After saying goodbye to this:
And saying hello to this:
I LOVE YOU CALIFORNIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Talk about feeling like I returned home. Everything feels right in the world now. Seriously. There is no other way to describe it. I just feel like – at long last – I’m back to the city where I am meant to be.
Kyle and I have been running all around So Cal, seeing friends, organizing our lives, buying a car, frequenting the WF hot bar, frequenting Starbucks, and y’know, just vegging out.
Oh, did I mention the WF hot bar?
I can pack those cardboard boxes like it’s my j-o-bizzle. If navigating the hot bar were an Olympic event, I’d take the gold medal without even batting an eyelash. My latest list of essential goods: falafel, lentil salads, edamame salad, veggies, and enough hummus to satisfy an Israel army.
Psst, I have a crush on you, Kombucha.
This smorgasbord of a post comin’ atcha is very representative of this week’s assorted eats.
But first, let me just vent a bit about the current state of car financing.
What. The. Eff.
I realize the past year has been a bit rough in the auto industry, but seriously, Kyle and I are two of the most financially responsible people, and yet, nobody will let us buy a car!!! Yeah, I’m jobless and he is starting school, so the income thing isn’t on our side, but we deliberately set aside money for this. Strike one. Also, the dealerships seem to take issue with our lack of a permanent address (we aren’t looking to get an apartment for the next few months since we will be traveling so much). But I consider CA my home state, my license has always been a CA license, and my parents have lived in the same house in Nor Cal for well over a decade. What more do I need to do to prove I’m a CA resident?!? Strike two. And then there was the ridiculous excuse for customer service. I was prepared for pushy salespeople, but I was NOT prepared for apathetic employees. It was like nobody cared if we bought a car or not. My sister works in a similar area, so I’m very familiar with how important being personable is in making a sale. She would NEVER treat her costumers this way. Strike three.
The most frustrating part of the whole day (9 hours, 3 dealerships…shoot me) was the fact that I was told nearly 20 times that I needed to get a job. After the first few times, I started to get realllllly annoyed. Mind your own business. What about me screams slacker? Could it be my organized file folders with old pay stubs? Or maybe the perfect credit score? UGH. I wanted to pull my hair out.
At least I had good food 🙂
I’m definitely in a Mediterranean rut. Falafel. Hummus. Quinoa salads.
J’adore.
Oh, and crusty bread (with hummus obviously).
That roll was almost the size of my face (aka perfection). Cedarlane hummus was cheap, but I don’t think I’ll buy it again. There was something a bit tangy about it.
This vegan hummus was out of this world, though. It was one of 4 hummuses (hummusi?) available at the Santa Monica WF’s prepared foods bar, and was downright amaze.
Also buried way under there was BBQ tofu and savory tofu (with pineapple), which weren’t the best, as well as four pita wedges (two white, two whole wheat), and veggies naturally.
Kombuchapple = best snackage around. Why do some flavor explode more than others? I can’t seem to solve the mystery on Kombucha de-fizzle-fication, but there MUST be some kind of science to it, right? If anyone has tricks to keep the overflow to a minimum puh-leeze hook a sistah up!
And even though I have made my love for the ‘Bucks very well known by now, here’s yet another reason why this company is so. damn. cool.
See that? Annie’s, Lucy’s, and Two Mom’s In The Raw. Coming soon to a Starbucks near you! I’m so proud of you Starbucks! Way to pave the way for other eateries in raw, vegan, and gluten free options. I tip my hat hummus filled fork to you.
Yay!!! So happy for you!!
Skip the car and buy a Metro pass and a bike! So much more fun (and less stressful) than sitting through traffic! LA is more bike-friendly than you might expect! Seriously! 🙂
Congratulations! Welcome home, Elise! Awesome. I feel your joy (that sounds a bit weird, doesn’t it… Ah well, you know what I mean…) x
Buying a car sucks no matter what- but that is just crazy! I’m sorry they sucked so much! Hopefully you will have better luck in the future 🙂
Our Starbucks has these snacks now too! Too bad I don’t have one on every corner around here- I think Dunkin Donuts should take the hint, move out and let Starbucks take over!
Happy homecoming! It sounds like you are on the right coast, now. I crave kombucha really hard after reading this. I may just have to fix that today.
SO jealous of your Whole Foods! 🙂
That is terrible about buying your car- I hope you can find one soon!
