Lazy Fridays #3

Lazy Fridays #3: Griffith Park and Observatory

First off, I'm sorry this is two days late. I fell asleep on my first attempt to write this and then forgot about it for a day.

Now that that's done, Griffith Park is a staple in Los Angeles. On the south side of Mount Hollywood, the park overlooks Hollywood, Downtown L.A, and the Pacific Ocean. Not far from the park is the Hollywood sign, now closed to the public. The Observatory sits in the center of the park, serving as a launch point for the hiking trails.

The park is a great place to hike, have a picnic and hang out. Parking is free at the observatory, but getting a space isn't guaranteed (granted, where in L.A. is parking ever available?). There are several trails that lead to the top of the mountain and you are greeted with a beautiful panoramic view of Los Angeles. As with any hikes, wear good shoes (not converse, I made that mistake) and bring lots of water. At the top, there are picnic tables so if you want to bring some food, that's perfectly acceptable and highly recommended.

The observatory however, is the main attraction. Built in 1933 and opened in 1935, the Observatory was funded by the WPA as a way to bring in money through public works. The observatory features two main telescopes, several exhibits on space and astronomy and a planetarium show. With the exception of the show, everything is free. The lawn outside is lush and makes for the perfect picnic spot. You can get a view of Los Angeles from any angle of the observatory and telescopes dot the premises if you want to take a closer look.

It is a beautiful experience to come up to the mountains and do something far detached from the usual Los Angeles culture. Up on the mountain, you can be very much at peace by yourself or in the company of your friends. The sounds of traffic and busybodies is nonexistent up in Griffith. You are more likely to here a dog bark from one of the far up properties of the Hollywood Hills than the honking of a car horn.

Enjoy this wonderful piece of L.A. life!

Thursday Treats #3

Thursday Treats #3: Sprinkles Cupcakes

I would be lying spectacularly if I told you that Sprinkles Cupcakes was cheap. I would love if a dozen cupcakes were the same as buying a dozen Diddy Riese cookies. Unfortunately, that's not the case.

So why mention the Beverly Hills based cupcake shop on a blog about living a little more frugally? Because, well, even the best of us have to splurge sometimes. Take note though: Sprinkles Cupcakes are best left for birthdays, graduations, celebrations of any kind because it would probably kill you on a weekly/monthly basis.

With that disclaimer, Sprinkles Cupcakes are some of the best cupcakes around (you also have the option of Crumbles and Vanilla Bakery). The shop is special because it is an actual bakery. Nothing is being imported from some cupcake factory in the middle of nowhere. It's also special because of the variety of cupcakes it offers.

Sprinkles has its standard cupcakes: chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, pumpkin, etc. And it has its specials for holidays: key lime, caramel apple, orange cranberry, chocolate peppermint, eggnog spice. Each cupcake has a minimalist motif to it. Cupcake and icing with a single decoration on top (meaning, a heart, circle, letters, stars, ghosts for Halloween, Christmas trees for Christmas and all the rest).

On the website, you have the choice of creating cupcakes for parties, weddings, and gifts. You can design your own cupcakes or choose from a pre-decorated cupcake batch.

But be warned, these cupcakes are expensive. For a box of 12, expect to pay roughly 40 dollars or for a single, about 3.75. See what I mean about saving it for parties if you're looking to spend less money?

If you live outside of Los Angeles, there are several other locations as well as more that open this year and next, but the Los Angeles bakery is the original.

Enjoy your cupcakes!

List of Cities:

Los Angeles
Chicago
Dallas
Houston
Newport Beach
New York - Opens Feb 2011
Phoenix
San Diego - Opens Fall 2010
San Francisco
Washington D.C. - Opens Fall 2010

Los Angeles Address: 9635 Little Santa Monica Boulevard

Website: www.sprinkles.com

Quick Note

In all, I haven't posted very much in general, but I've recently started my senior year, and with my schedule, its stressful. Therefore, I will be trying to post as much as possible. You can definitely expect Thursday Treats and Lazy Fridays to continue since I have a schedule made out for those days :)

Lazy Fridays #2

Lazy Fridays #2: The Farmer's Market

The Original Farmer's Market opened in 1934, and has become another landmark in Los Angeles' cityscape. Located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, the simple and chaotic charm of the Farmer's Market is nestled, if not overshadowed by the Grove.

