Roar - Rockwell

New thing today, watched the Roar performance at Rockwell. We enjoyed the Jagged Little Pill performance earlier and when we saw this on the list of shows we decided to give it a shot. Had dinner early and we were only able to get "partial view" seating tickets, but we still saw a lot. 

Overall the show was good. The performances ranged from just ok to excellent. I liked Kyra Selman's voice the most and although some of her scenes she didn't have a ton of dramatic opportunities, in the end she rocked it insanely well and hers was my favorite voice! EVERYONE else also did incredibly well and we enjoyed it. I think overall we still really preferred the Jagged Little Pill performance, but I think this was highly enjoyable as we liked a ton of songs and grew to love and enjoy other new ones as well. I will be recommending this show to many people.

On a weird note, the non-performance night at the Rockwell was a little weird. Our waiter didn't know what he was doing and the service was pretty bad. The place was packed crowded so it was a  little hard to get good attention and service. I also sat next to a weird guy who also bought a "partial view" ticket, yet felt the need to move his head and stick his body/head in front of me to get a good look at the performance when it was in another part of the room... weird rude. Also he made a giant crouching noise eating his nachos during one of the performances that was pretty hilarious and inappropriate. Also he liked to text, take photos and video during the show as well... ya. Oh and we sat in front of a grandpa and grandma taking their young grandkids to the show. There were quite a few adult parts, and I heard regular commentary in the background of the play by play "drama" that was happening, such as "they're on a date" and other obvious chatter. Thanks for the play by play gramps, I had no idea what was going on from the context....

I thought overall though the weirdness was funny because... I had a mega celebrity sighting! I won't say who it was because I value people's privacy, but it was pretty huge. Probably the most significant celebrity sighting I will ever have. And there were two of them! I walked by this couple quite a few times, and I could tell they were trying to keep it low key. Honestly it looked like they were just an in love couple trying to have a nice date night out on the town. They looked really down to earth and normal. I didn't stare or make a fuss, but after awhile a few people were bugging them asking for autographs and photos. I felt bad for them, and afterwards they left, I think because people couldn't just leave them alone? Hello? They are normal people, just a nice couple having a night out, and they weren't trying to bring any attention to themselves - actually sitting somewhere inconspicuous and keeping to themselves. Poor celebrities right? Well these two seemed like nice people taking a stab at normalcy, although they're probably used to all of it I guess? I thought they were pretty classy overall and I am more a fan now even though I was a pretty big fan before. Anyway they left at intermission before the second half of the show, which honestly was a pretty great half and I preferred the second half because it had better drama and song storytelling.

Anyway, so that was our evening :) Pretty awesome firsts!

Most importantly - go support theater and great performances! You may enjoy yourselves in the process!

Description of Show on Website

ROAR

She's a hero. 

She just doesn't know it yet.

Three young women discover what it means to be truly human when they must battle for survival in their messy, private world as it crumbles. Lover. Husband. Partner. Friend. No one is left unscathed as these women face the strangers they thought they knew when their ideas about love, relationships and health are suddenly turned upside down. A sexy, edgy and kinetic cast delivers gut-wrenching vocals with a dazzling display of songs from superstars like Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift, P!nk, Shakira, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Lorde, Sia, Lady Gaga, Sara Bareilles and many more. 

Produced by Kate Pazakis

Choreography by Ambrose Respicio

Music Direction by Brian Kennedy

Conceived & Directed by VP Boyle

Happy Easter! Easter Egg Hunt - Disneyland

New thing today, tried the Egg-stravaganza Easter Egg Hunt at Disneyland. Unfortunately they had run out of stickers and prizes, but this weekend they still had the map you could go and try to find the easter eggs. They were hidden throughout the park in the said locations, and you would collect eggs and stickers, and in the end get a prize. Since we didn't officially really get to participate, it kind of sucked, and so we sort of looked for the easter eggs but didn't find any. No luck, but it was a neat little thing and we'll have to see if we can actually try it one time. Here's a post about the whole thing. Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Disney Egg Hunt - Disney Description

Article on the hunt.

Mickey and the Magical Map - Disneyland

New thing today, watched the Mickey and the Magical Map show at Disneyland. This may be one of my new favorite attractions at Disneyland. I love the evening Fantasmic show, and this is probably second favorite in all the shows I've seen at Disneyland. It's short, but it's got a cute heartwarming story, really neat effects and great dancing, music and overall theme. 

