You may have been hoping for some sort of zombie apocalypse last weekend (maybe you really, really hate your job), but we made it through the end of the world and are now entering the final days of 2012. 2013 will be the first of many years for us, in which we celebrate last year's birthday again (20-_____ the sequel!), which is to say that we're not quite sure if we're looking forward to the 31st turning into the 1st this time around or not.
So, we may as well go as crazy as possible in this final weekend of 2012. Since travel is prohibitively expensive this time of year, we assume many of you will be "stuck" in town when the ball drops. Luckily, we live in L.A., which is -- believe it or not -- an actual vacation destination for some people. We suggest pretending it's all new to you this weekend and sampling a little bit of all that was great about L.A. in 2012, courtesy of yours truly.
Keep reading for a weekend to remember... at least until you black it all out on the 31st...
Friday
If you're not working today, we hate you. Kidding. But you're on your own as far as how to wile away the leisure hours. Pretty sure you can come up with something. The rest of us will meet you later tonight at BierBeisl in Beverly Hills, which made LA Mag's list of the best restaurants of 2012 (and which we somehow missed this year!). After, take a few too many laps around the Beverly Hills Holiday Ice Rink to work off the schnitzel. It may not be as iconic an activity as skating Rockefeller Center, but it's also going to be 55 degrees out as opposed to 32. We'll take it.
Saturday
We know you're just as tempted as we are to be a lazy slob until the 1st, err, the 2nd, but there's no time like the present to get going on those 2013 resolutions. Start your Saturday morning accordingly with outdoor yoga at the Silver Lake Meadow. After, grab breakfast nearby at Square One, or, if you're feeling more ambitious, try a maple bacon beignet at downtown's The Parish, which made just about every 'best of' list this year.
Later, hop on the freeway and get yourself west to experience the strange coupling of midday beer-tasting & burlesque at the Sugar Lounge. It seems this even is a part of something called the LA Chocolate Festival and Pastry Show, which sounds like the type of thing we'll be dreaming about in 2013 once the resolutions and restrictions kick in. If scantily clad women and stout beer aren't your thing, but you read Just Kids no fewer than 9 times, opt instead to check out the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit at The Getty. Either way, follow it up by popping in to Ecookie, one of our favorite boutiques, to take advantage of the fact that the entire store is 40% off until December 31st.
After, split a few things with a friend, lover, or random-hot-artsy-guy you picked up perusing The Getty at Superba, or Mercado, or Tar & Roses, all of which ranked on 2012's "best of" lists. Then, wind down the night at the Aero, where they'll be showing It Happened One Night and Holiday back-to-back.
Sunday
We're sending you to the valley on Sunday morning. Don't pretend like you have anything better to do. Start the day by grabbing breakfast at Another Broken Egg Cafe or Bea Bea's in Burbank and then head over to the Vintage Clothing & Textile Show.
Later, head into Hollywood, stopping by Otherwild Goods & Services, one of DailyCandy's favorite new boutiques of 2012, for some browsing. Then, surprise your boyfriend (or that guy from yesterday) with a screening of the entire Indiana Jones Trilogy at The Egyptian. Halfway through, suddenly "remember" that you have tickets to the Ludacris concert downtown (hey, Ludacris ROCKS) and drag him out of the theater for a little pre-concert dinner at Alma or Baco Mercat, both of which -- you guessed it -- made this year's "best of" lists.
Monday
We suggest you sleep all day on Monday, both because you're going to be out all night and because -- and we hate to mention this -- you'll be returning to work before you know it.
As far as Monday night goes, if you don't have plans yet, we suggest you hustle! The nice people at Refinery29, Eater L.A., and L.A. Weekly did the legwork for us in terms of what's happening on Monday night, so we suggest you check out their recs:
Refinery29: 5 L.A. NYE Bashes & What to Wear To Each
Eater L.A.: The Complete Guide to NYE in LA
L.A. Weekly: Top 5 NYE Food Events
From these lists, we recommend spending your night at The Parish, which is a great deal at just $30. Bar Pinxto, Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, and Street also sound fairly low-key, budget-friendly, and fun. If you're really feeling mellow, we suggest Umami Burger. Seriously! At least for an early bite. And if you're feeling aggressive and really want to blow it out, we think you should splurge on a night at The Bungalow. Entry is $150, but it will likely be a better crowd than most similar events. We say likely because it could also be a total nightmare (as these things are wont to be), so consider yourself warned!
Whatever you end up doing, we hope you have a happy and safe New Year's Eve. Remember, Uber is your best friend.
See you in 2013!
