Day 3 began in Santa Barbara, which is a lushly green community of elderly people, the wealthy, and apparently the incredibly boring. But before we departed, we managed to find a beach named for donkeys (HEART EXPLODE) and a Starbucks to feverishly update our Instagrams.
And then we were off down the PCH through Malibu and Santa Monica, creeping down Mulholland and through Beverly Hills to ogle the houses and finally arriving at the Andaz Hotel on Sunset to find out that Vanesa's former travel-agent career had afforded us the most ridiculously cheap rates of all time.
Our room was decked out in marble and walnut, continuously replenished
with unlimited free Popchips (possibly the only great thing Ashton
Kutcher has ever done) and mix for our equally ridiculously cheap vodka,
the lobby contained two huge urns of free chocolate around the clock,
and the rooftop featured a pool and a stunning view of the Hollywood
Hills. So naturally, we partied like mental patients and formed a human
pyramid, jumped frantically on the beds, and Meg surfed on her new Lady
Danger MAC lipstick across the wool carpet BECAUSE!
After shopping (just kidding, browsing) on Melrose and the Grove because those are places we know about fromStars: They're Just Like Us!, we refueled on fish tacos and the aforementioned vodka, and stumbled up the street in search of Lindsay Lohan. Unfortunately, the only thing we found at the Chateau Marmont were tiny $14 drinks (one of which Meg promptly smashed on the floor in an accidental punctuation of a particularly gesture-y story) and a group of unattractive college boys who found us enchanting. We felt differently, so we went back to the hotel and flopped around.
And on the fourth day, it was time to go to Indio. Meg had arranged to meet a vintage seller from Instagram at her home in Los Feliz *BUT COULD NOT NAVIGATE FOR THE LIFE OF HER SO DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS, SHE IS NOT A GPS, and then we headed to Silver Lake for brunch at Cafe Stella, boyspotting at Intelligentsia and coveting all of the things (especially the owner) at Mohawk General Store before hitting the highway.
Minutes after arriving at the palace Vanesa had booked us on Airbnb, our gaggle grew by Amy and Angelune, who had skipped the first leg of the road trip because they're both around 7 months pregnant. And then, suddenly, we had it: our first problem.
Last year, the main gate to Empire Polo Field had been right across the street, over the backyard wall, which we were told was easily scaled to shave off an hour of walking to the main community gate several blocks away. Unfortunately for us, the entrance had been moved further down the street, which wouldn't have been so much of an issue if they hadn't blocked off the road between our house and the new location. After the non-pregnants spent the next hours desperately seeking a solution in 100+degree heat, it was settled: not only did we still have to hoist ourselves and our expecting friends over a much higher stone wall than we'd anticipated, but there was no avoiding an hour of walking.
So then we took loads of silly photos of pool jumps and ninja kicks and looked forward to the first day of the festival, which you might want to read about next. Yay!Labels: playtime, travel
