A Little Sun & Surf

12 12 2011

No trip to California is complete without a trip to the beach.  And, because it is December and the majority of people are bundled up in winter clothes and preparing for hibernation, we didn’t just stop at one beach.  We went to five!  Yes, maybe it is overkill, but can you really blame us?  It’s December.  And I got to break out the flip flops again (I thought I’d packed them away for the next 7 months).

A little trip along the Pacific Coast Highway started off our beach tour with a view of Malibu.

Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway

We took a little detour to Fred Segal in Santa Monica and got the ultimate LA experience.  We got to watch the paparazzi in action!  A photographer with a huge telephoto lens was sneaking amidst the cars in the Fred Segal parking lot.  We followed the path of the camera and it led us to an odd scene of a guy, standing next to his maserati with a woman who had a box full of clothes in her trunk.  She kept taking clothes out of the box and putting them up to him.  Weird, getting fitted for clothes in a parking lot.  Turns out it was the lead guy from Hung.

Up Close and Personal with the Santa Monica Pier

Newport Beach and Huntington Beach were a nice surprise.  It seems it’s too cold for the locals to take a beach day, so we had the beach to ourselves.

Newport Beach

Well…that is except for the birds.  This one was quick-stepping it away as if we were the paparazzi and he was saying, ‘no pictures please.  Can’t a guy take a walk on the beach in peace!?’

Running from the paparazzi

Nathan's Shot of the Day

And of course, there were also the dolphins…

A pod of frolicking dolphins

The last beach that we had a chance to visit lived up to its glamorous reputation.   Laguna Beach sure knows how to take a good photo.

Laguna Beach

Pelican Sunset

Laguna Beach Sunset

 


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Lights, Camera, Action!

28 11 2011

At the corner of La Brea and Sunset you can find a cute English-Style village; definitely not something that you would expect in the middle of Hollywood.  But, when you see Kermit the Frog looking down at you, you realize where you are.   The birthplace of moving pictures – Charlie Chaplin’s original sound stage, Home of The Muppets, otherwise known as the Jim Henson Company. 

Jim Hensen's Studio

It wasn’t until we had the opportunity to help out at an event designed and produced by our friends at rock and rain, that we realized how cool it was to be in this space.  The moment that made me pause during a very busy set up day was when I saw the “Recording” light and I thought about how many times that light had been turned on, and how many films had taken place in the same room that I was standing in.

"Recording"

You saw the “Before” above.  Now, take a look at the “After”.  I wish I would have attended a party that was this cool when I was a kid.  Ice cream sundae bar, candy goodie bags, a mirror surrounded in lights for facepainting and hairstyling, a colouring wall, a workshop to customize your own clothes, asian-style photo booths, tons of food, and a runway show.  What more could a kid want in a party?

The "After"

Best Facepaint Ever

The "Workshop"

Photo Op

The Runway

The Designer Walk

Just a Few Photographers


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Hollywood vs Runyon Canyon

10 05 2011

‘Keep your eyes peeled for celebrities!  You recognize faces better than I do’.  

These were words straight out of my mouth as we started our Sunday morning activity:  hiking around Runyon Canyon.  Just steps away from Hollywood Blvd, the tourist magazines tell me that this is where the stars really hang out.  And if I believe all of the celebrity gossip magazines and the reality TV shows that show the canyon when stars are trying to get back into shape, this must be true.

They definitely don’t hang out at Hollywood & Highland, where we spent the greater part of the week.  If you want to see Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson impersonators, or grown men dressed like Spiderman and Captain America bickering over a dollar and asking families to give them more money since there’s two of them and they don’t know how to make change, or Darth Vader walking around without his helmet, or even a woman dressed in a bright pink ballgown who we think is trying to be a Disney Princess but we don’t know from which story (we later decided she was trying to be Barbie)……then Hollywood & Highland is the place to be.