The Farmer's Market is located at the very end of the Grove, where a sudden change becomes apparent. The Grove is very polished with expensive stores, art deco style buildings and a trolley. The Farmer's Market is a collection of small novelty stores and restaurants reminiscent of food stands. Many places require you to come up to the window to order before you go and sit down at one of the many picnic style or cafe style tables. Other restaurants have you sitting right up at the counter (much like the delicious crepe place where you watch them flip crepes in front of you).

Many of the original restaurants are still there, while included in the blend are new restaurants and coffee shops like Chipotle and Coffee Bean. The shops range from the expensive to the cheap; everything from Sur La Table to Sticker Planet (a childhood favorite of many of my friends).

While you do need some money to enjoy the delights of the Farmer's Market, it is a Los Angeles experience not to be missed. Enjoy!

Thursday Treats #2

Thursday Treats #2: Tito's Tacos

Opened in 1959, and now a city landmark, Tito's Tacos is what fast food Mexican food SHOULD be about. If you come to L.A. and think you're going to get your fill of Tex-Mex at a Del Taco you are dead. wrong.

The need for a Tito's fix in my family started with my grandfather, who would go to Tito's Tacos every time the family visited L.A. Well, the family is now permanently stationed in L.A, and we try to eat Tito's once a month at least.

So what's so great about the food? Well, Tito's is obviously known for its tacos. Their beef tacos are the epitome of cheap, good and greasy fast food (which is really why you should only eat it once a months). They're made with hard shell corn tortillas and stuff to the brim with ground beef, tons of lettuce and if you want, a mountain of melted Mexican mix cheese.

There's a certain joy in eating one of Tito's tacos. The bottoms of the tortillas bulge from the amount of beef stuffed in and the tips are crisp and crunchy. They're pretty thin tacos considering, so its not that hard to pack two or three (or more) away in one sitting.

Of course, you can order anything else like enchiladas, burritos, tamales and tostadas. To accompany every meal, getting Tito's tortilla chips, salsa, and beans is almost law. I don't know how many times my sister and I have snuck a couple bites of chips before dinner time, (and it is necessary to sneak them, because you will get accused of trying to eat them for yourself :) ).

When you're going out for a monthly fast food run, there really is no better place than Tito's Tacos for your Mexican food needs. Enjoy!

Jar of Hearts and Advice

Simple Tip #10 Supplement: Jar of Hearts and Advice

A look at my jar of advice. Pretty, right?

Simple Tip #10

Simple Tip #10: Believing in Yourself

To live simply should also be to believe in yourself. Living is hard enough without putting yourself down as well.

What I've done is creating a Jar of Hearts and Advice. It's very easy to make, and has been done before, so chances are you've heard of it.

In the American Girl book Room for You, there is a suggestion to take a Chinese take out box and fill it with fortune cookie fortunes. Well, for my Jar of Hearts and Advice (further referred to as JHA), I did the same thing, just a little differently.

First off, I found a glass jar in our kitchen that was empty. It was small enough to hold strips of paper without looking totally empty. (Note: the bigger the jar, the more space there is. And a lot of strips of paper really don't fill a jar very well).

I took the jar and found a nice piece of ribbon (use which ever type of ribbon inspires you. Mine just happened to be red satin). I tied this around the mouth of the jar to give a nice effect as opposed to just an empty jar.

Next, I went on Microsoft Word and then to shapes under the tool bar, and created some red hearts. These I printed and cut out and threw them into my JHA. (It's always nice to pull out a heart when you need it).>

After that I looked up some inspirational lists of words on Google. From the list, I took each word and transformed it into a positive piece of inspiration and advice. I made two columns on each page (this way you use less paper and the strips aren't as big). I would suggest writing out the advice instead of typing them because it looks more personal and it makes you happier to see something handwritten (well, it makes me happy anyways).

After writing everything out, I cut out the strips and threw them into the JHA. Now, I have a jar filled with positive inspirations to start the day!

Every morning, you can pull out a piece of paper and start the day off on a positive note. It's guaranteed to make you smile (or, remind you too!).

Enjoy!

"Create the world as you want it to be!"