California Lifestyle

Over dinner last night, we had discussed what we all wanted to do the next day (Thursday). Dad told us that we were very close to Anaheim, where Disneyland was, and so Zaynee and Hanaa decided instantly that they wanted to spend the full day (and night) there. I, on the other hand, wasn’t as interested, since we had just been to Disneyworld in Florida a few years ago. I wouldn’t have minded going to Disneyland with Zaynee and Hanaa, except they were planning on spending over 12 hours in the park, something I knew I just wouldn’t have the interest of capacity to do. So we planned on dropping Zaynee and Hanaa off at the amusement park at 9:30am and then Mom, Dad, and I would go off and do our own thing.

Zaynee literally jumped out of bed this morning at 7am, actually chanting, “Disney! Disney! Disney!” over and over again as she went to the bathroom to get ready. It was the first morning she was up so early and so enthusiastically! Even Hanaa followed suit and, despite getting lost on the 45 minute drive to Anaheim a few times, we made it to the park by 9:35am and let them go off to enjoy the magic of Disneyland.

Zaynee and Hanaa in Disneyland

Mom, Dad, and I stopped off in a neighborhood/town called Tustin just off the I-5 (everything in California is apparently “just off the I-5” though) and Mom used her Yelp skills to find us a café for breakfast called Morey’s Place. In all honesty, it looked a little sketch and the interior decorations made the empty restaurant seem cold and daunting, but the rave reviews led us inside. It turned out that the food was delicious and our server and the owner, an Iranian man who hates black coffee and prefers tea, as he divulged to us, quickly became our friend and personally came outside to wave us goodbye once we had finished.

Morey's Place

My aunt in London, Khala, who I know is reading this and will appreciate this shout-out, advised me to check out a few Californian boutiques while I was here, to get a taste of the laid-back fashion of the West Coast. Believe me, I was more than happy to scope out boutiques, but it was difficult without my own car and a lot of time on my hands to do as I pleased. So, I had researched one boutique in particular last night that I really wanted to visit and brought Mom and Dad along with me (well actually, Dad was driving) to the shop called Irene’s Story.

Irene's Story

I had expected this little shop to be in a small town, maybe by the coast, with nobody else in it. However, the store ended up being in a gigantic mall in the town of Irvine, California, off the I-5. I was completely amazed by the enormity of the mall, and how everything was once again, so impeccably clean! It was mainly an outdoor mall, with a carousel and palm trees and outdoor dining, and since the sun was shining so brightly, there were lots of people milling around outside the warm orange shops.

Photo of Irvine Spectrum Center Mall at night

Mom and I went into Irene’s Story and I fell in love. Ok, that’s a bit dramatic, but the store was incredible! The pieces were all very unique and ranged from casual to formal, and none of the prices were too steep. In addition, they stocked Free People clothing…my favorite! I have never taken so many items into a dressing room before in my life. I think I took nearly the whole of the small store! I tried on dresses, skirts, tops, pants, shorts, everything as quickly as I could because I felt bad that Dad had to wait around, and that is never fun. I ended up with a skirt and Mom found a vibrant orange scarf for herself. I also found a dress that didn’t fit quite right, but the salesgirl said there was just one other Irene’s Story in California, and it was very close by, in a town called Mission Viejo. Mom was up for the hunt for the other store, so we found Dad and he took us to another gigantic mall, though indoor this time, about 10 minutes away to see the other Irene’s Story. Lucky for me, this shop had different clothes from the previous one! I got the best of both, and once again found a number of items to try on in the dressing room. This time, I ended up with a top, a necklace and earrings, and an iPhone case that was also a wallet…something I have wanted for a long time! It was an incredibly successful shopping expedition, despite the dress I had come searching for not working out in any other sizes either.

Dad spotted a Jamba Juice near the food court as we were leaving the mall once again, and we all bought smoothies that we meant to save for the beach, where we were headed next. The beach at Laguna Niguel was very close to this mall, but we all still managed to finish our drinks before we even parked! This was the same town we had come to a few days earlier, when we went to the yucky Scandia Bakery. This time, just Mom, Dad, and I went to the beach, which was a lot busier because of the gorgeous warm weather, to take a walk. We didn’t even need sweaters!

