The Broad Museum

If you are in the Los Angeles area a trip to The Broad is a must! It's a new contemporary art museum located downtown and right now everyone is trying to get in to see Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room. The exhibit is a tiny room filled with LED lights and mirrors and it's absolutely stunning! 

Admission is free but you can reserve tickets online, although they are currently booked for months.You can still wait in line to get in without a ticket so in order to get in to see the room, I decided to take a Friday off work and get in line for the museum 30 minutes early. Not the best plan. Even though it was a weekday, the place was still packed and I didn't get in until noon. First order of business was to put my name on the list for the exhibit. You have to sign up and if all of the spots aren't taken, you are given a time to return to get into a line to wait for your time slot. As long as your name is on the list, you have the golden ticket to see the room. When I put my name on the list I was sent a text telling me to return in 238 minutes (four hours - but at least I was getting in!). I ended up getting the text an hour early, got in line, waited 15 minutes, then Martha Stewart was escorted to the front of the line. UGH! Lady, it must be nice to be famous is all I could think ha! Finally it was my turn. 

Now here's the part that some people may think is crazy - you only get 45 seconds in the room. And while that time goes by quickly, it's so magical and worth all of the work you have to go through to see it. I know a person who tried unsuccessfully to get into the room three times so I'm really grateful...even if I was so nervous to get great pictures that I only snapped a few in total and most were blurry. Despite all that, I present to you the magic that is the Infinity Mirrored Room!

Pictures don't do the Infinity Mirrored room justice, but hopefully you get the idea of how incredible it is!

The museum isn't that large so I was able to see the rest of the exhibits in under and hour. I'm not a huge fan of contemporary art, though. Call me an old lady, but I prefer to look at a piece of art and decide on the spot if I like it or not. I don't examine it and try to find a deeper meaning than yay or nay. Below are my favorite yay pieces - End of Line a colorful acrylic skull painting, Balloon Dog (Blue) a huge stainless steel creation, and Double America 2 a flashing neon sign.

Windowpane Plaid

I'm obsessed with this windowpane print top from Old Navy! It's a fun take on plaid, super comfy, and on sale for $16 - yeah, only $16. Triple yay! This entire look, including the purse, is from Old Navy, with a few J.Crew Factory accessories. I am all about that bargain shopping, so you know the whole outfit is affordable. Here are the details:

top  |  sweater  |  jeans  |  boots  |  purse  |  necklace  |  sunglasses

Sunday Funday in Newport Beach

I love a good Sunday Funday in Newport Beach. If you're going to consume a mimosa, or several, it's always best enjoyed at a Southern California beach where you can wander your buzz off. Booze and waves? Done!

I am a huge fan of Woody's Wharf. Located right on Newport Blvd. off the 55 freeway, it's on an inlet of water and provides a nice seaside atmosphere. You can get pretty tasty brunch with bottomless mimosas for under $20 and valet is only $4. Next door is American Junkie with a better view and $15 brunch that includes entree and bottomless Mimosas or Bloody Mary's, but the food is just OK, staff isn't friendly, and valet is $10. It comes down to your preference - better view, cheap food and drinks or better dining experience with tastier food. Because they are next door and both have bars you can easily check out both!



After brunch, head right up the road to the Balboa Island ferry, drive your car (or walk) onto the tiny barge, and pay $3 for transportation to the island. Well, quasi-island. You're really just crossing water between two peninsulas. But for three bucks it's a fun little adventure.

Once you get to Balboa there are two activities: house gazing at multi-million dollar homes and heading to the downtown area. Walking around you find yourself daydreaming you're rich and choosing what house you'd live in if you had the money. I'm not picky - I'll take any of the houses!

 

Downtown is a tiny strip of restaurants, candy stores, and beach-themed shops that you can easily lose track of time strolling through. It's all so quaint and adorable, like a tiny New England village.

The best part about a day trip to Newport Beach is you can spend the whole day eating and exploring for about $25. Totally worth the staycation!