The Huntington

My mom and I both had The Huntington on our to do list for some time now. She was especially interested since she found Recollections of Pioneer Work in California by Rev James Woods (an ancestor on my dad’s side of the family) in the library. So we had to make a day of it when she was in town last week and what a sweet surprise it was…..

It was a beautiful day in Pasadena and entering the 207 acre grounds was just jaw dropping. There is quite a bit to see on your first visit between the library, the art collections and the botanical gardens, so make sure that you plan on staying awhile to enjoy as much as you can. It’s a $20 entry fee on weekends ($15 during the week) or you can buy a year membership for $100. If you live close, that’s not a bad idea since it’s a great place to bring a blanket, a book, and a picnic lunch and spend a Sunday afternoon there.

The Huntington Library is one of the largest and most complete research libraries in the in United States in its fields of specialization. For the general public, the Library has on display some of the finest rare books and manuscripts of Anglo-American civilization. Altogether there are about 6 million items which in itself is pretty spectacular. The Huntington Art Collections consists of two buildings – The Huntington Art Gallery which was originally the Huntington’s residence and displays one of the finest collections of European art in the nation, and the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art which brings together American art from the colonial period through the middle of the 20th century. A third structure, the MaryLou and George Boone Gallery, hosts changing exhibitions. Lastly the The Huntington Botanical Gardens consist of more than a dozen gardens over 120 acres. Most notable are the Desert Garden, the Japanese Garden (my favorite!) and the Rose Garden.

None of this would be possible without Henry Edwards Huntington, one of the owners of the Central Pacific Railroad, who decided to move to Los Angeles in 1902 and bought what was then known as the San Marino Ranch. His special love of books, art and gardens led him to create the finest research libraries in the world, establish a significant art collection and create an array of botanical gardens with plants that span the globe. This non profit institution, founded by Huntington in 1919, host some 500,000 visitors each year and I recommend it to anyone in the area!

Disneyland with Sophia and Vincent!

I had such a great time with the fam last weekend at Disneyland, finally taking advantage of the last of the complimentary tickets from my old IMD days. We hit most of the signature rides – It’s a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Big Thunder Mountain, and of course, it wouldn’t be Disneyland if a few weren’t down for renovation or repair – Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, and Matterhorn….Uggg! I hate when that happens!

But we had the pros with us – Denise, Sophia and Vincent who frequent the park on a regular basis so we maneuvered around like nobody’s business! And it would never be a completely satisfying trip without heading over to California Adventure for my most favorite ride in the entire world, California Screamin’! There’s nothin’ better than the adrenaline rush that a roller coaster can give you! (Well, I guess, jumping out a plane could do something similar ;)

Thanks guys for a memorable trip to the “Happiest Place on Earth”! Looking forward to our next visit together! :)

Danielle and Ryan’s Palm Springs Wedding

Danielle and Ryan hosted such an elegant and romantic, yet simple and oh so inviting wedding last weekend at the Villa Royale Inn in Palm Springs. The weekend started off with a cocktail party at The Tropicale on Friday night, then an all day pool party at the Villa on Saturday leading into the nuptials Saturday night, and finishing off with a breakfast on Sunday morning.

Mike and I stayed at my Dad and Dale’s since they only live about 15 minutes away which worked out perfect. We got to spend quality time with them, work out the details of buying their car (YAY!) and even fit in a ride on Dad’s Harley! Thanks Dad! That was so much fun!

Altogether the weekend was a blast! It was a great time catching up with old friends, meeting new ones, but most importantly, exuding pure joy watching Danielle and Ryan start their lives together as husband and wife. I couldn’t be happier for two of the most awesome people on this planet!

Here are a couple of photos I took from the wedding. Danielle looked ab-so-lutely stunning, such a beautiful bride!!!!

American Idiot The Musical

American Idiot, the musical, is an intense and emotionally charged show filled with punk and rage along with a full dose of sex, drugs and rock and roll! The story is based off Green Day’s Grammy award winning multi-platinum album, American Idiot, following the lives of three best friends, Johnny, Will, and Tunny as they eagerly search the meaning of life. Anxious to start their lives, Johnny and Tunny bail their small town and head for freedom in the big city while Will stays back to work out a complicated relationship with his pregnant girlfriend. Tunny quickly gives up and joins the military as Johnny painfully fights addiction, falls in love then loses it all. What an amazing journey to self discovery depicted through the most heartfelt interpretations of songs only to end up in the same place where it all started – back at home with each other.

