I Run in Heels

Real World: Possom Trot

12 teenagers. 4 adults. 1 week in East Texas. Find out what happens when people stop being polite and start being real.

We arrived in Texas a week ago, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, looking forward to a great week. And, before you get the wrong idea, it was a great week. Of course, we all had our moments. I had a day starring in the role of the Wicked Witch of the West. At one point, I made my car ride in silence back to the hotel.

Overall, we had a fantastic week in the Lone Star state. The youth braved East Texas delicacies including pigs' feet and fried catfish caught locally. Members of our group led games, taught dances (Cupid Shuffle), coordinated art projects, taught Bible lessons, unloaded a load of food for a food bank, sang, and tutored. We had an amazing time attending a charismatic, African American church's 135th anniversary. It was hard to say good-bye.

Now we're awaiting our flight out of Houston, and I'll be honest. I feel like I've been hit by a Mack truck. I could sleep for days. Good thing I have a nice long flight ahead of me!

Three Cheers for Southwest

Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Okay, I know I'm overdoing it a little bit, but I am feeling the LUV right now. I shared yesterday about my misadventures in flight. Today, imagine my surprise & glee at receiving a very kind email from Southwest customer service offering me a voucher towards a future flight. YaHOOOOOOO!

In my family, one of the loftiest goals you can attain is getting bumped off a flight and receiving travel vouchers. It's ranks up there with graduate degrees and getting good deals on Ebay. If a flight attendant announces that a flight is overbooked and they're looking for anyone who might be willing to give up their seat, that blur you see from the corner of your eye is probably a family member of mine sprinting to the desk. We like our freebies. What can I say?

So, thank you Southwest. Not only have you excelled in customer satisfaction, you've made my parents proud.

Stuck on an Airplane

On Saturday, I attempted to fly from Chicago to Ontario, CA.

After boarding, we seemed to be on our way...but three hours (and one gas fill-up later) we were still on the runway.

After multiple reassurances from the flight attendants & the pilot that they were doing all they could do (Kansas tornadoes were thwarting our plans), they gave us the option of getting off the plane & staying in Chicago or heading on to Vegas. Most of us with connecting flights in Vegas had missed them and the last flights out by this point, so we weren't getting anywhere 'til the morning. I opted for Vegas. 

Sadly, weather delays don't get you hotel vouchers, so we were on our own for accommodations. I was pretty out of it by this point, so I stood by a board full of hotel numbers, calling through until I found a room at La Quinta.

I wish I could tell you I took advantage of being in a fun city by at least having a late dinner at an interesting restaurant, but I settled for room service instead. I didn't realize the room service was across town & being delivered. An hour+ later it arrived. Oh well. 

Nothing like a little travel adventure to keep things interesting. I made it back nearly 24 hours after getting on the 1st plane, and now I want to sleep for a week.

The Jet Set: City Guide to Oklahoma City

From 4th-12th grade, I lived in Oklahoma. Oooooo-Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plains. Where the waving wheat can sure smell sweet. And the wind comes right behind the rain...Love it! This is a state where the airport security personnel greet you with a huge smile and a "Howdy!" No joke.

Here are a few places I'd recommend visiting if you're in the Oklahoma City area.

(1) Club Rodeo (See video here): Only in Oklahoma will you find a club with an indoor rodeo arena. It doesn't get much better than that. I haven't made it there yet, but it's on my list.

(2) Bricktown: Modeled after San Antonio's River Walk, this area in downtown OKC boasts an abundance of good restaurants, not to mention a nice ball park, a new NBA team to cheer on, and a canal to walk beside or take lovely ride down. Oh, and they use a lot of red brick in the buildings...hence the name. If you're a country fan, try Toby Keith's restaurant: "I Love This Bar & Grill." In the wintertime, there's also snow-tubing at the ballpark or ice-skating at an outdoor rink.

 

(3) Lake Hefner: This beautiful lake in Oklahoma City has a paved trail around it that's great for walking, rollerblading, and biking. Try out the Bahama Breeze restaurant on the lake for a fun "taste of the islands." The lake is 2,500 acres and has close to 20 miles of shoreline, providing beautiful views especially at sunrise and sunset.

(4) National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum: I'm a little biased about this place, because I worked as a waitress there for two years. It's a very interesting museum that attracts diehard cowboys (I once served customers who still had their sashes on from winning at the rodeo) to artists (I also served artists who had traveled from Guatemala). Stop by the restaurant Dining on Persimmon Hill for delicious food, freshly prepared onsite.

(5) Oklahoma City National Memorial: Many tourists make a point of visiting this memorial to the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. It is a very moving experience and a wonderful tribute to their lives.

