Before I tell you about my first ever 420 friendly carnival...let me give you a little disclaimer. I am a little impulsive; not like "let's go sky diving in the buff" impulsive but more like book a quick trip across the country with 48 hours notice impulsive. See nothing too crazy, but an impulse is exactly what it was when I decided to experience my first 420 carnival.
But see in my defense, I wasn't the only one running on impulse. See Seth Rogen decided on August 26th that a weed carnival would be a fun and unique way to raise money for his annual fundraiser Hilarity for Charity. This adult only carnival featured carnival rides, celebrity run game booths, old fashioned fair food and weed. Performances from acts such as Tony Hawk and Anderson Paak kept carnival goers entertained and churros and pretzels kept us full.
Proceeds from the fair went toward research to fight Alzheimer's disease. Witnessing his mother in law develop early onset Alzheimer's has lead Seth to make fighting the disease his passion.
So now I have an even better reason to just book the ticket and go. I mean I am a cannabis travel agent for crying out loud I have to bring you first hand knowledge as often as I can. I also had family there that I hadn't seen in forever (okay it was more like 8 months but work with me here) and most importantly it was for a good cause.
How can I think of planning and rearranging schedules at a time like this? the Hilarity of Charity needed me!
So the first thing I did was buy my carnival ticket...most people would have bought their flight first but if you know anything about a a weed event you know they tend to sell out fast (Side note: good thing I did because tickets were sold out within 2 hours)..
With admission secured...I called my fam, packed my bags, grabbed my cape and headed to L.A.. Of course I flew out on Spirit Airlines. Y'all know how I love Spirit Airlines...today. I had more than enough airline miles for a virtually free round trip flight.. I had to pay the taxes and fess which came to about $62. I didn't have to purchase my seat and I would only be gone a few days so my "spirit bag" was perfect and free.
I flew out to Cali on the day of the carnival. I left on the earliest flight possible from Baltimore and with the 3 hours time difference I landed in L.A. with more than enough time to make it to the carnival.
Before I get to my carnival foolery I think I should pause and back track to my short layover in Vegas before my second leg to L.A. During my short 90 minute layover I wandered over to the Great Steak in Terminal A.. Here is where my whole cheese steak life was changed.
Being from Baltimore I was born and raised on cheese steaks and fancy myself an expert. Now before you you go tagging and emailing me about who has the best cheese steaks...let me inform you.
Yes. I've had an authentic Philly cheese steak
No. I am not a fan
Didn't you just read me say I'm from Baltimore.
Baltimore cheese steaks are far better than Philly cheese steaks...fight me.
This isn't about Philly versus Baltimore though, this is about the life changing cheese steak i had in Vegas from the Great Steak.
This here cheese steak was better than Philly and Baltimore cheese steaks combined. Again...don't @ me just try it for yourself.
Okay back to the fair...
I arrive in Los Angeles with just enough time to grab the rental and head to the fair. Actually I have a little extra time so I decide to check out MedMen. I didn't see the point of bringing sand to the beach so I flew from home without any weed. I had every intention of enjoying Los Angeles cannabis scene with a clean(ish) palate.
So a quick stop by MedMen was a must, I had to see what the "Apple store" of cannabis dispensaries was all about.I have to admit I liked my short experience at MedMen, the staff was friendly, patient and informative, the selection was pretty decent and I was able to try strains and products I couldn't get at home.
I fight a little L.A. traffic and arrive just at the start of the general admission gate opening. Upon entering I start to look around a little to get the layout and see if I can spot any celebs while it was still early. There were so many many food and beverage vendors who donated their time and products to this awesome fundraiser.
Of course a day at the fair wouldn't be complete without a Ferris wheel ride and carnival games. I played a few carnival games manned by Adam Devine, Busy Phillips and Regina Hall.. I go to take a quick pic with Quinta Brunson of Buzz Feed and A Black Lady Sketch Show and hear a little Anderson Paak live. I got this adorable caricature of myself drawn on the spot by BLT Communications.
I didn't stay at the fair until the very end, my jet lag was starting to catch up with me. I headed to my family's house to call it a night. Before heading in I stopped by a smaller neighborhood dispensary, much like Vegas, L.A. has no shortage of weed dispensaries. I like to visit both large and small operating dispensaries. The RDC Collective was nice enough to let me come in literally 3 minutes before closing ( I had no idea they were closing so soon) grab some canna honey for breakfast and go.
The rest of my time spent in L.A. was spent being a cheesy tourist with my family. One of my favorite things to do when traveling is spend at least one day exploring the city as a tourist. I thoroughly enjoy touring cities on the Big Bus. The Big Bus is a double decker bus usually equipped with a tour guide who gives you all the interesting facts, tips and history to some of the most famous tourist sites around the world. It's an inexpensive, quick way to explore your destination, you can stay on board and tour the full loop or hop on and off at your leisure (this makes for a cheap transportation around town). Major cities like New York, Chicago and L.A. have multiple loops that take you to all the major attractions.
On Monday it was time to head back home completely happy with my impromptu adventure. I'm normally a planner and prefer to arrange my travel way in advance. I like to map out how I can optimize my trip and find that perfect work/play balance.. This time I decided to just go...do what's needed to get me there and figure out the rest later. I didn't even bring my laptop; which would explain why this blog is so late. :-)
But hey better late than never..
Ayanna