Laguna Beach

We walked from the busy part, near where volleyball players had a game going and down past beach front homes, hotels, apartments, and restaurants, all perched a little higher up on the cliff above the beach. The sand was warm and the water was pleasant, so I took off my sandals and walked through the waves slapping the sand. Mom and Dad walked close by, and we all made it to a jetty of wave-beaten black rocks far down along the beach. We climbed up and out towards the sea and had an amazing view. The waves were all much larger around the rocks and we could see for miles. There were people paddle boarding on surfboards, up and down, parallel to the beach, and there was a huge group of young children, maybe about 10-15 years old, who were practicing surfing in the waves. The waves weren’t huge, but the kids were pretty small, so it was fun to watch when one was able to catch a wave and stand up on the surfboard for a few minutes before wiping out. I hope I get to learn how to surf soon! I want it to be in warmer weather though, rather than the middle of winter…this water is just a little too cold for me to want to get in!

Hanging out on the rocks

We spent some time relaxing in the sun on the rocks, but soon, Dad became a bit hungry, and we walked back along the beach to find a restaurant where we could watch the sun set while eating. The Cliff Restaurant and Bar was in a perfect location. It was all outdoor seating and it was high up on the cliff overlooking the beach and ocean. The view was gorgeous and we all enjoyed salads and sandwiches (in Dad’s case) while watching the sun sink lower and lower over the ocean. We left when the sky turned from orange to red to pink and finally to a light purple, and the weather started getting a little chilly.

Mom's delicious Greek salad with ahi seared tuna

Dad enjoying his sandwich while the sun sets

We drove all the way back to Anaheim and arrived around 7pm. Mom texted Zaynee and Hanaa and said we were here and if they would be ready to be picked up at 8pm. The message we received in reply was “No.” A phone call to the two enlightened us that they would not be ready for pickup from Disneyland until 10pm, so now we had 3 hours to kill in Anaheim. It was slightly annoying and we should have just gone back to the resort to relax before coming all the way back to Anaheim, but Mom and Dad decided we would go see a movie instead. There was a theater nearby, and since we’d already seen “Les Miserables” a few days ago, there wasn’t a whole lot of choice left. I remember getting emails from Nancy Mosser Casting Company quite recently about being an extra in the Tom Cruise movie, “Jack Reacher,” so since that one was filmed in our old hometown of Pittsburgh, we decided to see that, despite knowing that the reviews weren’t amazing. We caught the 7:35pm showing in a gigantic AMC movie theater, that was once again, in an gigantic mall. There are tons of malls in California!

Movie Poster

The reviews were right. “Jack Reacher” had no cohesive plot or storyline, no character development, no resolutions, and a completely open end that made no sense at all. In addition, I didn’t think Tom Cruise did a very good job, neither did his co-star, the main female lead who I already forget. There was just too much violence and unnatural death and gun use for my liking. Movies like this keep coming out and America wonders why we have so many gun incidents happen—all that happened in this movie were men shooting at one another and at innocent victims! I was not impressed. The only good part about the movie was the incredible shots of Pittsburgh. I never realized how photogenic our old city was! The movie started by following a car driving on the Fort Pitt Bridge and onto the 376, which was the same route I took for five years driving to and from my musical theater school. In addition, there was filming done in Lawrenceville, near my high school, in a bar near my favorite South American restaurant, Kaya, in the Strip District, and inside the courthouse, which I have been inside while taking AP US History in 11^th grade. There was an epic car chase through all of downtown Pittsburgh, and I recognized almost every street (downtown Pittsburgh is not that big!). Finally, one prominent street of filming was done just off of one of my best friends’ streets back home in Pittsburgh! Seeing Pittsburgh again was the only highlight of the film.

Mom and Dad agreed with me, that the movie was pretty terrible, but at least it killed three hours for us and we went to go pick up my sisters. All the highways in California are confusing and we got lost about three or four times trying to get back to the parking lot of Disneyland to pick up Zaynee and Hanaa. By the time we got them, it was just past 11pm and they had been in the park for about 14 hours! They had a great time though, and didn’t stop talking about it all the way back to the resort. Though we were separated for the day, this was my favorite day in California, just because it was so relaxing! I really needed a day of complete relaxation after my hectic fall semester.

Living Like the Stars

I’m sorry for the delay in my posts...things got increasingly busy as we stayed out later and later every night and so I had no time to write. However, now I have time to tell all about our road trip to Los Angeles!

We started the day very early in order to get to LA by about 10am (it was about an hour and a half away from our Laguna Beach resort!) and made only one stop for a quick breakfast at Starbucks. Once we arrived into the city vicinity, we went straight for the most iconic attraction offered: The Hollywood Sign. 

The famous Hollywood sign!