Ugh–I am sorry you guys even have to think about BUYING a car in the first place. That sucks. Public transportation in some cities leaves soooooooooo much to be desired, I know. Dealing with sales people? Yet another reason I *hate* cars! Boo–I am sorry.
At least you are well fueled for your shopping adventure, even if no one will sell you a car to put real fuel in, lol! Wow, I am lame…
Courtney
Hey girl, this is my first time commenting and i love your blog. I definetly feel your pain about the car. I actuallly work in customer service at a ford dealer in Detroit and nothing bothers me more then to hear about peoples problems with service problems at other dealers. Grrrrrr That is like the most important part! Especially in theis economy. Sigh Unfortanatly the who job and housing thing is most likely to continue to be a problem because the dealership has to protect itself and well you may be completly trustworthy and not sketchie at all there are lots of people out there that r. Hang in there though!
I love that Starbucks has so many vegan options now! I have only seen those Lucy’s cookies at one of the locations near me, for some reason not all of them have the healthy snacks yet. Congrats again on the big move!
People telling other people to get a job is perhaps the lamest thing ever.
Glad your back in Cali!
4 types of hummus at a whole foods? that’s like even better than your mecca.
sorry ’bout the car sitch – i hate dealerships. and their dumb commercials.
Wow, I haven’t been to Starbucks even once since going vegan last summer… but it’s great to know that if I need a snack on the go, they are the place to be!
Loving Starbucks for their new interest in serving the vegan crowd. First Frapps, now bars.
However, CA is probably the first to get all things Sbucks related. We’ll probably see it in Minnesota in 2013.
We’re kind of behind.
Ohhh welcome home! What a feeling. Going back to England this March was like that for me…although I did then have to leave again – lucky you!
The car stuff sounds like hell on earth. Hate. If only you could do without one in L.A.!
I have been waiting forever to see somebody mention the new foods at starbucks, I got so excited when I saw them! the peeled snacks are definitely a new favorite, and I am looing forward to trying the Lucy’s cookies!
Hooray for LA! I’m new to posting but have been reading your blog for some time. Thanks for the laughs and inspiration. I’m so jealous you are settling down in LA . . . great, great city but I’ve sinced moved north to Portland. My glory days were in LA and I long to live there again.
Kombucha – I wish I knew the explosion theory. I just had a majah (!) explosion while driving yesterday and the leftover smell is best described as stinky shoes. Grody. Nonetheless, I still love it and drink with abandon (while my checking account dwindles).
Enjoy the sunshine!!!
I used to have this weird deal where I absolutely had to mix the string-y stuff in the Kombucha before opening which meant slowly turning the bottle upside down. I don’t know if you do this since it says right on the bottle not to but I’ve noticed that if I just leave the darn thing alone and open it slowly, it mixes itself…
Doubt that really helps you with the flavor issue but thought I’d throw it out there.
YAY for being back in CA, but BOO for the car sitch. I saw on Twitter that you got everything sorted out, so I’m glad someone finally gave you the respect you deserve!!
I am in LA too, gotta be one of the best cities! I love WF hot bar, but the price ends up being not so lovely haha.
Eeek, sorry to hear about the car frustration! But while I’m sad to see you gone from NYC, I’m so happy that you’re ecstatic to be home. It was obviously the right decision to return, car or no car! xo
“Talk about feeling like I returned home. Everything feels right in the world now. Seriously. There is no other way to describe it. I just feel like – at long last – I’m back to the city where I am meant to be.”
That gave me serious CHILLS!!! Oh my gosh, I am so happy for you. SO SO SO happy.
I’m tellin’ ya, Popsicle wouldn’t have let any of that car nonsense happen. Those people sound like A-holes.
Mediterranean is the only rut I ever want to be in. I really think it’s impossible to get sick of hummus, pita, falafel, feta, kalamata olives…ahhhh.
I hope to see you soon…West Coast, I want you!!
A) No bueno about the car situation…B) Don’t you love love the SM Whole Foods on 23rd?!! In LOVE! They’ve got a island dedicated to the lactose intollerant ones! C) I’ve been purchasing a couple of those Lucy’s cookies every time I go inside the Bux…loves.
I think I might have a crush on kombucha too…esp the Divine Grape flavor.
