30 Before 30: A Color Run

If something is advertised as the "most fun anything on Earth," I will probably try it.  So it was no surprise that when I heard of The Color Run - advertised as "the most fun 5K on Earth" - I was determined to do one.  Even though I had only moved up to the Bay Area weeks prior, I traveled back down to Los Angeles in early February to do the 2013 run with Barbara and Marsha.

One of the main reasons why I wanted to do the LA run was because it was held at my beloved Dodgers Stadium.  The course consisted of twists and turns around the huge stadium parking lot, with four different "color stations" along the way.  We would go under an arch of colored balloons (first blue, then orange, yellow and finally pink) where volunteers would then cover us from head to toe in coordinating colored powder.  It was a bit unfortunate that they started with blue and orange, as those colors ended up looking brown for the majority of the race.

Marsha was smart and brought us all red hats which not only protected our hair, but helped us spot each other in the huge crowd.  They said 10,000 runners registered for the morning race, not to mention 10,000 more for the afternoon shift.  It was a bit crazy, but lots of people got really into it with full outfits, tutus, rainbow socks, wigs, and everything in between.

For $40, it was definitely worth the experience (and the cute free shirt), but it's probably not something I will do again.  The girls and I had a blast (not to mention a little exercise!), but the process of getting clean after the fact wasn't so fun!  Barb had green-tinged hands and I had blue between my toes for days!

#43: The Grammy Museum

You can't walk far in downtown's LA Live Plaza without seeing the huge grammy plaques inlaid in the sidewalk.

I figured they were the musical take on the Hollywood walk of fame, but only when I actually read the plaque did I realize that it was advertising the new Grammy Museum, tucked on the north-east corner of the LA Live complex.

Even though I work in the film industry (and LOVE to participate in our office Oscar prediction pools), I have always loved the Grammies the most of all the awards shows. I was never as interested in the winners as much as I was in the performances, the fashion, and the outrageous stage crashers... soy bomb, anyone?

We headed to downtown, found parking on the street (!!!) and paid the $12 admission fee. The museum is 4 floors, and they tell you to start on the top floor, which is dedicated to exploring and learning about all genres of music. As you could imagine, dedicating a single floor of a museum to all genres of music must have been a very overwhelming undertaking. However, they did a really good job. The majority of the exhibits were interactive, where you could read about a type of music and hear a clip of that genre through headphones. There were several stations with 5-minute videos on genres like classical, pop, gospel, and folk. The highlight was the station in the center of the room, which used touch technology to explore how all the different genres are connected. For instance, my station started on Rock n Roll. I read a paragraph about rock n roll, heard a few clips from famous artists (Elvis and Roy Orbison), and then had the option to select several other related genres - country, rockabilly or progressive rock. I selected country, then honkeytonk, then folk, then cowboy, then roots, then blues, then jazz, then freestyle jazz, then classical, etc etc etc. I stood at the station for at least 30 minutes, absolutely enthralled with all the visual and audio information.

For as much information as I was faced with on that single floor of the museum, it wasn't overwhelming. It was easy to absorb, and we headed down to the third floor with our heads spinning with musical knowledge.

The third floor is dedicated to the Grammies in general. There was a gallery of all the different Grammy trophies through the years, famous outfits worn at the Grammies -like JLo's green dress, Katy Perry's fruit outfit, etc (see below), and a small theater playing a loop of the best Grammy performances. It was fantastic! And definitely got me pumped for this year's Grammies.

There was another room dedicated to Michael Jackson, with videos of his several Grammy acceptance speeches and performances, and a row of all his fabulous, glittery military jackets. Up close, they were breathtaking. So fancy and fit for only a performer like MJ.

The 2nd floor, and a main reason why I wanted to go to the museum, is for the changing exhibits. Now through the end of March, the museum is featuring George Harrison: Living in the Material World. It featured artifacts from every phase of his career - handwritten lyrics, guitars, sitars, photos galore, and clothing. The most interesting thing I learned from that exhibit (since I already do know a lot about George) was how TINY he was. His suits were no taller than me, and the pants were the size of twigs! It's hard to imagine that such a larger-than-life person really was so small in "real" life.

Overall, the Grammy museum was a great experience. As a lover of music, I very much enjoyed seeing all the "greats" from over the years being recognized. Learning how all the different genres of music connect was fascinating, and I wouldn't mind going back just to explore the top floor again. Most of the time, interactive museums are exhausting, but this one was done really well, and the interaction was essential to the experience. I highly recommend spending about three hours and checking out this museum!

A 6-foot tall statue replica in the main lobby

THE Dress (which was absolutely stunning - even on a mannequin) from 2000

MJ's collection of sequined military jackets

Daft Punk tron outfit from 2008

Katy Perry's booby-licious fruit dress from 2009

A wall of George Harrison

#15: The Standard Hotel Rooftop Bar

There really is nothing quite as lovely as a relaxing, laid-back lunch on a rooftop amidst skyscrapers, am I right? Unfortunately, the premiere rooftop bar experience in downtown LA, the Standard Hotel, is a big fan of throwing fussy, douchey parties almost every weekend. Due to this little obstacle, I had pretty much given up hope of ever enjoying myself there.

