Local Deliciousness

If you ask anyone I've lived with, I'm really good at being up in the morning. In fact, I'm so good at it, that I often get up early even when my game plan is to sleep in (and trust me, that bites). Despite my reluctance to wake up so early, there's one thing I look forward to every, single morning:

Breakfast.

So much so, that I may even go so far as to call it my FAVORITE meal of the day. Especially when it's shared with others in the ritual we Americans call "brunch".

Now, little did I know that I would have the fortune of moving within walking distance of two of the neatest brunch places I've ever eaten at.

The first, a hole in the wall cafe, appropriately titled "Cozy Cafe". Initially, I thought this tiny square box was a super sketch place to walk into, but I'm glad I didn't let it's small size dissuade me.

Good things do come in small packages at the Cozy Cafe, where Carlos and his sidekick whip up some of the best hotcakes and eggs I've ever laid eyes on.

The front room has a "pull up to the table" kind of feel, where people are all seated in a circle, as if waiting for breakfast like kids in a family, while mom & dad (in this case Carlos and Hugo) are frying up things as fast as they can.

The walls also offer some entertainment as you wait to feast, dawning all sorts of vintage pictures and funny sayings from corner to corner. And to coffee enthusiasts like me, my cup is always filled by Carlos the moment it gets too empty. He's the best.

It's delicious, friendly, and did I mention delicious?
The prices are great as well.

One of the best deals is their 2 by 4, which includes hotcakes, eggs, sausage, and bacon--all for the awesome price of 5 bucks! However, for those who can't digest gluten well (me unfortunately), their AMAZING omelettes and potato cutlets will definitely do the trick.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/cozy-cafe-redondo-beach

Okay, if that wasn't neat enough, another joint called the Wild flower cafe is also a 5 minute walk from my door step..

Here, you will be greeted by the great smelling aroma of fresh food and flowers. Since the weather is 80% always awesome, I highly recommend the patio.

Ahhh, sitting in the breeze under an umbrella, it's just heavenly.

Their menu had all sorts of goodie's and even had such diverse options as to offer gluten free bread (which is unheard of). http://www.yelp.com/biz/wildflower-cafe-redondo-beach (to check out their menu further)

So, onto the more important part, the actual food.

I had the wild flower Omelette, which consisted of egg whites, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, and fresh slices of avocado--so good. It came with fruit, roasted pototoes, and brown rice bread (woohoo! It's the little things...).

Needless to say, I will be back for more soon.

Until the next meal or adventure (the first being inevitably soon), catch ya later.

Santa Monica Mayhem

Santa Monica...a beach that's notorious for a few things:

It's Pier--
Packed with shops and live entertainment.

The muscles--
or rather the little devices along the beach you can use to test your strength (zip lines, rings, bars).

& Bubba Gump Shrimp--

This is the nifty sign they use to tell waiters whether or not you need assistance--Run=we're good, keep moving. This, this is a brilliant idea. Solves the whole awkward dilemma where guests are in an intimate conversation, and the waiter's responsible for knowing whether or not you want a refill. "Oh you just broke up?... Would you like another sweet tea..?"

I also enjoyed stopping by here for it's reminiscent qualities:
those childhood days (and sometimes currently) of getting a good old, "I love you, Jennnay"

and lastly, because I genuinely LOVE shrimp, and this was shrimp haven.

There's other things SM is known for, like it's elite force of beach cops on beach cruisers:

There to serve and protect the public from seagull stealth and littering. (In all seriousness, I'm sure they have some real work they do out there--however, watching them cruise around was pretty funny.)

And last but not least, Santa Monica is also great for it's motivational signs:

" Do not back-- I mean, give up".

--Until next time, J out. 

Only in Hollywood

And it was onto Hollywood.

I learned a few things during this adventure.

A) I now know the street (Cahuenga) that youtube sensation Tracey was on while she was filming her infamous "My pushup bra will help me get my man back", http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtkU2ch0sRI

and 

B) Hollywood is super touristy with little bang. I mean, no offense hollywood you're cool and all, but expect large crowds and people hassling you for money. The scenery is nice, palm trees line the walk of fame, but so do people in gaudy costumes who like to steal your money, and tourists with large cameras taking pictures of the ground, literally. I was one of them, so no shame there...

My favorite part was meeting this guy:

When you're first driving through, the first thing I noticed was: palm trees. 

 Hello Hollywood...

and then onto the concrete jungle...

 here's where I began to take pictures of the ground:

Of all the stars on the ground, the one I appreciated the most was Sandra Bullock. Not to get too sappy but she's a star in hollywood and in my heart.

P.s. that thing in my hand is Chic fil A soft serve...delicious. It was a perfect pair for a sunny day.
Of course I stopped by Grauman's Chinese theater. One of the few places you'll watch strangers electively place their hands and bodies on the ground in public:

Street view.

Star wars? Yep. 

Star Trek? Check.

Harry Potter? Well, that's a silly question...

Twilight?..... not my jam. Sorry twihards.

"Change the World". I also LOVE Will Smith. He's just a whole bunch of awesome.

As I was walking back I passed by a billboard I thought looked like Britney Spears...

Well, I was way off. Sorry Beyonce, the curly, platinum blonde, hair threw me off.

Anyway, she's repping Pepsi--so I feel that there's a lot that's off about this billboard.

Needless to say I walked into the Gap below and bought this gem:

I was happy to take it with me on my beach adventures. I don't normally like hats, but this one made me feel very pretty. It also made my blue eyes pop--no complaints there.

