Two weeks in Los Angeles is too much for a New Yorker. Or should I say too little? Now, don’t get mad la la people. You live in a wonderful climate and have beautiful views but life can get pretty lonely and desperate out there. When my friends left, the only company I could count on was the expert GPS in my car. She talked to me in a clear, comforting voice. Her daily guidance was so reliable I not once checked a map before I ventured out on the town. As a result I am as clueless about the geography of Los Angeles as I was before I arrived. But still I found myself meandering every corner of this vast city.

After a short stint at the Beverly Hills hotel with Anya Ziourova, Michelle Harper and I spent a week on Venice Beach. We criss crossed Abbot Kinney, the Santa Monica Pier and chose the cloudiest day to spend on the beach. We enlisted the magic of Sarah Sophie Flicker to go on a massive vintage tour that started at Lily et Cie, with its museum-worthy collection of clothing and accessories. We went on to Shareen’s Vintage downtown and finished our journey at Raggmopp in Silverlake. I drove to Topanga Canyon for a routine visit to Hidden Treasures, a genius little vintage store fifteen minutes off the Pacific Coast Highway. I went all the way out the Malibu to visit Sasha Eisenman on a beach set with the lovely Lisa Seiffert. I visited my friend and stylist Andrew Richardson one evening at the Chateau Marmont and ended up at Neckface’s birthday party the following night.

And when it was time to finally go back to New York, that hurricane happened. It was the Friday before that madly anticipated stormy weekend. United flight 890 was about half way done with boarding when the announcement came that the flight would be cancelled due to the weather in New York. I literally cried. I could not get stuck in LA! Now, I panic easily. But I am very good at resolving crisis situations. While the tears were still running, I called up the travel agency and got insider information on all the flights taking off that day. The only airline that did not cancel was Virgin America and I had about half an hour to get to the other terminal. I collected my suitcase off the carrousel and bolted. One minute – 1 minute!! – before the flight closed I bought myself a new ticket and got the last seat. I had never been more happy to go home, even with a looming disaster in New York.

I enjoyed Los Angeles. There are some wonderful people and places there. I just wish there was a little bit more walking…