More sightseeing in LA

On Sunday we headed to brunch with a college friend of mine who had moved to LA last year. We met at a restaurant in Los Feliz, a neighborhood relatively close our hotel. With lots of outdoor seating, the Alcove Cafe seemed an ideal brunch spot with a long menu and lots of baked goods. Though it took a while for our food to arrive, it was definitely worth the wait. On our way out, we had our only celebrity sighting in LA when Kenneth from 30 Rock walked past us and headed to the same restaurant. Unfortunately we didn't realize in time to get a good look.

Still full from brunch we decided to walk down Rodeo Drive before we headed to the famed cupcake bakery Sprinkles. Though pricey at $3.50 for one (or $2.50 for a mini doggy cupcake!), they were simply delicious. There was s stark difference between these cupcakes and the one I had from Yummy Cupcakes in Santa Monica. Sprinkles cupcakes were very fresh and moist and had the perfect amount of frosting.

Our next stop was The Grove, a large outdoor shopping mall. Then we headed to the adjoining Farmer's Market, a large area of food stalls, meat and produce vendors, which I later learned is a historic landmark in LA. Despite the abundance of shops and eateries, we were neither hungry to eat nor tempted to shop. Hence, we decided to cruise around LA and drove to see the Queen Mary ship in Long Beach. Larger than its predecessor the Titanic, The RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that is now converted to the Queen Mary Long Beach hotel. Though we have loved to tour inside, the $50/person was too pricey for a couple of hours of exploring. We headed to the Burbank Center for a quick dinner and headed to the airport for our red eye flight.