Sunny LA Brunch Attack

Because NYC has been freezing lately, this latest LA getaway was a welcome one and I decided I needed to soak up the California sun as much as I could.

So I decided to get a pretty little Mustang convertible for the weekend.

Everyone loves a convertible!





And I saw Amanda, who just moved to the most incredible new apartment ever...



I think the last time I saw Amanda we were wave-running around her neighborhood in West Palm Beach.

But her new Ocean Avenue view of Santa Monica and the Palisades and Malibu is breathtaking.




Amanda got to ride in my convertible too.



She arrives in LA after a brief stint in Portland, Oregon.

I think this town is a much better fit.



When people are new to LA, you just have to bring them to the Ivy.

It's the one the sceniest of scenes. There's almost always a celeb or two. (Like the time we saw Simon Cowell.)

But if you go, make sure they seat you out on the patio.

We failed and got seated in some private room with no celebrity sightings.



Immediately they handed us vodka gimlets.



We then had spaghetti and meatballs...



Their famous fried chicken...



Ravioli...



And ice creams for dessert.



And tea!



Somehow all that ran us $400.

Over-priced. Over-rated. Not-even-that-delicious.

The Ivy!

Welcome to LA Amanda, you're going to love it!

Brunch Attack!

Wes and I came up with this brilliant idea to do a brunch crawl across a bunch of big LA celeb brunchspots to maximize the probability of a celebrity encounter.

We started at The Ivy, where we spotted Simon Cowell last time.



Had some Bloody Marys and a Pimm's Cup...



And shared the most wonderful lobster ravioli I've ever tasted.



No celebs though. FAIL.

...................................

Second stop was Hugo's West Hollywood. (Previous sightings include Anderson Cooper, Fabio, and Balthazar Getty.)



Shared a delicious-but-chewy Hangar Steak Sandwich.




Once again...no celebs. FAIL.

............................................

Finally we headed to the Chateau Marmont where there's always a celeb or two in residence.



Walking in I may have seen Monique. Or Mercedes from Glee.

And there was a woman who looked like Sarah Ferguson the Duchess of York.

And a woman who might have been Madonna's mom...

Hmmmm.....we were desperate.

And we had two giant glasses of champagne...



And split a banana split.



And then the little waiter guy came over and put a "reserved" sign on the table across from us.

We just knew someone good would be coming.

But all we got was this old-but-hot-looking guy who definitely looked familiar but we could not place him with his British accent and all. He was doing some kind of interview or something it seemed though, so he had to be a celeb. Had to.

It wasn't until I woke up this morning that I realized instantly who it was.

Guy Pearce!



He looks old now y'all!