[Oh, Snap] Gallivanting Through Crissy Field and Over the Golden Gate Bridge

January 4, 2015January 4, 20151 Comment

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For the last week of 2014, my wanderlust swept me away from the City of Angels and up to my favorite City by the Bay – San Francisco. Even though I was born and raised in the Silicon Valley, now that my father lives in the heart of the city I spend a significant proportion of my time gallivanting around neighborhoods in search of epic street art, beautiful scenery and the unique architecture of the city.

Typically, my parents are my road dogs while I roam but this time, Danny and I enlisted a few of our LA favorites to explore with us. Due to weather issues (typical) and unexpected detours (also, typical) over my last few trips, we never managed to make it down to Golden Gate Park, and I’ve kinda been begging, pleading – maybe even whining – to be dwarfed by the awe inspiring Golden Gate Bridge. As we descended on the city after a hearty (and delicious) brunch at the Butler and the Chef, my friends asked around to see where we wanted to go; after squeaking ‘Golden Gate Park’ from the back seat, my friends smiled in agreement. In sync, we took a sip of our roadies while rolling down the windows, the slow backbeat of a moody rock song filled the car while the engine purred in response. Adventure was calling, and we were ready to answer.

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How lucky were we that the last day of the year also turned out to be a beautiful one? A quick storm from Canada trampled it’s way through California earlier in the week. Though it left the city windy and cold our first night, paved the way for radiant blue skies dotted randomly with assorted fluffy clouds. First on the list – Crissy Field. Originally build as a US Airfield, Crissy Field has since been repurposed into one of the best natural spaces in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is often considered the Golden-gateway, or proverbial front door, to the Presidio.

Slowly but surely, we made our sundrenched way through the winding paths and up through the Battery Trail to a great viewpoint of the Golden Gate Bridge.

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One thing I’ve always stood by is that you never know where the limits of your comfort zone are if you refuse to push them. So, on Wednesday – I decided to conquer my tried and true fear of heights (known as acrophobia) and walk the Golden Gate Bridge.

What are you determined to accomplish this year?

Shout out your resolutions in the comments below and let’s conquer them together!

[Eagle Walkin’ and Eagle Rockin’ v5]

October 24, 2014October 24, 2014Leave a comment

Leaves are changing, seasons are rearranging – and I’m falling in love with this town all over again…

[Oh, Snap!] Eagle Rockin’ and Eagle Walkin’ v4

October 2, 2014October 2, 2014Leave a comment

If there’s one thing to be said for our weather in Los Angeles, it’s that we more or less don’t have any. Seasons ebb and flow between too hot, moderately hot, incredibly hazy and is that fog or mist? But with the shift from Summer to Autumn, there’s a coastal wind that’s reaching inland and the sun is rising just a little bit more to the South for a slightly more pleasant wake up call. The best part for me is that with the weather just a bit cooler, I’ve been on the rise and grind and out the door for morning runs on the regular. It’s the perfect hat trick of confidence – physically, mentally, and emotionally – and I’ve been making it a point to get lost in a place where I’ve more or less found myself. Enjoy!

[Oh, Snap!] An Afternoon at the Huntington Botanical Gardens

September 7, 20142 Comments

Between my father and step mom being in town, and Danny’s mom heading down for the day – we’ve been inundated with family time, and it’s been perfect! Last night we went out on the town with my family, grabbed some sushi and enjoyed downtown Pasadena. Today, we thought we’d try something new so we cruised down to the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens for a beautiful adventure. Revered as one of the world’s epicenters for culture, research and education – the Huntington itself is a Non Profit institution founded by Henry Huntington back in 1919, almost a century ago. During his lifetime, Huntington procured and collected an immense collection of art, classic and historical literature and my personal favorite – an assortment of botanical gardens from all over the world. From the Australian outback to the Jungles, to Chinese and Japanese Gardens to the Rose and Herb Gardens, and with over 120 acres to the Huntington – there’s a little bit of something for everyone.

To start, we wound around to the Chinese Gardens to admire the lush vegetation, incredible architecture adorned with sacred geometry and the most delicious iced jasmine tea I’ve ever had the pleasure of slurping down.

After spending an hour meandering through the Chinese Gardens, we waltzed down by the running river and into the Japanese Gardens, to find an area adorned with the most extensive assortment of bonsai trees I’ve seen in my entire 30 years of existence. I swear, some of the trees were nearly a century old and so incredibly miniature!