It took us some time (three attempts to be exact), but my friend Barbara and I finally realized that in order to have our perfect, relaxing lunch, (and to avoid fedora-wearing downtown posers) we'd have to go on an off-weekend. Like a really off-weekend. And we couldn't have picked a better time to go than this last Sunday. It had rained all day Saturday, the weather was predicted to barely reach 60 degrees, and it was, after all, January.

By the time we made our way into downtown at lunchtime, the sun was shining and the temp was in the high 60's. Already better than what we expected. To our delight, when we got up to the rooftop bar, there were a total of four people on the entire roof - three patrons drinking mimosas, and one bartender. We had our pick of seats, and laid back on the sofa/chair/beds that serve as the seating, and just took in the amazing skyline views.

It was a little chilly, but we sat right next to a heat lamp, which dramatically improved the experience. The lunch menu was pretty limited, with only about 6 items that were barely more than finger food. I got pork sliders (delicious) and Barb got a grilled cheese sandwich. As we were finishing lunch, the sun came out from behind the buildings, and all of a sudden it felt like a summer day.

We walked around the perimeter of the roof and took pictures of all the views. One part of the restaurant has turned into a "bier garten," which was empty at the time but looked very charming. On the back side of the bar is the semi-famous pool. I know the rooftop bar and pool have been in several movies, most memorable for me in Get Him to the Greek, where Russell Brand jumps from the roof of the bar into the pool and has his life-changing epiphany.

The best part about this whole experience was that we had the place to ourselves. We weren't cramped, sitting on a corner of a cushion that occupied 10 other people. I am pretty sure this was a very atypical experience, but I am glad that we finally planned it right. I certainly wouldn't want to go back and stand four fedoras deep, trying to order a watered-down and ridiculously expensive cocktail, but not much can beat lunch on a sunny, uncrowded day!

The rooftop lounge - completely empty!

The pool, deserted.

A great shot of the US Bank Tower, the tallest building in Los Angeles.

The signature upside-down sign out front.

Part of the downtown skyline - the US Bank Tower, the central library, the AT&T building and cell tower, and the historic Biltmore Hotel.

#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!

#5: UCLA vs. USC Football Game

Surprisingly, I get asked a lot by non-Angelenos how I feel about Los Angeles not having a football team. Well, obviously it doesn't bother me, because we do have a pro football team, the USC Trojans. They are so pro that they aren't even allowed to compete in college bowl games anymore (true story!)

And you can't mention the USC Trojans without mentioning their cross-town rival, the UCLA Bruins. The rivalry runs pretty deep around LA. Football fans, basketball fans, hipsters picking out scarf colors, douchey guys at bars... they all belong to either the "SC" camp, or the "LA" camp. The majority of my coworkers are USC alumni, and several of my friends from high school went to UCLA (bestie Barbara actually works there) so I have been exposed to both sides, and, though neutral in my own personal preference, have my own prejudices about what type of people cheer on each team. Which obviously makes the idea of watching an LA collegiate rivalry sports game - and the people watching that goes along with it - all that more exciting.

The rivalry game this year was hosted by USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where the 1984 Olympics were hosted. When UCLA hosts, they play at the Rose Bowl. That would have been pretty cool too. Barbara was able to get us UCLA student tickets for half the price of tickets from the USC box office, so as a thank you for saving us $100, we dressed up in Bruin Blue and made our way to the Coliseum.

As we got close to the Coliseum, we began to see more and more red shirts, and more and more police officers and caution cones. Always a good sign when heading into downtown LA. We had planned to just park at the Coliseum and like noobs didn't really explore other options, but when we saw that stadium parking was SIXTY DOLLARS (I swear, only in this city) we had to readjust our plan, and fast. We ended up parking at a slightly shady strip mall (complete with a Metro PCS... only in strip malls) and paying off the security guard not to tow our car.

As we made our way from the strip mall to the stadium, we walked past the entire stadium parking lot. There was some Grade-A tailgating going on. Well, it looked Grade-A to me, but being a Dodgers fan and attending a dry college have severely limited my tailgating experience. There was music blaring and meat barbequing and beer being spilled all over the place by people that, to me, looked too young to be drinking. Does this mean I'm getting old? Probably. We ended up walking behind a group of UCLA students, because we all know that there is strength in numbers and some of those USC fans looked pretty big and intimidating. Luckily my borrowed UCLA hoodie and Ronny's polo shirt helped us blend in perfectly with the other college students.

Also like noobs we assumed that this really was a professional sporting event and that we could buy drinks once we got inside the gates. However, little did I know (this being my first college football game) that they don't serve beer. What the heck!? Where are we, Cal Poly?! Seriously. So poor Ronny and I had to prepare ourselves to deal with screaming college kids acting ridiculous, while completely sober. Ugh. (Sidenote: lesson learned).