The theater for this show is in Fantasyland which I think might also be my favorite land at Disney. It's hidden away by the Railroad stop and next to Small World. We saw the theater while riding on the railroad and decided to stop and try for the 4pm show. It was magical! Really fun and enjoyable.

Mickey is the sorcerer's apprentice and wants to help paint the magical map, and so it takes him on a wild adventure and you get to see characters and really neat stage effects for the story.

One random part my sister and I noticed and enjoyed was in the right front corner of the show, there are people signing for the deaf. They actually act and sign in unison with the actors, and so in the romantic singing number, they actually act it out and perform as the actors do - in sign. It's pretty cute. 

My favorite was when Stitch came out and they did a cute little number from that movie - I love Lilo and Stitch. Great new first :) and a new favorite! We will be going back to see other shows and I hope they introduce other scenes and characters in the future :) 

I recommend it for anyone visiting Disneyland :) Enjoy!

Cove Bar Lunch - California Adventure

New thing today, sat at the Cove Bar at California Adventure and had lunch! It was delicious and scenic and I loved it. Did I mention they serve alcohol which is fabulous! So family took me out as a birthday gift and we decided to get drinks and food share them all. I really wanted a seat by the lake and so was lucky enough to get a wonderful view! It was a lovely lovely birthday lunch and a first for every menu item and a first to actually go to this restaurant, but it won't be a last.

I got the special Strawberry Iced Tea (alcoholic) pictured in front, and my sister got the Strawberry Pina Colada (non-alcoholic) pictured in back. The Pina Colada was so much tastier and yummier than my drink. It was sweet and flavorful. My Iced Tea was "eh", good enough, and it gave me a wonderful buzz to enjoy the food and scenery. The Pina Colada though was much tastier.

We decided to try 3 menu items as well. The wings were #1 fantastic! We will be getting these again sometime soon hopefully.

We also got sliders. #2 and these were super tasty and I loved the fried onion shreds that came with the sandwich. Good enough to snack on.

#3 and least flavorful were the lobster nachos, which ironically was the reason we went to the Cove Bar because my sister mentioned them and they sounded intriguing. Overall they were bland and I wasn't super impressed with it, but it filled us up which was nice.

Oh and another first, which I'm pretty proud of. I wasn't obsessed with the food or having something "super delicious". My focus for lunch wasn't on the food, but on the ambiance, scenery, drinks and overall experience of eating outside by the Disney California Adventure lake. I suppose it's good because of the whole Weight Watchers - taking focus away from food mentality. I was really proud of myself and I was more concerned about having a good time with the family and drinking in the scenery and overall experience, rather than just what went down my gullet. A cool first, and I may be posting more about the overall experience of a restaurant or an outing, rather than focusing on just the food or flavor of a dish. I'm learning to appreciate other things.

Here is to new firsts and new experiences! 

The New Standard Roll Food Truck - Superman Roll

New thing today, tried The New Standard Roll food truck. Found it at Granada Hills and decided to try it. I love those soy paper wrapped sushi rolls in burrito format, so I tried the Superman roll which has crab, tuna, salmon, cucumber and avocado. It also comes with a side of something tangy spicy. Delicious! We also got a dragon roll (no photo). Everything was delicious! Will definitely eat here again and enjoyed it!

The Superman Burrito

Took Mother-In-Law out for Valentines

New thing today, took out the mother-in-law for Valentines, at a food truck area. Husband and I started a tradition of celebrating Valentines day the day before, because our first Valentines together I had a flight on Feb 14, so we did Valentines on the 13th, and we've just kept up that tradition. Anyway mother-in-law would be alone and possibly lonely and sensitive, so we took her out for dinner and hung out. I think she enjoyed our company and we all had a nice time. It was casual, hanging out at a food truck area as a family.

Valentines day should be about love! Not just between a couple, but just love between any and all people. Share the love! Hope you all have a Happy Valentines Day :)

Kogi Truck Tacos

New thing today, tried the Kogi Truck. I wasn't really expecting much. These trucks have a ton of hype and I've noticed about half are good, and half are nothing but hype, average tasting but very expensive. There is a reason this is one of the original food truck staples and it has so many fans.