What do you think Tribe hummus? I am just now trying it for the first time, and it’s passed the preliminary taste test.
I’m dying for some WF hot bar right now, thanks for that. At least I have starbucks in hand…that is frekin’ awesome that they are expanding their culinary palette like that.
I’ve been browsing your blog for a little bit now…and am thrilled to see you are now just down the street from us! (We are in Brentwood). Looking forward to reading about your local adventures.
The car shopping bites…at least the Big Blue Bus is everywhere!
Welcome back to CA!
I’ve visited Santa Monica a few times to hang out with friends. It’s such a gorgeous place. I’ve wanted to try the Kombucha for a long time. Do you have any flavor recommendations? And don’t worry, I eat hummus with everything too 😉
yaaaaaaaaay you’re thereeeeeee 🙂 🙂 SO glad you feel home at last! i can already tell you’re feelin the cali groove.
seriously you can HAVE my car. i won’t even check your credit score. i just emptied my bank account to pay for a repair and the damn check engine light came on AGAIN today. i almost drove my car into sheepshead bay and called it a day.
The Santa Monica Whole Foods is pretty close to heaven, in my book. The hot bar – god, I could wax poetic about it for far too long than is probably considered healthy!
Starbucks and veganola? Oh. my. gosh. I cannot believe how much fun you are probably having… New civic? WF hot bar? California coast? please…
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Oh believe me – I am DEF bringing my bike back to LA. I used to ride it all over santa monica (it’s actually one of the main reasons we chose to move back to so cal). WOOHOO!!
why people are so obsessed with dunkin is beyond me. SBUX is the holy grail as far as im concerned 🙂
DO. IT.
the car thing sucks but its a sad reality in LA. the GOOD part is that now i can bring my bike back (i used to ride it ALL OVER santa monica/westwood) to southern CA. kyle wouldnt let me have in NYC bc its a tad dangerous (his opinion, not mine). so even though we need a car for most things, anything local will be biked. and yes, sales people are THE worst. ugh. so glad its over now.
hi emily! thanks for the comment. i appreciate the insider info. my sis works for enterprise, so i know how important customer satisfaction is…shes so amazing with selling and not making people feel pressure. anyways, i know they have to cover their asses, and its actually the bank that has to ok our situation not the dealership…but yeah, still frustrating. anyways, thanks for reading 🙂
thank you! thats how i felt. ugh.
if i were to open a restaurant it would offer a hummus menu like most places have wine menus. now THATS a mecca 🙂
i know right? props to the bucks!
hahaha. i hope its not THAT bad, but yeah, the lag time will no doubt be pretty substantial 🙁
i cant believe how many options they now have! its so awesome!!! i havent tried the lucys cookies yet either, but i cant wait.
Hey Lindsey! Thanks for reading and dropping in to comment – I love hearing from you! Where and how long were you in LA. I was here as an undergrad (I went to UCLA) and its so nice to be back in the familiar. I have no doubt I will remember all the reasons I grew tired of it later – but for now I’m still in LA LOVE.
One of these days I’ll figure out the great secret to preventing Kombucha bombs from blowing up in my face, and Ill share it with the world. Until then…I’m still losing a dollar’s worth every other time I open one 🙁
the stringy crap always floats to the top after I open it! seriously, i never shake it, but as soon as i open it, the cultures all make their way to the lip of the bottle. hmmm.
it was sad to move away knowing all the great restaurants i was leaving behind (unconquered no less!!) but i feel SO much more at home now. it was definitely long overdue. if you ever visit your parents in the bay area let me know because my parents live close by…we will be settling in southern CA eventually, but until after the wedding (late aug) we will be back and forth between northern and southern ca.
im secretly hoping you come to LA and not SF, but either is a score for me (and CA in general). fingers crossed!!!!!!
and we saw the dad from arrested development (and the hangover) in that WFs!!! score!
Hi neighbor!!!
That is SO exciting 🙂 I will be a bike bus riding girl for sure, but (unfortunately) we also need a car for other trips. I adore santa monica and brentwood. Thats where we are looking for apartments (or will be starting julyish).
bahaha…reading about your car woes…not exactly the best sales pitch. bribe someone to steal it and get insurance $$ for it — hahaha
am i killing you yet? or enticing you to visit? well…we dont have an apartment yet…but give me a few months…then come 🙂