As we exited we were pulled into the canopies by the rose gardens while we caught our breath (it was almost 100 degrees out, mind you) and wouldn’t you know it but we stumbled right upon the full glory of their rose gardens, with so many different and beautiful hybrids.

Finally, as we left four hours later we had to stop and smell – and eat! – the edible herb garden; I tasted a flower that tasted sweet and peppery – I so wish I remembered the name right now, but it was as beautiful as it was delicious.

With the size of the Gardens themselves, here’s simply no way to see everything on the grounds but boy, did we ever try. Do you have a favorite local botanical garden that you enjoy? Whether it’s in the Southern California region or across the globe, I’d love to get some ideas on other amazing botanical garden’s to fawn over.

[Oh, Snap!] Eagle Rockin’ and Eagle Walkin’ v2

April 30, 2014April 30, 2014Leave a comment

[Get Your Earth Day On]

April 22, 2014April 22, 2014Leave a comment

“Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you’ve got a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies-“God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”

Kurt Vonnegut

There are currently over 200 Million active users on Instagram and between the lot of us, we load about 60 Million snaps a day, amassing over 20 billion pictures to date; of those 20 Billion, about .2% – or 40 Million – are #selfies,a term that as of last year -not only made it into the Oxford English Dictionary, but was nominated ‘word of the year.’ Last year, the Smart Phone Market overran the PC Market with over 1.75 Billion Smart Phone users in the world, including 56% of Americans – up from 35% 2 years ago. Of the 1.25 Billion Facebook users, roughly 25% play games on the daily. Since 2012, the number of Americans streaming digital media like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon has gone from half the population to almost 70%, and digital streaming devices can now be found in 14% of American households; up double from 2011. Between new developments in gaming systems, social media and technology, it’s become all too easy for the majority of us (including myself) to forget that there’s this amazingly wonderful planet that we have the opportunity to explore. I firmly believe that each day is a new chance to appreciate the beauty that surrounds you, and that goes doubly so for today, Earth Day. Today’s a day to be in awe of your surroundings, fully immerse yourself in your environment, and celebrate the beauty that surrounds you – a day to honor your relatives, both ancestors and those to come, by embracing nature and all it has to offer; and I hope more people choose to pay attention to the details and take the time to smell the flowers. As tied in as I find myself with all things internet – from my addiction to House of Cards to my love of Caturday pictures, I’ve felt an extreme need to detach myself from these chains that masquerade as wifi signals and find some real, personal connection with my surroundings. Back in 1969, a young environmental activist named John McConnell found himself in front of the UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, pleading with peers and mentors alike that the world deserves a day to both honor the idea of peace and rejoice in the Earth’s beauty – and the year after, Earth Day was born. In almost half of a century, the event has manifested from a local, California event into a global masterpiece in over 190 countries.There are ample amounts of Earth Day festivities around the globe that you can take part in, but if you want to do something on a smaller and more personal scale – try these on for size:

Ditch your wheels! Head out on foot, with skates, on a bike or with public transportation – did you know that there are some gorgeous smelling flowers just three blocks away from your house? Well, now you do!
Shop local and try out the Farmer’s Market around the corner or the Mom and Pop shop on the corner
Take a thick book into a lush park and don’t return until you’re halfway done; set your imagination free and leave your cell on silent
When you’re with company – do the polite thing and turn off your phone, or as a baby step – try just your mobile network. When you’re with good company; not like you need to see how many likes that rant on Facebook got you while you’re enjoying your surroundings, right?
Get off the grid and explore – find a new hike or walk in your neighborhood; activity loves company so call a friend or three and get your endorphins pumping
Help record the sound of our planet with Global Soundscapes
Replace your mobile gaming with a physical board game – or active sports – and invite some friends over for some friendly in person competition
Turn off anything with an electronic pulse and cultivate some creativity; arts and crafts shouldn’t just be for elementary school!

[Oh, Snap] Eagle Rockin’ and Eagle Walkin’ v1

April 17, 2014April 30, 2014Leave a comment

In the last month since I’ve moved in with my boyfriend and away from the Miracle Mile area, I’ve seen the landscapes shift around me – both physically and mentally. Admittedly, the biggest real change is that instead of having multitudes of shops and consignment stores to both pop my head into as well as empty my bank accounts – I now have fleeting foliage and blossoms opening up to the sun, tree lined streets and smiling strangers. Over the last four years, it seems I fell into an incredibly comfortable pattern – and truth be told, I probably should have shaken it up sooner; I’ve fallen absolutely in love with my new ‘hood and have the pictures to prove it =) enjoy!