Soooweeee!! We spent a whole week in Southern California! Dividing our time between Orange County and LA, we got a good dose of the sunshine, freeways, and un-bikability of the area. It was so good to see my family down there--Aunt Janice did a great job of getting everybody together on several occasions, which is a big feat because that family is always growing! Ben and I were lucky enough to have the freedom to explore LA and the OC with the help of a car Uncle Dirk let us borrow. Some of the highlights of SoCal:
-My new friends Olimpia and Christian (from the Vipassana retreat) invited us out to a Day of the Dead celebration at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It was incredibly beautiful, interesting, and packed full of people--the number of people with their faces painted like skulls probably equaled the entire population of Alaska. But we survived.
-Hiking in Topanga Canyon with my dear friend Sara, who I traveled in India with! She was an excellent tour guide, taking us out for cheap vegan Thai food, cruising the promenade in Santa Monica, and out to the pier. She's also a photographer, and couldn't help taking amazingly beautiful photos of us, which confirms my belief that everyone should have a professional photographer on hand at all times.
-Dinner Party at my friend Juliet's house. She's an amazing cook! And we were lucky enough to get fed by her, as well as meet her awesome friends, boyfriend, and roommates in Echo Park.
-The Getty! Ben and I made it to the art museum about an hour before sunset, saw an incredible photography exhibit, then sipped tea and watched the sun turn the smog filled sky into vibrant shades of fuchsia.
-Knott's Berry Farm Amusement Park. Because all Alaskan kids are deprived of the glory of roller coasters. We spent the whole day there, went on about 12 roller coasters and there were no lines! Worth it.
So we did have some good times in Southern California. It is a beautiful place and there's plenty to do there...but I don't think I'll be moving there anytime soon. People always ask how we can put up with copious amounts of rain in Juneau, but I would take rain over hours and hours of traffic any day. It's glorious, truly, but unfortunately word got out.
And so we head into the more rural parts of America, seeking out thrills and people and great views that aren't already populated by one million of your closest friends. But stay tuned...the adventure will soon change gears...
-My new friends Olimpia and Christian (from the Vipassana retreat) invited us out to a Day of the Dead celebration at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It was incredibly beautiful, interesting, and packed full of people--the number of people with their faces painted like skulls probably equaled the entire population of Alaska. But we survived.
-Hiking in Topanga Canyon with my dear friend Sara, who I traveled in India with! She was an excellent tour guide, taking us out for cheap vegan Thai food, cruising the promenade in Santa Monica, and out to the pier. She's also a photographer, and couldn't help taking amazingly beautiful photos of us, which confirms my belief that everyone should have a professional photographer on hand at all times.
-Dinner Party at my friend Juliet's house. She's an amazing cook! And we were lucky enough to get fed by her, as well as meet her awesome friends, boyfriend, and roommates in Echo Park.
-The Getty! Ben and I made it to the art museum about an hour before sunset, saw an incredible photography exhibit, then sipped tea and watched the sun turn the smog filled sky into vibrant shades of fuchsia.
-Knott's Berry Farm Amusement Park. Because all Alaskan kids are deprived of the glory of roller coasters. We spent the whole day there, went on about 12 roller coasters and there were no lines! Worth it.
So we did have some good times in Southern California. It is a beautiful place and there's plenty to do there...but I don't think I'll be moving there anytime soon. People always ask how we can put up with copious amounts of rain in Juneau, but I would take rain over hours and hours of traffic any day. It's glorious, truly, but unfortunately word got out.
And so we head into the more rural parts of America, seeking out thrills and people and great views that aren't already populated by one million of your closest friends. But stay tuned...the adventure will soon change gears...
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