One of our favorite places to walk around when we visit LA is Santa Monica. I think when people try to imagine California, Santa Monica is probably the closest thing to what they see. There's the 3rd Street Promenade, the pier, and the long stretch of sandy beach of course. Galen and I spent all day there, mostly to avoid the afternoon rush hour. Even leaving at 8:00PM, we still hit traffic going to meet one of our best friends, AJ, for dinner.
At dinner, AJ suggested that we check out the Getty Villa, which was originally built as a home for J. Paul Getty, but he died before its completion. Now it houses a bunch of ancient Greek and Roman artifacts from his private collection, as well as gorgeous gardens. We did a culinary garden tour that described all of the edible plants on the property, their mythological backgrounds, and if they had any medicinal qualities.
We went back to the condo afterwards thinking that we would spend some time at the beach since it had been so nice and sunny in the beginning of the day, but by the time we got back, the clouds had overtaken the sun. So, we pulled out a sleeping bag that we found in the closet, all of the towels, and two pillows and decided to take a nap on the beach. We both fell asleep with no problem, but then woke up about 30 minutes later freezing cold!
Oh! Also, Galen and I think we've found our favorite restaurant...ever. Umami Burger. If you're ever in California or live there but have never been, you must go to one! I'm admittedly not a burger fan, but I will eat their burgers any day of the week. Each location has their own signature burger, along with the regular menu, and the special at the Santa Monica location is a braised oxtail burger. The classic Umami Burger is also excellent: oven roasted tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, and a parmesan crisp atop the juiciest, tastiest burger EVER. I'm drooling right now thinking about it. They also have a special homemade ketchup, so you must order fries, but mostly just as a vessel to eat the ketchup. We ate there twice, no guilt.
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| We happened across a farmers' market in Santa Monica that day too! |
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| A Japanese food court where we ate |
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| First view of the Getty Villa. This would be an awesome amphitheater to get married in! |
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| And now, a few selfies |
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| Galen napping on the beach |
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| Umami Burger! |
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