The Hollywood sign is such a famous attraction in LA, but it's actually quite comical how people flock from all over the world just to see a bunch of huge white letters on the side of a mountain! I suppose its part of our culture. The park we were at to see the sign was called Griffith Park and had a large observatory at the top of the mountain. We drove all the way to the top to where the observatory was to get a better view of the Hollywood sign and Hollywood nestled in the hills beneath it. Around the other side of the observatory, away from the Hollywood sign, we could see the entire city of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills stretched out before us. It was a gorgeous day, so we could see the mountains and the sea in the distance. It was quite a beautiful view from every angle from the observatory.

Zaynee and I in front of the Hollywood sign

In front of the teeeeeeeny Hollywood sign

After taking an absurd amount of photos of the Hollywood sign, which was far enough in the distance that it looked tiny in our pictures, we down drove through the hilly park and out to Hollywood Boulevard. We parked on a side street and walked to the famous road. It was lined with palm trees and people handing out flyers advertising tours of the outside of celebrity homes in Beverly Hills. They were quite irritating, and continuously pestered us to buy tour tickets. At times, they were downright rude to us. Needless to say, we did not end up going on a tour that would allow us to see just the gated exterior of where celebrities lived. Celebrities are just people anyway! Instead, we walked up and down the street and passed people in character costumes asking for money if we took a photo of them. I was surprised that the area was so grungy; it was as dirty as parts of New York City. The rest of California seemed to be pristine! Obviously it didn't transfer to the big city as much. 

Hollywood Blvd.

All along the sidewalks were stars embedded in the ground with the names of famous performers, producers, movies, and artists. We were on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! Following the stars, we made it to the Chinese Theater, where a number of movie premieres apparently occur. The exterior of the theater looked extremely old and a little dirty, but was definitely in the style of ancient Chinese buildings, with intricate designs and a roof that curled out at the edges.

Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles

Exterior of the Chinese Theater

In front of the theater, there were hand and foot imprints as well as messages from stars in the concrete. We saw Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Arnold Schwartzenegger, and many more. Zaynee, Hanaa, and I became incredibly excited when we found the imprints of the stars of Harry Potter!!

Zaynee and I behind the imprints of the stars of the Harry Potter films!

We had a quick lunch and made our way back down Hollywood Blvd. to our car to move on through Los Angeles. We passed by Sunset Blvd. and headed up into Beverly Hills to take a look at some of the most expensive real estate in the world! It was unfortunate that Mom, Hanaa, and I didn’t manage to see any of the houses from our favorite Bravo television show, Million Dollar Listing. Unfortunately, large hedges, trees, and gates hid most of the houses. Going on that celebrity house tour would have been pointless…we wouldn't have seen anything except lovely foliage!

Our next stop after the quick expedition through Beverly Hills was the infamous Rodeo Drive. It was fashion paradise--there were designer stores one after the other with gorgeous window displays. In addition, the entire road was decked with palm trees and completely spotless—a complete change from Hollywood Blvd. and Sunset Blvd! It was so beautiful, especially on such a sunny day. We went into Juicy Couture and Ralph Lauren (thanks to the beautiful window displays!) before once again hopping in the car to head to Santa Monica beach and pier to watch the sunset over the waves. 

The famous Rodeo Drive!

Mom and Hanaa on Rodeo Drive

The minute we got to the pier, Hanaa noticed that the amusement park was the same one in the Hannah Montana movie, so we admittedly got a little excited about that. The beach, however, was also lovely, with the traditional California palm trees, soft sand, and large waves. We watched the sunset while dipping our feet into the cool water and then headed down past Venice Beach to find somewhere to eat.

Santa Monica pier and amusement park

Sunset at Santa Monica Beach

Palm trees, sunset, and amusement park

Mom has become very proficient with the iPhone app, Yelp, and found an organic Mediterranean restaurant for dinner, called Turquoise. It was some of the tastiest food we’ve had on the vacation, and it was healthy as well! The portions were great, the food tasted delicious, the server and owner (husband and wife) were very cheery, and the atmosphere was very tranquil, especially with the turquoise accents and lighting. Even the bathrooms were pretty! All in all, I’d say it was a very successful meal that everyone enjoyed before we returned back to our resort for the night.

Exterior of the restaurant Turquoise in Redondo Beach, CA

South to San Diego

Our first stop of the day was in a little village called San Juan Capistrano. The minute we stopped in the cute little town, we were greeted by a tiny street full of cute coffee shops and gift stores. Unfortunately, it was New Years Day and a lot of the breakfast cafes we wanted to try were closed. Therefore, we walked into the main town the next street over and were the first ones into the restaurant, Sundried Tomato, for breakfast. As soon as we finished, we walked down the road to the Mission San Juan Capistrano. This historic mission was founded in 1776 by the Spanish and is still in use today. The architecture was absolutely beautiful and inside, the mission was so peaceful. 

