I find food that will melt in my mouth? Oh, how I miss you my NYC foodie peeps! Can the culture/museums/art compare? And, how will I be able to catch up with all of my friends across the country and beyond --across the pond? You know who you are!

This blog is an exercise in seeing whether or not I can have a new and perhaps, better appreciation for the city of Angels. I'm just going to go with the flow and hope that you enjoy this exploratory journey with me.

PS. I'm not saying this blog will continue along the same path forever...and, it may evolve into something completely different. But for now, it's an outlet for me....to figure out where I fit in....in Los Angeles.