Ronny had warned me in advance that the game would be a blowout, but I really didn't understand how serious he was. Within the first 45 seconds, the Trojans had scored. Cue the Trojan mascot complete with mohawk helmet on the live white horse to gallop around the stadium as 90,000 people lost their minds and did that dumb little "fight on" hand motion. The other 10,000 people were the UCLA students in my section, chanting obscenities and saying "Just wait! We'll get them soon!"

Cut to the half-time mark, when the score is USC 29, UCLA 0. Trojan fans, still 90,000 strong, were still waving their arms chanting "fight on" or whatever, but those once confident UCLA fans were now deflated and hanging all 10,000 of their heads in their hands. Not even a marching band rendition of "Moves like Jagger" by Maroon5 (complete with some sweet band dance moves) could cheer these kids up.

Ronny and I took it as our cue to exit, and get out of the stadium before the paid-off security guard decided to tow my car. If nothing else, we HAD to escape the girl behind us, a rouge USC fan in the UCLA section, who was screaming her head (and our ears) off. It was a blood-curdling, shivers-down-my-spine scream that still haunts my dreams. As we were walking back to the strip mall, I felt like we took a wrong turn. What had been crazy busy full of people, and honking cars, and music and drinking was now completely deserted. The only sign hinting at what had been was the insane amount of trash. I'm surprised I didn't see a little Wall-E roving around making a skyscraper out of all the plastic cups, kep taps, potato chip bags, napkins, and other general filth. Ew.

When we got home my brother so graciously gloated to me that the final score was USC 50, UCLA 0. I don't really understand why he's an SC fan but that's neither here nor there. And regardless of how obnoxious the fans were (on both sides) I walked away from the game completely envious of the fact that these schools have a venue like this to display their school spirit. And apparently this is small-time compared to schools in the South. It was something so foreign to me, but overall was a lot of fun. It made me feel like I was a college student again (hoodie and all!) and I just wish that my alma mater had something that cool that I could follow for the rest of my life. I guess I will have to settle with watching Cal Poly's one famous football player, Ramses Barden, make 7-yard catches for the NY Giants.

Oh, and I am still convinced that the majority of USC Trojans fans have NO idea where Troy is. Just saying.

Our view of the red sea from the blue corner

Some sweet marching band action

Go... Football!

#32: See the LA Philharmonic play at the Disney Concert Hall

If you live in central Los Angeles, you have undoubtedly seen these all over town:

They always feature pictures of the Walt Disney Concert Hall (on the back side) and pictures of Gustavo Dudamel, the head conductor of the LA Philharmonic, in action.

And, if you're also like most Angelenos, you know that the cheapest tickets to see the LA Phil at the Disney concert hall cost well over $100.

I've always heard that the acoustics in the Disney Concert Hall are unparalleled, that the LA Philharmonic is one of the best orchestras in the world, that Dudamel is dynamic and brilliant... but all that can't justify me spending $120 for one ticket. Luckily, I have a loud voice, because one night I was at dinner with a friend, lamenting over the fact that I probably won't be able to cross this one off my list, when a nice lady leaned over from the table next to me and told me about a glorious thing called "rush tickets." I'm actually surprised I hadn't heard of rush tickets sooner, and apparently all major theaters have them. Two hours before showtime, anyone can go to the ticket booth and ask for rush tickets, and get almost any tickets that are still available for a fraction of the original cost!!!

Seeing the LA Phil at the Disney concert hall just went from "most expensive item on my list" to "definitely affordable." I picked a night to go when I knew Dudamel would be conducting, and had back-up plans (artwalk!) just in case the show was sold out.

I invited my new-to-LA friend Joli to come with me. We made it to the concert hall around 7:00 (for an 8:00 show) hopeful but doubting we would still be able to get tickets. But it was our lucky night, because there were plenty of rush tickets available. Turns out that night was supposed to feature pianist Yefim Bronfman, but he had fractured a finger and couldn't play, so lots of people returned their tickets. So for $20, yes, twenty dollars, we got seats in the fourth row of the front orchestra section. At the Disney Concert Hall. Joli had the quote of the night: "When I see things like this, it makes me wonder how anyone could hate LA." Amen sister, amen.

When Dudamel walked out on stage, and I was profoundly disappointed. All those hundreds of light-post banners featured not only Dudamel, but his glorious Sideshow Bob-esque head full of curls. I could only imagine what he would have looked like jumping around, waving his arms with his hair all over the place. Dudamel walked out with his hair slicked down and downright tame. Alright fine, I guess the show will have to be just about the music, not the conductors glorious hair.

The opening number was Vivier's Orion (yes, I am referencing my program right now.. not like I would ever remember this!) and it was sooooo boring. Lots of percussion and bells and banging and as Joli and I agreed, it took itself way too seriously. Plus, Dudamel's hair barely moved at all. Luckily it was the short number and only lasted about 15 minutes. The next number, replacing the pianist performance, was Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe, Suite No. 2. This one was so much better. It was uplifting, happy and beautiful.

