Santa Monica to Venice Beach

Today, I ran 5 miles! I ran all the way from Santa Monica Beach to Venice Beach! Of course, I stopped to walk occasionally, but 5 miles is the longest I've ran straight! I got to see Venice Beach, which was not really what I expected. I only saw part of it, but the part I saw was very run down and there were a lot of homeless people set up on the beach, or at least I thought they were homeless, there were also a lot of hippy type people as well. Maybe that's why I ran so far, because I wanted to get out of there as fast as possible! After I got home, I sat on my balcony for a while and read. It was a little windy but besides that the weather was beautiful today! I only speak for myself though, because the native Californians are bundled in jackets, scarves, and boots around here! I even saw someone wearing gloves and a hat! If only they would experience a winter in NY, then this weather would be summer to them!

I'll probably go back to Santa Monica Beach tomorrow for another run or maybe I'll rent a pair of roller blades! The beach and pier are filled with people and families bike riding, running, walking and roller blading! After my run tomorrow, I am going to watch the Giants/49ers game with a friend from Delaware who has been living out here for about 8 months. It will be nice to see a familiar face and talk about home!

<3 Loni

Theme Song

I first heard this song when I got to California and I feel as though it's appropriate for my travels and exploration of California. 

Keep Your Head Up, by Andy Grammer. Enjoy.

<3 Loni

Huntington Beach

After we left Disneyland last Thursday (1/12), we decided to drive to Huntington Beach. Even though it was getting dark out, we wanted to go because it was only 15 minutes from Disney. Once we got there we stopped at a taco place that was delicious! I got shrimp and chicken tacos with rice and Kay and I split chips and guac! After we ate our scrumptious meal, we walked up the pier of Huntington Beach. It was really chilly, so we didn't stay long, but it was the first California beach we went to and it was gorgeous, even at night! The waves were crashing in, couples were huddled together, sitting on the beach, and a few other people were walking down the pier with us.

Huntington Beach Pier

It's kind of dark, but this photo is of the beach and pacific ocean. Huntington Beach is one of the biggest surfing spots of the country.

<3 Loni

Running on Santa Monica Beach

Right now, I am sitting on the Santa Monica Pier, taking a break from my run (wrote this then, posting it now). This beach is so beautiful with mountains to the right of the beach and the pier stretching out into the pacific ocean. I came here last week with Kay towards the early evening and it was gorgeous just as the sun was setting. I'll be sure to add pictures from that trip soon. I honestly don't know why anyone joins a gym around here when they can just run and exercise on the beach. The beach is flooded with people walking, jogging, bike riding, and roller blading. Currently on the pier, there is music playing around me and lots of families enjoying the fun activities Santa Monica pier has to offer.

There were some gymnastic equipment such as balance beams, tight ropes, rings that people we doing some cool tricks with, and swings. There were also people doing yoga and stretching on the warm California sand. 

My view from where I was sitting at the end of the pier. Notice how you can see the mountains in the background, they definitely don't have this view at Jones Beach.

The Santa Monica Pier.

These were accidental pictures that my camera took, I thought they were kind of interesting,

 so I kept them.

I use the Nike app to measure my distance and pace while I am running. I thought this looked cool because you can see I'm running along the ocean.

I saw this inspiring building the other time I visited Santa Monica beach, it was night time and the lights were on and it was just wonderful. I wasn't able to take a picture then because of rude and impatient drivers behind me! I just wanted to stop quickly and take a picture! Anyway, I made sure I took one during this time! Anyway, California is beautiful and I love it. I still wish my friends and loved ones were with me though. Ciao!

<3 Loni

In-n-Out Burger

 For dinner the same day we went to the Third Street Promenade (Wednesday Jan. 11th 2012), Kay and I had our first In-n-Out Burger experience. I have to say, I never really got all the hype about fast food places like Sonic and In-n-Out Burger. Is it just because they are both so rare, in comparison to McDonald's and Wendy's? I was still really excited to try In-n-Out Burger because I figured if it was so popular, it had to be good.

I have to say, I really enjoyed my burger and fries at In-n-Out, they were delicious!! I thought it was cool that they don't really have a menu and only sell a few different types of burgers and fries. Nowadays, when you go out to eat you literally have a million choices, so it was nice to go somewhere and only have a few options.

<3 Loni

Third Street Promenade

As our adventures continued into Wednesday of last week (January 11th, 2012), Kay and I decided to go to a highly recommended area called the Third Street Promenade. It was a street that was only for pedestrians/foot traffic with well-known stores, small boutiques, and restaurants lining the street. We saw a few interesting things while we were walking down 3rd street, including a man with a clown mask and red wig on, dancing for money. Of course when I passed by he made a motion towards his hair, to confirm that we were "both" redheads... typical.  But don't let this crazy act fool you,  the Third Street Promenade was still a very classy, comforting, place.

We walked all the way up the promenade to the end, stopping at a few stores along the way. With the amount of great shopping there is in LA, I have no idea why everyone here isn't broke! At the end of the promenade there was a mall, so we decided to eat inside at a unique little cafe that sold very organic and unusual foods. I ordered a grilled cheese, which I thought would be simple enough, but it had an unusual taste that I didn't really care for. Kay got a chicken wrap, which she loved, and was very good (I had a bite). I'll definitely have to try that cafe out again to make my final decision on whether I like it or not. After eating, we did a little bit more shopping and listened to a young girl sing some very cute songs. She also made up songs on the spot about the people that passed her. 

A lot of the bushes and plants were shaped like different animals. The landscaping here was very nice, especially with the tall palm trees.

Here you can see part of the Third Street Promenade. As you can see, there are no cars on the road. I really liked the way this was set up because you can rarely find this type of laid back, casual, street shopping anymore.

View from the mall at the end of the promenade; it looks out to the 3rd Street Promenade.

I really enjoyed it here and would definitely go back. It is a nice spot for a fun afternoon with some friends, good shopping, and a lot of walking in this beautiful California weather.


<3 Loni

Kodak Theatre & Hollywood Blvd.

After we went to Rodeo Drive last week (Tuesday, January 10th, 2012), we headed to the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. Once we got there, we immediately saw all of the stars on the ground on Hollywood Blvd. They went up and down all of Hollywood Blvd, so we probably didn't even get to see half of them! Some of the ones I saw included, Michael Jackson, Matt Damon, Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen, Robin Williams, Julie Andrews, Cameron Diaz, Walt Disney, Marilyn Monroe, and a ton of others. The theatre itself was pretty cool, it was very big and glamorous. Inside there were stores, shops, and plenty of restaurants to eat at.

As we continued to walk down Hollywood Blvd, we stopped at the Chinese Theatre. There, we saw all of the celebrity hand prints and foot prints. We saw the prints of the Harry Potter Cast, Twilight Cast, Adam Sandler, Matt Damon, Shirley Temple, Dean Martin, Hugh Jackman, and Bette Davis.

The picture on the right is of Kay and I in front of the Chinese Theatre. You can see the hand and foot prints on the ground.

After we finished with Hollywood Blvd, we went back into the Kodak Theatre and had dinner at a sushi restaurant. We took some pictures outside the restaurant because you could see a great view of of LA from where the restaurant was located.

The picture below is one of my favorites because you can see the Hollywood sign through the building. I was standing across the street from the Kodak Theatre.

<3 Loni