Did you miss me last week?

I didn’t mean to disappear from the blogosphere but right after 4 days of work in San Diego, one of my best friends from NYC came to town for nearly a week.

We were definitely busy, busy, busy but a really good kind of busy enjoying the many fun things to do in Los Angeles!  It’s what you do when one of your best friends escapes the deep freeze of NYC, right?

Let’s get back to the Tuesday Tune-Up with our weekly (ok, not every week) virtual coffee date and catch up a bit.

Is it me or when you have a friend come to town (or you travel to someplace new) that everything revolves around food?

I’d say it’s embarrassing how much food plays a part in what I consider a good time but I can’t lie, it’s really not embarrassing at all.  There has been a lot of eating and drinking out lately and all of it has been good.  I could literally write multiple posts reviewing the many restaurants I’ve been to recently but instead, I’ll give you some highlights:

The Meshuggah Shack in in the Mission Hills District of San Diego.

This tiny shack (think possibly old Fotomat type of space) may be small but it’s full of Jewish kitsch and has the most amazing hot beverage I’ve ever had!  The Sparkle Pony is not for the meek, this chai latte with lavender is strong, sweet and in my opinion, heavenly!  If lavender isn’t your thing, they have a number of amazing creative coffee drinks that are worth trying.  If you live in the San Diego area, consider yourself exceptionally lucky.  If San Diego is on your hit list to visit, make sure not to miss this place!  No joke!

I may or may not have visited Andrew Weil’s True Food Kitchen twice in one week (once in San Diego with my buddy Melissa@MelissaRunningIt – thanks for the belated birthday celebration – and once in Santa Monica with Sharon, my friend from NYC).  I loved this restaurant so much that I will need give details about this healthy mecca of a restaurant in a separate post soon but needless to say, it’s a gorgeous place with some of the most delicious healthy food I’ve ever tasted!

There were also some fancy drinks in some very fun Los Angeles restaurants as well:

The Church Key, Hollywood (it’s a favorite, see here):

Laurel Hardware, West Hollywood

Loteria Grill, Hollywood

We did eat but I didn’t always take pictures.  This place is one of my favorites and given that there was no alcohol involved, a photo was obtained:

Alcove Cafe and Bakery, Los Feliz

This area of my life is depressing me a bit.  There are tumbleweeds passing through my ghost town of fitness right now because my QL is still in spasm.  I’m definitely walking better and for longer distances but it’s about all I can do right now and my brain is definitely feeling the lack of exercise endorphins!  After all I’ve indulged in lately, I’m missing the exercise even more!

I did enjoy two walks of substance – one near the Rose Bowl Stadium (a 3.5 mile one!) and one on the trails near Griffith Park.  The day at Griffith Park was exceptionally picturesque.

My friend Sharon and I didn’t mean to dress as twins. Honest!

My physical therapist recommended that I order a stability ball to up my game with core exercises at home.  I chose this ball from Gaiam* for $19.99 (that comes with its own a pump and DVD):

Did you know that stability balls have different sizes based on height?

If you’re </= 5’0″-5’5″, you need a 55cm ball

If you’re 5’6″-5’11”, you need a 65cm ball

If you’re 6’0″-6’3″+, you need a 75cm ball

Information above from Life.Gaiam.com

The ball just arrived yesterday so I’ll let you know how I like it.  If you have stability ball exercises that you love, let me know or link to your favorite workout in the comment section, please!

Family time has been in short supply lately between Jay and I both traveling for work and friends visiting.  We made it a priority to be at Wild Boy’s school for his Jog-A-Thon at school this past Friday (right before Jay flew to Florida for the weekend and I hustled to Anaheim for the Natural Products Expo).

Jay is spraying Wild Boy down with water (it was 70+ degrees) and I’m tallying one of his laps during this year’s school Jog-A-Thon (the closest I’ll get to running for awhile yet).

Wild Boy tied with his buddy for second place in his grade (last year he and the same friend came in first place).  March is going to be another crazy month for our family but we will try to carve out some time together whenever and however we can.

Since we’re in March we’re inching closer to the Music of David Lynch event on 4/1 in Los Angeles where Duran Duran will be performing.  In honor of the occasion, my Duranie friend Cynthia asked if she could send a friend to attend the show with me and this week, Flat Duranley arrived.

Follow me on Instagram (mburton0214) in the future to see where in LA Flat Duranley visits!

 So that’s a summary of what’s been going on in my world this week.  

What about you?

Please tell me I’m not the only who’s social life revolves around food!

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Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links (noted with *) which may generate a few pennies for me to add to the Duran Duran Tour Fund, if you buy anything after clicking said affiliate links.  Many thanks if you do.

Please note that this is not a sponsored post, I visited all restaurants listed above of my own accord and was not given any complimentary food or drinks.  I also have no professional affiliation with Gaiam, I just bought their ball because it is a brand I know and like.