Pink Tacolicious

After taking in JLO's comeback flick, The Back Up Plan at AMC Century City, we decided to walk around the outdoor mall to see what there was to see. Passing Coach, Tiffany, Kate Spade and The Container Store, our eyes were drawn to the outdoor deck of Pink Taco.

Seated up high in Los Angeles, among the skyscrapers, you are sippin' the drink of your choice and feasting on chips and salsa.

The chips were thick and crunchy. The salsa nice and spicy, chunky not runny and oh so flavorful. We shared a taco platter ($12.95), three tacos with rice and beans. We ordered two carne asada and one chicken. The flavoring was the same on both and it was gooood. The margaritas were not skimpy on the tequila and at $10/ea about average on the price. I must say it was all delicious and the service was quick and friendly.

The outdoor bar cleared out at about 10:30 p.m. but the music was so loud that you could not easily carry on a conversation. Still a fun place to go with friends before or after you see a movie and if you're young enough before you hit the clubs.

My friend and I both realized that about 10 years ago 11 p.m. is when the night got started but in our mid-30s it's time to go home.

Cars, Vegetables, and the Hollywood Sign

Our adventure today was to LA to visit the Petersen Automotive Museum, The Grove and Hollywood and Highland.

I come from a family that loves cars. My dad used to be a mechanical engineer. We frequent dealerships just to see the new cars, even when we're not going to buy. We go to car shows and I used to work in the automotive aftermarket. Cars rock! So the Petersen Automotive Museum was a must see for us.

I have to say this was the best museum I've been to in a while. It does an amazing job of showcasing the cars in their context. It explores the world they lived in. You see cars from their inception up through the 60s in the permanent exhibition. You watch the gas pump and freeways in LA evolve.

What was amazing to me was that as early as 1917 they were exploring hybrids. They didn't have the technology they needed to make it work. What was also interesting was that those early cars got 50 miles to the gallon, even through the 40s. Those cars weighed significantly more than our cars do today and they got 50 mpg and we can't manage that with all of our technology, something is wrong with that picture.

Other exhibits on display now are Hollywood Cars, Convertibles and Microcars. If you like cars you really need to visit. Admission is $10 and parking is $6.

For lunch we headed over to the LA Farmer's Market on 3rd and Fairfax, just a few blocks from the museum. Established in 1934 the market has a long history of bring the community together around food. You can buy your vegetables, eat a crepe, taco or New Orleans gumbo. We opted for Du-Parrs a family-owned restaurant established in 1936. Their homemade food was delicious. They have a bakery onsite so the bread and desserts were fantastic.

Then we wandered down the block to The Grove to see the fountain show, shop at Crate & Barrell and we listened to a band on the grassy knoll. The band was called The Copycats and they were really good. Lots of celebrities like to shop there but we didn't see any.

Needing a fix of the weird and fanciful we decided to visit Hollywood and Highland. Out in full force were people dressed up like Shrek, Harry Potter, vampires, Spiderman, SpongeBob and other characters to make money taking pictures with tourists. It works.

We opted instead to have a cream puff at Beard Papa, see the Hollywood Sign (directly behind the shopping complex), and visit the Grauman's Chinese Theatre. I don't know what's so fascinating about seeing celebrity hand and shoe prints but it is. I think its because they're all so amazingly small.

Our last stop was at the Roosevelt Hotel, right across the street from Graumans. Knowing that is where the first Oscar's were held I wanted to check it out. The hotel was home away from home for many stars back when Hollywood was still glamorous.It has been completely restored the Spanish Colonial style and its luster. However I don't think its as beautiful as The Biltmore in downtown Los Angeles.

After three full days of siteseeing we're exhausted. Tomorrow we're going to sleep in and lay low.

Cooling Off in Laguna Beach

I had to work half a day today so mom and dad lounged by the pool and in the jacuzzi. It was a scorcher outside so they were in search of cooler locations. Once I got home we headed down to Laguna in search of moving air.

Aaahh yes, the ocean breeze. That elusive wind that has the power to make you feel human once again. Anyway, once we finally found parking and headed west it was like you could actually feel your body temperature dropping. It was heaven.

So our first step in Laguna was Gelato Paradiso. I had pomegranate, lemon and coconut. It was so good and refreshing. Mom got various flavors of chocolate and dad had a mixture of most everything.

So we walked down through all of the stores and galleries on PCH. We even took a walk on the beach. The water was so cold. Our final stop of the day was at The Cliffs to have appetizers with an amazing view.

A fantastic afternoon.

Gelato Paradiso 448 South Coast Highway, Suite A Laguna Beach, California 92651
Phone: 949.464.9255

The Cliff Restaurant 577 South Coast Hwy.Laguna Beach, CA
Phone: (949) 494-1956

Live Music at the Irvine Spectrum.

I said I loved the Irvine Spectrum and I wasn't kidding. We were back again tonight.

We went to see Evening, had dinner at Champs and then headed toward Barnes and Noble. We never made it to Barnes and Noble, we were sidetracked by Cold Stone Creamery and two twin violinists.

The Irvine Spectrum has several stages located through the complex dedicated to live performance. We were treated to Jason and Nolan, the electric violin playing identical twins. They were amazing. It was a great finish to our evening. So relaxing to sit and listen to their music ranging from celtic, to romantic and a hymn thrown in for good measure.

I went to the Spectrum web site but they do not have their live event page updated to include anything. If you'd like to see Jason and Noan they will be back July 28 and 29.

Night at Irvine Spectrum

One of my favorite outdoor shopping spots in all of Southern California is the Irvine Spectrum. Debbie and I went to see Ocean's 13 and have dinner at PF Changs.

With the recent additions of Target, Nordstrom, Old Navy and more parking it's a great place to people watch, go to the movies, shop and eat. It is also a teenage hangout so you trip over the teens and tweens at every turn, but its still worth the effort to visit.

When my nephews were here in December we went to ride the ferris wheel, take a turn on the carrousel and skate on the ice rink they bring in for the holidays.

Other favorite restaurants there are: Johnny Rockets, Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, Javier's and Red Robin.