After the intermission (sidenote: Joli and I both thought the show was over after the first two numbers, and the fancy old ladies next to me had to convince us that it was just the intermission) Dudamel came out again to conduct Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5. Minutes into the performance, I saw what I had come here to see all along. The hair. It has been fighting its way out of the slicked-down neatness during the last number, and with every crescendo and each tympani bang (at some points he was literally jumping in the air while conducting), it got bigger and bigger until it reached full fro. It was a sight to see, for sure.

Dudamel's hair aside, watching the LA Philharmonic perform this 40-minute long symphony was an interesting experience for me. The first ten minutes were enjoyable, and then... it just kept going. And going. Every time the musicians turned another page, I started to think to myself "Ugh, will this ever end???"

Then I had a little talk with myself.

"You are what is wrong with your generation! You have no attention span! For hundreds of years, this is what people were entertained with and it's not good enough for you??! Do you realize that not only did it take unthinkable genius for someone to write this music, but sitting right in front of you are 100 musicians that have dedicated their entire lives to perfecting their craft, just to play this symphony for your enjoyment!!!! You are going to regret when this is over, that all along you were wishing for it to end! Not to mention that you are sitting in one of the most famous buildings in the world! Get a grip!!!"

Yes, I talk to myself in multiple exclamation points. Don't judge. It was a growing-up moment for me. After that little talking-to, I sat back and just enjoyed the rise and fall of the music, listened to the "story" Tchaikovsky was telling, and reveled in the absolute genius and discipline of the people playing. It was superb.

I cannot wait to go back again. Dudamel is leaving the LA Phil soon, and I am so grateful I was able to see him (and his hair) in action. But for $20 (or $10 for seats higher-up) I am looking forward to a relaxing evening watching and listening to world-class musicians, in a world-renouned venue. What more could you want on a random Thursday evening?!

I was able to snap a few pictures before an usher snippily told me there was no photography allowed. Here the orchestra is warming up.

The breath-taking organ above the orchestra.

#33: The LA Natural History Museum

I was planning on saving the LA Natural History Museum until a rainy day in winter, but after Ronny kept seeing the "DINOSAUR HALL NOW OPEN!" banners on light posts all over Los Angeles, he insisted we head over to the museum last weekend.

"C'mon babe, they have a hall full of dinosaurs!!"

I could hardly say no to his enthusiasm, so we headed over to the museum. As we entered, we were greeted by a huge dinosaur skeleton, already making our trip worth it. We checked out the map and came up with a game plan. We spent about three hours exploring, and I must say, I was a bit surprised that the museum wasn't at all like what I was expecting.

Overall, I liked the museum, but I felt that the exhibits were a little scattered, and obviously tailored to a younger audience. There were diorama halls of African and North American mammals, and though very beautiful and lifelike, it just seemed a fragmented collection of animals. There was a bird exhibit, but it was just these big display cases full of taxidermic birds that Ronny said reminded him of that creepy uncle with the even creepier bird obsession. There was the "Hall of Mammals," not to be confused with the aforementioned North American and African mammal halls, which kind of showed the evolution of mammals. I didn't really understand how this part worked with the rest of the exhibits, seeing as it was right next to the dinosaurs and clear across the building from the other mammal exhibits. And there was an exhibit that grouped a zebra, llama, tiger, and sperm whale together. It just didn't make much sense to me.

A personal highlight, however, was the gem and mineral hall. Though a bit overwhelming, with its black walls and low ceilings, not to mention the dim lights (all the money went into lighting the gems, which I guess I can appreciate), the displays were all really interesting and educational. There was a great gold rush exhibit which I looooved, but I think it's obvious that the fist-sized gold nugget was my favorite part. There was also a gem vault, like, a literal vault that you walk into to look at glittery displays. This seemed to be the only part of the museum that was not tailored to children, as the displays were at eye-level for us. The rubies and diamonds and other North American native stones like turquoise and opals were beautiful. Nothing to compare to the Smithsonian of course, (snob alert), but I was actually surprised at the wide array of indigenous gems.

But I must say, the huge attraction and main reason to go to this museum is the huge, brand new dinosaur hall. Those light-post signs all over LA really aren't messing around. There are few things in life less impressive, in my opinion, than a full-size dinosaur skeleton. To think animals that large used to live in what is now Montana is pretty mind-blowing. The museum has really poured a lot of money and resources into obtaining enough bones to make complete skeletons, and manufacturing pieces to complete those that aren't complete. There were a lot of interactive displays (aimed at kids) that explained dinosaurs and their existence. My favorite was the triceratops skeleton, because that little brat was always my favorite character in The Land Before Time.

With a student discount (I am a student of life, remember?), it was $9 entrance fee, which I think is worth it to see the dinosaur exhibits alone. But the other exhibits don't require long study, a quick walk-through really was sufficient for me (with extra time for the gems of course). I don't really plan on going back, but instead look forward to checking out the Tim Burton exhibit at the LACMA soon!