THE FOOD WAS AMAZING! They're just little tacos, but they were so yummy! How did they do that? The operation is very well run. The truck takes your order efficiently and gets the tacos out fairly quickly too.

Someone said the tofu was tasty, so I tried it with the short rib and spicy pork tacos as well. Holy crap these were good. Tofu might have been my favorite surprise as it was super super tasty and probably a lot healthier too. Short rib and spicy pork were excellent as well. The cabbage salsa on top is amazing and it was just really great quality food.

I am a fan :)

Full House Seafood

New thing today, ate at Full House Seafood in Chinatown LA - DELICIOUS! It looks a little sketchy and run down from the front, but it has delicious quality food inside. Everything was delicious and cheap, and there were good healthy options. Just try anything, and bring more people so you can try lots of different things - family style. Can't wait to go again :) New favorite place in Chinatown.

Green beans - possibly best dish that meal :) Very flavorful and green healthy!

Scallops with Mushrooms - really flavorful and just yum.

Shrimp Fried Rice - husband's favorite and it was really good.

Noodles with calamari, shrimp, vegetables and possibly other things. Really good as well! I wish I knew what this is called - I think they're pan fried noodles.

Gangster Squad (2013)

New thing today, watched Gangster Squad (2013). It was dramatic, stylized and ok. I got bored and wasn't really invested in the story & started playing Candy Mania & Candy Crush in the middle of it. Overall I think the real life story behind it would have been more interesting than the movie. I liked all the actors and they all did a good job. I just think it was a bit much - with more style than substance. It was a lot of flash and bang, and a caricature of the time period. It almost feels like the characters were very Noir one dimensional. Great characters are relatable and dynamic, and the good vs bad guys here were just very cliche. Cool movie though if you're in the mood. Husband enjoyed it and I think I'll look up the real life story behind this.

LA Times - LA Noir - Tales from the Gangster Squad
Gangster Squad - Covert Cops, the Mob, and the Battle for Los Angeles
CriminalElement.com - Gangster Squad

LA Times article Mickey Cohen Wounded
Mickey Cohen - The Life & Crimes of LA's most notorious mobster
Biography.com - Mickey Cohen

Downtown LA Artwalk

New thing of the day, went to the Downtown LA Artwalk.

This was something I've been wanting to do for ages, and since I had the free time, decided to go down with a friend who's been a ton of times. It was crowded and a good kind of chaotic. Got really good vibes from everyone and it was just a lot of fun to people watch, see art, see life, hear music and be in the middle of things. Tons of smells and sounds wafting in the air. There were food trucks, wine in galleries, interesting and bland art pieces, great architecture and just lots of life all around. I loved it! It's such a different and nice feeling. Apparently not all the galleries were open so we didn't see a whole lot. Spent a good amount of time there and wore out the feet a bit.

My only advice, bring a small purse or crossbody purse as it's crazy crowded and you bump into people often. Also wear closed toed comfy shoes. Although it's a total scene for fashion, we saw a lot of trash, needles and crap on the floors, not to mention your feet might get stepped on. There's a lot of walking on your feet stuff so be ready for that. It's also really crowded.

Loved the architecture. A lot of the galleries were in random buildings downtown you would never go into if not for the artwalk. There were old banks and vaults where exhibits were showing. Some apartment lobbies were galleries along with residents walking through the lobbies as well. Others were real galleries and shops and such. Anywhere there was wall space it was open game for a gallery showing. I saw some really neat art inside a cafe. Some galleries had music playing. The architecture and home for a lot of the galleries was a feast for the eyes as well.

Such a feast for the eyes. Even the fashion was fun to see. I love watching people and this was a really interesting place to people watch. Crazy and cool fashion. Lots of hipsters, youngsters, fashion forward and fashion crazy and fashion cool. I felt an artistic esprit de corp among everyone. It was crowded, but not annoying. Gotta move fast though and know how to move in crowds.

Loved the art. I just love free expression and creativity. I got annoyed when I saw people taking photos of the art, but then again I've done it before but I try to respect the artist's work and copyright and all. One neat thing I saw was you can easily exhibit your own work fairly easily as the sign below demonstrates. Some of the art was affordable $10 prints, and others were completely unaffordable. It was inspiring to see all the art.

