looking up

my work is in downtown LA. right smack dab in the middle of all those skyscrapers. I'm LOVING the city vibe. so different from anywhere I've ever lived or worked. I've been getting to walk around a bit during my lunch breaks. I realized my building is across the street from the standard hotel, I can see their rooftop pool from our breakroom.

Last friday some co-workers and I went to a fantastic little japanese/sushi place a couple blocks down called octopus. the lunch special was $9 but when you consider it's downtown LA and the amount of food I got (california roll, teriyaki salmon, miso soup, rice, salad) I thought it was a pretty decent deal. i would also like to recommend the garlic butter edamame. YUM.

so you've seen (500) days of summer. right? yes, of course. well that whole montage scene where tom shows summer all the buildings in downtown made me totally geek out. maybe it's because i studied/work in engineering/construction and I'm a nerd about buildings. but i don't think i could ever get sick of seeing tall buildings. especially in LA where there's intricate historic stone structures mingling with rigid steel and glass high rises. so cool to see. I try not to be obvious and not trip in the crosswalk as I stare at the tall buildings when I'm walking to work from the metro station. I'm still too embarassed to try and take pictures for fear of looking like a tourist in my own (new) town. I felt the same way in europe, mostly in awe at the age of said buildings. But London has an even more impressive juxtaposition of contrasting buildings. love it.

one year ago

one year ago i got on a plane.
i dragged my luggage through here:

i wandered around this place on my own:

where i met new friends:

then onto here:

i consumed a lot of this:

my heart aches for it sometimes.

desert oasis

(here)

the final locale i would like to present is palm springs. just 2 hours away from los angeles, this is a vacation hotspot. It is popular for its 1950s mid-century modern architecture/design, has seen its fair share of US presidents as well as celebrities. Frank Sinatra built a home there and Charleton Heston and Clark Gable were regular visitors. Many films have been shot there in as well. It is a place to relax by the pool, soak up the ever present sunshine and enjoy leisurely sports like tennis, golf and polo.

though I have never been, I'm excited to say that there is finally some traveling on my horizon. In mid-june at the end of school I'll be joining the fam for a week of much-needed relaxation! If I'm laying by the pool with a good book, (of course wearing a big straw hat and slathered in sunscreen for my poor pale skin!) I will hardly have time to wish for colder weather.

3 fabulous hotels that I'm not staying at...but hope to visit in the near future:

Ace Hotel
More of a bohemian vibe, their restaurant utilizes local and organic foods. Their rooms are decked out like the tent of a desert archaeology crew. It is brand new, and the coachella festival had an opening night party there if i'm not mistaken. I was going to mention its affordability, but I think its popularity is getting the best of it...when I first discovered it about a month ago, a single room with king size bed ran about $79. It has now been bumped up to $129 ($116 through hotels.com) still not terrible...guess I'd better hurry!




(by her)

Viceroy Palm Springs
It originally started as a bungalow in 1933 visited by the likes of Clark Gable. Styled by Kelly Wearstler in 2001, this hotel is modern and sophisticated, using a color palette of only black, white and yellow.




The Parker Palm Springs
it is swanky, the rooms filled with designer pieces. they have a gene autry suite with it's own saline pool. i can dream right?

their outdoor bar is called "the lemonade stand", how cute is that?

arizona

I've visited twice. it's actually quite a diverse state, it has high altitudes with ski resorts and such. I stayed near flagstaff for 3 weeks and it rained every couple days in july! But i'm going to discuss the hot portion of the state, south even of phoenix, right in the heart of the desert.

Tucson.
It was the summer before my senior year of high school. Part family vacation, part college visitation and I seem to be completely lacking in photos :( Good thing my brain still functions.

We flew into Phoenix and had to take this tiny 25 person commuter flight. (our layover was less than an hour and the connection was about 4 terminals away...we RAN)

I was pleasantly surprised to find the desert to be much more to my liking than I had expected, both in climate and appearance. I discovered the wonders of dry heat, the lack of humidity allowed us to not quite notice the above 100 degree weather. The landscape has a unique beauty. Fairly flat but lots of small brush. Plants I'd never seen before. Gorgeous cacti, the saguaro are magnificent. Millons of rabbits (although that's how Irvine is as well...). Most homes had front yard comprising of gravel/rock with cacti and brush. The native landscapes were so much more beautiful and fitting than the occasional green lawn.

Tucson is a college town, the University of Arizona is right in the heart of downtown. I kind of wish I had that, instead of my Irvine suburbia bubble. Lovely brick buildings, it felt like what you imagine a university to look like.

Sites to see:
Sabino Canyon. A wonderful area in the Coronado National Forest, in the eastern part of the city. There are some great hiking trails, (not difficult at all) some follow Sabino Creek, to waterfalls and a dam. We definitely saw a gila monster.





(photos by me, the only ones I seem to still have)

Biosphere 2. About an hour's drive Northeast of Tucson is a slightly nerdy but really interesting site. Built in late 80s, the just over 3 acre dome houses 5 separate ecosystems, human quarter and agricultural site. It has been used for research and study the possibilities of space colonization. The closed system has a rainforest, wetlands, tropical "ocean" with coral reef, savannah grassland, and fog desert, plus farmland for its inhabitants to raise their own crops and living quarters. Two missions have been conducted. One lasting 2 years, the second lasting six months. You get to take a tour inside and it is quite impressive (though EXTREMELY hot and humid).

Tombstone. For those western movie lovers out there, the city of Tombstone is an hour and half drive southeast of Tucson. It's the site of the famed shootout at the OK corral with Wyatt Earp. (Watch Tombstone and Wyatt Earp for some background, essentially the same movie with different actors from different studios put out around the same time. Both are good). It's a dusty little town, surviving on the fame of its history. They have a reenactment you can go see that's fun. There's great little southwestern shops with souvenirs like turquoise jewelry and potted cacti.

We stayed at the Hilton El Conquistador. I'm not 100% sure why, because it's a tennis and golf resort and we play neither...but it was quite lovely. Great getaway oasis outside the downtown with spectacular views. Though not cheap, I was under the graces of my parents so I can't personally recommend any inexpensive local hotels.

Drink lots of water, wear lots of sunscreen and beware of snakes and scorpions (we didn't see any luckily).