HELLO PASADENA

In the city of roses...

Last week, my friends and I decided to have a photo adventure in the wonderful city of Pasadena! Our friend Lydia had the whole day planned for us tourists and we had opportunities to discover the many delicious foods and beautiful scenery/architecture scattered about the town. 3/4 of us had our cameras ready so lots of photos were taken--many of which the photogenic Lydia was the main subject of (at least for mine anyway). 

Here's the list of places we visited:

-Old Town Pasadena

-Copa Vida

-Dog Haus (known for their dogs, but their burgers are amazing)

-The Pie Hole (the early grey is a MUST try)

-City Hall (where Parks & Rec was filmed!)

-Arlington Garden

-Flour + Tea

-Paseo Colorado

-Colorado Street Bridge

Pasadena is filled with a diverse rich culture and I can guarantee you will have a great time whether you go with friends, family or simply by yourself! Comment below if you've ever been to Pasadena and let me know if there's any place I missed on my last trip!

Stay cool, 

Rachel

4TH STREET MARKET:

Here's another hip place to mark 

on your list of hip places to visit...

If you're a fan of the Anaheim Packing District (check out a look I wore there HERE), then you will definitely enjoy taking a trip to 4th Street Market in Santa Ana, California. Since its recent opening this past year, this place has generated plenty of guests interested in both its culinary and visual appeal. 

Inside the market, there is a wide variety of food vendors who sell meals ranging from poke to fried chicken. My friend, Angela (in the portrait photo above) and I tried KTCHN dtsa which is basically an gourmet open sandwich filled with meat, BBQ sauce, veggies, and egg to name a few. IT.WAS.SO.GOOD. Their habanero sauce added the perfect spicy touch!

After a well digested meal, we roamed around the area to view the amazing works of graffiti painted on the walls located in the dining area outside the market. We actually stumbled upon this giant wall of art (in the last photo) while we were headed towards the parking lot. It made for the best impromptu photo op~

If you're ever in the area (and yes, I'm also talking to you UCI students!) I highly recommend checking this place out. You won't be disappointed!

*Check out my recent ootd I wore to the 4th St Market HERE*

Good luck on finals ya'll, 

Rachel 

HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH:

Get ready to be bombarded by

all things Disney...

   

    

 

Last month, my friends and I visited two of our favorite destinations: Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. With the sun beating down on our faces, we waited in endless lines to ride all the various attractions, each provoking a sense of childhood nostalgia. To be quite honest, I sometimes forget how lucky I am to be a SoCal native and to have such a magical place practically next door to me. Disneyland is truly an experience that strikes all of your senses: the smells, the sounds, the movements all work together to perform a perfectly orchestrated adventure. 

One thing I tried differently for these two trips was to focus on the food. My friends and I researched beforehand and found a couple places we definitely wanted to check out before returning. I've listed some of the best dishes and snacks below; click on them to follow the links!

-Dole Whip @ the Tiki Juice Bar 

(this is a MUST, especially on hot summer days)

-Fried Chicken @ Plaza Inn

-Mickey Mouse Beignets @ Mint Julep Bar 

(donuts are my weakness, but Mickey Mouse shaped beignets? Hand me about 50 please)

-Ghirardelli Ice cream

-Flavored Churros

-Earl of Sandwich 

(just typing this out made me drool)

Visiting the most happiest place(s) on earth can also seem...expensive. That's why we decided to pack lots of snacks and even a small lunch to ease the constant flow of cash that seem to jump out of our wallets. If you're not one of the lucky few who own seasonal passes, make sure to plan ahead and list out all the places you'd want to visit first within the parks. Keep cool by staying hydrated and take breaks when necessary. Most importantly, HAVE FUN!

Yours truly, 

Rachel

P.S.-I unfortunately forgot to bring a memory card to California Adventure--hence, the quality difference as I had to upload photos using my iphone. But hey, it's the experience that counts!

4TH OF JULY AT MAMMOTH:

Nothing like good ol' nature

to enjoy America's Independence Day...

This year, my family hit the road to Mammoth Lakes, California to celebrate the day America gained their independence. The drive up was much longer than I expected, but the next couple of days made the hours in the car all worth it.

Most of our time in Mammoth was spent hiking along the many beautiful trails that led to even more breathtaking views. Various shades of green and brown dominated the scenery and the sky remained bright blue the entire time we stayed in the mountains. I was continuously carried away by God's creation and stood in amazement while viewing the various pine trees and lakes that scattered the land. Some highlights were: Devil's Postpile and Rainbow Falls. All natural and handmade by God's own fingers!

Despite the popularity of Mammoth (the 4th of July weekend is supposedly their busiest holiday), it was nice to take a break from the city--or suburban--life and breathe in the fresh air while working out our bodies. Even without the snow, Mammoth in the summer seemed alive: people were everywhere, the birds were high in the sky, and the leaves of every plant were stretched out to the sun.