Directed by Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), American Idiot immediately broke box office records after it’s first opening at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in September of 2009. And after receiving the highest accolades from critics everywhere it was a natural decision to move the show to Broadway. The show opened in 2010 at St James Theatre and went on a year long run to include 422 performances grossing close to $40M. In addition, the show won two Tony Awards for Best Scenic and Lighting Design as well as a Grammy Award for Best Musical Album. While Green Day did not appear in the production, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong performed the role of “St. Jimmy” occasionally throughout the run. And to properly close the show, Green Day performed an hour long concert following the last performance! Ummm, how cool would that have been!?

In December of 2011, their national tour was launched in Toronto, Ontario and hit Los Angeles in March and April of this year. Unfortunately, Sunday, April 22 was the last performance at the Ahmanson Theater in LA, however, for all of my San Diego and Marin friends the show will be hitting Costa Mesa from May 29-June 3 and San Francisco from June 12 – July 8. It really is a must see, especially if you’re a Green Day fan! 10 years ago, a friend won tickets off the radio to see them at The Warfield (2250 person venue) and luckily, she invited me to go with her. I have to say, it was truly a life changing event that I will never forget and seeing the musical was definitely a nostalgic reminder of that night…

Beastie Boys Tribute Band at The Belly Up

Last month for Mike’s best friend, Jason’s birthday, we went to see one of his favorite bands, a Beastie Boys cover band, at the Belly Up in Solana Beach. Not knowing too much before getting there, we were pleasantly surprised and a little confused when a jazz group came out and started playing their sax and trumpet. Who were these guys? Where was our Beastie Boys band? Before we knew it, a bunch of white dudes come flying out singing the Beastie Boys beats….on point! Well, come to find out that it was Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe playing with Slightly Stoopid’s Beastie Boys Tribute Band. Who would have thought that jazz would have mashed up well with the Beastie Boys? Well they did, and they sounded freakin’ awesome!

Karl Denson has had a storied career in the music industry starting out as a sax player in Lenny Kravitz‘ band on his first album, Let Love Rule, and remained with the band for 5 years. He then went on to release 5 albums of his own, created Greyboy Records, then formed the Greyboy Allstars, which became world renowned as the ultimate groove band.

“My style is based in dance.” says Denson. “I love the idea of creating something that naturally makes people want to move.” So he took things to the next level and added R&B, funk and hip hop elements to his music and formed Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and went on to tour all the major jazz music festivals from 1999-2005. He continues to perform all over the United States…

It was an entertaining show to say the least, just a little long for my liking. (I can usually only do about 2 hours, 2.5 hours tops and we were there a little over 4 ;) Slightly Stoopid played all the best hits from “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” to “Brass Monkey” to “Fight For Your Right to Party” and “Intergalactic”. They definitely dressed the part too, switching from gold chains and Adidas for the earlier “License to Ill” material to outfits reminiscent of the “Intergalactic” video for later material. Loved seeing them at The Fillmore 5 years ago and loved seeing them at the Belly Up as the Beastie Boys Tribute Band!

Danielle’s Bachelorette Party Hollywood Style!

The ladies got together last weekend to celebrate the bride to be, Danielle, Hollywood style! We stayed at The London in West Hollywood, home of the Gordon Ramsay restaurant, then off to Red O for dinner and The Spare Room at The Roosevelt for drinks after. What a super chic and glamorous night! We had such a fun time and I especially enjoyed meeting the rest of Danielle’s friends that I’ve been hearing about for 10 years now! Take a look!

Lobby at The London

Rooftop pool where we had lunch

Signature spot at Red O

Bowling lanes at The Spare Room

The Rose Bowl Flea Market

I’ve been wanting to go to the Rose Bowl Flea Market ever since I moved to LA, but just haven’t been able to make it since their schedule is a little tricky (it’s the second Sunday of every month). We knew we’d be in town for the March market, so we marked our calendars and made a plan to go!

