Fall Foliage New England style

Fall foliage was great! 

The route was NY, CT, RI, MA, NH, ME, NH, VT, CT, NY in 3 days.  Didn’t make everything but did see quite a bit.

Day 1

New Haven, CT/Yale

Sleeping Giants State Park, CT

Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria, New Haven, CT (They say it’s the best…it was pretty darn good!)

Mystic, CT

Newport, RI

Providence, RI (sucked…traffic was so bad in the city and we couldn’t park. Found questionable parking. Ran around Brown in the dark, taking photos that didn’t really come out.  I’m not even sure I can say that I have seen the city.  Saw the state capitol from a distance)

Missed out on Plymouth Rock, MA

Missed out on Salem, MA (I really wanted to go but it was late)

We made and unscheduled stop in Boston, MA.  This was a Dodgers v. Cardinals playoff game that A really wanted to watch…we caught the last 2 outs of the game.  We were RUNNING through the streets of Boston and saw it at Jose McIntyre’s, the first bar we saw.  We had Sam Adams Oktoberfest and they clinched.  Then we went to Legal Seafoods for chowda and Sam Adams Oktoberfest.  Loved both.  Can’t remember why we skipped Mike’s Pastry…A thought they were closed and we found some girls with Mike’s Pastry boxes in Fanueil Hall who told us that they were still open.  Guess I’m never going to have their cannolis as I have been in the city 2x and I couldn’t find it the first time.  Then went to see where A used to live in Boston and Fenway Park.  The Angels were playing there the nest day.  They clinched too, btw.  All in all, our 30 minute stop became 3 hour stop.  Parking ended up being like $38…we had skipped $20 parking when we first got there because we thought it was too expensive. 

Day 2

Portland, ME

Augusta, ME (saw the state capitol)

Acadia National Park, ME (loved it)

Bar Harbor, ME

Missed White Mountains National Forest, NH.  I really, really wanted to do this drive but for some reason, right when we got there, like 1-2 miles from the entrance, the traffic stopped.  We weren’t moving for 30 minutes.  The sun was setting.  So we headed back into ME and had dinner.  Some people told us it was all the people leaving the forest and headin back to MA and others said the fair was in town (this was a traffic problem but I thought we passed it).  So we watched the New England Patriots lose to the Broncos 20-17 in ME with a bunch of locals and had a yum dessert, Whoopie pie with ice cream.  Drove the White Mountains National Forest in the dark 2 hours later.  No traffic at all.  Sad that I didn’t get to see all the colors but Acadia was gorgeous so it was okay.

Day 3

Hanover, NH/Dartmouth

VT/NH border

Hartford, CT (had a gorgeous park in the middle and a cool state capitol)

Merritt Parkway (so pretty, tons of Art Deco bridges)

Barely made our flight because we got confused in traffic through NY freeways.

The End.

The perfect boots

Why is it so hard to find them? 

I’m still kicking myself for not asking this woman, who was wearing the perfect boots last night at LAX, where she got them.  I just got back from my fall foliage trip in New England, still in a daze, and the LAX Easy Parking shuttle arrived too quickly.  She is one lucky gal.  I have been searching for perfect cognac leather high heeled boots for months.  The heel should be sculpted, slightly chunky, very 70s.  Hers had a small buckle at the top of the calf and at the ankle.  They looked amazing.  This exact color but not the same style:

I already have a pair that look like these though.

Where are you boots?

San Diego…then Peru

San Diego is this weekend and Peru is next week!!!

San Diego…

San Diego, California

Girls weekend!  I love weekend trips and I’m really looking forward to it!  My first away trip with these girls.  I have  no idea what is in store…Diane is handling all the plans.  I just need to get myself to OC and hitch a ride with them after work on Friday.  I’ll probably meet up with Peter from UCLA if we get some sense of what’s happening but that’s about all I know.  And I think the freedom of it make is exciting.  It’ll be about 7-8 girls and I’m sure there well be a lot of ideas but it’s bound to be fun!

Peru…

Machu Picchu, Peru

I have gotten side-tracked from planning my RTW trip because of my upcoming Peru trip.  I’m really looking forward to it!  I feel like I’m going to learn about about my personal strength by traveling with my dad.  I haven’t done it in so long and it’s just the two of us.  I was apprehensive in the beggining but I’m starting to feel that it’ll be okay.  I just need to go with the flow on dad’s ideas and if I plan out the ideas for the latter half of the trip out before I leave, I think it’ll be just much more copacetic.  Some of the places we’ll be checking out over the 2.5 weeks…Lima, Cusco, Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley of the Incas, Puno, Lake Titicaca, Floating Islands of Uros, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Nazca Lines, Ballestas Islands.

Revamping the blog

If anyone is still reading this, I’m going to turn this into more of a travel blog soon in preparation of my big RTW trip next year.  I’m hoping to leave in April 2010 but will see how it goes.  I know, I should have a definite date, and I will soon but I need to spend some more time figuring out how much money anticipate having by then.  My goal is to have this blog revamped by the end of this month and more of a RTW focused blog, with some random little adventures thrown in.  But  it’ll be extremely hard as I’m going on a dream trip to Peru at the end of the month and need to plan for that and I’m going to be very busy over the next few weekends, so who knows!

Some quick goals by July 2009:

• Make this a RTW focused blog, with some random little adventures thrown in, deleting unrelated posts and recategorizing
• Start linking to other travel blogs and leaving comments
• Blog about upcoming San Diego and Peru trips
• Blog about past trips of just the cities that I’ve been to in 2009
• Blog with a minimum of one photo per post…a little hard when both your cameras are BROKEN!!!
• Starting thinking about how to make this blog lucrative

#30 Go mail a letter to someone once a month

(accomplished November 1, 2008)

I’ve also been very good about this to I’m calling it done but I’m going to continue to do this throughout the 1001 days.