I hope your summer is treating you well so far!

Check out some more photos of my trip HERE on flickr!

Adios amigos, 

Rachel

U SEE SAN DIEGO PART II:

Get ready

for a color explosion...

You can see over Chicano Park!

Welcome back to the second part of the "U See San Diego" experience!

Right after our stop at Seaport Village, we headed to the historically significant, Chicano Park. This park oozes culture and it definitely does not disappoint in the aesthetic department. Each vibrantly painted mural speaks a story about the discourse of the Chicano Movement--it depicts an era from the perspective of those directly affected by the movement. I took as many photos as I could on this stop (this was actually my favorite stop of the trip!), we headed toward Coronado Island to check out one of the oldest hotels in the nation: Hotel del Coronado.

I remember visiting this resort when I was younger and being fascinated by it's size and beach-front location--literally, this hotel leads right to the sand and water! The scenery didn't fail to amaze me when I visited again recently; however, I began to appreciate and understand it's historical content and ability to bring hundreds of people around the world just to discover bits and pieces of the past (some guests even claim the hotel hosts the supernatural!).

For our final stop, we toured around the one and only Old Town, San Diego. Filled with mouth-watering restaurants (you honestly can't leave SD without checking out these Mexican food places) and cute shops filled with souvenirs, Old Town was a good ending to a great day of traveling. 

Make sure you check out the link embedded in this post--find out more about San Diego's very best. Of course, this series only highlights few of the many awesome places you can visit when in the city: let me know if you've visited any of these places, or, tell me where you want to visit!

See ya in a few, 

Rachel 

U SEE SAN DIEGO PART I:

Thank you lady for photobombing 

our nearly perfect GIF...

The greyhound-breakfast-club

Honey the bulldog!

Someone tell this kid he's actually pretty darn cool

Palm tree or gigantic pineapple?

Hello! Welcome to the two-part series of my trip around San Diego, courtesy of Thurgood Marshall College aka the best college within UCSD. With my good ol' camera, Charlie, by my side and a very stylish ride aboard a double-decker bus, my friends and I were able to tour around a day's worth of landmarks in the in the city of San Diego...

To start, we roamed around Balboa Park (I actually wrote about this place, which you can read in detail HERE). On this particular day, the park tour became more of a "who-can-spot-the-most-dogs" game day since the dog to human ration seemed more dominate, favoring the canines. I also think the greyhound-breakfast-club had a special meeting that day, as you can tell in the fourth photo.

After taking tons of pictures (mostly silly ones on top of the empty stage), our bus took us down to Seaport Village. This area is a quaint little place right next to the Pacific Ocean--it's filled with a plethora of restaurants, shops, and entertainment. I think it's a great place to go on a date or have a relaxing time with your friends and family. 

Before long, we were on our way to our next couple destinations...which will be featured in the second part of this series! So, visit soon for my next blog post~

Thank you for reading, 

Rachel

LA JOLLA APPRECIATIN':

Life's a beach...

wow this water looks delicious

It's truly a privilege that I can continue to call UCSD my home for the next couple years. Living in La Jolla has treated me so well--the beautiful beach is just a stroll away and the warm, sunny weather is enough to keep me satisfied. Despite years of avoiding the seaweed smell and hidden tar underneath the sand, I've actually found myself becoming a beach person! I mean how can you resist such good-lookin' waves? And don't get me started on those sunsets...

This is just an appreciation post to my darling La Jolla, San Diego. Your annoyingly photogenic scenery never ceases to amaze me :')

Stay classy San Diego,

Rachel

USS MIDWAY:

Felt patriotic the other day...

Tender Greens aka my mom's new favorite place to eat

Perks of livin in SD---the most sublime tacos

My parents and younger brother came to visit a couple weeks ago and my dad decided to take us to the USS Midway. For those who do not know, the USS Midway was one of the biggest aircraft carriers commissioned after WWII and was also the longest servicing carriers for the US Navy--it has even served as a flagship for operation Desert Storm. Visiting this monument was a very fulfilling experience as we got to climb up and down the many steep ladders located in various areas of the ship leading to areas such as the mess halls, captain's quarters, and engine rooms. The flight deck itself was an experience--it's long, broad space housed a myriad of aircrafts ranging from helicopters to fighter planes.

Although this place is now renovated to accompany the influx of tourists, I would highly recommend visiting. It's historical contents and presence is enough to make you appreciate the many years our men and women in uniform have sacrificed while serving the US. Also, conveniently located to its side is the "Unconditional Surrender" statue, reminiscent of iconic "V-J Day" photograph, that stands 25 feet tall (minuscule to the aircraft carrier next to it, to be honest).

With brunch at Tender Greens, dinner at Tacos el Gordo, and a pleasant tour around a national monument in between, a special day spent with my family was just what I needed in lieu of mounds of homework assignments and tests.

Hope ya'll have had a nice day,

Rachel