What started out as a thinly veiled excuse to do some celebrity scoping, turned out to be a pretty cool workout.  We opted to climb up the steep incline at the start.  Good thing there were some nice views at the top as a reward.

‘Did you see any celebrities?’  I had to ask, because in the end all of my focus was spent watching my feet and making sure I didn’t fall….and taking in the panoramic views of course.


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A Little Splash of Colour

2 03 2011

I think I may be obsessed with french macaroons.  It started about a year and a half ago during a trip to Vegas at the Paris buffet.  At that time I thought they were these cute little jam filled meringues that I loved so much that I stuffed a few in a napkin and hid them in my purse.  An occasion that I am stilled mocked and teased about.

The obsession continued in St. Martin where I just had to buy a box of french macaroons and then was forced to scarf them down in the security line up since they were deemed contraband by the cruiseline.

And finally in downtown LA at a cute restaurant and gourmet market called Bottega Louie, where they had a rainbow of different colours and unique flavours like Chai, Rose and Earl Grey.

On a side note, I have also become obsessed with this new photo editing technique.  In addition to my french macaroon photos, here are some photos from Arizona.



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Who knew I was such a fan

9 06 2010

Remember when I was SOO excited to be a “grown up” and be able to choose to be a ridiculous flighty teenager at the GLEE concert?  Well…I may have forgotten that whole ‘grown up’ part and turned into a ridiculous, screaming (well…I raised my voice) GROUPY. Some would even say that I fit right in with the 10 year old boys screaming for Simon and Ryan Seacrest.

Kidding.  Definitely Kidding.  I was not screaming for Ryan Seacrest (but I did take a picture of his car).

But I did manage to find my way into the Nokia Theater while I was in LA to watch the American Idol Finale performance show.  It’s just called, ‘being in the right place at the right time’.  Or, ‘eavesdropping on your booth neighbour and demanding that he find 2 tickets to the show and telling him that you were going to be his new BFF’.

Regardless of how it happened, I made it into the Nokia Theater, watched Lee and Crystal battle it out live and I’m embarrassingly admitting that I ran like a little school girl to the back of the theatre (with my new BFF saying, “Traci I ran for you, now pick up the pace”) and stood at the gates waiting for somebody (hopefully famous) to come through those back doors.  Well, we didn’t have to wait very long before Ellen and Kara came out and actually came up to take photos and sign autographs.  I was not properly schooled in the art of celebrity chasing so I awkwardly stood by the gate, half-heartedly called their names and unsuccessfully tried to take photos with them.

I did manage to get someone to sign my “Official American Idol T-Shirt”; however at first I didn’t know what her name was or which season of Idol she was really from.  But, it was a start.  From there we went to the front of the theatre where the current season Idol’s were making the rounds, taking photos, signing autographs and being interviewed.  After 30 minutes of hanging around I started to come out of my Idol frenzy and I thought to myself, “what am I doing?  I am NOT this person.  I’m not a groupy.  I have GOT to get out of here”.

After I slept off my Idol high, I headed back to the convention for the final day and tear down.  As soon as I got to the Convention Hall, which just so happened to be beside the Nokia Theater, I saw the media barricades, the red carpet and I started to feel a little tingle of excitement.  I mean, who finds themselves in the heart of the American Idol frenzy and doesn’t participate.  Don’t worry – I came prepared this time.

With my sharpie and American Idol T-Shirt in one hand and my camera and flip video in the other, I met up with my partner in crime and together we spent 3 hours at the back gates of the Nokia Theater.  I know, it’s a long time.  But you feel like you put so much time in that you should stay, and then you feel like if you leave you’re going to miss someone really good!!!  We saw a lot of people – Christina Aguilera, The BeeGees, a WHOLE bunch of past Idols, Alanis Morrisette, etc.  This time I committed to one primary goal – Autographs.

