“When things don’t go right, go left.” Just kidding, always go right.

Dave and I had been looking forward to seeing one of our favorite band’s “Lord Huron” for months. They had announced a five-night run in their hometown of LA and we had purchased tickets for Friday and Saturday night.

The sunset behind me as I locked up the studio and waited for Dave to meet me at work so we could head down to LA for the show. As I was walking to his car, we got the sad news. Tonight’s show would be cancelled, the band citing “medical emergency” as the reason behind the cancellation. As far as we knew the Saturday show was still on, so we decided to still go down to LA for a night in the hotel and a Stay-cation in the city.

Dave had booked us a room in the Omni hotel in downtown LA. We were on the seventeenth floor, over looking downtown. It was a gorgeous view outside our window and the city lights twinkled against the black winter sky.

The next morning, the sunshine poured in the open windows, allowing a peaceful wake up. It was nice to have the natural alarm clock rather than being jolted awake by a noise machine. We both showered and prepared for the day. We had no plans and not a care in the world. Neither of us particularly enjoy LA but while we were there we wanted to make an adventure out of our day.

We started out morning with yogurt parfaits overlooking downtown. The open windows from the seventeenth floor filled the room with a refreshing breeze. It had been so cold and dreary in California lately, I was grateful for a sunny day. The bright blue skies had only a few specks of clouds. The air was a cool 68 degrees but the sun made it feel warmer.

When we finished our parfaits we headed outside to walk around the hotel. We were across the street from the Walt Disney Concert Hall, which is an impressive and artistic building. The sun reflected off the building blinding us and heating us up. I was immediately starting to re-think my sweater selection for the day.

Next up on our tour de LA – I decided to take David to the Chinese Theater and to walk the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As LA cliché and touristy as it sounds, I do believe it’s a fun thing everyone should do at least once when they come to California. As we were parking, we were alerted that the Saturday night concert would also be cancelled. Great, a weekend in LA was not what we were have chosen without a reason but we decided there was nothing we could do so we may as well make the best.

There were two stars I wanted to stop at: Fleetwood Mac and Ronald Reagan. We looked up their locations and began our trek down Hollywood Blvd. As soon as we walked outside into the Hollywood sun, we spotted a controversial star: Donald Trump. I, of course, wanted us to stop and get a photo. Since it’s destruction a few months back, it has fully been restored. It was also quite a popular stop. Many were taking photos of it and posing with the star. There was one young child who was standing with his mom and siblings and kept asking his Mom if he could spit on the star. I couldn’t help but watch the family after hearing this reaction. Even more shocking (but really, shouldn’t be) was the Mom’s reaction of telling her child yes. I thought to myself, how inappropriate. I couldn’t imagine raising a child to hate and strongly believe that no matter what side of the political side you stand- this is wrong. It’s not appropriate behavior and is just the tip of the iceberg of what is going majorly wrong in America. Finally the family walked away and left me there shaking my head.

Next on our list- Fleetwood Mac and Ronald Reagan. Dave and I couldn’t help but walk with our heads down reading all the stars as we passed each by. There were many we knew and were familiar with but even more shocking- more that we didn’t know or didn’t even recognize. The further we got away from the Chinese Theater the more run down the streets and the stores became. It’s always been interesting to me how anti-glamorous the streets of Hollywood are. Just like any other city there are charming, off the beaten path, parts that make the city part of what people fall in love with. But, personally, I am unimpressed by how run down, graffiti filled parts are. Still, I do believe it’s fun to see which is why I dragged Dave along for an afternoon of star searching.

Up and down the streets we walked, looking at every star- taking photos with our favorites and getting lost in the names until we were starving and done with the crowds. Just as quickly as we had found ourselves in LA and showed ourselves out. It’s a fun day trip but for us, we will take our small beach cities any day over the crowds LA attracts.

Back on the 101 we hopped and started our voyage north. We exited the 101 a few times to take in the ocean views from the small, secluded beaches. The golden hour was beginning and I felt completely calm and anxiety free. Watching the surfers ride the waves, as the empty beach was begging for company I felt a calm that the big cities can never give me. I love the way water makes us feel so small and humbled. I could look out to sea for hours and get lost in my thoughts.

Some days don’t go as planned but a lesson that has sung over and over is those days – almost always end up being the best days.