Century City isn't a part of L.A. that I venture out to often. In fact, the only time I ever find myself there is to visit the Annenberg Space For Photography to check out their latest photo exhibit. A while back, I read somewhere that Eataly was opening up at the Westfield shopping center down the street from the Annenberg. I thought this would be a great opportunity to check out the This is Not an Ostrich exhibit, and also hit up Eataly for lunch. The Eataly in New York City is such a nice space, and I wondered if they recreated the same atmosphere in shiny L.A.
When I think of Century City, I think of clean lines and modern architecture. When you first take the escalator up the the Annenberg from the underground parking structure, you almost feel like you're a part of some futuristic movie.
The Annenberg didn't open until 11am, so I decided to walk over to Eataly first. Nothing beats the cheap parking at the Annenberg, and the Westfield shopping center is literally across the street.
The layout and idea of Eataly is just the like one in New York City. It just struck me as a bit too new (well, because it was) and lacked the grit that most New York City establishments exude simply for being in New York City.
They don't know it, but I'm coming back for these sandwiches.
I decided to grab lunch from this place.
I went for the chicken, pickled veggies, and egg frittata. It was tasty, but I wouldn't say it was leaps and bounds better than any of the similar dishes like this I've had elsewhere.
For dessert, I picked up these creme puffs. They were so good, and only 3 for about $5.
They pack them in these really nice boxes for you if you take them to go, but I knew these weren't going to see 11am. 😄
If you're looking for a good photo taking opportunity, Eataly is a great place for it. There are lots of people, and things to photograph. You can practice everything from macro shots, to action shots, to food photography.
On the way to the Annenberg, I saw this Randy's Donuts. It was the glam L.A. version of Randy's. I've never had a Randy's donut, and took some to go. It was overpriced for what tasted no better or worse than your typical donut.
There is never a shortage of things I want but did not buy at the Annenberg. I love that they sell all these quirky photography-related things in their gift shop areas. These pillows would look so cute in my living room.
Want. It. All.
So the exhibit that's currently on display is called This is Not an Ostrich. I had no idea what that mean or referred to when I went. I learned that it was basically an exhibit of photos from the Library of Congress that depicted the story of America. I thought this was an interesting exhibit, especially given the division that we see today in America over politics, economics, immigration, etc.
A small space was set aside for this project called Story Corps. They had iPads and headphones for people to listen to stories of everyday Americans telling their stories. The stories they had varied, but I really liked the one where this man recounts the time he told his family he was gay. It's a recording of him telling the story to his brother. It was very sad and heartwarming, and after listening to it, I totally understood why they included this story. It's the type of story that speaks to the issues that Americans face currently, and may be looked at by future generations, giving them a glimpse into what life was like during this time.
They even have a cute recording studio if you want to record your own story. The lady at the display said that what you record could even be featured in the future. How cool is that?
The documentary that was shown was amazing. Earlier, I said that the photos on display are from the Library of Congress. If you thought to yourself, What is the Library of Congress?, then this documentary will answer all your questions. I learned so much about it, and featured this lady who gets paid to travel to all fifty states and document American life. Her photos were amazing, and what a dream job that would be!
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