0035 -- elk prairie campgrounds

While we had been staying with Donna she told us about the wild elk that were currently on their run through the Redwoods...well, she wasn't kidding. We stopped in Arcata after Jordan recovered from some minor gut rot to get a bagel at Los Bagels, which was a really good bagel, but more so their guacamole was insane! I could have eaten it by the spoonful plain.

After Arcata we thought we would be camping near the beach but after a short stop we realized that it was much windier on the coast than we had expected so back into the forest we went.

Elk Prairie was easily the weirdest placed campsite behind a long narrow fern meadow and then down a small hill and then next to a brook under the redwoods, really, Disney could have created this scene. 

We missed the elk at night, but were fortunate enough on our way out of the campground to not only see them, but up close and nearly too personal for comfort. 

Update again soon.

xxo!

0020 -- the long and winding road

jordan and i are getting excited for the next few months, and are currently trying to save some money so we're finding some new ways to have fun, hang out, plan things without spending any scratch as we're getting married in only 64 days and there's still a lot to be paid for! post wedding we're hoping to take a week to drive up north through the California coast and Oregon coasts as a "faux-moon" since we'll be waiting to save up to take a proper honeymoon! of course trying to decide where to go is an adventure in itself! here are a few possible routes we looked at:

neither of us have ever driven all the way up the coast. although we've both been to different areas up that way. we've got a small list of cities and spots we'd like to hit, but are trying to keep a pretty open mind since we don't have any definite time that we need to be up north! as well we're trying to camp most of the cities on the way up. hopefully we'll be able to find enough camp grounds and rest stops that will serve us. here's the places we'd like to see:
santa barbara & san luis obispo
cholame (where James Dean died), cambria, san simeon (for Hearst castle)
big sur for camping and hiking
carmel & monterey (jordan has never been to the aquarium up there!)
sf, berkley, & oakland
glass beach
redwoods & humboldt
camp blanco st park, or
eugene, or
astoria, or
along with all that we've been trying to look up some good car games. my best marissa is letting us borrow these auto/driving bingo cards which will be great.

do you have any fun car games that you could share with us??

0016 -- a weekend in review

we had the most magical weekend in palm springs and i'm totally trying to bring myself back to reality (of course that isn't working out to well for me). we went out with our largest group to date (15 people) and it was just the perfect way to do it! we had a hell of time on Saturday getting seats at the pool at the Ace, despite the fact that we were there before lunch. it turned out just fine since our room was ready early AND we got upgraded to an awesome patio room!!!

anyways, enough rambling, how about some photos!!

me and the fiance, happiest birds in the desert!

our old roomie and one of the best gals around, dawn!

my maid of honor and best gal pal, marpow (we were so obsessed with this wall we all have 100 pictures in front of it)!

how killer was our canvas comforter?!

getting down on some bill's pizza

most incredible pizza ever!!!

some of the lovely ladies we were out with

started sunday off right!

stacey and i sunning with her baby Domi!

marni and zach treating me like a total princess <3

reading in the shade


last picture before we packed up the car and headed south!

0015 -- echo park lake

we recently heard around town that echo park lake was finally re-opening. we live just up the hill from the lake in angelino heights so we've been looking forward to have somewhere else to walk! of course we were out of town the actual weekend it opened and we've been saying for a few weeks now that we should walk down and check it out.

last night after i got home from happy hour with a girlfriend jordan and i finally decided to throw on our tennis shoes and head down the hill. although it was after 9 the lake was still busy with runners and people walking their dogs.
now i'll admit it's been a few years since i've actually been to the lake, in fact i feel like it's been under construction for years now...but they had a lot of work to do. the lake was known for being a little gritty, over run with homeless folk sleeping on the grass, and it just felt a little trashy. here's a photo of what it looked like before:
it looks great now, the lake is clean. the boat house looks to have been rebuilt. new benches were put in all around the lake. the lotus flowers are almost ready to open and i believe that there is actually a lotus festival where they'll be opening the bridge over to the little island in the lake.


we're so excited to make this walk a part of our weekly routine!

