"You say it's your birthday… " -- The Beatles
Before I kick off this blog post, I have to wish my friend AG the happiest of birthdays! I met up with AG in downtown LA yesterday to help her celebrate the occasion, and we had a blast! Our first stop was somewhere we both had really wanted to go - The Grammy Museum in LA Live. The Grammy Museum is fairly young, having been around only since 2008. It is committed to preserving and showcasing the works and history of Grammy winners. On display are exhibits dedicated to nearly every genre - my favorites being the ones dedicated to hip-hop, Latin music, opera, and pop music. Our favorites had to be the tribute to Michael Jackson and the Ringo Starr exhibit. To see such iconic pieces of music history is amazing! Sadly, they don't allow pictures in the museum. The only photo op was on the first floor where you can pretend to be the famous Beatle - guess you'll have to go and see it yourself!
We've obviously missed our calling - we should be rockstars!
After our tour of the Grammy Museum, I convinced AG she should join me to tour my favorite museum in all of LA - the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design & Marketing! I've blogged about my love for FIDM before (see here and here) - their museum is fashion perfection! From the paper wigs on their mannequins to the amazing range of cultural and historical pieces, FIDM has something for the fashionista in all of us. My two favorite exhibits each year have to be their Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibits in the spring and their Annual Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design exhibits in the fall. Like the Grammy Museum, FIDM's Museum does not allow photography in the museum. I know - it's really sad. But you can check out pictures of their current exhibit on their blog here and here!
Free goodies from FIDM!
What FIDM lacks in the photo department, they make up for in the exhibit guides. Visitors to FIDM's 22nd Annual Art in Motion Picture Costume Design exhibit are gifted two "For Your Consideration" books and a comprehensive guide to all of the costumes on display in the museum. The two FYC books alone are worth going to the exhibit for!
The costume page from Twelve Years a Slave
The FYC book from Twelve Years a Slave is a beautiful picture book, highlighting all aspects of the film. How they ever got Lupita Nyong'o to look less than perfect is beyond me - she is spectacularly beautiful. The gorgeous pictures in the book make me want to see the movie again (Hint: If you haven't seen it yet, you should.)
Colin Farrell - swoon!
The FYC from Walt Disney's Saving Mr. Banks is stunning! The pictures are high quality, and while parts focus on the FYC aspects Disney & Co want you to look at, the rest focus on the movie and the story itself. I honestly think people would buy this book if Disney sold it.
Tidbits of Mary Poppins history from the Disney Vault
The costume design...
… and reality!
We had both worked up an appetite exploring the Grammy Museum and FIDM, so we decided to head over to one of my favorite recent discoveries in LA - Bottega Louie! AG introduced me to Bottega Louie earlier this year when we stopped in for some macarons and snacks after a day of shopping in Santa Monica. This place is AMAZING! The desserts are not only beautiful - they're delicious! And now that I've finally had a meal there, I can confirm the rest of their food is just as good too. It's definitely on the top of my list for my adventures in downtown LA!
The macaron window display and a sampling of the desserts at Bottega Louie
While we were walking back to my car, AG confessed that despite living in Hollywood, she had never been to many of my favorite touristy spots in LA. I mentioned a couple of them on a blogpost a while back - most of which I discovered through one of my favorite blogs, Iamnotastalker.com. I figured what better way to remedy that than to show her a few before I brought her home! So off we went, visiting both the Universal Studios overlook, Hollywood Sign, and Priscilla's Coffee Shop in one swift swoop!
Overlooking the War of the Worlds set at Universal
I had an absolute blast celebrating AG's birthday in LA. I truly hope she did too. LA has quickly become my favorite home away from home, and I'm so grateful I've moved to California to experience it.
Until next time…
--- Becks