The entrance, right across a courtyard from the LA Memorial Coliseum football field

Full Triceratops skeleton made from 3 different specimens

Stegosaurus complete with original spine-fins

That T-Rex totally has my back

#1: Dodgers Game Behind Home Plate

My brother has inspired me to make it a life goal to see every baseball stadium in the country. I have been to 8 so far (out of 30) and they are all beautiful and unique in their own way. But the one that I will always love most is of course, Dodgers Stadium. It may not have a marina view like AT&T Park in San Francisco, you may not feel the ocean breeze like you do at Petco Park in San Diego, and it certainly doesn't have the old-time nostalgia of Wrigley Field in Chicago. But it is the stadium of my home-town team, and therefore will always be my favorite.

I have been to Dodgers Stadium dozens of times, and almost exclusively sit in the cheap seats. When I'm not in the outfield, I'm in the nosebleeds. I'm not complaining, and am actually grateful for the low ticket prices. But for years I have wanted to splurge and get the best seats in the house. When I decided to make my 2011 List, this was the very first thing I thought of, and is one of the items I was most determined to cross off.

I was trying to figure out which game I wanted to go to (truthfully, I was looking for games against an unpopular team because tickets would be cheaper, and the Dodgers might actually have a chance of winning). I started to worry that I still wouldn't be able to afford tickets, and that there would be no way I could convince a friend to spend that kind of money to go with me. But luckily for me, my boyfriend is an avid baseball fan too, and surprised me with behind-home-plate tickets to the July 4th game (complete with fireworks!) for our anniversary. True love people, I'm telling you.

After eating an amazing meal at Philippe's, we went to the stadium early. I've never gotten to the stadium in time for batting practice (typical Angeleno, I usually show up in the 3rd inning) so seeing the whole team practice was a treat. We even went onto the field with the hope of getting autographs, but all the players were too busy to sign. Oh well! It was burning hot, so we cooled ourselves down with beer and ice cream. Mmm.

The game was great. I literally felt like I was watching the game on TV, our seats were so close. But of course it was better because I could smell the grass and watch the sunset. The Dodgers played well, and my favorite player, Matt Kemp, scored twice. During the 7th Inning Stretch, I showed Ronny one of my favorite Dodgers Stadium traditions by singing the song twice instead of once (he thought it was excessive). After the game, they had a pretty fantastic fireworks show, complete with all the popular patriotic songs. There are few things I love more in life than 4th of July Fireworks, and watching them from the MVP Box at Dodgers Stadium with my boyfriend was pretty special.

If only I had had some apple pie, I just might have just died of pure patriotic happiness.

Our fancy expensive tickets!

Wearing my sweet new white-on-white hat (also part of my present!)

Opening pitch

I borrowed this picture from the Dodgers Facebook page. During the National Anthem, dozens of soldiers went out onto the field and unfolded a ridiculously large American flag. For once, a scene best seen from the nosebleeds, not field level.

Beautiful sunset over the ravine

PS- Yes, I am completely ignoring the fact that the Dodgers lost the game. That part doesn't even matter.

#23: Philippe's The Original French Dip

Originally, #23 on my list was to rent a paddle boat on Echo Park Lake. I think I was inspired by that one scene in 10 Things I Hate About You, even though that was supposed to be set in Seattle. Anyway. As I was doing a bit of research on boat fees, I found out that not only has the Echo Park boathouse been closed down, but the entire lake had been fenced off for a complete remodel and won't reopen until 2012. So much for that!

Later that week, my boyfriend told me about a restaurant he had heard about on one of his favorite travel channel shows, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, called Philippe's Original. I had heard of it, but had never been there. It is one of those classic LA restaurants. Not one of those "hot right now" places, but a place that has been in downtown LA for over 100 years, and has a legitimate claim to having invented the French-dip sandwich. I do love a French-dip, and decided it needed to be on my list.

Ronny and I ventured downtown on the 4th of July, on our way to a Dodgers game. We walked into Philippe's full of high expectations, because after all, when Anthony Bourdain raves, Ronny listens. And Philippe's did not disappoint. Much to Ronny's delight, Philippe's is located near Chinatown, and it seems to be far away from all the hipster-cool downtown-chic places. Here was a restaurant with no pretentiousness, no airs, and was simply about delicious French-dip sandwiches. The menu was limited, with only I think 5 different sandwiches to order, along with deli style potato salads and coleslaws. Hanging above the counter was a sign that said "Lemonade, $0.75" and I thought it was one of those cute vintage tin signs. No, the lemonade actually cost 75 cents! I ordered the beef dip with potato salad, Ronny ordered the lamb dip with cole slaw, and we each got a lemonade. Total bill was just over $20. I have ordered cocktails that (with tip) cost as much!

Touristy as ever, I started to take pictures of our sandwiches, but was abruptly stopped by Ronny. "Really Suz, could you please stop? This is kind of a private moment." Though Ronny may have been more serious about it, I have to agree that the sandwiches really were that good. He has already asked me twice when we can go back.

Behind the counter

All the goods... Ronny's hands in the background ready to pounce!

Yaaay!!

