We got to LA on Wednesday evening - and within 30 minutes of landing already had our first "memory" made. My suitcase never came down from baggage claim, and as I was trying very hard to remain calm, Jeremy was being resourceful and contacted the owner of a bag left at baggage claim that looked very similar to mine. Thankfully, the owner, a woman in Houston, answered and said her husband was in LA for the game and she'd contact him to check his bag. Sure enough, he just grabbed any old tan suitcase, so he came back and we switched. It only delayed us an extra 15 minutes, and that was a much better outcome than a truly lost bag!
Thursday was a long, fun day, regardless of how it ended. We got to Pasadena around 9am and got a great parking spot, about 10 cars away from the stadium. We took pictures in front of the Rose Bowl sign and then went to the ESPN Tailgate Party. It wasn't too crowded or hot then, so we had a good time eating and walking around to the different booths - the boys got to take a picture with a sports radio guy they like, they kicked a field goal into inflatable uprights, we took pictures (for free!) with the UT and Alabama helmets and with the National Championship Trophy. We took a breather in the shade and then walked back to the Texas Exes Tailgate Party.
Yuck. We paid $90 each for a wristband into this event and it was terrible. Unimaginable lines to get drinks (they were all unlimited, including beer, so people were collecting handfuls and boxes of beer at a time) and the food was disgusting. They had fajitas, which Jeremy said was more like a meat casserole, but not fajita fixins. They did have fruit and potato salad, which saved the day for me, because those always hit the spot! We relaxed in a shady spot on the grass, saw the band come through, and then made our way to the stadium. {We promptly received an email from Texas Exes on Monday morning apologizing for the poor quality and planning. They explained it was all planned by the Rose Bowl and the golf course, they simply lent their name to the event and will not do so in the future.}
Our seats were awesome! We were up in the corner of the end zone, but luckily had gotten tickets in the UT section, thank goodness. And our seats were on the very last row, so we had a wall to lean/stand against, plus great views of the field. We couldn't believe we were there!!
...and then we all know what happened during the game. We were just sick for Colt - if anyone deserved to be playing their heart out in that game, it was him. But it was the card he was dealt and our team did with it what they could. We did enjoy seeing Gilbert play and got a little preview for next season, which made us excited for it. In hearing about and then watching many post-game interviews, I think we can all agree we were incredibly proud to be Longhorns even if Alabama won the title. This is a great article Jeremy found on the faith of our team - I highly recommend reading it. It was disappointing to feel like all your planning and money spent on the trip ended in a loss, but it truly was what it was and we moved on to enjoy the next couple days in LA!
How I will remember the game - within 3 points at one point!
Friday we drove out to Paradise Cove in Malibu for lunch. It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. How fun to eat lunch with our toes in the sand while Houston was freezing! It also turns out the beach we were on is where the Beach Boys' first album cover was shot, which Jeremy just loved because he's such a big fan.
See? Same rock!
That afternoon we tried to drive all the way down Santa Monica Blvd. into Hollywood to see what Hollywood Blvd. was like - but after 2 hours stuck in traffic we turned around and went back to the hotel, nearly in tears from frustration (okay, I was in tears). I was a little disgruntled the rest of the evening!
We had a nice family dinner at Il Cielo, an Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills. The patio where we sat was gorgeous! The food was so-so...lots of seafood on the menu for an Italian place, so nothing sounded very appetizing to me, but it was still a nice experience. And the mini bruschettas and tomato and mozzarella salad I started with were delicious!
After dinner we went to the Griffith Observatory to see a nighttime view of LA. The building itself is gorgeous (and free) as were the views of LA. We could see the Hollywood sign but unfortunately it wasn't lit up, so it didn't show up in any pictures.
Saturday morning we said goodbye to Josh and Jamie, who had a looooong day of traveling ahead, and then we drove out to Rodeo Drive with Jeremy's parents. Jeremy was so sweet and said he wanted to buy me something off of Rodeo Drive so I would have a receipt from there...but I think he was hoping for a Starbuck's! :) We found a Coach store and ended up finding a perfect patent orange wristlet, perfect since we'd traveled there for a UT game and perfect for taking to future games!
After Rodeo Drive we drove down Hollywood Blvd. just to see what it was like. It was kind of crazy! Lots and lots of tourists and then lots of crazies dressed up - we saw a Marilyn Monroe, a Captain Jack Sparrow, a Superman, a Hulk, a Shrek, and about 5 Spidermen. I got to snap a quick picture of Grauman's Chinese Theater and we got a better view of the Hollywood sign in the daylight.
We had seen all we wanted to, so we started making our way towards the airport and toward an In-n-Out burger for lunch. The lines inside and in the drive-through were crazy, so we vetoed that idea and I found a cute little spot nearby (thanks, Google Maps & iPhone) in Culver City. It was all outdoor cafes and shops, such a pleasant little area! We had lunch at a gastro-pub (i.e. fancy pub food) called Ford's Filling Station. It was pretty good considering we just went in blindly. It was really nice to enjoy eating outside one last time before returning to the frigid tundra of Houston.
There were ups and downs on our trip, but it really was a once in a lifetime experience (though I'm sure we'd like to follow Texas to all the bowl games now!) that we're so grateful to have had.
Hook 'em, Horns!
*some pictures courtesy of Jamie - thanks!!
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