New Places, New Friends

One thing about Crescenta Valley residents – we know that not everything is available to us here in town. For example, I have to call elsewhere to get a 3-yard bin to start cleaning out my garage (ugh – don’t even get me started on that chore!).

We’ll travel for major purchases. For example, the new-to-me car I’m driving was purchased in Newport Beach. And I know several people who have vacation homes in Big Bear or the area of Palm Springs.

We’ll also travel for food and entertainment … and that’s what Steve and I did on Monday night.

If you remember, Monday night was rather chilly so when Steve accepted a dinner invitation from a friend I made sure to bring a jacket. The reservation was for a spot in Hollywood called Lavo. 

Now back in my heyday (yes, even though I married young I had a heyday) I would go to Hollywood for fun. I even worked at a couple of spots (Capitol Records and EMI Records, to name two) in Hollywood. 

In 1998 Steve and I spent the day in Hollywood, going to see “Titanic” before having dinner at the iconic Musso and Frank’s (I’m so glad it survived COVID). And back in the day I’d often go to the nightclub on the Sunset Strip operated and owned by “hip hypnotist” Pat Collins.

Lavo was within walking distance to Pat’s former nightclub and driving through “the Strip” brought back so many memories! But I want to tell you about Lavo.

As you probably remember, I’m a native Californian having been born in Hollywood (anyone remember Queen of Angels Hospital?) and living in Sun Valley. I had plenty of stories to share. I told them about the various places in Hollywood that I went to – I didn’t even have time to tell them about the time I tried to sell a story to the National Enquirer or when I went dancing at the Playboy Club (now long gone) – both buildings on Sunset Boulevard. 

And how gorgeous was Lavo? Oh, my gosh! As described on its website, “LAVO is a coastal Italian restaurant designed for a lighter and brighter West Coast flagship with an unparalleled year-round alfresco dining experience. The restaurant offers an elevated indoor and outdoor dining experience while boasting a spacious sun-drenched dining room, triple-height ceilings with a retractable roof, operable accordion windows, and luxurious Italian furnishings throughout.”

Chris had arranged a prix fixe menu, so the four of us didn’t have to spend time perusing the menu – we had a sampling of just about everything (I didn’t touch the octopus though Steve said it was tasty).

The night flew by and considering I still have stories to share, another night at Lavo might be in my future.