0013 -- palm springs!

jordan and i have been going to palm springs pretty much since we first got together.
our first trip out there we didn't stay at the right hotel, but still found ourselves loving it. this weekend we're due back out for our first trip of summer (although it may be our last trip until the wedding since we have just too much going on). a ton of our pals from LA and AZ will be meeting us out at the Ace, where we try and always stay.
since we go out so much, we've developed some serious love for a bunch of little spots out there. from anniversaries, birthdays, girl's trips, or just a day visit there's a little something for everyone in the desert's most fabulous city!

Copley's - we've celebrated jordan's birthday on their patio. they have killer food, a great atmosphere and my favorite fire pit/patio.

Woody's Burgers - oh man, where do i start...it looks sketchy and kinda icky, but man this place does some killer burgers. a must hit on the way out of town and you need to sober up after drinking bloody mary's all morning...

Bill's Pizza - they don't deliver, but they make the best pizza i've ever had. stop in and enjoy the people watching, or grab a pizza on your way to the hotel and eat in your room!

Cheeky's - the best breakfast you'll find in the desert (if not most places). there's always a crazy long line, but it's totally worth it!!
The Ace Hotel - the "it" place to stay. go and use the pool for the day, eat at king's highway, drink at the amigo room. the most comfortable beds we've ever slept on and just killer design of the whole hotel.

Moorten's Botanical Garden - we stumbled on this place and will be having our wedding photos taken here. with over 3,000 kinds of cacti you won't believe how beautiful this place is!

and just to throw it all in perspective, here's a little map i drew (please excuse the "you are here" just a sneak peek at some wedding design work)!

0009 -- the eggo

father's day is coming up on saturday which means jordan and i will be trekking back south to see our families. we haven't been back in over a month and i'm looking forward to getting to see some of our friends and go out to some of our old favorite haunts.
when we first started dating jordan lived in a really cute little bungalow in north park. for the first few months i would take the train south every friday night and come back on sunday night. we'd spend our weekends trying out little cafe's where we could drink iced coffees and play card or try some little restaurant. we'd usually end our nights meeting up with some friends and one of the many watering holes in the area...

here are a few of our favorites around north park and downtown:
sushi deli - always a wait, but so worth it. try the sweet potato roll!
inn at the park - super cute joint right across the street from balboa park and in walking distance of hillcrest. our studio room had a full kitchen too!
twiggs coffee shop - the best almond croissant!
bronx pizza - real NY style pizza in hillcrest (great for a quick lunch mid shopping)
pokez - with vegan options (like potato flautas) you can't go wrong!
the linkery - they cure their own meats, they have a killer beer selection and it's right across the street from bar pink!
guru tattoo - go see Tom and let him zap you, you won't be sorry!
cherry bomb - super cheap drinks, great punk and metal jukebox, and quarter games of pool
whistle stop - cash only, but always a great time and an inside/outside smoking area for those of you who still partake.
livewire - our favorite, we had a our first unofficial date here!
rudfords - it's late, you're a little buzzed and know you don't want to wake up with a hangover, go to rudfords and get some late night breakfast
bar pink - you may have stepped into dumbo's bubble bath. nice stiff, cheap drinks and usually some kind of live band on the weekends you can't go wrong.
starlite lounge - need a spot for a date? or maybe you gotta get out of the dog house? take her here. she'll love it.

photo via tumblr.

0008 -- the desert

if you know us, then you know we're really into the desert. we tend to go to palm springs for a day at the pool followed by a night of gluttony. our instagrams are filled with photos of the cacti and fields of turbines.

just before the summer weather got into full swing in the desert we took our first trip out to joshua tree. we had recently bought our honda crv and decided to take it car camping since at the time we didn't own a tent. we did a little research and prepped ourselves with lanterns, an air mattress, and a few blankets. we'd car camped once before in our friend's scion xd and hoped this time would be even more successful. jordan and stephen even created window screen from some suction cups and photo light bouncers!

the drive to joshua tree is almost like going to palm springs for us. it's all the same sand dunes, wind turbines but then you keep going and it turns into these brightly colored scattered little adobe homes and these crazy bulbous rocks. then your cell service stops and you really just have to take in how pretty it all is.

we stayed at the jumbo rocks camp site which was the perfect spot, right behind our camp were just miles of desert and rocks for us to go climbing on. each site had a grill, picnic table, and a fire pit which made making dinner (heating up some vegan chili we made) super easy! the weather is reasonable from october to may, although the winters are known to get a little snow and pretty cold at night. because we were there in early may, it was still in the mid 70's to low 80's while we were there which allowed us to take a few day hikes, although hanging out at camp was really just perfect! we did take one trek into the town to see what it was like (pretty much a little hippy town) and to wash our faces/take showers at the public showers out there. unfortunately the crochet museum wasn't open, so we'l have to hit that on our next trip out there!

should you find yourself needing a little trip away from home, but not too far, i would totally recommend a little visit out to joshua tree!