(6) Paseo Arts Festival: Coming up next month over Memorial Day Weekend, the festival features live music and according to the website:"Festival-goers prowl the booths and galleries for the perfect ceramic platter or coffee mug, squiggles of sterling silver and other hand-made jewelry, soft and sensuous art-you-can-wear, sculptural statements and paintings and photography of every description." I'm not quite sure what falls under the "art you can wear" category...bedazzled t-shirts?

(7) Sugar Free All-Stars: Check out a great local band with shows coming up tonight at 51st Speakeasy & the 25th of April at the Norman Music Festival! Click on their band name to get more info on upcoming concerts. (1/2 of the band happens to be married to a very close friend of mine Emily). :)
Listen to their music here.

 

Jet Set City Guide: SoCal for the Artistic Tourist

Recently, I had two friends visit from the Midwest. One is an elementary school art teacher, and the other is a graphic designer/photographer. It was great to see a new side of Southern California by looking at it through their eyes. They pointed out how many CA license plates have a heart shape (who knew?), the flowers that are native to here, architectural elements...

One day we took in some of the Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Gehry sites around here, with only a minor delay when my car wouldn't start. Plan B: Enjoy the sites with a rental car!

(1) La Miniatura (Frank Lloyd Wright): Pasadena, CA

(2) Hollyhock House (Frank Lloyd Wright): Los Angeles, CA

       (3) Walt Disney Orchestra Hall (Frank Gehry): Los Angeles, CA. I didn't get any pictures here, but I'll post some of theirs when I get them. :)

 

Holla for that Dolla...Making it Work in NYC

Guest writer Courtney Marcus (my sister) gives us her tips for money-saving in the Big Apple:

1. Preview supermarket sales online.

I've been in NYC a year and a half and my jaw still drops at supermarket prices: $7 for Honey Nut Cheerios is a slap in the face.  I have discovered that most supermarkets and drugstores have weekly circulars with sales that you can view online.  In a matter of minutes I can shop the sales of Food Emporium, C-town, CVS, Rite-Aid, Duane Reade, etc and determine which one is worth my time.

2. Invite friends over for a night in instead of a night out.
It might be a little cozy in your 400sq ft studio but it's about who you're with not where you are. Pick up some pizza and beer and watch the game or raid the local library's ridiculously extensive DVD collection.

3. Take an inventory of your closet. 
It's amazing how many clothing items you forget you have!  

4. Walk..especially now that weather is starting to warm up!
With looming MTA fare hikes, there's no time like the present to build up your endurance.  Budget your time accordingly, and a walk can be such a stress reliever as well as a money saver.

5. Dinner doesn't have to break the bank.
Two of my favorite spots on the UES offer amazing food at great prices.

       -PioPio: Peruvian chicken: $30 buys dinner for 4

       -Beyoglu: Mediterranean with a cozy atmosphere 

       -Slice: a great place on the weekend for a slice of organic pizza

6. Be generous with your money!
Helping others never goes out of style and it doesn't come with pangs of remorse like so many of my personal shopping sprees.

Vacationing

Hello, hello. I am sitting in a lovely hotel on Mammoth Mountain, listening to my Priscilla Ahn playlist on Pandora, and enjoying some wonderfully relaxing time off. Tomorrow and Thursday I will hit the slopes, but for now I'm just soaking in the unscheduled hours of the day, with plans to swim, read, nap, and veg. We stopped on the way up here for some "fresh jerky," big hunks of jerky with flavors like Cowboy & Sweet Teriyaki. Outside, the picnic area sign was next to a "Beware of Snakes" sign. Yikes!

We also saw volcanoes (we have those in CA?), Mt. Whitney (the highest pt. in the lower 48), and sadly, the site of a Japanese internment camp. Apparently, at this particular location, people were given building supplies and told to build their own houses. It's heart-breaking to think of that aspect of American history.

I love exploring parts of California that are new to me. I still haven't made it further north than San Luis Obispo, but my wishlist of destinations includes San Francisco, Napa Valley, Joshua Tree, and many more places that aren't coming to mind at the moment. :)

Well, I guess that's all for now. All this typing is making me tired. haha.

The Jet Set: City Guide to Claremont, CA

About 6 months ago, I moved to a region of California referred to as the Inland Empire (or the "IE" if you're really in the know). I'm slowly getting used to West Coast suburbia. It is quite the switch from life north of the 210 in good old Pasadena. I went from knowing everyone in my building to hardly glimpsing any of my neighbors in the last several months (besides one conversation). The noises I heard at night in the city were search helicopters, sirens, car alarms, parties...and now the loudest noise at night is the family of birds that live outside my bedroom window.

