February 13- Topanga Getaway

I started off the day at Kristen’s pilates class in Palisades Park. We did a shorter version of the class because people were late and we were also going for a hike that day and didn’t want to overdo it. Kristen’s class is awesome and open to the public.

One of my favorite discoveries, in LA, is Topanga Canyon. It’s just 25 minutes from my apartment, but it feels like a little mini vacation. It has the laid-back hippie vibe that Mill Valley used to have before it was completely yuppified. There are tons of hikes and restaurants, but my favorite combo is a hike to Eagle Rock and then lunch at Inn of the 7^th Ray!

Becky, Kristen, Danielle, and Kevin (Danielle’s friend who was visiting from NYC), and I caravanned into the canyon and did the short(ish) hike to Eagle Rock. Eagle Rock is only about 2 miles each way and there is a steady climb, so it’s not very hard, but the end is very rewarding as you get to climb up the actual “Eagle Rock” and there is a great view of the Valley below.

After the hike, Kristen, Becky and I headed to Inn of the 7th Ray for lunch. The restaurant is set along a gorgeous creek and all of the food is organic and mostly local. Sitting outside there feels like miles away from LA. As much as I love this restaurant, time moves very slowly here and if you are hungry from a pilates class and hike, the service moves like "molasses going uphill in a snowstorm." After finally getting our seitan burgers with soy cheese, we took a quick browse in their gift shop/bookstore, filled with crystals and self help books, and called it a day- and a good one at that!

February 11- Shen Yun

As almost everyone knows, I love almost everything Asian! Jason T, knowing me very well, invited me to see the Shen Yun dance and music show downtown. It was a gorgeous production with amazing costumes and great dancing. The only part that we were not into, was the singing. They translated everything on big screen and all of the songs had lines in them about the end of the world and "being judged" when that day comes. They also sang about how "mundane" life is. We were pretty confused about the depressing nature of the songs but the dancing was very uplifting!

February 7- Superbowl Sunday

What better place to watch the Superbowl then over at Mike and Trisha's, in Manhattan Beach! They have an awesome two level house and had the game playing on both floors. The more "serious" watchers stayed downstairs. We had a "pool" going to make it more exciting and Kristen won again- two years in a row!!

Directly after the game ended, Tug C. organized a game of our own. After a bit of hesitation, we decided to play "running charades." It is almost like a relay race with charades between three teams. To my surprise, it ended up being really fun!