by Benji
Catchy title, right? I spent a weekend in the sunny Beverly Hills of California, and it was nothing short of amazing despite a moment of misfortune.
This mini vacation was to let loose, soak in the present, be one with myself, to relax. Besides, I had been making enough money selling online products in one of my Shopify stores, I deserved the break. Going to Cali is one of my favorite places, I still have so much of the world to travel but I think this one is going to stay awhile.
The energy is different out there and I don’t know how to describe it. Some say that its filled with snobby people, others say its’ filled with chill people. I’d like to think that it’s no different than any other place could be. When you tend to look at things from the brighter side it doesn’t make it difficult to enjoy what is around you. I love it, case in point.
When I flew out there I already had everything rehearsed for the weekend. I knew what I wanted to do; drive fast cars, catch up with friends, make memories. Pretty simple if you ask me. Hopping off the plane my boy Jacob Roy CEO of Malibu Autobahn had picked me up in the first rental I asked for. The Porsche 911 Carrera S, fully stocked, blood red leather interior.
We made a quick get away from the airport to switch me to the driver seat. This car pops and crackles like no other. It’s distinct and has a nice hum to the sound of its cruise. I happily drove up and down PCH for at least an hour. I usually make this drive when I’m out there finishing my travels in Malibu to soak in the ocean air. I lead myself back downtown to grab some gas before I went back to Agoura Hills, but for a different motive. Stopping at that gas station in DTLA was a blessing. The gas station was conducting some construction at the time so when I pulled up to the pump I had nowhere to go but reverse. Soon after swiping my card a fresh nardo grey Audi R8 parks itself behind me. I had to say something to this guy, he seemed pretty cool. That is where I met my good friend Sanders. Of course I complimented his flashy sports car and he acknowledged mine as well. I let him know it was a rental and he didn’t give a shit less if it was or wasn’t. That’s when we exchanged contact information and hit the streets to play some music of our own. I was very happy to have met Nicholas that day.
https://youtu.be/B0rvFxGf3DQ
I finished off the day going to check out Jake’s new facility he had been using for supercar storage I’ll call it. This place was the size of an airport hangar and it had all the toys to go along with it. This had also been the first time I had seen a Rolls Royce Phantom in the flesh, what was even more astonishing was seeing Big Ass Fans hanging from the ceiling. These things are like 30 feet long each blade, they really know how to move air around the room.
After driving the Porsche for a bit I grew impatient for the Lamborghini I had been waiting on. Let me shed light on the subject. The vehicle I was in the market for to rent the entire weekend was the Lamborghini Gallardo Performante Spyder LP 570-4. In short, there’s 13 of these Lamborghinis in the entire world, being red in color. Another renter had it the day I arrived so I would be driving the 1 hour both ways to pick it up the following morning. Now that were up to speed I woke up that morning ready for action.
I already drove the Porsche into the ground, next up a 560 horsepower rocket ship. This certainly was one of the fastest, coolest, most expensive vehicles I have driven. Let me emphasize fast for a moment. I felt the skin leave its original position on my face, fast. I furthermore raced throughout the Santa Monica Mountains anticipating the arrival of a longtime friend of mine. He had nothing going on that weekend and decided to fly out to meet me and see what this thing was made of. Of course I let him drive it; for a block. I don’t know if that was selfish of me or wise but I agreed to one block to really rip it. Putting him in the cockpit ripped a smile across his face as I clasped the ‘oh shit handle’.
Later that evening I went to link with some friends in the hills. My buddy is a vegan tattoo artist using all vegan products. He was giving everyone including myself tattoos in this beautiful mansion overlooking the city. I didn’t know what I was walking into, this not being my friends home. I didn’t think anything much of it but rolling up to the house I was impressed. After being welcomed upon arrival I was ushered through a door the size of a bay window. Also something I admired for what its worth. Around me I see about 20 people, and I am no fool to the understanding that this place was a full-blown trap house.
I thought it was amusing to be surrounded by people who had such business liked minds, in other words we got along. Half the population in this place was slumped playing video games on an 80” flat screen as the other half was getting tattooed and drinking daiquiris. Surround sound blared through the house spilling onto this oversized patio. All that was being played was Pop Smoke. I had never heard Pop Smoke before and this was my first encounter with his music. It was different, I got a 50 Cent vibe from his voice immediately dumping me into his sea of fans. Once it was my turn to get a tattoo, I realized I hadn’t even planned what I wanted to get on me. How could I forget when I have planned every other activity on my itinerary?
https://youtu.be/0BbHjS8wN4Q
On the spot, I decide to put ‘If Only We Had More Time’ on my forearm. I felt it was suitable for my personality. I’d always wished for more hours in a day, 48 if possible, more if I could be so selfish as to acquire it. As you can tell I spend probably more time than necessary on planning than I do thinking about what is happening right now here in the present. I look at this tattoo now as a symbol of my appreciation of time. It has made me more time conscious and it has given me more gratitude having it. How ironic is it I get this tattoo the day before crashing a supercar?
Nonetheless this tattoo helps me in many ways. But the most prominent reason is to soak in the moment. Time is not something replenishable unfortunately and for that we should adore.
The following morning I felt on top of the world. I’ve got a bright red Lamborghini in the basement of a garage in the middle of Beverly Hills. I couldn’t wait to start the day. As you know it was a mini vacation for me, so I started off a little extra. Breakfast, coffee, gym, the whole nine yards. I even went out for a drive through the mountains to Malibu again, this time for a photo shoot of the car Oceanside.
Post shoot I head back to my place on the UCLA campus to edit the photos I had just taken. It had only been just after 10:00am that I was heading down Wilshire Blvd through Beverly Hills at a cool 30mph posted speed limit, yes actually.
Before I knew it the backside of the Lambo was backed up into a street pole, completely turned around facing the opposite way of traffic.
Driving through a green lit intersection a Lexus NX 200-T awaiting their turn to take a left makes an impulsive push at an attempt to cross the road before I pass completely. Resulting in this large SUV to make contact in my driver side door. Thus spinning me around 180 degrees tossing me into the street light on the corner. This all happened so fast I didn’t know what to think, the first step is simple being get out of the car. I rush to the other vehicle to find she is fine and just shook from the encounter, understandable. You just T-boned a Lambo lady, that’s front-page news sweetheart.
Authorities show up soon after to take statements, and at the same time I have people coming up to me trying to make friends to drive me home. Yes that is very nice, but no thank you I don’t want to find out you’re bringing me to a non-disclosed location against my will. I decline all offers for aid in transport. My next move is to call the rental company and let them know that I just totaled their most expensive rental in their fleet.
The conversation went over smoothly after explaining how it had happened. Being that I didn’t need immediate medical attention I quickly ordered an Uber accepting an offer I couldn’t pass up. So I rode another 1.5 hours north back to Agoura Hills to retrieve my next vehicle in replacement. The generosity and understanding given to me at this time was superb.
Upon arriving to the rental companies’ garage they greet me with the keys to a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GTS Coupe. This right here, was a dream come true. I only had another 24 hours roughly before I returned home so I knew considering the lost time from the accident I wanted to make the most of it. So I sped off back to LA and this car gripped the ground with more G force than I wanted to use. I don’t know if it’s a fact or not, but, I think it’s faster than the Lambo!
I finished the night taking myself to Meat on Ocean steakhouse in Santa Monica, one of my go to spots 10 out of 10 would recommend to a friend.
https://youtu.be/EyNMXQAOpqQhttps://youtu.be/-_xqvpmnS-Y
You must log in to post a comment.