Our Saturday Adventure Starts Early
Last Saturday, me and my girl woke up stupid early – okay, 8:30-ish – trying to beat the LA crowds. Honestly, we’re both kinda lazy, so this felt like a mission. Grinded some decent coffee beans, grabbed some pastries we picked up the night before, and jumped in the car. Key to surviving LA dates? Planning ahead, seriously.
First stop was supposed to be this tiny little bookstore cafe tucked behind a thrift shop, the one that gets mentioned sometimes on those obscure blogs. Plugged the address into the GPS, fought through Saturday drivers who forgot how to signal… classic LA. Pulled into the parking lot – tiny, of course – and had to circle twice like vultures before spotting a spot someone was leaving. Whew. Stress level: dropping.
Walked in, and damn, the smell hit us first. Old books, really good coffee brewing, maybe a hint of someone’s actual pipe smoke? Weirdly charming. Place was tiny, just a handful of tables piled with books. Grabbed two lattes and this massive croissant we decided to split. Found a corner table squeezed between travel guides and local history. Talked nonsense, flipped through some cool vintage cookbooks. Zero pressure, just us enjoying the quiet buzz before the lunch rush started trickling in. Exactly the vibe we needed to kick things off.
Stumbling Upon Something Perfect
Afternoon rolled around, feeling pretty chill after the bookstore. We kinda winged it after that, driving towards Malibu but skipping the packed beaches. Ended up pulling over at this sign for Malibu Creek State Park. Knew it had trails, figured why not? Paid the parking fee – gotta remember cash for this stuff sometimes – and picked a path that looked shady. Under the trees? Instant relief from the sun beating down.
Walk wasn’t crazy long, maybe 40 minutes total? Easy enough in our comfy sneakers. But then we just stopped. Found this little clearing next to a wider part of the creek. Water wasn’t rushing, just lazily trickling over rocks. Sunlight dappling through the leaves above, birds chirping away. Nobody else around at all. Just stood there holding hands, listening to nothing but nature. Didn’t plan it, didn’t cost a thing besides the parking. Best kind of magic.
Got hungry eventually. Stomachs started rumbling loud enough to scare off the squirrels. Hopped back in the car, debating options. Wanted someplace interesting but not ridiculously packed.
Wrapping Up With Dinner & Drinks
Settled on this Thai place in Thai Town called Horses. Heard murmurs about it needing reservations way ahead, but figured on an early-ish Saturday evening we might get lucky. Walked in around 5:30 PM, bracing ourselves to be turned away. Host looked us up and down… then pointed to a tiny two-top table nestled near the bar! Jackpot. Place was already buzzing but not deafening.
Okay, gotta be real here. The menu? Looked fancy-ish compared to our usual neighborhood Thai spot. Felt a little out of our league. Server was cool though, no attitude, walked us through the good stuff. We ended up splitting:
- These amazing fried pork ribs – sticky, spicy, sweet perfection.
- Some wild green curry dish we couldn’t pronounce but tasted unreal.
- Pad Thai on the side because… well, we needed it.
And seriously, that green curry… still thinking about it. Price? Yeah, definitely fancier than we usually do. But the food slapped hard. Plus, the whole ambiance – dim, kinda sexy lighting, loud music but the kind you can still talk under – felt super cool and unexpected.
Walked out stuffed and happy. Wasn’t ready to call it a night. Remembered this little natural wine bar just a couple of blocks over we’d passed earlier, Tabula Rasa. Checked the time, still early enough. Wandered in. Small space, maybe eight seats at the bar and a couple of tables. Intimate but not cramped. Bartender dude was chill, asked what kind of flavors we liked. Explained it wasn’t pretentious wine talk, just vibes. Went with his recommendation. Two glasses poured, tasted cool and funky. Leaned close, laughed about the prices on the Horses menu, just soaked in the low-key end to the day. Finished the glass, paid up (watch those credit card minimums!), and headed home feeling genuinely connected and like we’d found some real gems off the main drag.
Takeaways from our messy, lovely day:
- Morning coffee in weird little spots sets a perfect, relaxed tone.
- Drive further out, find quiet parks, don’t sleep on nature breaks.
- Book popular dinner spots early if you can, or roll the dice for luck.
- Little wine bars beat loud clubs for winding down every time.
- Exploring random roads pays off way more than hitting the most hyped spots.