I kind of decided before I got there that the first trip would be more of an exploratory visit since I wasn’t on the prowl for anything in particular and just wanted to get the lay of the land and take it all end. (I’ll have much more of a game plan for sure on next visit!) We got there a little on the later side, about noon, which seemed to be their peak hour (most of the vendors start packing up about 3pm, but it doesn’t officially close until 4:30p). I would definitely suggest getting there on the early side for 2 reasons – avoid the crowds and it takes at least 3-4 hours to get through most of it. It costs $8 to enter at 9am, but the early birds can pay a little extra – $15 if you get there at 7am and $20 if you’re super motivated and arrive at 5am. (I think I’ll shoot for 9am next time. ;) Children under 12 get in FREE!

There is so much to look at (not gonna lie – it can be pretty overwhelming for the first time). After walking through the front gates, if you go left you’ll hit the vintage goodies, if you head right it’s more of what you’ll see at some farmer’s market – people selling their jewelry, spices, photographs, etc. I wasn’t there to see that stuff. I was much more interested in checking out the unique-one-of-a-kind finds. You know, the treasures you find on pickers or storage wars. There is SO much great stuff-vintage cameras, furniture, house decor, guns, clothes, art, trinkets, etc. There are endless booths that just ooze this stuff. I mean, it’s pretty unbelievable and totally worth seeing.

I do recommend the trip out, but here are a few things to keep in mind before heading out. Get there as early as possible to avoid crowds and get decent parking (it can be challenging, but it’s FREE), check the weather because if it’s going to be hot (and most likely it will be) you’ll want to make sure to get the sunscreen on, wear cool, comfortable clothes and don’t forget those shades! Bring a bag or cart to carry away all your goods in, and last thing, bring water if you can. It’s totally overpriced – $3-$5 bucks a bottle.

Happy Shopping!

Birthday at Firely Bistro

Last weekend a few of us got together to dine at Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena to enjoy a little grub and celebrate my 36th (yikes, did I just say that?)!! A few co-workers had suggested Firefly (modern American bistro) so I thought, perfect – a new recommend! (Later I came to find out that there are a couple of Firefly restaurants, one in South Pasadena and one in Studio City and all three were referring to both)! Looks like I know where my next stop will be!

The atmosphere was a little odd – the tables and decor were kind of cottage casual like. It actually looked like somewhere we’d go for lunch and the place was pretty dead when we walked in. Seemed a little weird since we had 8pm reservations on a Sat night. However, the food spoke for itself – more than satisfying and our waiter was really on top of it (I think he may have been on something though ;). The food is described as modern American bistro. They pride themselves as not mixing food from countries, but instead, staying true to the region or country that the dish is derived from.

The table shared a couple of appetizers that sounded kind of funky but were actually very tasty:

Spicy Butternut Squash Doughnuts with toasted walnut-madras curry dip and oregano honey

Sweet and Sour Braised Bacon with black lentils, chard, pears & basil

I had the Rosemary Roasted Game Hen with duck fat crisped parsnip, confit fennel & spinach, chervil, tart apple and sauterne

And Mike had the Grilled Flat Iron Steak with salt pork roasted potatoes, buttered asparagus and stout Worcestershire

I have to say that we were all very pleased with our dinner and service. We would definitely go back again (although I would like to try out the other Firefly first)!

Delicious Weekend in Marin

We spent a nice long weekend in Marin and wanted to post a few pics from the trip. Had a fantastic time visiting friends and family especially since I haven’t been up in so long, plus the weather could not have been better! Hope to see you all again soon, and of course, you all have a place to stay in LA if you can make it down!!!

Beautiful afternoon on the patio at Sam’s – oysters with a view!

Dinner at Picco Pizza with Nat and Kev, then had to hit up our Larkspur favorite – The Silver Peso!

Gorgeous day for a ferry ride to the city!Then our annual crab feed in Novato….Yummm….

Failed to take photos at the bocce court and the BBQ thereafter at E and D’s! :(

Beer for the People

Mike and his best buds have been working on their passion project – making craft beer – for almost a year now. They’re well on their way with a successful first time hop crop, a 10 gallon brewing system and a historic farm soon to be turned brew/tap room. (More to come on that in a future post when they’re ready for prime time…) So I’m sure one can imagine there’s lots of “research” to do in the making of such a thing. And we have been anything but shy to get out there and do it!

It’s no surprise that San Diego is a beer lover’s paradise! With over 30 craft beers, San Diego has more craft brewers than any other city in the country.  A beer enthusiast culture is on the rise and is continuing to grow. So no doubt, there are plenty of places to turn for inspiration (think Stone Brewing Company, The Lost Abbey, Ballast Point Brewing Company, Iron Fist Brewing Company just to name a few).

