Speakeasy Quest to San Francisco

I might have dislocated my kneecap last weekend at the LA Times Book Festival, but that wasn't about to stop me enjoying a trip to San Francisco.

Armed with a wheelchair and crutches we made the long drive from Long Beach to SF, arriving with moments to spare before midnight on Thursday, just managing a much needed beer before crashing out. 

Rolling down the hill to Fisherman's Wharf we enjoyed breakfast the next morning on Pier 39, soaking up the sights and sounds of SF, from old arcades, museums and of course Ghirardelli square.  

The inspiration for this trip was local Speakeasy brewery, with a tour and several hours spent in the Tap Room. We achieved our goal of trying everything, coming away with souvenirs and even the last crate of Scarlett red rye of the season. Really going to miss these beers back in England! 

Before heading home on Saturday I had a mission of tracking down everything English in San Francisco. From an amazing breakfast complete with real bacon and Heinz beans, a taste of shepherd's pie and traditional English style fish & chips. For anyone missing the home comforts while in California, I can highly recommend a trip to You Say Tomato, true kid in a candy store moment, coming away with biscuits, chocolate, Easter eggs and more :) 

A much needed break, this was just what I needed after a nasty injury and being stuck in bed for days.

Smiling non-stop and making great memories, I'll definitely be back! 

Spring Break Stories

You've seen the movies, and you've heard the stories, and I couldn't wait for my first American Spring Break. With most people going home or taking trips away, I decided to leave my week to chance and plan each day as it came to see where I ended up. Really living the dream and enjoying each moment to the full!

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Friday (March 28) 
Spring Break started off collecting a friend from LAX after her gruelling long flight from Amsterdam, armed with a doughnut and a pineapple (don't ask!). Our surprise meal that night was even complete with an unexpected earthquake leaving Hoff's Hut shaking - California life! 

Saturday (March 29) 
Time for a night out with dinner at George's Greek Cafe and drinks on 2nd Street before heading our separate ways for the break. 

Sunday (March 30) 
A lunch date with the ladies reminding me how much I'll miss BJ's pizookies, and commemorating my time with a new helix piercing from New Flower Studio in Long Beach. I would highly recommend these guys - Professional yet friendly atmosphere, short walk from CSULB campus, and my piercing is healing nicely!

San Diego, Santa Monica & Venice 

Monday (March 31) 
A day of adventures, taking a road trip to San Diego with no plans in place. We started with breakfast in the Gaslamp Quarter, made our way to the bay to admire the boats and enjoyed some afternoon cocktails before moving on to Mt. Soledad and La Jolla to watch the sunset. This was my first time really seeing San Diego and it's a beautiful place that I would definitely like to visit again. 

Tuesday (April 1) 
Taking to the road again we headed up to Santa Monica pier for some sights and shopping, before moving on to Venice beach, a really interesting place filled with all kinds of people and entertainment. 

Wednesday (April 2) 
A boring entry: It was time to take a day off and catch up on some much needed sleep before heading out again!

Johnny's Saloon & Saturday in LB

Thursday (April 3) 
With a rare day off we headed to Huntingdon Beach and discovered a great little bar, Johnny's Saloon. I can highly recommend their sexy pretzels and great beer selection! Later that day with The Two Tone Boners playing in Long Beach it was time for the English Bonerette to make another appearance. It was great to see a much better turn out than their last Di Piazza's show and the sound quality was at a high. If it's possible, I have even more fun every time I'm with these guys!  

Friday (April 4) 

Another eclectic turn in my musical ventures is a recent find, shamrockabilly trio Craic Haus. Appearing at the Auld Dubliner in Downtown Long Beach, they're guaranteed to have the crowd drinking, dancing, and maybe even attempting an Irish jig. Lovely guys, they even dedicated a song to one of their youngest fans.

Saturday (April 5) 
An early start to head back to LAX on Sunday didn't stop us from getting in some farewell drinks at Panama Joe's. Our quiet evening turned into fishbowls, drinking games and non-stop laughter. Couldn't have asked for a better end to our Spring Break adventures! 

