Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
Editor’s Note: A few months ago I went to LA for a business trip and ended up extending it to spend some time with my amazing friend, Megan AKA The Nerdy Girlie. She introduced me to a side of LA that I hadn’t ever really had a chance to appreciate, so I asked her to share her top geeky activities with you.
Have you ever taken the chance to be a tourist in your own town? Usually it takes a friend or family member coming to visit for us to explore our regular surroundings and break out of the everyday bubble of monotony. So when Liz came to visit me in LA at the exact moment of a very large personal realization, a girl’s staycation was exactly what I needed.
It has been one year since I’ve moved to LA and I cannot believe I was ever nervous to move here. I have discovered myself in this city. I’ve begun to become who I’ve always thought I could be and Liz was there to support and encourage me the entire way. How could I not show her the town I’ve fallen in love with!
Now, since I LIVE here, I’m not packing anything for the most part. Though I do pretty much live out of my car the majority of the time. Here are the things that are a must for everyday life in LA and are a permanent fixture in my car:
Sunnies. I NEVER leave home without them. I MIGHT have my entire glovebox full of them and also always have a back up pair in my purse. If it is daylight hours and I am outside you will find my favorite accessory on my face.
Beach Bag with all the essentials. Essentials being, a towel, though I don’t mind just sitting on the sand myself. Sunscreen is a must especially if you are from out of town and are not used to the daily blazing rays of sunshine! Those sunnies I mentioned earlier and a hat! You can never be too careful. And because I’m always prepared to stick around for a while, I always like to grab either a hot or cold drink to enjoy as a treat on the beach!
iPhone loaded with all your favorite jams because you WILL need to roll those windows down, blast your favorite song, sing, dance and enjoy our amazing weather. Songs that were the soundtrack to our weekend “Shut Up And Dance” by Walk The Moon and “California Save Me” by The Filthy Souls.
Venice Beach. I like Venice Beach better than it’s sister beach down the road, Santa Monica. Venice is a bit more “real” and a lot less crowded. Plus it has a lot of really cool street art and a ton of good people watching. Here’s a super perfect nerd trip: Whovians need to check out the Starry Night mural on Wavecrest Avenue and Ocean Front Walk. It’s a delightful surprise.
The Getty. This is my favorite museum in LA because of it’s location high atop the city. The views make for some lovely panoramic images, the gardens are completely gorgeous and peaceful and they of course have some lovely art on display. Our favorite Doctor Who artist Vincent Van Gogh has a few of his famous paintings there. Who knows, maybe he and the Doctor will show up during your visit. Keep your eyes peeled!
Hollywood Blvd. Everything you could ever nerd out about is all in one convenient place. It is not as pretty as the movies would lead you to believe, but it is a highly entertaining spot none the less. Wether it be the tourists or the locals, there is a LOT of character in one location.
The LA County Museum of Art. You are going to laugh at me but I have never actually been INSIDE the LACMoA. Yes and it still makes my list! If you love Instagram like I love Instagram it is a grammer’s paradise. From the “spaghetti” to the lamplights you are guaranteed to come away with a Insta worthy shot to remember your vacation by. Right next door to the museum are the La Brea Tarpits. Totally worth a quick glance because of their historical value and connection to ancient times, just don’t get your hopes up! :)
Whimsic Alley. Right down the street from the LACMoA is a lil gem called Whimsic Alley! If you consider yourself a nerd, and I’m sure you do if you are friends of Liz and I, then this is THE nerdiest place in LA and you HAVE to stop by. Their outside display windows are Doctor Who, Sherlock and Downton Abbey themed. Right away you know you’ve arrived at the right place! Walk in and it is like you’ve entered into Diagon Alley! Wander through each nerdy themed room and watch your money disappear like magic!
Griffith Observatory. This is the last and best stop for your day to end. Like The Getty, the Griffith Observatory has an amazing view, but from the other side of the city. Since Liz and I are BOTH space nerds, we knew this place was a no brainer to take her to. Spend some time inside during the day to appreciate all the exhibits. When the sun goes down, waste no time and get your butt outdoors. Sitting outside watching the sunset with someone special really helps you put your life into perspective and make you feel like such a small part of a this huge existence. It is an eye opening experience and a place I love to go to find perspective on life.
During her visit, I felt like a lot of our planning was scheduled around when we could eat. I LOVE eating and there are so many really amazing places in LA that I wanted Liz to try. MOST of them are dessert based but it’s your vacation right?!