If a restaurant can exist for over 100 years in Los Angeles, it's legit in my eyes!

#10: Wholesale Flower Market in Downtown

When my friend Hillary got engaged, she got a fairly large, good quality diamond for only $800. Say whaaa?? All thanks to the Downtown jewelry district, a place where wholesale jewelers display their diamonds and other gems for fancier retailers to pick up, mark up, and sell for 10 times (or more) the wholesale price. There are several sections of the Wholesale District, and the best part is that they are all open to the public! As long as you can wade through the foot traffic, (and successfully navigate AWAY from Skid Row) you too can buy diamonds, or clothes (from the fashion/garment district) or rugs and fabric (from the textile district), or seafood (from the warehouse district), or toys (from what else, the toy district), or, for the case of this post, FLOWERS from the flower district, all at wholesale prices!

I have always wanted to go to the flower district, but it's just one of those things you never really "get around" to doing. For one, it is only open till noon on Saturdays (and closed Sundays) so it's something you have to plan for, wake up for in time, and get there before all the "good" flowers are gone. I knew that if I didn't put this on my list, I would probably never go, for one reason or another. But quite unexpectedly, I had a VERY good reason to go last weekend.

2011 is a big year in my family, mostly because it's the year that I turn 25 (hah hah) but also because both of my parents turned 60 this year. And seeing as this was the first "milestone" birthday for them where my brother, David, and I weren't starving and selfish college students, we decided that in addition to getting them presents, we (including our significant others) would each get them 60 of something.

After a few days of having NO idea what to get my mom (my dad was easy, I got him 60 Boeing airplane paper clips) I decided to try to get my mom 60 flowers. She has always loved flowers, as every woman does, so I thought it would be neat to get her 60 different stems. And where better to get them than the wholesale flower district in downtown!?

So, on the Saturday morning in April when Ronny and I were going to drive to my parent's house, we got up at 7:00AM (the horror!) and drove into downtown. It was a lovely morning with blue skies and no traffic, and we were able to easily find metered parking for $3 for an hour.. unfortunately, in my worldview that's reasonable.

Ironically enough, it's worth noting that the flower district is on Wall Street. In New York, it's high-powered fraud machines who brought down the world economy, but in Los Angeles, it's pretty flowers! I'll take LA over NY any day for that reason alone.

After paying the $1 entrance fee, we entered the market, which is really a large warehouse filled with dozens of booths for each of the local growers. Flowers were EVERYWHERE. We decided to do a lap around all the booths, to see what our options were. I very quickly realized that I would not be able to get 60 different types of flowers for my mom, so instead decided to get her as many different bunches as I could. I hemmed and hawed a lot, and I'm sure I REALLY tried Ronny's patience, but after our first lap, I had decided on which flowers I wanted to buy my mom.

I got her:
-Irises
-White snapdragons
-Red gladiolas
-Mini sunflowers
-Pink tulips
-White calla lilies
-Peach roses
-Greens

For a total of 63 stems plus greens, we paid just over $40. That's about the price of a dozen roses with baby's breath from a florist! The most expensive bunch we bought was the 2 dozen peach roses for, wait for it... $11. All the other bunches cost between $3-$5, and I think the dozen tulips were $8.

But most importantly, my mom was absolutely THRILLED with her gift. We bought enough flowers to make her 5 arrangements, which she then spread out around the house, and even took one into work.

I was very happy with the whole flower district experience, and definitely want to go back again. I probably won't drag Ronny the next time, because even though he was such a trooper and carried all the flowers for me as I pranced around the warehouse, I could tell he just really, really wanted to go back to sleep. Next time I will bring a wagon and let Ronny sleep!

From the outside

Inside the flower market warehouse


Me with all the bunches we bought. I must say, this is not a very representative picture because Ronny carried them the WHOLE time, and I only held them for the photo-op

The finished arrangements

Oh, and just in case you guys were curious, here's what everyone else brought 60 of:
David brought them each iPods with the top 60 songs from 1969, the year they graduated high school
My brother's girlfriend Stephanie brought my dad 60 golf tees (just enough for one round, in his words) and my mom a jar of 60 different buttons for crafting
Ronny, besides putting in pretty much ALL the effort for my mom's flowers, also brought my dad 60 mini Snickers bars

#9: Art Walk in Downtown

My fabulous friend Jacob (who also gets credit for enlightening me on Drag Queen Bingo) has been telling me for years about one of his very favorite things to do in Downtown LA - the Art Walk. I see him commenting about it on his facebook every month, and seeing as Jacob is really a Downtown Guru of sorts, I took note that this must be something to check out.

I did a bit of research into this "Art Walk" before making my plans. It turns out the Art Walk is part of an effort spear-headed by community organizers to bring art, culture and involvement back to Downtown. Just like most big cities, parts of once-vibrant Downtown LA have become run-down, dirty, and just unappealing to people in general, to visit or to live. Over the last 10 years, Downtown has had a bit of a revival, and millions and millions of dollars have gone into revamping old buildings into super-trendy lofts, cleaning up the streets (literally!) and organizing events that will bring people into Downtown. The Art Walk is one of those efforts, aiming to highlight local and independent artists, galleries, musicians, shops, restaurants and cafes, to not only Downtown residents, but to visitors (like me) as well.

