broadcasting from the san gabriel valley

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Things Seen.......



a) Apparently they have special soda cans just for NYC



b) Lots of folks walking in the rain


c) Some folks (West Coasters!) taking shelter in the rain.


d) The statue. Far in the distance. View from Red Hook.


e) An old tram car


f) A cute baby



g) A wedding cake topper representing an actual and accurate height difference


h) Post-Wedding brunching in Ojai


Tuesday, July 12, 2011

NYC Proper: Part 1

As mentioned yesterday on Modern Day Bullfight, a proper post about the trip to NYC was in the works. David and I spent 4 excellent (and hot and rainy) days in the Lower Eastside at an amazing hotel called Hotel on Rivington. The hotel, among its many incredible amenities, is equipped with tempurpedic mattresses to ensure a quality nights rest in the midst of a slew of late night hot spots. Yes. It was noisy at night with folks on Rivington well after 4 AM on all 4 nights. However, because of our busy days, sleeping wasn't an issue.

Immediately after checking in, David and I, having not eaten all day, hit the streets to find some slices. After eating some official NYC pizza, I took some time to snap some shots in our area.


Thursday evening found us dining with David's friends Max and Ariane at a little Mexican restaurant called La Esquina. Being from both LA and Phoenix (aka the land of the worlds best Mexican food), we were hesitant to do Mexican in NYC. However, we were persuaded fairly easily to go and both enjoyed our food and the amazing atmosphere. After such a long day, we walked home through Little Italy and called it a night around 11PM.



The next morning found me wishing I had my camera with me. The reason I did not? I laced up the Asics and hit the streets by foot to experience the finest city running any zip code could offer. On foot, I travelled almost 7 miles that took me through the lower eastside, by the Hudson, into the city's civic center and eventually onto the Brooklyn Bridge. Incredible! Running up to the arches of the bridge was one of the highlights of the trip for me. And the desire for my camera? This hit when I came across several padlocks latched on to the bridge's arches in clusters. After close inspection, I saw that there were lover's inscriptions on the locks and through the internet, learned that the keys had been ritually thrown into the river.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Sneak Peak: NYC

Because our returning flight from NYC arrived around midnight last night (following an 11 AM checkout) and I wound up working a pretty full day today (following a necessary 6 AM wake up time), a proper post about the trip will have to wait until tomorrow. After arriving home from work today to and walking Frito to the churro truck, the combo of sugar and severe lack of sleep hit. I crashed and woke up at 11:30. I leave you with this fun-filled image from Katz Deli.....full of going-ons.....an apt metaphor for this weekend. Til tomorrow..........

n.b. while the pastrami at Katz was killer....it also was the catalyst for a killer migraine. too many nitrates this weekend. pastrami, sausages at breakfast, sausage at Otto.....the list continues.


Monday, July 4, 2011

Impromptu-que

Sunday evening, an exchange of texts took place between David and some of our friends that all shared one theme: an ambivalent feeling towards solidifying any Fourth of July plans. David and I had toyed with the idea of having a BBQ but due to lack of energy and motivation, pulled the plug on the idea last week. However, somewhere in
the midst of this text exchange, the BBQ idea was re-born. The two of us high tailed it to Whole Foods to pick up some food before they closed at 10. In hindsight, I am very glad we did as this BBQ will most likely be our last hurrah at our Echo Park home.

Even Frito got in on the action. Who knew that a Chihuahua would have such a craving for grilled veggies? All in all, the impromptu-que ended up being a great time. We look forward to having a proper, more planned out celebration at our new place after we get settled in.





Saturday, July 2, 2011

Debs Park


This morning Nick and I took a trip up to the Audubon Center at Debs Park. Despite reaching the center at 9:30ish, it was already pretty hot. While the hike is short in distance, the beginning portion is an uphill and fairly steep at times. However, once you reach the top, there is a shady and much cooler oasis complete with a pond of turtles.



Our return trip downhill was much easier and that was welcomed as the heat went into high gear. During our leisurely downhill stroll, we encountered some police tape. Who knows what for. While the hike was great, what was even greater was talk about re-instating the hiking club we started off in Eaton Canyon....last year. I think that both Nick and I are a bit more motivated to keep it going right now so hopefully we will have some more hikes to report on in the upcoming weeks......