Sara Bareilles at The Greek :)

Last week Monday was my last day of celebration for my 31st Birthday (as far as I know)!  Neil and I had talked about seeing Sara Bareilles again when she came to town since we had missed her show in Santa Barbara last year due to the wrong time being listed.  There was no way we were going to miss her "Little Black Dress" Tour when she played here in LA at The Greek Theater in Hollywood last week!

Todd, Tiffany, Neil and I before the show!

Neil and I got there just after 8 pm and caught the second opening act, Hannah Georgas, before Sara began her set promptly at 9:15 pm.  Hannah actually reminded us a lot of Sara, similar in both sound and fashion.  We located our seats and then went to grab a drink and met up with our friends, Todd and Tiffany, who were also going to the show, before we all got seated for the main event.  Our seats were in Row M so they were amazing, and we had a great view of the stage.

Sara opened with 'Little Black Dress' which is such a fun and catchy song, you can't help but dance and sing along to it.  I hadn't heard 'Love on the Rocks' much since it was off of her 2004 Album but I really liked that song; definitely had a blues vibe to it, which of course was followed by 'Love Song;' one of her biggest hits.  One of my favorite songs is 'Come Round Soon' and I got to see her play it at the El Rey Theater last year, and this performance was even better!  I just love the evil lyrics to that song ;)  Another new favorite became 'Manhattan' as that's off her newest album from 2013 "The Blessed Unrest."

Mood music for 'Come Round Soon'

Sara debuted a new song from the musical "Waitress" called 'She Used to Be Mine' and if she hadn't won the crowd over already, this was it!  She's composing for the musical and it was yet another beautiful song.  She did one cover that night singing Sia's 'Chandelier' and went to 'Gravity' right after.  It's one of those songs when you hear it live, at least for me, I can't not feel every word of the song, as it brings tears to my eyes.  Of course, she knows all of the audience is captivated so she helps all of us out by being goofy and singing the poppy and upbeat 'Gonna Get Over You.'  'I Choose You' was one of the singles off of her new album and once again had everyone singing along with her.  Sara closed out the set with her other single off "The Blessed Unrest" doing 'Brave,' which has such an inspiring story behind it.

It was a two song encore which brought another wonderful melody and an a capella version of 'Bright Lights & Cityscapes' which was amazing and finally 'Satellite Call.'  The show was just about 90 minutes and it was a perfect evening near the Griffith Observatory.  I loved singing along and dancing to her music and the crowd just loves her!

Sara Bareilles at The Greek...talented in so many ways <3

One of the best things about Sara Bareilles is that she sounds just as great live as she does on her album.  Plus, the concertgoers are able to see more of her personality; she's so cute and quirky.  You can tell she really enjoys interacting with the audience, she's the type of person you know you'd have a blast hanging out with!  This was my third concert I've seen her play, and definitely the biggest one.  And I can't wait till she's in town and I can see her again :)

The Getty Villa & Gladstone's :)

Last Friday I had the day off and since it was a beautiful sunny afternoon I thought a day trip to The Getty Villa in Malibu was the perfect thing to do!  Since one of my resolutions was to try new Happy Hour's and Restuarants I looked up places in the area that would have the Yankee's Game on as a surprise for Neil after our visit to the museum.

Perfect day in Malibu :)

We got to The Getty Villa just before 3 pm and made our way through the museum starting at the classical outdoor theater where they have events on a regular basis.  The last time I was here was with my Mom years ago so it was nice to re-visit it.  They have gardens and fountains, and the Villa was modeled after a first-century Roman home.  You can see the Pacific Ocean from different areas and one of my favorite views is from the 2nd floor overlooking the long reflecting pool, statues, and assorted vegetation of flowers, shrubs, and herbs, with the ocean in the background.  

As we made our way into the museum we started with the Greek and Roman collections; there were paintings, busts, ceramics, coins, jewelry, kitchen and tableware, weaponry, armor, and tons of other antiquities (over 44,000 to be exact).  My favorite part is reading and learning about the Gods & Goddesses, and the differences between the Greek & Roman terminology.  I always loved learning about this kind of History in school.  I can't believe how well-kept the pieces of art are and that some of them are from almost 8,000 years ago!

We did have to rush a little to make it through the whole museum and probably could have used another half hour just to take our time through the final exhibits.  Another cool exhibit was Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections.  We got to see all this art with Jesus as the subject and different pieces from The Bible.  This was definitely something my Mom really would have enjoyed; the history and age of it was just amazing.

Neil & I in front of the reflecting pool at The Getty Villa

On our way out we stopped at the Gift Shop and Neil picked me up a book about the Greek and Roman, Gods and Goddesses.  I'm so excited to find out all the details and information about them and their families so I can go back and read The Odyssey and The Illiad for fun without the deadline of a college theatrical history assignment.  Plus, I'll be able to cross-reference; I'm a total nerd for this stuff :)

Blackberry Margarita at Gladstone's!

Neil and I headed over to Gladstone's and they put on the Yankee game for us and we could also watch the Basketball game too.  We had plenty of time for Happy Hour and were able to enjoy an incredible Vegetable Flatbread, some Calimari, and also Tuna Tartar.  All the food we had was awesome, but the pizza was probably my favorite.  Plus, those three appetizers were able to fill us up for the evening.  We had Blackberry Margarita's that were refreshing and delicious and after the game was over (unfortunately the Yankee's lost, and in our basketball news Indiana won so the Bulls won't be playing Miami which would have been a more favorable match-up), we were finally able to catch the sunset in Malibu after trying to for years!  It was a new Happy Hour spot for me and I would definitely go back.

This was the perfect way to spend a Friday afternoon here in LA.  It was nice to take in some culture and learn something new as well as get to enjoy a beach day in Malibu with some great food and a beautiful Los Angeles sunset.  I look forward to more days like this!