Here is the final list:

Kelly Clarkson, Kris Allen, Brooke (someone or other), Alanis Morrisette, Robin (from the BeeGees), Jordan Sparks, Reuben Studdard, Nick Cannon (America’s Got Talent host OR Mariah Carey’s husband), Orianthe, Kimberly Clark, AND Ellen Degeneres (however she only put on a dot because she couldn’t write on the shirt- but I swear it was her).

Well, I don’t know if I’ll ever do this again, but at least I can say that I did it.

Check that off the list.  And I did get a couple of photos…


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Ladies Who Lunch

1 06 2010

You spend so much time going to school and growing up and thinking “what do I want to do when I grow up?” and then all of a sudden it’s here – you’re grown up and you think, ‘how did that happen?’

It’s official.  I’m a grown up.  And it’s not because I’ve graduated from university or because I moved out of the family home (that happened at 17), or because I move from city to city and country to country just because I want to or even because somehow I have a 401k and a stock portfolio.  I am a grown up with grown up friends because we have somehow gotten to the point where we can plan a long weekend vacation, fly across the country and CHOOSE to be ridiculous, frivolous teenage girls.  But even BETTER than that – we can be “Ladies who Lunch” with martinis, wine and cocktails and while sitting amongst the actual teenage girls, realize that we are in fact grown ups – and laugh at how ridiculous that is!

Erin and I joined forces in LA as the “Ladies who Lunch”, drinking ‘Martoonies on Tuesday’, as our friend Kyle would say.  With the realization that we’re grown ups and can do whatever we want to do we had to force ourselves to get moving and leave the hotel.  Not because we didn’t want to go out and explore the city, but because when you haven’t seen one of your best friends in 3 months, you have a lot to talk about and 4 days could easily be spent chatting it up poolside.

But the Santa Monica Pier is so much better!   Drinking wine and eating antipasta on a heated patio, nothing wrong with that!

Taking the drive along Malibu as the sun sets and ending our night at Duke’s for cocktails and the ‘can’t leave without it’ piece of Hula Pie.

Walking around like VIP’s with our “Front of the Line” passes at Universal Studios and after pressuring Erin to take the Jurassic Park ride with me, laughing hysterically at the look of terror on Erin’s face in the photo they took as we flew down the final crest (unfortunately I have no record of this photo).

Realizing that Hollywood is actually pretty dirty, but feeling compelled to tour the Hollywood Stars and hand and foot prints.

And, the real reason why we hopped on flights from opposite sides of the country.  The Glee Concert. Where we joined the thousands of screaming girls (and the two guys that just so happened to be sitting in front of us).

Let me just say…It was AMAZING.  So much fun!  And it put us in such a good mood that we went on a spending spree – buying flip flops of every colour, random T-shirts, movie posters, CD’s from local up and comers, and all of the Pink Berry and Yogurtland we could eat!  The state of California thanks us.  Really, we got a thank you note.

I think the only thing that I haven’t mentioned that has to happen on every trip to LA is…yes, you guessed it. A celebrity sighting!  Well, wait no more.  Let me tell you about that heart-stopping moment when I set my eyes on him.  The double take.  The elbow to Erin’s side and the whispered words from the side of my mouth, “Is that James Marsden?” Now, if you’re not a girl who loves her romantic comedies and remembers when the unsuccessful series, “Second Noah” came on TV, you may not know who this guy is.  But I do, and for a split second (well, maybe 1o seconds) I thought about jumping right back into the elevator and heading back up, even though we were on our way out.

I spent a solid 10 minutes sitting in the lobby glowing. Erin can confirm, I was speechless.  Although not enough to prevent me from calling and texting people.  And while I was on the phone, all of a sudden I get a kick in the leg and Erin gives me wide eyes and says, “he’s right behind you”.  Now this probably did not look subtle at all since Erin tells me that she accidentally made eye contact with him and then he watched as she kicked me.  But let’s just say, we were the ultimate of cool, as I watched him roll his two suitcases to his car.  I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t think about taking a photo for posterity until after his tail lights were long gone.  The only memory I have is the fading bruise on my leg from Erin kicking me.