 

The nightlife was crowded and the chaos was interesting. I really enjoyed it and will be going back. Next time we might try some truck food or sit at a cafe or restaurant and do more people watching rather than walking. Although the art is hard to resist and is the real draw to this event. 

LA Times Festival of Books 2011

New thing of the day, went to the LA Times Festival of Books! 

Been dying to go since I heard about this, although every single year it's on a weekend that we're busy or unavailable. This year I'm studying for finals, plus we helped a friend move and had a birthday party, so I wasn't sure we'd make it. I was very good in studying yesterday Saturday, so felt confident we could spare half a day on Sunday to go to the Festival. Also as another excuse, as a library student, I felt it was part of my duty to go to book events. 

It was a lot of fun and 10am-2pm was the perfect amount of time to spend there. We wanted to get there early at opening, so drove down through traffic to get to USC by 10am. Then wandered around the multiple stalls, booths, author signings and other venues.

Highlights

Free Stuff

Free ice cream from Ben and Jerry's, along with free iced coffee sponsored by McDonalds. Such a great way to start the morning. Although we didn't get ice cream, my mom and sister got in line two or three times for the good stuff. We also got free tote bags, laundry detergent, poetry books, frisbees and other goodies. 

We got a copy of Make magazine. It's a neat book on DIY projects that are incredibly creative. Our issue cover shows how to create a cigar box into an electric guitar. It's a bit techy and hip, and we'll have to see what other articles they have but the website and issue look really interesting.

Another great freebie was from the LA Museum organization. I got a flyer listing all the free days at the local LA museums. We also got some coupons for the Skirball Cultural Center's Houdini & Magician Exhibit which is on the list of things to do this summer. 

Celebrities, authors and illustrators

Our morning started out pretty awesome. As we were walking the husband was "Hey there's Patton Oswalt". In case you didn't know him, he's the voice of Remy in Ratatouille, but also a more famous comedian and actor. I was like "Oh what stage is he on?" and the husband was like "No he's right there". Standing in front of us less than 5 feet away was Patton. He looked a bit lost and was making a phone call. The husband is big into comedy and I was like "Want a photo?", but he didn't want to bug Patton. Then a few other people recognized him, asked for his photo, and he was obliging. So the husband and I went over and I snapped a photo of the two of them. Patton was super nice about it all. We also watched a bit of him on stage promoting his new book. Funny guy :)

We saw R.L. Stine of Goosebumps signing autographs. The line wasn't too long so if we were fans we could have waited 20 minutes, but decided not to.  We also saw one of the creators of the Archie comic signing stuff. There were a lot of lesser known authors giving away free copies of their books for recognition, as well as signing and promoting their work. 

Books

My favorite free book copy, and I think the greatest treasure was a copy of the Al-Qur'an below. We saw an interfaith Islam society booth with a sign saying "Free Qurans". My sister and I were curious and interested. The guy handing out the books told us a bit about the Quran itself and it's place in the religion and the teachings it presents. He also gave us a CD of the recitation of the Quran. One of them explained that the book was meant to be heard, to be read out loud. He said that it's kind of an oral tradition and if it's always heard, it's ok, but if only the book survives and no one reads it out loud, they're at a loss. So he read a line or two, and it's very musical and melodic. The guys in the booth were really cool. There was a sense of peace about them, and a sense of wanting to share. It was very much an interfaith and peace mission by the group. There was absolutely no tone of trying to convert or degrade other religions. It wasn't a scientology attempt to join or take the book literally. It was almost like this is our holy book and our culture and we want to share the goodness of it. Islamic faith needs the PR in America unfortunately, so we enjoyed the chat and the book. The booth was hosted by the Why Islam group. Sister and I are both into studying world religions, so we found it interesting and I am curious about what it has to say. It can go along with my reading of Arabian Nights :) 

My absolute favorite booth though, was the Philippine Expressions Bookshop. It took up two booth spaces and was all books on Filipino stuff. They had kids books, language study, culture and history, fiction, and lots of other good stuff. They had a book I'd read years ago, When Elephants Dance. It's a fiction book based on the experiences of the Filipinos during WWII. The beginning quote from the book was "When elephants dance, the chickens must be careful" (Tess Uriza Holthe). I was hooked and the book had some vivid and striking images about what happened to Filipinos and Manila during that time. I forgot about it and was pleasantly reminded of it. I'll need to dig it out and make sure I don't give that one away. Perhaps re-read it. 

