Sisters in L.A.

This past weekend, my sister and I went to one of my favorite L.A. restaurants, Hugo’s. We went to the West Hollywood branch, but the Studio City location is just as good. The first time I went to Hugo’s was in college, when my best friend took me there for my birthday. I remember her telling me that a lot of big people in the entertainment industry ate there. I admit that this made me feel cooler.

I always, always, always get the Pasta Mama when I go to Hugo’s, but I had already been to the one in Studio City with a friend earlier in the week, so I was excited to try something else. Since I could eat breakfast food for every meal of the day, I went for the Papa’s Eggs, which were scrambled with bacon, chicken sausage, scallions, and parsley, with breakfast potatoes on the side. So good! My sister ordered the Eggs Benedict and fell in love. Too bad I was driving, or else I would have ordered some of their yummy sangria.

We walked off our delicious meal in Los Feliz. There was a summer festival going on, and many of the stores were offering great discounts. I dragged my sister into Skylight Books. Ever since I discovered so many great independent stores in New York, I’ve been on the lookout for them in L.A. Alas, I did not buy anything, but I loved the neighborhood feeling of the store.

On Sunday, we went to the Melrose Trading Post, a weekly flea market held in the parking lot of Fairfax High School. Admission is normally $2, but you can get a dollar off by printing a coupon from their site. When we got there, the guy manning the ticket line was moving everyone along with ruthless efficiency. My sister eyed him warily, thinking he wouldn’t be very happy to have to give us discounted admission. When I presented my coupon, he barked, “Smart,” and handed me my ticket. “Did you hear that?” I said as we walked away. “He said I’m smart.” My sister just rolled her eyes.

The market was really big, and there was a lot of interesting stuff. I definitely want to come back when I can spend money. After the market, my sister and I strolled along Melrose Avenue, stopping at Wasteland and a few other stores along the way. We almost got hot dogs at Pink’s, but we were too hungry to wait in the extremely long and slow-moving line. I usually visit really popular L.A. spots on a weekday, since they’re usually a lot less crowded (one of the perks of being jobless). My sister, however, has a pesky job that unfortunately requires her to work weekdays. Weird, right?