Palm Springs

- 31 August-2 September 2013 -

Due to my Birthday being close to Labor Day we always seems to go away for it. This time we planned a trip to Palm Springs. I have been wanting to go back since we went 2 years ago. I have seen tons of photos of the colorful Saguaro hotel which seemed perfect to me. There was Color, Color everywhere. The Hotel was awesome (pet friendly- which was a plus). We spent most of our time relaxing in our air conditioned room due to it being in the 100's outside. We did manage to get in some swimming and exploring downtown. On our last day we did the trip up the Aerial Tramway. This was one of the reasons i wanted to go back to Palm Springs. I didn't do to much research on it like i would normally do, due to me wanting to be a surprise. And it sure was. It was intense (not for someone with a fear of heights). Standing at the bottom you could not even see the top. The tram went through 4 tier, which almost made it feel like a rollercoaster. From the top you could see till forever. It was beautiful view of the desert. Overall it was a fun weekend. Good way to end off my 28th year:-)

Hall of Records

- 24 August 2013 -

The hall of records in LA goes between the courthouse, Sheriffs office, and the hall records.  Weird shit.  They used to transport high profile criminals to and from the jail to court.  99% sure that Charles Manson was walked through these halls.  Super creepy being in them.

Murphy's Ranch (Abandoned Nazi Compound)

- 24 August 2013 - 

"In the 1930's Nazi sympathizers built a refuge in the Pacific Palisades. Herr Schmidt, Winona and Norman Stephens, and their followers occupied a self-contained stronghold in what is now Rustic Canyon between Sullivan Ridge and Will Rodgers State Park. Murphy Ranch was designed to serve as a hold out for fans of the Third Reich waiting for America to fall to the Nazis. Instead, the ranch was raided by U.S. authorities and closed in 1941. "  

When you read something like that you know you have to check it out so we did.  Located in Brentwood, CA the remains are still there.  Kind of creepy, Kind of weird, but mostly just awesome.  If you get a chance check it out.  

Sailing in Baltimore

- 2-6 August 2013 - 

Grandma Beatrice turned 90 and wanted to go sailing with the family.  We all headed to Pasadena, MD to make her wish come true.  

Happy Birthday GG.  We Love you.

Comic-Con

- 20 July 2013 - 

Although we didn't have tickets to the actually Comic-Con event, it didn't stop us from walking downtown to go look at all the crazies dressed up as their favorite characters. It was insane. Some people looked like they took hours to get ready and spent a lot of money getting their costume perfect.

We stood on a corner for a few hours just enjoying the view. My favorite character of the day had to of been Ursula from the Little Mermaid, which I unfortunately could not get a better photo of, but she did a good job and definitely pulled it off. See if you can spot her.

Gay Pride Parade

- 13 July 2013 -

We have been going to the Gay Pride Parade for the past few years now, but this year was a special one. Prop 8 was finally overturned and it was the first Gay Pride since gay marriages was legalized. You could feel the love an happiness all around. People got engaged and married on the floats. It was pretty magical, I got goosebumps a few times throughout the day. Here is a few of my favorite moments of the parade.

LA Street Food Fest at the Pasadena Rose Bowl

- 29 June 2013 - 

We heard about LA Street Food Fest for awhile now and decided to go this year.  We scooped up a buddy in Laguna Beach that happened to fly out from Georgia on our way up.  We hadn't seen him in almost a year so I was pretty pumped.  We had a drink at the beachcomber in Laguna and went for a swim in the ocean prior to the drive up.  The waves were extremely violent and we didn't stay in that long.  A quick shower and we were on the way to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.  We arrived a bit early and didn't understand what awaited us so, foolishly we grabbed some beer and had a drink before we went in.  Once inside (as the flyer stated) all you can eat AND DRINK!!!  Holy shit it was hot so immediately we grabbed some Sailor Jerry and Lemonade.  This was actually really refreshing and kept us going for a bit.  The beginning seemed to be mostly grilled meats all of which were delicious   If you head to the left there was the Mexican food section and the beer garden.  Get familiar with this place as you will need ceviche and cerveza often.  The selection was limited to Singha which I believe is a thai beer.  A few sips in you don't even notice the taste and the 95 degree weather makes the cold beer even better.  If you head to the right of the grilled meat section you walk into the Asian section and then the gourmet truck trucks begin.  By this point you are rationing stomach space between rum drinks, beer, and food so after some Sushi and Pho we skipped ahead to the desert section right past the gourmet food trucks.  I'm not a sweets guy but everything hit the spot.  The bacon flavored ice cream sandwiches stuck out quite a bit.  I can't quite recall the order of events but at some point we managed to enter the actually rose bowl field.  Two things I recall: a Jerky tasting booth (Turkey, Pork, and Beef) and the 120 degree whiskey shot I foolishly took.  This was a super awesome event and we will be back for years to come.  The $50 tickets seemed expensive at first but fork it up, again ALL YOU CAN EAT AND DRINK!!!