Coachella

MC and I went to Coachella last weekend without R, who at the last minute jumped ship!  She missed out.  So much fun, even though I felt like an old lady with all the foot, knee, and back pain I had after 3 days in the desert.  The weather was slightly cooler and more bearable than most years, around 95-99 the whole weekend. 

Biggest regret:  I completely missed Cold War Kids!  I was in the Sahara tent for Boys Noize and totally lost track of time!

Second and Third biggest regrets:  Missing the Shout Out Louds and The Cool Kids.  We were supposed to meet up with this guy who was hooking us up with VIP passes and didn’t meet up with him until 3:10pm…Shout Out Louds started at 3:00pm and there was no way we were getting in before the end of their set.   The Cool Kids were already done.  Oh well. 

Biggest surprise:  Prince still has so much energy and puts on a great show for whatever age he is!

Celebrity sighting:  Scarlett Johansson with unnamed gentleman in the Sahara tent (I think it was Boys Noize)

Highlights:

Friday:  Cut Copy, Goldfrapp, The Verve (the crowd was a little lame)
Saturday:  Hot Chip, Boys Noize, Portishead, and Prince
Sunday:  late start…Gogol Bordello (still like them much more in a smaller venue), Simian Mobile Disco, Justice

Parking:  Nightmare as always.  When will they figure this out?  It’s been 9 years and it still takes hours to get in and out…luckily, we got some good tips to put into play for next year – Washington to 50th saves about an hour.

Loo:  Nightmare as always.  When will they figure this out?  It’s been 9 years and…okay only used it once the whole weekend…the desert dehydrates you.  And with the VIP wristband, I get a special loo with running water!

I had a good time despite my misgivings about the lineups.  And it seemed like there were just as many people as any other year. 

Photos will be posted shortly!  I took a ton over the weekend to make up for Filter party.

Update: Photos posted

Santa Barbara

Jalepeno Martini in a mason jar from Palace Grill, Santa Barbara

A and I went to Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley for a weekend. 

Some favorite photos:

Poppies

A and I went to see the poppies at the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve this past weekend.  It. Was. Amazing.  If you are in Southern California, try to make time to see them this weekend!  They are at their peak right now and it’s supposed to decline pretty quickly.  A few years ago and they were okay but were told if we had come 2 weeks prior, we would have seen them at their peak.

Here are some of my photos:

If you are looking for a place to eat around Lancaster, I highly recommend Tacos Si Senor!  We come here every couple years when we go to see the poppies at the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve.  We ate here twice in the same day 2 years ago.  It’s off the same exit from the 5 if you are coming from Los Angeles, but on the east side of the freeway (you turn west for the Poppy Preserve) about 1-2 miles down the road.  It’s on your left hand side.

It’s a colorful Mexican restaurant in a strip-mall (the grocery store that was there a couple years ago is now gone), serving tacos and more.   The menu is overwhelming.  There are photos of about 58 items and there are plenty more items that aren’t photographed.  Everything we have tried there is great as as we remembered!  They are known for their seafood (they even have fresh oysters).  This weekend we had the fried tilapia, shrimp ceviche, and the 3 taco plate (we had chicken, carnitas, and carne asada).  All were basically perfectly prepared comfort food (the tilapia was a tiny bit salty but I like salty).  Nothing fancy just really good.  Portions are generous.  We were stuffed and had to take a full box home. There is a salsa bar and some marinated vegetables that we could eat all day.  No free refills on drinks so I was limited to one Mr. Pibb but that was okay.  They kept the water coming.  It’s a local place, the service is friendly and fast.  They have futbol games on.  Some of the drinks come in traditional bottles.  We came on a whim, looking for some unpretentious Mexican food, and Tacos Si Senor delivers.  Plus, I love the name. 

Based on memory, I think the prices were around: Fried Tilapia $7, Shrimp Ceviche $3.50, and the 3 Taco plate $5.50.  They serve alcohol and take credit cards.

Tacos Si Senor, 1137 W Avenue I, Lancaster, CA 93534