As we were walking back to our car I also saw this cute little space:

Amongst all the city and chaos it was nice to see some greenery. Gardens abound here in SoCal. I love it.

Well, last but certainly not least I'd like you to meet my travel buddy for this adventure who assisted in taking pictures of me and the ground:

He's a little shy so I sneakily snapped this one while he was driving. Sorry I'm not sorry. 

Until the next adventure--

Back packing to Hermosa Beach

The next day, after touring through the nice and cozy beach city of Redondo Beach, I was curious to see what the more social Hermosa Beach had to offer.

I packed up a beach chair that doubled as a back pack, threw on my sunglasses, popped in my earphones and headed down Pacific coast highway.

I looked something like this:

Yes, laughter is welcome.
and yes, I took a selfie.


Most of the way through the trip, and two bathroom breaks later, I realized--maybe walking with a huge chair stocked with food, a book, and a backup ipod was not the greatest idea. However, I trekked on.

There was lots of cool spaces along the way...

You can see the beach in the distance...

And palm trees growing out of sidewalks

And a biker path for the beach bikers to follow...

In the end, it was all worth it for this incredible view:

I layed in the sand and cracked open WILD by Cheryl Strayed. I read about her adventure along the pacific coast trail, while hearing the pacific in the background...it was a neat experience to read about her adventure while on my own in a place that was close to hers...

Unfortunately on the way back the backpacking became a bit tedious and I gave in and bought cab fare back. I ended my day by showering and falling asleep shortly after.

This whole jet lag thing is for real, huh?'

Until next time...ZZzzzZZzz

Bed....check.
Sunscreen...check.
towels....check.
preparedness?....to be determined.
Sanity?...that's debatable.

So there I was. 2 bags full of what was left of my tangible life, a lap top and a guitar.

My sister welcomed me from the airport in high heels and a pencil skirt-her usual savvy style. Though watching her try to lift my life while she was in heels was pretty comical.

Meanwhile I'm wearing my GA sweatshirt that's had a lot of loving (I mean, it's vintage-right?) looking like a total noob.

Needless to say I crashed that night, only to be refreshed and ready (at 6 am--9am my prior time) to go adventuring for the day.

First stop, a local adventure: The streets of Redondo Beach.

I step outside the first morning, and..........clouds. Lots and lots of clouds.

Now, SoCal is known for it's incredible consistent sunny weather, so I looked up at the sky and laughed.
Needless to say, throughout the day the weather became more and more sunny, and I sighed with relief to know that I had not been tricked.

First things first, coffee:

After downing what is referred to as the "dirty hippie" (soy chai with a shot of espresso) I was ready and caffeinated to go walking around the cloudy streets of the Pacific Coast Highway.

My next mission? Food... (I am only human, afterall).

Along the way there was a lot of great scenery. I noticed that most of the houses were covered in flowers of some sort, I mean LITERALLY covered and there was green stuff every where. I took a few pictures to capture the essence:

Flowers along a concrete wall.

Palm trees lined the street--a rarity in GA. 

I also crossed some road art on a school...

and a billboard that stated exactly how I feel:

I also spotted a cleverly named pho shop, Asian/Vietnamese cuisine--I'll eat you soon "pho show"!

And a sign, that doesn't apply to me....yet.

Finally, I reached my food destination. Trader Joes. Mostly healthy, decently priced organic foods because they buy their stuff in cash. (or something along those lines). Either way, it's inexpensive healthy food--gotta love that. Bonus points, I made friends with the cashier. The customer service here has been phenomenal. Beach people are super friendly. 

I also spotted a farmers market sign, this place has caught my heart in one walk.

So, I got some grub, and some wine as well, and these were my spoils:

Red wine, oatmeal, apples & bananas (my staple fruits, and because I love the song), clif bars for convenience and carrots because I'm really a rabbit. I wiggle my nose and all.

I also saw this beautiful sign. This is my new home, my new adventure. 

That morning I discovered that my new home is a friendly, SoCal town with lots of little shops and enough major stores to allow you to live here comfortably. 

As I arrived home, I began to put my room together and I heard a door bell. At first, I was terrified because I was the only one of my roommates home and I wasn't expecting company. I stood outside the door for a little while until a friend sneakily urged me to open the door. I did, and this is what I found:

A sea bath care package. Inside was a note requesting that I take time to relax, after finishing my undergrad I was looking forward to this time of being away and enjoying the beach.

So far, the adventure has been grand and I'm looking forward to my next adventure.

Farewell ATL

I've been spoiled.

I grew up in the 'burbs of one of the greatest cities in the nation.
The ATL, formally known as Atlanta, and not so accurately known as "hotlanta" to those who clearly didn't grow up in the southeast.

Piedmont park, the world's largest aquarium (yes, you heard right--largest!), and world of Coke. Furthermore we have a bunch of random statues and picturesque spots amongst the random buildings in d.t. due to the 1996 Olympics.

Now, let's be honest, Atlanta is still like the kid brother of NYC and LA but, it's growing and starting to make more of a place in the national radar-lookout NYC.

I will miss the Botanical gardens, the hip hop centrality, and melting pot of cultures.

The sky line at night--beautiful, and the crazy airport that makes it possible to go any where directly from Atlanta. In fact, one guy I met stated that he pictured Atlanta was just one huge airport with buildings between . Well, that's almost accurate, almost.

a guitar, 2 bags full of clothes, and my toshiba...yes, that's all folks.

And I said, 

Flew in one of those horrid flying tubes-- all to say...

and hello to adventure.

-J