I really wanted to get a Filipino cookbook but wasn't sure which one. This one book caught my eye and I had to have it. Filipino Ghost Stories! I totally wanted to support the store and give over more of my money, but decided to be prudent. Plus carrying around a lot of books during the festival got pretty tiring. 

In conclusion, we really enjoyed our half day at the festival. It was sunny and I'm sure I have a sunburn. I got tired in the end and should get and wear some better walking sandals. Overall though it was lovely watching people passionate about reading, sharing books and ideas. We'll be going as many times as we get the chance. 

Map of USC Festival of Books 2011

Camp Freddy Steven Tyler

New thing of the day, saw the band Camp Freddy.

Very very cool show. Like their bio says, it's a bunch of musicians getting together for the love of Rock and Roll, and playing cover songs with guest musicians. It's the spirit of the show, but also a great way to see some people perform outside their songs and some of their favorites. 

There were two opening bands. The first one, Sabrosa Purr - well I liked their first song and was a bit bored by the rest of it. They had a girl drummer and guitar player and did some funky new hipster stuff where they all played drums at the end of one of their songs, but overall they rocked it out the first song and it was downhill after that for me. I liked the second opening band - Darling Stillettos, just for the fact that they were female and rocking out, a little sex appeal but some fun moves and working it. A good show and some catchy beats. Overall just more fun, sexy and rock.

Highlights for Camp Freddy. Well I'm not familiar with all the guest musicians and the songs, but I loved loved loved the following performances. Franky Perez really caught my ear and I thought his rendition of War Pigs and Surrender were excellent. Surprisingly I also LOVED Juliette Lewis. The eclectic indy actress who I'm used to seeing in movies, has an amazing voice and great showmanship! She went up there, sang like a badass and said something along the lines of "God I forgot how much fun this is - Rock and Roll!". She sang Proud Mary and Dirty Deeds - incredibly well and did both songs a grand tribute. You can tell she loves to sing, she's good at it, and she loved the songs and loves to rock. I am now a fan of her! 

Some low points. The set list started out with "We will rock you" and "Song Two". Although those are fun get you pumped up songs, it felt a little inauthentic, like cheerleaders at a football game. We are pumped to hear rock and roll, you don't need to pump up the crowd. That's what the opening band is for. Just rock it out. The performance wasn't rock out stellar in the beginning so I was like, uh oh this could be a lame show. Later in the show, I was a little horrified when Mark McGrath was the guest singer and sang not just "Fight for your right to party" but also THE KISS song "Rock N Roll all night". More pump up songs, and he did well for them, but I think Mark McGrath is overall sort of a tool especially since he hosts entertainment shows, so it didn't seem right for him to sing a KISS song.

The best part: The best part is that they don't announce who their guest singers/players will be until they come on stage. So the last guest on stage was... wait for it... Steven Tyler of Aerosmith! I am an Aerosmith fan much to the teasing of my coworkers. So this was an extra special delicious dessert of a finale! At first he came up and said he needed to "warm up" so he played the drums for a song. SO COOL. I love how in the show, performers play outside their typical element. Then he went up and sang. I especially liked Sweet Emotion. One of my favorite parts was when he started crooning "I could stay awake, just to hear you breathing" and then said "Nah, let's not that do that fucking shit" and I was like OMG YES!!!! WOOO!!! "Don't wanna miss a thing" is not one of my favorite songs and I'm uber glad they stuck to the rock and roll music that was the show. 

Steven Tyler though, sang well, but you can tell he's an older seasoned and "earned it" rock musician. He played a lot of percussion and maraca things, and sorta showed off here and there, but he didn't rock out with the energy or heart like some of the other performers. It wasn't the best performance ever, but it was amazing to see such a grand rock star fairly up close in a little club called Roxy in Hollywood. He was a real legend though and it was a star-struck end to a very cool concert.

That was the show. We stuck around afterwards to see if we could get photos or glimpses of the musicians, but no luck. The bouncers and security guarded Mr. Tyler like he was the President, but we saw his hair as they rushed him to his car. It was a great great night :) Lots of fun!