Republic of Pie. MY FAVORITE place in LA hands down. If I have a day off, you will find me at Republic of Pie. If a friend is in town visiting, I will take them to Republic of Pie. I knew this place was for me, besides having PIE in the name, when I looked it up on Yelp and saw a photo of a tree growing out of the shop with a sign that read “I AM GROOT.” Pie and nerdy? YES please.
Milk Jar Cookies. RIGHT next door to Whimsic Alley is Milk Jar Cookies. HUGE fresh cookies baked from scratch daily and THE best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had in my life. Besides that, it is just the cutest lil shop to boot. Get your Insta feed ready, beautiful cookies and cute decor are at every turn.
The Sprinkles Cupcake ATM. If you cannot tell thus far, I love my desserts. Here is my last and final dessert stop for you, the Sprinkles Cupcake ATM. YES a place where you can get a cupcake ANY time of day! Thank the dessert Gods. Besides having delish desserts, the cupcake ATM is just adorable and PINK! Can you tell what my Insta feed is full of?
The Griddle Cafe. I lucked upon this find thanks to Yelp. The Griddle Cafe is an amazing breakfast joint in WeHo aka West Hollywood. We also lucked out on the time we arrived which was near 8 am. Because after that the place blew up. Our stomachs also blew up because not only is this place delicious, their servings are HUMONGOUS! Just make sure you arrive bright and early, the place is only open until 4 p.m.!
Dinosaur Coffee. I MIGHT have wanted to go to this cafe JUST because it had dinosaur in the name. Thankfully Liz is also a dino nerd, so she was totally down. We were totally meant to be nerd soul sisters. Located in Silverlake, Dinosaur Coffee is modern, chic and makes a perfect made to order cup o’ joe.
I want to thank Liz for a girls weekend I will never forget. I am so happy to have this strong and inspirational nerd girl in my life. She asked me some hard questions that weekend and I her. We were both able to lean on each other and enjoy a bit of LA at the same time. The timing couldn’t have been any more perfect. It is amazing where the Universe takes you and who it brings into your life. I’m so happy I have been open to what LA has to offer.
You can find all of Being Geek Chic’s Geek Travel Guide’s Here.
So Halloween is upon us and I’ve been sucking down Caramel Apple Pops like I got hired to check out the evenness of the caramel to apple ratio. In fact, I am not being paid. I just have a problem. Or an obsession. Whatever. Point is, you don’t have to go the candy route! You can totally go DIY on your Halloween costume AND your treats.
Here’s some really fun ones:
Make Veronica Mars themed Marshmallow treats! Add some food coloring to make them a little more festive if you like. Or don’t. White is fun too. Recipe here!
Make Star Wars themed Death Star Popcorn Balls! I love me a popcorn ball. And while they were a hot item on the grocery shelves during my trick or treating years, they are much more uncommon now. So, you’ll just have go get the kernels and the butter and the syrup and do it yourself. So worth it. Recipe here!
Cook up Harry Potter’s favorite pumpkin desert! Everyone loves Harry Potter, even the newest readers of the series. I love the pasties because they are so good fresh, but they’re even better cold. Shhh. I know it’s weird. But yum. Recipe here!
Let’s bake some Iron Man Arc Reactor Cookies for all those Marvel themed customed kiddos! I’m expecting to see at least 10 tiny Thors, 6 adorable Hulks and 5 itty bitty Iron Mans on Friday. It only makes sense that I’d delight them with Arc Reactor cookies. Come on now! So cute. Recipe here!
I’ve been working more and more in writing scripts for animation and this project is one I found particularly fun. It’s for an amazing site (and client!) called The Parsnippety, which aims to be The Onion for Plant and Animal news.
We had a lot of fun poking at the food industry in this one. Did you know that some scientists believe that the combination of salt and sugar is more addictive than many narcotic drugs? It’s true. Look at the ingredients in many “healthy” products like protein bars and gluten free mixes and you’ll find out that salt and sugar are hiding inside in massive quantities.
If you’re interested in foodie culture and healthy living, I can’t recommend The Parsnippety enough.
My clients are crazy smart and interesting people. I am so blessed to be able to make their vision come to life every single day. The Parsnippety aims to shine a light on the major agricultural and environmental issues of our time with a side of humor. They are The Onion for Onions if you will. And this video we just completed is pretty damn fun if you ask me.
Go check out their site… I promise, you’ll laugh.
Did you know that non-organic plants are starting to report inferiority complexes due to the proliferation of organics? Ok, not really. But there’s a nugget of truth here. And a talking tomato. Can’t complain about that.
I hope you find it as humorous as I do.