But only recently did LA’s long-dormant brewery scene start to explode. In 2009, Eagle Rock Brewery became the first to open within city limits in more than 60 years along with Strand Brewing. Since then, Nibble Bit Tabby Brewery and Ladyface Alehouse opened shortly thereafter.

Eagle Rock Brewery immediately grabbed our attention. There was so much we related to in this quaint, 4500 square foot craft brewery – the father/son team are just great people with a compelling success story, the tap room is simple and inviting with a view into the microbrewery, and the size and distribution plan closely mimic Mike and Co’s business model.

They became an LLC in 2002 and spent 7 years brewing beer in their garage before perfecting it and officially opening their microbrewery in 2009. With just 4-6 beers on tap at any one time (including a seasonal brew for those special occasions), they’re “dedicated to producing unique artisanal beers using the best ingredients to promote the ongoing development of the beer community in Los Angeles.” They don’t have an interest of adding food to that commitment so they work with the food truck industry and have them conveniently parked out front on Fridays and Saturdays. Clever idea guys!

They also host tons of events like trivia night (2nd and 4th Weds), women’s beer forums (every 3rd Weds), and brewhouse tours (Sundays at 1pm, 2:30pm and 4pm – free!). So take a drive over for a great story, yummy beer (Manifesto is my favorite!) and a warm atmosphere!

Hiking LA

Sometimes I sit back and think about how fortunate I am to live in California – you’re never too far from the ocean and never too far from the mountains. With the Pacific only a 40 minute jaunt by car and the San Gabriel Mountains on my back, I certainly don’t feel any different living in the LA area opposed to the Bay Area. And since running half marathons is temporarily a thing of my past (while I patiently await for my foot injury to fully heal before I start really hitting the pavement again) I’ve been spending a lot more time hiking (and doing yoga). Holy heck, does LA have a lot to offer! With the help of some friendly advice and tons of websites, below are a handful of hiking trails that I’ve enjoyed these past few months.

Of course, during summer months these hikes are recommended earlier in the morning due to the heat and lack of coverage on the trails themselves. And don’t forget good trail shoes, your shades, and a bottle of water is a must!

Happy trails! :)

Hollywood Sign Hike via Canyon Drive, Los Angeles

From Franklin Avenue go north on Canyon Drive. Once the road enters Griffith Park, it’s stopped by a locked gate at the trailhead. Park in the small lot at the trailhead, along the street, or in the spillover lot just south of the trailhead. It’s about 5 miles round trip. We didn’t go all the way to the top, (there is a trail that takes you to the back side of the sign that I didn’t realize at the time) but we definitely were able to enjoy the sign close up and snap a pic or two.

Echo Mountain via the Sam Merrill Trail, Pasadena

The trailhead is at the top of North Lake Boulevard where it dead ends at East Loma Alta Drive. The trail is 5 miles round trip, and once you reach the top of the mountain there are 3 additional trails you can take if you’re making a full day of it – Cape of Good Hope, Inspiration Point, and Mt Lowe. But the best part of the hike are the ruins from a hotel that was built back in 1894, called the Echo Mountain House. Back then, the only way to access was by the railway. What a fantastic piece of history and a wonderful surprise! :)

Griffith Observatory via West Observatory Trail, Los Angeles
Take Los Feliz Boulevard and go North on Fern Dell Drive. The trailhead starts on Fern Dell Drive across from Trails Cafe. Street parking is available or there is a small parking lot a little farther up the street. Cross over both footbridges that you see then veer left and follow the board path as it begins to immediately curve to the right. It’s about 2 miles round trip and at the top is the beautiful Griffith Observatory! It was such a clear day that you could see all the way to the ocean :)

Henninger Flats via Mount Wilson Toll Road, Pasadena

Take North Lake Avenue until you hit East Altadena Drive. Take a right and follow until you reach Crescent Drive. Take a left and park where Crescent Drive meets Pinecrest Drive. Walk along Pinecrest until you see the bridge that takes you over Eaton Canyon. The trailhead starts here and is about 5.4 miles round trip. At the top is a campsite, picnic tables and a restroom. Leave around 10am and plan to eat lunch at the top over a picturesque view of Pasadena!