Sunday (April 6) 
6am start to say goodbye at the airport, an early breakfast (with some interesting choices!), followed by a relaxing morning in bed before getting ready for the rest of the Hillside A residents to return. Classes start again at 8am tomorrow - Wish me luck! 

Craic Haus - Mermaid (For Mia)

What Happens In Vegas

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, at least before the internet.
Turning twenty one in California could mean only one thing...

Las Vegas has been on my list of places to visit for as long as I can remember and I always hoped my twenty first would be spent under the lights of Sin City. It just goes to show that studying abroad really can make your dreams come true. Grabbing some friends and taking to the road, I couldn't imagine a better way to be spending my birthday. 

Unfortunately. the weather was not on our side and the journey took a lot longer than expected as the downpour brought traffic to a halt. But once we arrived all was forgotten as the drinks were flowing and we started taking in the sights.

It's safe to say I feel like we saw everything, journeying to the strip we visited the MGM Grand, New York New York, the Bellagio, Caesar's Palace, the Venetian, the Rio and so many more. We covered tourist spots and casinos, a burlesque show and many bars along the way.  

Being something I had dreamed of for so long this was an amazing experience for me. It was non-stop, soaking in the atmosphere and buzz that surrounded us and celebrating in style before heading home on a drive through the desert and into the sunset.

There were many people from my family and friends who I missed greatly this weekend, but I'm very thankful to those who made it there with me and gave me an incredible weekend to remember. (P.s. thanks for the pictures Vicky & Rachel!)

In two nights I feel like we got a true taste of what Vegas has to offer and I definitely plan to return in the future for an even bigger and better weekend!

San Francisco

A trip to San Francisco for +Emma Langschied's 21st birthday - Living the dream doesn't get much better than that! 

Over two years ago I first spoke to Emma about the dream to study abroad in America, and by some miracle we have found ourselves here together. So for her 21st (the much anticipated birthday in the States) we planned a trip to San Francisco to truly celebrate in style. I promised a memorable weekend, and I think we certainly delivered!

Friday Oct. 11 
An early start for the drive from Long Beach to San Francisco. With seven of us travelling together in a rented car we found ourselves in a giant Dodge durango, also known as 'The Tank'. We took the coastal route for the drive, and with our many stops the trip took around 10 hours.

The exciting arrival in San Francisco was slightly dampened by the fog, the traffic, and a sat nav without a sense of direction. Eventually we found our way to our rooms for the next two nights, and with all our maturity we moved in by jumping on the beds.

After the long drive, as the late night closed in, we found our way to Pier 39 and started our weekend celebrations at Bubba Gump's, where I could finally enjoy real fish & chips. The night of course would not have been complete without an ice-cream and singing surprise for the birthday girl!

Road trip, Bubba Gump & room mates

Saturday Oct. 12
In true tourist fashion we managed to cram in most of our sight seeing in one day; A foggy trip over the Golden Gate Bridge, driving down the crooked Lombard Street, up to Coit Tower - and that was all before lunch.

Golden Gate Bridge

Coit Tower

In the afternoon we headed to China Town, which is one of my new favourite places, especially for the delicious pork buns! I also succeeded in solving my chocolate withdrawal problems with a trip to Ghirardelli Square. Following the recommendations of many of our local friends, we also went to Fisherman's Wharf, which gave us a true taste of San Francisco and a chance for some tourist shopping and sneaky present buying.

The bay, China Town, Ghirardelli Square, Fisherman's Wharf & Lombard Street

Our night was spent back at Pier 39, where we were treated to clam chowder bread bowls (highly recommended!) and watching the fireworks, before heading home to a night of obscure conversations and laughter with the girls in our room.

Pier 39

Sunday Oct. 13
Bright and early on Sunday morning we were lucky to see clearer skies so went back to the Golden Gate Bridge where we could look across the bay and see the amazing views. Before starting the journey home we returned to China Town to stock up on fresh baked treats for the car, and then said our goodbyes to San Francisco.

On the route home we stopped in Santa Barbara for dinner at The Brewhouse, our final celebration of a truly incredible and memorable weekend. Thank you all for the amazing company and collecting the great pictures. Happy 21st birthday Emma! We won't ever forget this one!

Golden Gate Bridge & Santa Barbara