#29 Go call Mom at least once a week

 (accomplished November 1, 2008)

I’ve been pretty good about this so yay for me!  It’s done.

#38 Go volunteer for an organization or at an event

(accomplished October 23, 2008)

This wasn’t exactly the kind of volunteering I wanted to do but I volunteered at a fundraiser for my old boss.  I’ve done this tons of times but when you’re no longer vested in the success of the event, it’s so much easier and less stressful!  I got to see some of the people that I used to help and I went with old co-workers went for drinks afterwards.  It ended up being very nice.  I plan to do volunteer for a non-profit event soon but at least #38 is done!

#11 Go make party shuffle for my iPod

(accomplished August 23, 2008)

Oops.  Looks like I never published this one yet.

I did it for a party I had on A’s roof.  Just dance-y music that I love.

It was a good time.

Modern Library’s Top 10 Novels

Goal #72 is Go read the Modern Library’s top 10 novels.  I’m not sure how I feel about this list as I haven’t necessarily heard these novels being touted as the best ever but the ones I have read on the list are pretty much my favorites of all time, so I’ll hope for the best.

1. Ulysses, James Joyce
2. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce
4. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
5. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
6. The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner
7. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
8. Darkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler
9. Sons and Lovers, D. H. Lawrence
10. The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck

I’ve only read the Americans!  I swear I’m not closed-minded.  I just haven’t ready anything since school!

Los Angeles for Tourists

In my experience traveling, when people find out I’m from LA their first reaction is a kind of awe (I’m not trying to sound superior, it’s just what I notice and it’s a much better reaction than the one I get when I tell them I’m from the US so I’ll take it) and the the second thing is almost always the question, “Do you see a lot of celebrities?”

The answer is generally to tell them that they’re not on every street corner but I do see them periodically. 

To date I have randomly seen the following celebrities (and I use this term lightly):

• Morrissey (I just about died)
• Scarlett Johansson
• Kate Walsh
• Kelly Osbourne
• Julianna Margulies
• New York (Flava of Love and I Love New York)
• Jeffrey Sebalia (Project Runway 3…I just about died here too)
• Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston
• Chris Isaak
• Oscar de la Hoya
• John Cleese
• Rene Russo
• Joe Pesci
• Edward Norton
• Helena Bonham Carter
• Danny Masterson
• Chris Masterson
• Jimmy Smits
• Random people from Mad TV and Curb Your Enthusiasm that I can’t name of the top of my head.

Wow, this list is kind of shitty.  I’ll have to remember the bigger celebrities and add them.  I know people who have seen Peter Krause, Bret and Jermaine from Flight of the Conchords (why not me?), all of whom I would have loved to see.  I always forget who I’ve seen so I’ll update this again later.

People always want to come to LA to see the “Hollywood” places.  I’m writing a short list of what people want when they visit here.  I’ll allow you to go to these places but only if you promise not to tell others that this is LA.  These are yucky, self-fulfilling perceptions of LA that further propagate the stereotypes that everyone in LA works in the industry, is superficial, and is stupid.

The Sunset Strip:  A lot of touristy stuff here.  You could spend some time just walking up and down the Strip to see all the “Hollywood” type bars and people.  Almost nothing of redeeming value here other than the site of where I broke my collar bone (Saddle Ranch…yes on the mechanical bull) and the spot which used to house Dublin’s (I miss you and your comedy nights, Dublin’s) and these are only memories.  It’s time has long passed.

Universal Studios:  This is not the most exciting theme park and actually is probably the least exciting place in Los Angeles that people always want to go to.   I would suggest if you are short on time, or not short on time, to skip it.  It should be the first thing off your list. 

Venice Beach:  I find this place revolting.  Everyone always wants to go there and all they offer is a dirty beach, Bob Marley posters, and bongs.

The Ivy:  I think this is still the restaurant to go to if you want to see A-Z list celebrities. 

Better and Great Alternatives:

The Getty Museum:   Where you will have an incredible collection of art, amazing views of LA and the museum itself is gorgeous.  http://www.getty.edu/museum/about.html

Walt Disney Concert Hall:  Either just to see the buiding (Frank Gehry-designed) or actually go see a performance. http://www.laphil.com/about/wdch_overview.cfm

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery:  The place where, most famously, Marilyn Monroe is buried.  This is actually really cool.  A great “Hollywood” cemetery but it is hard to find.  It is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue.  It is very close to a major street (Wilshire) but the driveway/entrance to it almost looks like you are going into the parking lot of the nearby hospital.  I drove past it a few times before locating it.  You may need to ask for directions when you are in the neighborhood.  Many other famous people are also there including Dean Martin, Truman Capote, and Don Knotts (!!!), among others.  Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, will be buried there.  He already has his name on the tombstone.

Graumann’s (Mann’s) Chinese Theatre:  It has some history.  Where all the old movie stars have their handprints and footprints in the cement in front.  [Avoid the nearby Hollywood and Highland shopping complex like the plague.  The Kodak Theater is there (where the Academy Awards are held) but I think the complex is a horrid place with terrible architechure.  There are a few major stores there though, if you just want to do some shopping.  It's cliche but The Grove is a cuter, newer outdoor shopping area that is very popular and probably a better alternative.  At least it has the Farmer's Market.]

Movie Premieres:  Frequently on Tuesdays in Westwood, there are major movie premiere at either the Bruin or Fox theaters (which are across the street from each other) where you can see all the celebrities arriving.  You may want to look into this. 

Disneyland:  It’s not the same thing as Universal Studios as a theme park, it’s so much better.  Disneyland is ALWAYS fantastic and highly recommended for people of all ages.