I'm still trying to find my way around the IE and in the process have discovered how much fun there is to be had in Claremont. It's essentially a college town & has typical college hangouts but also places where hip profs hang out. Anyway, here are a few places I've been to and enjoyed in Claremont:

 

Viva Madrid

 http://www.vivamadrid.com/

 

Spanish tapas style dining is one of my favorites! My brother & his gf took me here for my b-day & I absolutely loved it. They don't have a huge space, so plan on waiting a bit for a table, but their prices are reasonable & the food's delicious. If you're not familiar w/ tapas, they are appetizer-size portions and it's more fun if you order several for your table to share.

The Hip Kitty Jazz and Fondue Lounge

http://www.hipkittyjazz.com/

The Melting Pot has nothing on this place. Amazing fondue & a great atmosphere with funky art on the walls and live jazz. On the pricey side, but definitely worth the splurge!

 

The Back Abbey

http://www.thebackabbey.com/

Hearty burgers and tasty soups make this a great cold-night spot. The 2 times I've been it's been hopping. You have to keep an eye out for a table opening up & stake your claim in a hurry! It's loud & boisterous in here, so not ideal for heart-to-hearts, but a fun place to eat.

 

21 Choices

http://www.21choices.com/store.php?st=cmn

There are a lot of fro-yo places popping up around here, so it's quite the competitive market, but I don't think any of them can hold a candle to 21 Choices. My favorite location is in Old Town, Pasadena, but the Claremont locations still offer the same amazing selection of frozen yogurts and any topping you could imagine.

The Jet Set: City Guide to Chicago (Date Nights)

I could probably do 20 posts about fun things to do in the city of Chicago. I lived in the suburbs for 9 years and while I don't miss the fantastically cold winters, I do miss all that the city has to offer. Here are a few suggestions for fun date nights:

The Signature Lounge Located on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Building, the Signature Lounge offers great views of the city w/o the pricey menu of the Signature Room on the 95th floor. Great for dessert & drinks!

The Green Mill: Poetry slams got their start at the Green Mill, but you'll also enjoy the live jazz music offered here most nights.

Grammy Awards Viewing Party (2/8): For awards show junkies like myself, this sounds like a fun environment to cheer on your favorite music artists.

First Fridays @ Museum of Contemporary Art: Okay, what's not to love about this: food from Wolfgang Puck, music from up & coming Chicagoans, & interesting art!

National Acrobats of China @ Wheaton College (2/7): My alma mater has an Artist Series throughout the year, but this looks like the most interesting guests they've had yet.

The Jet Set: City Guide to San Luis Obispo, CA

Last week, my brother and I met my sister in the lovely town of San Luis Obispo, CA (halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco). So while this isn't a comprehensive guide, I thought I'd share some of the places we really enjoyed during our 7-hour visit.

Apple Farm

We started out at the Apple Farm, which is made up of an inn, gift shop, and restaurant featuring all sort of yummy food (and of course plenty of apple-y dishes).

The menu featured lots of comfort food, and although we didn't sample it, the dessert menu also looked very tasty.

Avila Beach

 What a gorgeous beach! Next time we go back I want to take advantage of the awesome hiking trails around this area, but a walk along the beach was pretty sweet too.

This shot was taken from the beach, but we also drove a little higher up to watch the sunset, and the views were just spectacular.

Port San Luis Pier

This pier is next to Avila Beach. We climbed out over some rock and found ourselves with a beach area almost all to ourselves. There were several boats around, and we watched my brother try to scale a very steep incline with moderate success.

Wild Turkey Territory
 A wrong turn took us down a country road that seemed like a place Wes Craven would get his kicks. We were already cracking jokes about the spookiness factor but these turkeys took it to a whole other level. I take that back. It was really just the one turkey that had it out for us.

It probably didn't help that my brother rolled down the window and began gobbling to antagonize this sinister bird. It puffed up, screeching in reply, and even chased us down the street while we were driving away. That monster-with-wings had us all wondering what it would be like to be attacked by a wild band of turkeys...Yikes!

Bubblegum Alley
Our next stop was downtown SLO, filled with quaint little shops (& big chains), restaurants, and pubs. We had to stop by the famous Bubblegum Alley, which has been acquiring gum deposits from generous chewers for around 40 years. Sadly, we had none to contribute...But we did enjoy yummy BBQ at Mo's Smokehouse, shopping at Urban Outfitter's, and coffee at Peet's.

I would highly recommend SLO for a relaxing day/weekend away. It was stunningly beautiful, easy to get around, and has a quirky atmosphere that's inviting.