So what started as a map-guided tour of the independent and unusual art galleries has since turned into a once-a-month block party. It's actually more like 7 blocks, so you can imagine how much fun it is.

The Art Walk happens the 2nd Thursday of every month. I decided to go with my good friend since middle school, Sona, in March. She has recently moved Downtown to attend med school at USC, and hasn't had much time to explore. From her apartment, it was only about a 10 minute walk to Spring and Main Streets, where the majority of the action happens. We at first weren't quite sure how much further we had to go, because we didn't see anyone around. But we turned a corner and were greeted with the smell of taco trucks, loud music in the distance, and lots and lots of people on every corner.

We walked towards one of the crowds and were kind of swept into a gallery. The gallery was actually more of a clothing store, with racks of (surprisingly) fairly affordable clothes, with some for-sale paintings on the wall. On top of this high platform, probably 20 feet up, a DJ was spinning some hipster sounding music.

The next gallery was similar, but was more art-focused instead of clothing. My favorite from this gallery was a painting of an owl with a jetpack in outer space.

Our next stop was a little out-of-the-way cafe, where their nightly special was $3 sangria, which was pretty delicious and hit the spot. We took a seat on a couch next to a group of people from Planned Parenthood (who, like many other organizations, take Art Walk as an opportunity to spread the word about their work, services, etc to young adults). It was an open-mic night so we got to hear some good, and some really bad, poetry.

While sipping our sangria we came across a pamphlet for the MONA, aka Museum of Neon Art, which was located just around the corner. I insisted we go. The museum was really really small... like smaller than some of the galleries we had visited, but the stuff inside was so unusual and interesting. Huge wall-sized installations, sculptures, signs and other random pieces, all done with neon lights. There was a back room with more art that you had to pay to see, which we skipped, but I definitely plan on going back there on my next trip.

After the MONA we walked through a few more little galleries. The best part about this is that even though people hand out maps and guides of all the galleries, they are all just next door to each other, and you can hop from one to the next. Some other highlights from the next few galleries included a pile of cookies in the corner of a room (Sona ate one, I had a bite), and very graphic and close-up photographs of different types of piercings.

We decided to hop over to another street, but on our way we passed a cupcake shop, and I have to give them credit for an awesome tagline. When I see a bake shop with the words "FRESH MOIST FANTASTIC CUPCAKES" proudly displayed in their window, I will most likely stop in. There's nothing like some effective and efficient marketing. The shop was called Big Man Bakes, and they were giving out free mini cupcakes. We got a free carrot cake cupcake and bought a large red velvet cupcake to share. I must say, the frosting was AMAZING and both cupcakes were delicious. As we were leaving the shop, a very large black man in an apron walked in and everyone started cheering. Apparently he was the "Big Man" and owned the bake shop, and all the cupcakes were his recipes.

Along the walk, there are lots of people walking around handing out fliers and free stuff. We each got free tank tops from American Apparel and lots of literature about different galleries and events in downtown. But the funniest exchange happened when a good-looking Latino guy handed Sona a brochure for an eyebrow threading shop, and she wailed out "OH NOOO!! Does this mean my eyebrows look bad?!??" and hurried to pull out her mirror to check her brow situation. The guy was just handing out fliers to everyone, but Sona thought he was trying to hint something to her. I was cracking up, but this guy genuinely felt SO bad that he had offended her. They later bonded over talking about Indian dancing, apparently he was a dance major in college and had taken particular fondness to the type of dance that Sona partakes in occasionally. This is an example that there really is every type of person at Art Walk.

After that we walked through the first floor of a very old looking building, which had been transformed from an abandoned, useless space into a mini-marketplace where people could sell their wares. It was like a more hipster version of the Venice Beach boardwalk, with a very eclectic selection of hand-made jewelry, vintage clothes, records, and even bicycles, among other nick-knacks. I bought a really awesome necklace for $10 and Sona got a shirt and pair of earrings. In one corner, a guy was free-styling, and on the other end of the room there was another DJ.

It was after this that Sona and I decided to call it a night. As we left the last gallery to head home, we passed by a person on the street that was dressed as a green furry duck-looking thing. As in, you couldn't see their face and they were completely inside this duck-platypus-bird costume. Sona was completely enamored and insisted we chase it down to get a picture. Of course the platyduckbird was running away from us and I was laughing so hard the picture actually came out pretty blurry, but I'm sure she still cherishes it.

I am finding it very difficult to explain to you here the types of people you see at the Art Walk. You are constantly working your way through crowds of people, and they seemingly come from every walk of life. Some of the more scene-ster types obviously live in downtown, but there are plenty of normal people, business men, hippies, etc all enjoying the local art and music scene. It was really so much fun and when I got home I felt like I was on a cloud. Sometimes I get stuck in my little bubble and I forget to experience things outside of it. But going to Downtown always is an exhilarating experience for me, because at heart I'm still a small-town suburbanite who wonders how she ever made it to the Big City. Being a part of the Art Walk makes you feel like you belong to this big-city scene, no matter what your interests are, where you live, what you do, where you're from, etc. It was a truly awesome experience and I can't wait to go back again!