Alas, no photo, but there are witnesses to this celebrity sighting, so we can call our “Ladies who Lunch” GROWN UP trip to LA a SUCCESS!


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Stars of Hollywood

31 12 2009

I leave you with some funny little stories from LA. 

While in LA for our tour our client teamed up with one of the winner’s of Bravo’s Top Chef, Ilan Hall.  While we were onsite at our event a lady walks up to Ilan and starts to tell him how her husband looks EXACTLY like him.  Then she starts yelling down the street, ‘Allen!  Allen!  Get over here.”  She pulls this guy with a handlebar mustache over, who, by the way, looks nothing like Ilan.  And says, ‘Look at that – like twins.  Well, maybe not right now, but usually you guys look exactly alike.  If he were wearing his glasses now it would be better.’  Ilan was a good sport and gave his glasses to Allen (which defeats the purpose since there is still one wearing glasses and the other isn’t), and took some photos.  Very funny. 

My second story:  Anna Nicole Smith’s Baby Daddy came by.  Enough Said.


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A Line Draws a Line

30 12 2009

Before the holidays we spent a week in LA and had a chance to hit some famous landmarks.  You may think Disney Land, Seaworld, Knott’s Berry Farm, The Kodak Theater, the Hollywood Stars, etc.

But, if you have been following this blog as closely as I think you have been, you’ll have realized that the iconic/famous landmarks that are usually visited during these travels follow a different theme.

You guessed it…..FOOD!

Duke’s Malibu: www.hulapie.com

Perched between the Malibu surf and the Malibu hills, Duke’s was a perfect place for lunch.  With a view of the water, we watched surfers, pelicans diving from 40 ft in the air and, best of all DOLPHINS.  I saw my first wild dolphins while we ate Opa fish and Mahi Mahi.

And, we couldn’t leave without their specialty – Hula Pie

Here are some photos we took while we walked on the beach after lunch:

Our second iconic stop:  Pink’s Hot Dogs: www.pinkshollywood.com

Pink’s has been around for 70 years and is a fixture in Hollywood.  After 45 minutes in their line up, at 1:30am, we enjoyed their specialty Chili Cheese Dogs and Polish Sausages.  There is ALWAYS a line up.

Next Stop:  In-N-Our Burger: www.in-n-out.com

For those fans out there you’ll know that this burger joint is really only on the WestCoast (California to be specific), however it has started easing its way out to Arizona, etc.   They are known for their fresh ingredients and their simple menu.  Single Hamburger, Single Cheeseburger, and Double Meat/Double Cheese.  With Onions OR Without.   Well, simple menu no more.  We found out that there is a secret menu to order from and although it is not posted anywhere, if you know what to order your receipt will show these secret menu items.   To name a few: Animal Style, Flying Dutchman, Protein Style, 4 x 4, etc.  You’ll have to look it up for more info.

Last Stop: Diddy Riese Cookies: www.diddyreise.com

A line draws a line.  This is what we know.  While waiting in the car while Nathan was picking up a few goodies from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, a friend and I saw a line forming outside a store.  Once we discovered that this store was in fact a place to buy custom homemade Cookie & Ice Cream Sandwiches, I called Nathan and said ‘If you haven’t paid yet DON’T BUY ANYTHING.  We found something else – homemade cookies and ice cream.  We have to get in the line”. And then abruptly hung up.  Well, the ladies at the chocolate store overheard this conversation and guess what, they asked Nathan if we were part of a TV show doing an episode on desserts.  They had never seen anyone come in with such passion over these tasty little treats.  Now, this is after Nathan stopped everyone in their tracks at the chocolate store to ask them to recommend their favourite treat – which just so happened to be a Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Caramel Apple – which tasted exactly like a Dutch Apple Pie.


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