We're going to their 3rd show again next Friday night. The husband has been wanting to see this band for a few years now, so got two tickets to two of their shows, one last Friday and one next Friday. Should be interesting to see how they compare, to see who shows up and what they sing. I love the mystery and the spirit in which this band plays. Surprise guest musicians for every show, and a love of rock and roll. You can tell when they get up there - that they're all just having a blast and they're all just doing it for the love of the music. No pretenses, no fluff, just music.

CAMP FREDDY, headed up by Billy Morrison (Billy Idol/The Cult), Dave Navarro (Janes Addiction/The Panic Channel), Matt Sorum (Guns N Roses/Velvet Revolver), Donovan Leitch (son of legendary folk singer Donovan), and Chris Chaney (Janes Addiction/Alanis Morrisette) was created for the sole purpose have having a good time. 

XMAS RESIDENCY #2

December 10, 2010: The Roxy, Los Angeles, CA

SET LIST: We Will Rock You, Song Two, Rock This Town, War Pigs, Helter Skelter, Surrender, Proud Mary, Dirty Deeds, Fight For Your Right, Rock N Roll All Nite, Anarchy in the Uk, Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, Sex Type Thing, Wipeout, Rattlesnake Shake, Sweet Emotion, Whole Lotta Love 

GUESTS: Slim Jim Phantom , Billy Duffy, Franky Perez, Steve Stevens, Juliette Lewis, Nick Maybury, Mark McGrath, Steve Jones, Corey Taylor, Steven Tyler, Johnny Lang, Mick Fleetwood

Steven Tyler on drums

Steven Tyler at the Camp Freddy show at the Roxy Los Angeles.

The Roxy

The Edison Downtown LA

New thing of the day, made our way to The Edison in downtown LA.

It's a very cool place - and not in that obnoxious pretentious way. It's a semi-historical place with original Edison generators and 20s style decor and themes.

I absolutely LOVED how the place was decorated. We came in at about 9:20 before a line started outside, and you have to walk downstairs to get to the club. The smoking room is very cool and the downstairs club/bars are amazing as well. Dress code is more formal and even the bouncers and security look very classy. When we came in there was a fairy selling absinthe. There were a few couples dressed all 20s style and swing dancing in the middle all place. They had old silent movies playing in the background and there was a stage where a burlesque dancer danced every 45 minutes or so. We went to the bar and got good fast service. I tried a Mistress Nouveaux - a champagne twist for vodka martini lovers. It was pretty tasty. Overall, the place was a lot of fun and had an amazing atmosphere!

This is one of my favorite LA spots now. It's not super loud so you can talk with your friends. If you want to sit down you have to spend $25 a person at various reserved sections. Drinks average $9-15. They also offer food - also pricey. Overall it's pricier for our taste, but not bad for a hip LA club. I would happily and easily go back again, maybe dressed a little better :)

LA Kings game center court Staples Center

New thing of the day, watching an LA Kings game center court at the Staples Center.

Company was giving away tickets for the NHL LA Kings vs Dallas Stars game for Thursday Veteran's day. They buy season tickets for clients, but when no one is using them, they'll offer them up for company staff. We put our names in and got the tickets! 

We sat in the center section in the center rows, here is our view. 

Ridiculously great seats and I am ruined. The two other times I've seen a Kings game - we sat in the nosebleed section, so it was such a great first to get these great seats. Also we sat in the VIP center lounge area - where the concessions and facilities are more posh and make you feel like a VIP. We also got parking passes in the lot right by the stadium so it was super convenient.

We got there about an hour and a half before the game. We wandered around the Nokia center LA Live next door first. It's a relatively new complex with restaurants and the Grammy Museum which is next on my list of new things to try. Then we went into the Team LA Store. For years I've been wanting to get an LA Kings sweater, but never really found one I liked. That day I finally found a really cool and great jacket - this one :) I look super cute in it, plus it's got the Kings logo and colors, and you can wear it as normal wear - not just a jersey you can wear to games and such. It looks way better on but here it is.

Next we grabbed 2 hot dogs, some fries and a soda at the concessions, ate - food was good, and got to our seats just as the game was starting. One thing that I loved was when they announce "Here are your LA Kings" - the door through which the Kings come to the ice is painted/decorated to look like castle doors. Very fun and festive. I also loved our seats, and it felt like the view and action was so much closer and more accessible/fun. People were way more into the game and the seats were more comfortable. If we can't afford seats in the center center, I think we'll avoid the nosebleed section and try to sit closer to the ice next time. 

