Watts up?

 

I think my mom was the first person to tell me about Watts Towers. Many a hippie in her day had sojourned to the depths of South Central to see this magnificent work of art.  Ever since I found out about the towers, I knew that one day I would visit.  The visit I had this weekend was definitely long overdue, but I'm happy to say that I can finally scratch this little Los Angeles adventure off of the list!

I think the most amazing thing about this piece is that it was created by one person, Simon Rodia, who worked tirelessly for over thirty years to create his masterpiece.  Then, when it was done, he simply gave the ownership of the property to his neighbor and walked away,  leaving behind a legacy that in its own way, paid homage to the legacies of his heroes- Da Vinci, Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus.

Its really like nothing you have ever seen! Everyone in Los Angeles should give it a visit. Even if you are not from L.A., it is definitely worth your while to make a little detour over to Watts Towers.  Tours are $7 which includes access to a small art exhibit in their visitor center and a short documentary. To find out when you can go view the property, click here.

It was a hot day in Watts and we didn't eat any breakfast, so we decided to try Hawkins House of Burgers.  It was pretty damn tasty.  Brian really liked his fat egg cheese burger, and my fish sandwich was perfectly cooked.  The onion rings are awesome, too!

We decided that we were on a roll and so on the way home we stopped by another Los Angeles landmark, Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, Ca.  I love the 50s vibe, and don't be fooled by the kitschiness, these donuts are REALLY good. We got two jelly filled for two bucks!  Can't beat that. :)

Sunglasses + Vintage

80s shirt + Thrifted

Jean Skirt + Thrifted

Shoes + Vans

zoooooooommmmm ouuuuuuuuuuuutttttttttt  :)

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Mazes and Surprises on La Brea

As an Angelino,  have you ever driven by that place on the corner of La Brea and 1st street and said, "what the heck is that?!"  Well, after asking myself that for the last 10 years, I finally decided to stop in and see what exactly the place is about.

As it turns out, its kind of a neat place.  It is called Metropolis Nick Collectible Furniture.  As soon as we walked in we were greeted by an interesting fellow with purple hair (possibly Metropolis Nick).  We walked through the place, which was like walking through a colorful maze. There are a lot of large vintage and antique pieces of furniture, paintings, and signage.  But, there are small things that catch your eye too.  It is definitely a fun place to check out if you are in the area.

On a side note, if you are a man on a mission in search of fashionable items, this is the area for you. Right next door to Metropolis Nicks there are several men's fashion boutiques.  (Sorry, that doesn't sound very manly).  They all are a bit different and all have great style (Union, Stussy, Undefeated, Black Scale, And Still).  We went in store after store and it seemed to be never ending!  There are also a couple of cute looking restaurants nearby, so you don't have to shop till you drop.

Here's a pic of a dressing room in one of the men's clothing stores. Unfortunately I forget the name of this one.  But if you ever end up in it, say hi to buff Alf for me. 

Romper + Lulu*s

Sunglasses + Desert Daze find

Sandals + Amazon :P

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Aly

 She's sharp as a tac...

cute as a button...

and sexy as hell!

I must have done something right to have her as my friend!

Whenever we go out to bars, or anywhere together, we always get the question, "so how did you two meet?"  Long story short, Aly and I met at SURFAS. She worked at the cheese counter, and I stopped by to check out the store every once in a while (ok, maybe more like obsessively, but whatever :P)  Since our meeting, we have bonded over a very important things like food, craft beer, and Los Angeles adventures!  I don't think I've ever had more fun :)

 

This last picture just kinda "happened".  We had just finished eating at Wurstküche and we were stuffed with sausage, french fries and beer.  We were well on our way to a food coma and it was a hot day so we walked around the corner and found a shady spot to sit down, only we could barely sit up. That is when I snapped a picture of Aly laying down on this ledge. It's hard to make pictures larger in blogger and it is unfortunately hard to see, but larger it looks really cool.

So many of the pictures from this shoot came out great that it was hard to choose which ones to put up.
If you're interested in seeing more (pre processed photos) from this shoot please e-mail me at craft.dee81@gmail.com.  Thanks to all who have been checking out and following my blog since the beginning! Over 600 hits seems like a lot for a newbie like me :)

Have a great week!

    Graff wall pics (shot in West Los Angeles):

Dress and belt+ Aryn K. 

Flip Flops+ Reef

    Comfortable cowgirl pics (shot in Downtown Los Angeles):

Sweatpants+ Forever XXI 

 Shirt+ thrifted 

Horse Scarf+ Forever XXI 

Felt Wide brim Fedora+ Christy's London
     Shoes+ Steve Madden

   Sexy librarian pics (Shot at Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles):

Blazer+ Have & Have 

Trousers+ Gap 

Eyewear+ Vintage ((and prescription!))