I've been back from Cali for about a week. I would have loved to post from there, but I was too busy having the time of my life! Here are some of the highlights from my visit. And it might be possible that my next wandering could be a transcontinental move!
David and Manny pick me up from LAX!
So excited to be with my friends!
A beautiful sunset driving along the PCH towards Malibu.
In Malibu
Marquita and David walking along a pier in Malibu
What better way to spend a California morning than by playing the ukulele and singing songs?
Having fun at Seal Beach
We went to Santa Monica Pier in the evening, and rode roller coasters and played games and danced until 3 in the morning. What a blast!
We got to watch David and some of his church youth play broom ball (is that right?) and Manny decided to entertain us!
At David's church, we found a room that looked suspiciously like Jon Doe's (Kevin Spacey) bedroom in Se7en.
Dancing at an art gallery in San Diego, surrounded by Dr. Seuss art.
Dinner in San Diego!
Major fun! We went around to open houses and got to see some incredible places with amazing views! Oh to be so wealthy...
Manny, Doug and David with a huge 4-person burrito at El Tepeyac Cafe in East LA. The people there were so wonderful, and the food was amazing!
Now this place was so cool! Galco's is a soda shop, they sell hundreds of kinds of bottled soda, all made with cane sugar, and lots of vintage candy.
No, they're not twins! That's our friend Doug posing with the owner and his cut-out.
He was the nicest man. He talked to us for a long time about the troubles in Dublin, Texas with Dublin Dr. Pepper, then walked us around the shop and told us all about the different sodas. He knew an interesting fact about each one!
We also got tickets to see a taping of Conan O'Brien! Here's our gang with out Conan bracelets on. Marquita, David, Doug and half my head made it on air when Marquita involuntarily squealed out when Conan mentioned Texas. I'll post the clip
here. Go to 6:20 to see the fun!
Here we are in front of David's church in La Mirada, CA.
The Page Museum at the La Brea Tar pits!
Oh no Columbia Mammoth! Saddest diorama ever!
The tar bubbling up!
Me and my new boyfriend, Mr. Ground Sloth.
Marquita and Manny having a good time with a ground sloth.
Public interactive art outside LACMA!
A really neat lamppost installation.
The sunset at Venice Beach. I can't believe how gorgeous this was!
We made a quick trip to the Getty, which was absolutely gorgeous. The whole place is made of travertine marble, I even bought a little cube of it.
We went to Roscoe's Chicken n' Waffles.
Marquita had a moment!
The Kodak Theater. Getting ready for the Oscars this weekend!
Grauman's Chinese Theater!
So many cool hand/foot prints!
That's my trip to Cali in a nutshell! Of course pictures can never capture the fun and laughter and love I felt and experienced. As much as I love solo travel, it was wonderful to get out and see the world with my joyful friends.
I'm hoping to make another trip out to California this summer to experience a little of what North Cali has to offer, before making my way to Portland, Oregon for a wedding and visit!
Happy travels!