Sona with the green furry bird creature

"Installation art"... I don't get it, but it sure was tasty!Art at the MONA

Outside the Museum of Neon Art

#20: Chinatown

The other day while driving to my closest Home Depot, I drove through Little Ethiopia, Koreatown, and Little Armenia. And that's just around Hollywood. This city has dozens of cultural neighborhoods, like Little Tokyo, Leimert Park (African), Historic Filipinotown, Fairfax (Jewish), Olvera Street (Mexican), Thai Town, Little Moscow, Little Saigon, and of course, Chinatown.

Only a few of these made my final list, but Chinatown was the first one I wanted to visit. Not to mention the fact that my boyfriend is Chinese and has been dying to show me some "authentic" Chinese food. After San Francisco's Chinatown failed us with "Americanized" food, we set our eyes on LA's main Chinese neighborhood. Ronny picked out three restaurants, one for dim sum, one for noodles, and one for seafood.

We drove through the Dragon Arch, found parking, and began our tour. I wanted to go to dim sum first... because to me it is the tamest and has the most options. I wouldn't call myself a "picky" eater per se... but when it comes to unusual things I've never seen or heard or tasted before (and when I can't even read the menu to find out what's actually in it!), I have some hesitation. We met my friend Marsha at the dim sum place, which... Well, I think it's best described by Ronny's Yelp Review:

The place is very dirty, tables cleared off with a quick swipe of a wet rag. There was a dude just sitting in there tweaking out and asking people for money. Nothing looks too sanitary.

But... unusual cleanliness standards and strange patrons aside, the dim sum was DELICIOUS and according to my Chinese boyfriend, incredibly authentic! Ronny, Marsha and I ate till we were full, for less than $15 total. We got steamed BBQ pork buns, pork shu mai, shrimp har goa, and this weird sweet crumbly pastry that was neon yellow. It was all delicious and filling. Oh, and Ronny gave it 4 stars on Yelp, and that's saying something.

After dim sum we walked around some of the obviously touristy gift shops. I wanted to get a little souvenir, and went through several shops deciding between a small Buddha statue, a paper lamp, a money tree, along with lots of other super random Asian things, before settling on a small red good luck charm keychain thingy. There were actually some pretty interesting, inexpensive things around, but I didn't want to push it.

The "strip" of Chinatown, since it's really just one street with all the shops and restaurants, seemed to be centered around Mandarin Plaza, which is a mall of sorts, filled with Asian-interest shops and vendors. Though it all seemed a bit touristy to me, there was one thing that made it feel more Chinese. A woman was playing some sort of flute instrument on the steps of the Mandarin Plaza. I don't know what the instrument was called, but I'm pretty sure it has been featured on every single Asian movie soundtrack released in Western culture. It just sounded very stereotypically Chinese. I also thought the lady looked like Wing (from South Park, and an actual Chinese celebrity) but Ronny said that was racist.

It is worth noting, also, that I saw something I've never ever seen before. You know how MOST restaurants have a big blue A posted in their windows, showcasing their Health Inspection rating? Well for the first time in my life, I actually saw a C in a window. In normal LA, a "C" would put a company out of business in a minute. But in Chinatown this stuff doesn't matter as much, because the food is so good!

One of these lovely "C" restaurants was our Noodle House. The three of us ordered 2 bowls of noodles and soup. One was egg noodles and one was rice noodles, and both had meat and seafood. By that time in the afternoon, it had gotten a bit cold and overcast outside and the noodle soup was very satisfying. Only downside is we had to order cans of Coke because the water glasses were very dirty.

After that we were so full, we didn't even go to the seafood restaurant. And honestly, noodles is one thing, but I REALLY don't want to order fish from a place that probably has rats in its kitchen. Marsha left, and Ronny and I walked the length of the street, then turned around to go back to our car.

My takeaway from Chinatown: if you want to find authentic and incredibly cheap Chinese food, this is the place to go. But if you are expecting banners and buildings that make you feel like you are in China (or even in a touristy Chinatown!) you will be let down. It was really only one street (Broadway) and I really didn't get a taste for Chinese culture. Honestly, having a meal with my boyfriend's mom teaches me more about Chinese culture. It certainly wasn't as quaint as the Chinatown in SF, and it's not NEARLY as big as expected (in my perception, it's a fraction the size of Koreatown). But I had a lovely afternoon trying new food, and was definitely a great experience! I look forward to checking out other ethnic neighborhoods in the future!

The most "Chinatown-esque" decoration in my opinion: banners on the light post reminding everyone that this is the year of the Rabbit.

I was too busy stuffing my face to take a picture of the dim sum when it first came out.

The Dragon Gate that you drive through to enter official Chinatown