#40: LA Kings Game

So this year I have seen the Lakers, the Dodgers, and the Trojans. In the past I've seen the Clippers, the Galaxy and even the Angels, and the only team left (besides the Sparks and let's be honest, when has the WNBA ever counted) was the LA Kings hockey team.

I've never been a fan of hockey, for no particular reason. I just always thought it was super violent so I wrote it off (silly me!). But luckily for me, my boyfriend is a huge hockey fan and surprised me with tickets to the Kings for New Year's Eve. I didn't really know what to expect, but I went with an open mind and was just happy to be doing something different for New Year's.

We took the train into downtown again - and this time, instead of parking in Hollywood (massive cluster normally, epic cluster on New Year's) we parked a few stations further away FOR FREE at Universal Studios. We took the red line into downtown, then since we were being lazy, transferred to the blue line that lets out right next to the Staples Center. The train was packed with Kings fans, so it was a party-like atmosphere on the ride down.

With all the logistics of parking and trains, we thought we would be late to the game, but we got there even in time to hear the national anthems! The Kings were playing the Vancouver Canucks, so they sang the Canadian anthem as well as ours. Which was great because it gave us some extra time to grab food quickly before making it to our seats before the drop of the puck.

Now, I thought I would be apprehensive about seeing dudes beating on each other with hockey sticks, but evolution be damned because I LOVED it! Ronny was patient and explained the basics to me, like penalties and power-plays, and the proper way to taunt the opposing team's goalie after a shot is made (I loved it!) The level of participation from the fans - which had a great showing of Canuck fans as well - was unlike any other kind of sporting event I've been to. It was so exhilarating and exciting, and I also loved the pace of the game. The hardest part about watching football for me is the fact that it stops every 10 seconds, but hockey keeps going.

During one of the intermissions, we got up to get beer and stood in line in front of 2 hardcore Canucks fans, traveling here from Vancouver. And you can keep making those Canadian stereotypes, because they were SO nice and polite and respectful. They even complimented us on being Kings fans, because Kings fans are just "so great". What the heck. Raiders fans shoot the opposing team's fans, Dodgers fans beat them nearly to death, but Canucks fans compliment you and shake your hand. Awesome. (Oh, Ronny did just remind me that they also riot when they lose...)

After we got beer we did a lap around the Staples Center, and went outside to the balcony/ smoking section to see all the New Year's revelers in the LA Live plaza below. While we were out there, an epic chant-war started, with the beligerant Kings fans shouting "U-S-A! U-S-A!" in the faces of a group of Canucks fans. And God bless 'em, the Canucks fans retorted with "WEEE HAAVVE HEAAATHCAARE! WEEE HAAVVE HEAATHCAARE!!" Burn, Canada. Buuuurrnn.

The Kings ended up winning 4-1, which is a pretty solid win for a hockey game. All the fans were going crazy and I was there right along with them. I have absolutely fallen in love with hockey games and I can't wait to go again! The best part about it is that you don't have to have a master's understanding of the game to enjoy yourself, and tickets are a fraction the cost of Lakers seats. I highly recommend it to anyone that wants to try something different - and I hear this season's Kings team has a chance at the Stanley Cup!!

Note: Apologies for the picture quality, my camera broke and my iPhone has been working overtime!

This is how close the Staples Center is from the train drop off. I'm never walking from the Red Line again!

View from our seats

Wearing our Kings Crowns!

PS - I just realized that I spent three major holidays this year at sporting events. Dodgers was on July 4th, USC Trojans was on Thanksgiving weekend, and this one was on New Year's Eve!

#36: Runyon Canyon Hike

Back in the day, my parents used to think that the best family activity was hiking. We lived out in the desert, so we would drive into the mountains for a day of fun activities and hiking. Obviously, this was before the internet. As could be imagined, when I was eight years old I was totally not into it, and was notorious for my constant whining on the trails. But, I have to hand it to my parents, there is now a soft spot in my heart for a good hike.

Living in an urban area, however, there aren't that many hikes close by. Don't get me wrong - drive an hour out of the city and there are amazing hikes all over the place. But there is one special little trail, right in the middle of the city, called Runyon Canyon. It stretches all the way from Mulholland Drive to Franklin Blvd in the heart of Hollywood. I'm sure pretty much every celebrity ever has been photographed hiking on the trail in those "Celebs are just like us!" sections of gossip magazines.

I finally made my way up to Runyon when I had a few days off after Christmas. It was a typical lovely LA December day, sunny in the mid-70's. I would say the hike is easy, but it still definitely raised my heartbeat! I remember having to hike for miles and miles once with my parents, and we even had to scramble up rocks and other hardcore stuff. Runyon is not like that, and in fact is pretty much paved the entire way, but does get pretty steep at times.

