Summer as Captured by Pictures on My Iphone

1. Empty baggage carousel at JFK Airport, New York.
2. Target Shopping for Beach Gear for my Nieces' Big Cali Trip.
3. Lobster Pizza from Red Lobster. Yum.
4. Ferris Wheel at the Pike.
5. Trolley Cut Out at the Pike.
6. RockStar! Energy Drink of Champions and Therapist's in Training.
7. Adam at the movie theatre seeing Captain America.
8. Beautiful house near the grassy knoll by the beach in Long Beach on one of Sarah's weekend walks. 

Song of the Day: Summer Girls by LFO (totally going old school today)

Rewind: South West Road Trip 2008

The Grand Canyon

Light Pole in Roswell

UFO Museum in Roswell

Meteor Crater. Winslow, AZ

New Mexico Sign

Cows in the Road. Somewhere, Arizona.

The day after I graduated from college, Adam and I packed everything from my dorm room into my little Honda civic and headed off to California. It was the best road trip ever. We meandered through Arkansas, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. We drove through desert and desert, and just when we thought it was over, we found more desert. We stopped in Roswell and loved the quirkiness of the UFO museum and the Alien lampposts. We stopped to see the Meteor Crater in Arizona. We got lost somewhere near Flagstaff, as we were trying to get to the Grand Canyon (which was gorgeous by the way). And on the very last leg of our trip, we got a flat tire. This should have been a totally frustrating part of our trip because of the money and inconvenience it caused. But the Triple AAA man who came to help us out was the sweetest old man ever. And after he found out we were engaged, he gave us all his secrets to a successful marriage. It was a truly beautiful moment.

Looking through all these pictures, and thinking of the trip we took really has me jonesing for another road trip!

Song of the Day: The Captain by Kasey Chambers

Cafe Tu Tu Tango

I grabbed lunch all by my lonesome recently at this little cafe called Cafe Tu Tu Tango, in Orange, California. Its motto was, "Food for the Starving Artist." The restaurant was charming, and I loved how all the silverware was placed in a little paint brush holder on the table. It also had famous paintings on the walls. And the food was literally to die for. I had roasted pears on pecan strips, and the Cajun chicken egg rolls. I do think it was some of the best food I've ever had in Southern California!

Song of the Day: Her Diamonds by Rob Thomas

Hollywood & Highland Instagrams

When our nieces were here in June, we took them shopping at the Hollywood & Highland center in Hollywood. And one particular store, named Varga, had some of the coolest vintage style things. If I were rich and had more space, I would decorate my home with everything in their store. 

Song of the Day: Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore by Bon Jovi

Long Beach Street Food Fest

Saturday, Adam and I met some friends at the Street Food Fest in Downtown Long Beach. I was super excited about the fest because I have been obsessed with food trucks since I watched the Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network. But most of the food trucks typically hang out in Downtown Los Angeles, which is a long way to drive for some food from a truck. But a food fest in Long Beach? I am totally down for that.

One of the trucks I was obsessed with trying was the Nom Nom Bahn Mi truck, which almost one won the TV show competition last summer! So, of course, they were the first truck we stopped at. I grabbed a delicious Lemongrass Taco and Grilled Pork Taco. Nom Nom. That is all I have to say Nom Nom. Or in other words, amazing.

Next, I hit the Crepes Bonaparte truck. Crepes have always had a special place in my heart because we would often make up crepes in my French class when I was earning my undergrad degree from MUW. The people working the crepes bonaparte truck had the cutest little uniforms topped with berets.  I ordered the Spicy Bottom Crepe, which had cooked cinnamon apples, caramel, and whip cream.  It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g.

After finishing the crepe, we stopped by the chunk-n-chip cookies truck for dessert. Basically, they have really fancy but amazingly tasty chipwhiches. I ordered the Moo-lan Rouge. The Moo-lan Rouge is warm Red Velvet Cookies with White Chocolate Chip Fudge Ice cream. Adam got the Chocolate Haven, which was chocolate brownie cookies stuffed with vanilla ice cream. They were both terrific and I really think they were the best thing we had all day.

I tried a lot of other foods from other people's plates as the day wore on and all of it was great. The only thing I didn't get to try that I really wanted to was the grilled cheese truck. The line was humongous. But I would have loved to have tried their macaroni and rib grilled cheese or their smores melt. Oh well, there is always next year.

Song of The Day: Grey Street by The Dave Matthews Band

New York, New York

My Next Husband Yee Haw!

Pancakes & Bellini's at Bobby Flay's Bar Americain

Strawberry Fields-Central Park

Central Park

Found Love and Hearts on the Avenue of the Americas

Me and Mom Before Tour

The Orginal Tiffany's

Lady Liberty

Brooklyn Bridge & Brooklyn Heights

The "Freedom Tower" Under Construction

Coconut Creme Cake with Fresh Fruit in White Chocolate Shell @ Blue Fin

New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street

Our Times Square Hotel

Manhattan Skyline from Hudson River Firework Cruise

I have been back from NYC for a few days now, and I am just now getting around to sorting through pictures and blogging about the trip because it has been so bloomin' hot out here in California. And we don't have A.C., so the only thing I have managed to do is whine, complain, whine some more, and sweat. OH Lordy, the sweat!  But wait I'm supposed to be telling you about NYC, and not my heat induced sloth like behavior. 

New York City totally exceeded any and all expectations I had about the trip. Even if those expectations were only formed on the longest domestic flight I have ever been on, where I sat by the window listening to "Empire State of Mind" on repeat like it was my job. And it wasn't even the cool hipster Jay Z version, nope it was the Glee version. And of course I think Glee is cool, and I will happily label myself a gleek. But something about Artie, the most white kid on the show, rapping "I'll be hood forever," strips the song of any street creed. Not that I ever had any.

It is hard for me to decide what my very favorite thing about NYC was. It might have been seeing Chicago on Broadway. (Hello, I can totally cross that off my life list now). Or it could have been staying in Times Square where it looked like the middle of the day in the dead of night. Ohh, and the food was amazing too. We had Pancakes and Bellini's at Bobby Flay's Bar Americain, Sushi at Blue Fin, Burgers at Shake Shack, and amazeballs NYC hot dogs. The shopping was fab, and the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park were stunning.  It was thrilling to hail a cab in the middle of  a busy street, and to see the best fireworks show of my life from a cruise on the Hudson River. Lastly, it was humbling to see where the Twin Towers once stood and all the progress that is being made.

But I really think the best part of the entire trip was simply strolling the NYC streets, never knowing what we were going to find or who we were going to see when we rounded a corner.  Just soaking up the the city. I can't tell you how many sites we stumbled across just by chance. And that is why I love New York.

To see all my NYC pictures check out my flickr.

Song of the Day: Stay Here Forever by Jewel

Empire State of Mind...

Tomorrow or I guess technically today,  I will be in NYC! I am meeting my mother there for a Fourth of July Big City Extravaganza! And in all coincidences to end all coincidences with no pre-planning on either parties' part, my mother-in-law will also be in NYC at the same time. I guess it truly is a small world after all.

We have some fab restaurant reservations, a hotel in Times Square, Broadway tickets, and a Fourth of July firework harbor cruise booked.  But really I'm excited about spending some time with my mother!

I can't wait to share it all with you guys! Have a happy and safe Fourth everyone!

Song of the Day: Empire State of Mind by Jay Z and Alicia Keys