Here are a couple of photos I took from inside the mission:

Ruins of the old church inside the mission

Inside the Serra Chapel

Courtyard in the Mission San Juan Capistrano

We got our audio guides and drifted apart in order to explore the mission ourselves. It was amazing to see that the mission was still standing, even despite all the Southern Californian earthquakes, and even still in use. The 1782 Serra's Chapel was exquisite and still held mass every morning at 7am. I had a really good time wandering around and learning about the mission and was so glad we managed to go visit. 

The town of San Juan Capistrano

Hanaa quickly became bored and found an outlet to charge her phone at while we looked around. Once Dad found out what she was doing, he hurried us up and we had to move along to downtown San Diego. We made it to Balboa Park in San Diego and joined the masses in walking around the beautiful Spanish architecture and museums, which were all closed due to the holiday. We did a lot of walking and dodging of dogs and their walkers and ended up circling the entire, enormous park. While seeing all the museums' exteriors, a gigantic organ in an outdoor terrace, Japanese gardens, the Old Globe Theater, and the California Tower, we drove to downtown.

Here are some photos from Balboa Park:

Exterior of the Casa del Prado in Balboa Park, San Diego

California Tower in the distance

The Old Globe Theater

This looks like Turkish!

The city of San Diego looked just like Pittsburgh, except with much wider streets, a lot more bars, and as usual, hundreds of palm trees. We toured around the main streets, stopped at Ghirardelli to grab delicious hot chocolates and started off in the sunset towards San Clemente for a Mexican dinner to end the day. Our Mexican dinner was INCREIBLE! We went to a restaurant called Avila's El Ranchito and I ordered the Avocado Tacos, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The food was very authentic, with Mexico being so close to where we were, and I tried the spiciest hot sauce imaginable! Afterwards, when heading across the road to our car, just walking gave me crazy heartburn! However, the meal was one of our best and everyone returned to the resort content.

The best Mexican restaurant I have ever been to!

Into the Wilderness

Hanaa is obsessed with animals. So, in order to appease her, we went to the San Diego Safari Park so Hanaa could feed giraffes. I still don't really understand why California was the place Hanaa had to go on a safari jaunt in. While she and Dad spent 3 hours feeding giraffes and rhinos, Mom, Zaynee,  and I had to look at the animals in the exhibits. One of my scary moments: a zoo keeper came up to me and shoved a blue-tongued lizard in my face without warning when I was wandering around the animal exhibits. The woman received an incredibly dirty look from me as my heart plummeted and I sprinted away from her. I suppose it wasn't really her fault, she just startled me. How was she to know that I wasn't really an animal-lover?

Hanaa posing with the giraffe.

Dad feeding the giraffe

Once Hanaa and Dad finished their safari excursion, Zaynee and I were ready to leave the park. We had seen the amphibian, reptile, gorilla, bird, lion, and tiger exhibits, as well as going on a tram ride around the African safari park that Hanaa and Dad were feeding animals in. On the ride, Mom, Zaynee, and I saw giraffes, rhinos, zebras, gazelle, antelope, and many other animals. It was way better just sitting in a tram and driving past the animals than having to go up to them and look at them. Hanaa was not ready to leave when we all met up again. We hung around another two hours in the cold weather while she went around to all the exhibits. It wasn't a big park, so the only new thing we say was the Cheetah Run, where we saw a cheetah run 100 meters in 5 seconds. 

African Safari where we rode the tram

By the time we left the safari park, it was almost 5pm. I was a little disappointed because I was told we were going to go to downtown San Diego at 1:30pm, and that never happened. Now that was an adventure for tomorrow. As we headed back to our resort, Mom and Dad spotted a movie theater and we quickly pulled in to see if we could catch a showing of "Les Miserables" since we weren't able to last time we tried. A 7pm showing gave us time to grab a bite to eat at a nearby Thai restaurant. The food wasn't bad, but the service was, and we got out of there as quickly as possible.

"Les Miserables" was a pretty good movie, though not up to par with the rave reviews some of my friends gave me. Maybe it was just because I've seen the musical twice, the old movie once, been in the show twice, and done musical selections numerous times that it was just repetitive for me. However, Zaynee, Hanaa, and I could pick out every lyric that was changed from the stage adaption, engaging our interest when Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, and Sacha Baron Cohen disappeared from the screen. All in all, it was a good movie, just not one I would see again too soon.

Les Miserables Poster of Anne Hathaway as Fantine