What I loved were the period intermission games. The first intermission had a group of people racing in hamster balls on the ice. It is absolutely hilarious watching them roll, slip and slide all over the place. So fun and cool.

The second intermission challenge was to slingshot someone sitting on a metal disc - and trying to hit some large pins on the other side of the rink - sort of slingshot bowling on ice. 3 challengers, one winner! I didn't get any great photos but here's the general idea. 

The game itself was incredibly fun and exciting. All 3 periods were action packed and both teams played really well. The first period both teams scored and it was very heated and fast playing. The Kings scored a second goal in the first period, but because of some penalty or interference, the goal didn't count and that had both the fans and the Kings team heated! The rest of the first period was a bit rough and we saw the first fight break out :) A lot of holding and punching, but I love that you can fight in hockey!

The second period was probably played better by the Dallas Stars. The Kings were on the defensive a lot and didn't seem to have their stuff together offensively to be effective. It was still a great period. A lot of near misses and very close calls. We saw a few more fights and I think the almost 2nd goal of the first period still nagged at them.

The third period was the clincher. The Kings scored twice! They were much more on their game and a few more power plays in. Overall the fans were ecstatic and we were glad for a such an exciting and successful game. The Dallas Stars played very well as well - which made it a nail biting and all the more suspenseful. 

After the game we walked around the arena for a bit and then went back to the LA Live center to look around. It was a lovely game, lovely seats and I am an LA Kings fan for life! Thank you Kings for making me feel like a Queen for a day :) Go Kings Go!

Spooktacular!

New thing of the day, partied up Halloween in style.

Most Halloweens I am not really into dressing up or getting too festive. It's fun, but I don't get excited. This year, we were very festive and in the mood to celebrate.

It started out by getting Halloween costumes. New thing - I was Rainbow Brite! Below is my costume and accessories. I had the blue dress and blue/red earrings. The rest is new. Got the hair tie/shoelaces from Hot Topic. Found the awesome rainbow leg warmers that I wore on my legs and arms at Spencer Gifts. The found the rainbow socks, necklace and fingerless gloves from Sidecca. Got my cranberry colored converse from Famous Footwear. The only thing I didn't have in my outfit is the wand and the rainbow belt.

I love this costume because I can wear all the accessories again and again. LOVE rainbow stuff. Plus I got a lot of admiration and kudos from other girls who were Rainbow Brite fans. We saw another Rainbow Brite walking around and we were like "DOUBLE RAINBOW!".

Saturday was a whirlwind of stuff. Did homework/studying in the morning. Went to lunch at 3pm at Philippe's, legendary home of the French Dip sandwich in downtown LA. We ordered beef french dips with macaroni salad and chili - the chili being the new thing! We've had the French dip sandwiches before. I'm not a huge fan of them. I think they're good, not great, but like the nostalgia and legendary status it holds. Loved the chili. Very hearty and warm and tasty. We got it with melty fresh oozy cheese and onion. I thought it was a bit pricey coming to $19 for lunch, but overall a yummy but late lunch.

   

Next we had season passes at Universal Studios so decided to wander around checking out the park, City Walk and people watch if they had costumes or decorations up. Very fun and relaxing, but overall I had a food coma and not a lot of energy. Good times though.

At City Walk they have a Pink's hot dog outlet, so decided to try TWO new hot dog dishes. I personally love the location at City Walk because it's close by and we can get a limited menu of Pink's without lining up for an hour in Hollywood. Just having a plain stretch dog with nothing on it (Betty White dog) is delish.

I got the Mulholland dog - with nacho cheese, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms and bacon. That was DELISH! I was too full from lunch to finish my dinner, but it was amazing and I highly recommend it.

  

We also tried the CityWalk dog. Some ladies were commenting when we got our plate like - WOW that looks amazing. It's got onion rings topped with BBQ sauce. Very messy but good. The husband really liked that one. I had a few bites and it was sweet and savory, but not a fan of the mess. Also quite large and unruly to eat.