A great part about the trail is not only is it dog-friendly, but the majority of the trail is actually a dog park, where you can take your dog off-leash. My boyfriend and I were dog-sitting for the day, so it was a great activity to do with the pups (though, we didn't take them off-leash. Those dogs are totally unpredictable and I didn't want to be responsible for either of them going missing!). Another great part of the hike is that, unlike most hikes -where the view that makes the hike worthwhile is only at the top- Runyon has amazing views the entire way. At every turn you either have a close-up view of the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Observatory, or the downtown skyline.

We hiked the trail backwards, starting at the top at the Mulholland entrance. It was fun starting from the top because we could enjoy all the amazing views at a leisurely pace. Just coming back up was the tough part! Overall it was a great hike, under 2 hours, full of really beautiful people (shirtless men, women in sports bras, etc), lots of cute dogs, and even some celebs (we saw Ron Jeremy... eeww). I really look forward to going again, and maybe I'll even see Ryan Seacrest... Rumor is he runs the trail every day!

Downtown skyline views from the trail

Sign at the top entrance on Mulholland Dr.

#8: The Getty Villa in Malibu

As anyone who knows me knows, in college I studied abroad in Greece. I didn't just pick that destination out of the blue; I had been borderline obsessed with ancient Greek culture since I was 11 years old and first learned what ancient cultures were. While in Greece, I toured around all the big cities, historic sites, museums, etc, and was absolutely in love. But anyway, I'll save the boring recap details and just get to the point of this post. When the beautiful Getty Villa opened a few years ago, exclusively featuring Getty's extensive collection of Greek, Roman and Etruscan art, it immediately went on my "must see someday" list.

My boyfriend and I made reservations to go the day after Christmas. We had lunch in Malibu beforehand, and then made our way to the Villa. It is worth noting that the only way to get to the museum is from the PCH going north-bound. That would have been fine if we just came from LA, but since we went further into Malibu for lunch, we ended up going south towards the museum and had to make a u-turn, which is pret-ty stressful on the PCH and I don't recommend it! Entrance to the museum is free (you have to make a reservation online) but parking costs $15.

A little Getty Villa history, courtesy of the 12-minute orientation video:

The first Getty museum was staged in J. Paul Getty's own Malibu home in the 1950's. As his collection grew, he commissioned the building of the Getty Villa, built adjacent to his home in the Malibu hills. The Villa opened in the 1970's - after Getty's death- and housed his entire, eclectic collection. But soon the Getty Trust was expanding the collection at a rapid pace, and they ran out of room again. The Trust soon began plans to build the Getty Center, which opened in 1997 and is a landmark in Los Angeles, sitting in the hills above Westwood next to the 405 freeway. (It is also a destination I highly recommend. I have been there probably 10 times and always make a beeline for the West Pavilion!)

When the Center opened, the Trust began extensive renovations on the now-empty Villa property. 8 years later it reopened as the home to Getty's most prized treasures - the ancient Greek and Roman art, pottery, statues and artifacts.

I must say, the setting of the villa couldn't have been more perfect. It was built to emulate a mansion found in the ruins of Mt. Vesuvius, and flowed perfectly from indoor to outdoor, and had several outdoor gardens and courtyards. Not to mention that it is literally on top of the hill above the beach in Malibu, and the views are unparalleled. I've never been to Rome, but I could imagine this is how the wealthy Romans lived 3,000 years ago.

As the collection is all from roughly the same period, the pieces are organized by theme instead of chronology. There were rooms dedicated to Gods and Goddesses, Luxury Vessels, the Trojan War (a personal favorite), and Dionysus and the Theatre. But the real reason to visit the museum (if you aren't an Ancient Greece nut like me) is for the gardens. They were built to feature the statues (replicas are outdoors), popular plants from the era, and the views.

Overall, it was a really great experience. I saw pieces that added to things I learned while in Greece. There are also several different tours offered throughout the day, but I decided to pass on a tour since I already had a base knowledge on the era. It is easy to compare the Villa to the Getty Center, but it's not a very fair comparison. The Getty Center is more awe-inspiring both in its collection and its location, but for Greek and Roman art, the Villa can't be beat. I recommend it for anyone that wants to spend an afternoon in Malibu - just make sure to go on a sunny day for the most amazing experience!

The Villa, sitting atop the Malibu hills

The biggest outdoor garden, with a view of the main museum building

A typical Roman vase (there are about 3,000 more similar to this in the museum!)

A statue of Heracles carrying a lion carcass - one of the more famous statues in the collection

Such a beautiful setting on a beautiful day!