0007 -- in the neighborhood

as we continue to travel around the states, i've been thinking a lot about the last five years here in the city of lost angeles. so often i'm asked about where to go to dinner, or if there's a good bar in the area. i'm not sure why i'm asked (i am the first to admit that i like spending my evenings working out at home and going for a walk the old victorian homes that i live near). it's taken me a little awhile to put this list together, but i wanted to share some my favorite spots to hit.

i've had the joy of living in a few different parts of la and have had some real adventures here. from the bike scene to working in fashion. from food to art shows and most things in between los angeles has helped me grow up and figured out what is important. when i first moved here i was working for free people, going out to the cha cha most nights, and was eating a lot of vegan. sunday mornings were spent at the hollywood farmers market trying to decide if my menu this week included clover honey or tomatillos. living in east hollywood made for some great spots between silverlake and hollywood proper to visit:

the cha cha - try the bloody mary
green leaves - it's all about the "chicken" drumsticks
hollywood farmer's market - bring you own bags!
ground works - ice coffee forever
griffith observatory - go for a hike, check out the stars, great the day after it rains
stout burger - get the one with the fig jam
the drawing room - pbr in bottles and sunday rock and roll karaoke
alcove bakery - the princess cake and smoked salmon bagel

after moving away from east hollywood and no longer working for free people. i moved down to korea town, worst parking and traffic i've had to deal with, but some really cool drinking spots and so easy to get on the metro which opened up so many possibilities since i didn't have a car for the first seven months that i lived here. although walking around probably wasn't the best idea jordan and i often found ourselves walking the 'hood to see what was up. here were a few of the neat places that we discovered:

hms bounty - cheap and filled with old sailor types, try the onion rings!
r bar - wednesday night karaoke
seongbukdong - the la ribs
soot bull jip - take a group so you can try everything
bohemia - they give you popcorn with your drinks!
beer belly - the duck fat fries
zion market - get your sushi fish for half the price of whole foods

getting out of koreatown took us a lot longer than i thought it would, but i guess that's the joy of cheap rent and lots of room-you don't want to move. when we finally did find a place, we went only five miles west to la brea/west hollywood. our duplex was more like a fun house with slanted floors and curved walls. we move in with one of nearest and dearest friends and learned all about parking the car friday and not moving it again until monday morning. of course that means we had to have lots of places to be able to walk to:

rosewood tavern - great for weeknights
the golden state - some of the best burgers we've had
lacma - they have the stark bar and it's free on weeknights after 3pm
bao dim sum - two words: juicy pork
village idiot - the best english breakfast (and a bottle of prosecco $15 before 1pm)
necromance - if you dig dead things...
salt's cure - the first place we had a pork chop medium rare
agent provocateur - take your significant other, they'll thank you
animal - we've spent a few birthdays and anniversaries here, be warned: it can take weeks for a reservation

getting sick of our moves yet? well hold on for this last one! eight months ago jordan and i moved into our current duplex in angelino heights of echo park. it's easily my favorite of the neighborhoods we've lived in. easy for parking, quiet at night, and the houses are just magnificent! plus it's filled with all kinds of history (they filmed thriller and charmed only a few blocks away)! not only has this been one of the best areas we've lived but also has some of my favorite spots to hit:

hutch vintage - all the big eye art you can find!
4100 bar - like a gypsy's den with better music
the park - $5 burger wednesday and byob
guisados - the taco sampler
little joy - used to be a super dive and now it's just super rad
villany general store - get your lodge camping gear here
xioa - curry pho and a bahn mi
el prado - they spin records and they have great wine
two boots pizza - grab a few slices before seeing a show next door at the echo
origami vinyl - sure it's overpriced, but it's so cute

phew! so there's my list, i know it's a little heavy on the food. i'm assuming that you like to eat as much as i do. we'll be sure to add to it again. hopefully this little list helps you in possibly picking somewhere great to eat or something new to see!