 

So after that, got in our costumes and met up with some friends in Santa Monica at a new place Finn McCool's. A very cool place, lots of party revelers and people dressed up. They had a Beatles tribute band playing all dressed up - very fun. I'm not a huge fan of the music for dancing, but still had a good time. We walked around that area people watching. My favorite costumes of the night - a Charlie Brown and Lucy couple, a Tiger Woods and Elle couple and of course the other Rainbow Brite! Some honorable mentions, McGruber, a girl wearing/doing the "walk of shame", Mad Hatter via Tim Burton Alice, Hulk Hogan in skin tight leotards, some other wrestlers the husband recognized. 

Didn't want the night to end so decided to walk around West Hollywood - another new thing. Never did that before and Wow. There's a lot of skin and sexuality there and not as many fun costumes as I thought there would be. Just a lot of showing off the goods and trying to score. One awesome thing we did see - very new - a fully loaded kickass Ghostbuster car! Sorry the pic is sorta blurry but I took it quick on the fly. Sooooo cool!

So we went home after that, driving through/on Hollywood just to see the action. I think Hollywood had the best costumes and masses of people. If we have the energy or willpower, we might go there tonight to wander and check out costumes, if we can find parking. Last time I was there I was in college with some friends. I definitely want to go again and check it out, just not sure if we'll do it this year. Hollywood was amazing with the creativity of costumes, with a lot more normal people just walking around trying to have fun, and not necessarily show skin or get laid as in West Hollywood. We saw a Cobra Kai couple, and the husband was like "That was so his idea so much more than hers". I'm all about the spirit of having fun and dressing up to be goofy/silly! Plus the creativity! 

Apparently in the UK, at universities, per a friend of ours - she says about once a month they dress up in costumes for themed parties or clubs - and that she missed that. Here we only dress up to party once a year. There, they do it regularly once a month, with various cray themes. Awwww!

Anyway lots of new things of the day. Food, dressing up and fun! If only the nights didn't have to end or our feet get so tired. Alas :) Happy Halloween!

Santa Monica

New things of the day - saw the LA landmark Randy's Donuts, toured the new Santa Monica mall, ate off the pier at The Lobster and saw the movie RED.

It was a family day in Santa Monica. As we were driving, we passed by the LA landmark Randy's Donuts. I'd never seen it before so it was super cool to see it up close. We didn't stop by, but it was cool to actually be at the famous landmark. 

Next we wanted to check out the new Santa Monica mall. It was a really nice. The old mall was indoors and small and outdated. This one was an outdoor mall, with lots of pretty shops. There was a string quartet playing classic rock music such as Wonderwall, Smells like Teen Spirit and Sweet Child of Mine. Ha ha. Some photos below of the views from the mall of the pier and 3rd street promenade.

Next we decided to splurge and have a nice seafood dinner out at The Lobster off the Santa Monica Pier. It's the restaurant at the beginning of the pier before you walk down the walkway. It has great clear glass views of the beach, but unfortunately it was very cloudy that day. 

We ordered grilled lobster, cheese ravioli, chicken, wild rice and a seafood pasta. Overall food was good but not great. The sourdough wheat bread and pesto appetizer were not good. The grilled lobster with butter garlic was delish. The ravioli, chicken and wild rice were also highlights. The seafood pasta had a paella look to it, but tasted more like spaghetti O's with seafood. Our waiter was awful and inattentive. At the end he even gave us the wrong check 3 times the cost of our meal. About an hour after eating there, we all had stomach aches. We all came out of it ok, but considering we shared all the food, we're not sure what caused our ailment. We'll probably never go back. Just not worth it and didn't have the best experience. 

Last, we ended our evening with a movie - RED - Retired Extremely Dangerous. Our friends/family who did see it said they liked it. It was a lot more comedy and talking then I expected, but it was good. The family really liked it which was most important. Also, I am a HUGE Bruce Willis fan. He is, probably the sexiest most awesome action movie star in my opinion. He is probably the one movie star I would get all excited to see in person.  

The movie was more assassin sassy than action I would say. I thought it was a very stylish cool Oceans 11 type vibe but with very cool assassin characters and actors. Though there wasn't much action, it's like they cut out all the crap action and only left the coolest/best pieces of action in. My favorite scene was where Bruce Willis gets out of the cop car while shooting at his adversary here in this trailer. I also really like his adversary Karl Urban - the guy who plays Eomer from Lord of the Rings and Bones from Star Trek. He's becoming one of my favorite actors.  

Overall lots of new things of the day. Thank you Santa Monica.