4th Anniversary

My favorite thing about my little blog is the ability to look back. This year I was reading the blog post I wrote from last year's anniversary celebrations and some reflections I had on marriage. Things change so quickly in a year. Now that we find ourselves in California, we were ready to have some fun in LA. Ross planned out a whole day for us. He included new places, old favorites, and some previously attempted and failed places.

We started with a trip to Donut Friend, "Donuts Done Differently." And differently in the best way possible.



You can build your own, but why fix something that ain't broke? Because the combos they had sounded pretty good to me. We got a half dozen only because we knew a dozen wouldn't keep in the car all day and we already had dinner reservations.



Me staring at "The Angry Samoa." Which was my favorite. It's hard to even describe it, but just imagine a donut + Samoa Girl Scout Cookie love child.

Then we headed over to The Hollyhock House, which we had tried to go to before, but it had been closed for renovations. It was fun to finally see inside. Ross is a big Frank Loyd Wright fan.



It has great views of the Los Angeles, the Hollywood sign, and the Griffith Observatory. None of which really existed when the house was built in 1920. It's a relatively small house, and unfortunately much of it is closed off. But we still enjoyed it. I love the interpretation of the hollyhock motif and also the creative architecture. For every inside area there is an equal and opposite outside area. Because of the sunny and beautiful weather in Southern California, the house was meant to be opened up, extending indoor spaces to the outside.



Two little lovebirds hanging around Barsndall Park. We took ample breaks between adventures to dig in to the donuts. Here is Ross enjoying the X-ray Speculoos donut, one of his favorites.

Donuts and Deloreans in the parking lot. Ross got weird when he saw it and insisted I take his picture. 

Then on to Amoeba Music! Always a favorite, and one of the places we went when he visited California before we were married. 

I love staring at the ska section. Wildly searching for any group I might have missed, and new songs to discover. I like playing ska roulette and picking one of the compilation CDs for around $5. I tend to go for the two-tone rocksteady albums for this game. 

After some fun and more donuts, we drove over to Redondo Beach. Good luck not getting lost with directions like this: 

Ross made us dinner reservations at a Brazilian churrasco. It's hard balance to know when to stop with the donuts so you can get your money's worth at an all you can eat meat fest churrasco.

We walked around the beach for a little bit, enjoying the fresh ocean air. I like this boat that was all dressed up like a pirate vessel. You can't see it well but there was a pirate climbing and skeleton bones too. 

All of a sudden we heard a band playing and a parade started! The Special Olympics are in Los Angeles and a couple of the nearby beach communities are hosting international teams. It was so cool to see all the athletes ready to compete. They had huge smiles over their faces and it was fun to cheer them on, give them high fives, and wish them the best of luck. 

Next up was dinner with amazing views as the sun set.

This place was a little different from your Utah Valley Tucanos because every half hour or so (ummm I kinda lose track of time with so much meat in my face) they carnival dancers would come out and shake and shimmy right by your table. It was crazy. I'm talking FULL BLOWN skimpy bikinis, feathers, head-dresses, and glitter. Oh the glitter! We got one of those awkward table photos, with the sun shinning on my face and food in my face. 

Complimentary photo with said sun shinning on my face. I am a human-plant hybrid and use sun and meat to produce energy. 

Green means go! 

On our way home with full bellies I thought about my anniversary post. Last year I mentioned "how much I hate medical school." And I'm pleased (and a bit surprised) that med school displeasure only crossed my mind about once all of today. This year things are a lot more certain. We aren't moving across states. We aren't packing. We aren't car-less. We have an apartment. I have a job! And yes, that will all come again in a year, but for all I care, life is amazing right now.

Since this post is all about love I can legitimately post two photos that are almost exactly the same.

A Slice, A Lighthouse, and a Playground of ...Teeth?

Don't tell anyone but after all this time in New York, I STILL haven't had a slice ah pizza. Sorry New Yorkers, Italians, and myself. However, I fixed that today.

My sister works during the day, which allows me a certain amount of creativity in my daily activities. I had it on very good Italian authority that the nearest pizza place was, "a good place to go it you like terrible pizza." And since I don't, I wasn't going to bother. I looked up another place though, and set out. It was about a twenty minute walk, a little sketchy at times, but my eyes were on the pizza prize.

And let me tell you, I walked by, did a double-take and reluctantly walked in. Picture this- five dudes just bummin' around behind the counter (sooo do you work here?). Whole pies chillin' behind a plastic case on shelves. Didn't look very fresh but I was already there so I ordered. 

Dude slides a slice onto the counter. Slides a pizza paddle under it, and pops it in an oven. 

.... 

A few minutes later it comes out.

"Want it to go?" 

*shoves it in a bag* 

I go on my way, but I'm pretty hungry so I get at dat. 

Wow.

It was so good. For sitting on a shelf it was so fresh. You can tell its quality ingredients. It's a thinner crust pizza and so it's time in the pizza oven was well served. Also, I have never had sausage quite like that! Teo says they look like bat wings.

Later that day Ali and I headed over to Sleepy Hollow. We heard from a now questionable source that there was a 100% legal and reliable way to get in, even after it is purportedly closed.



There is a trail that goes along the backside of the cemetery, but everything was closed up pretty tight. If it wasn't barbed wire it was mini cliffs that dropped into who-knows-how-deep shrubbery.



Sorry dead Washington Irving, guess we can't visit your bones today.

Next, off to neighboring Tarrytown. It's a cute little place, like all the wealthy places in Westchester County. Ali taught me that you can take the girl out of the hood, but you can't take the hood out of the girl. She taught me her hoodrat ways and we crawled through this sketchy hole in the fence. She reassured me that it was totally legit by explaining that everyone from pot-smoking teens to 90-year-old grandparents routinely traversed through the chain-link.

When in Rome right?



We walked out to the little lighthouse. And despite getting tangled in some spiderwebs, walked around the little grate walkway.



Enjoying the quiet night and once again beautiful skies!

By the time we came back it was pretty dark and lightning bugs were everywhere. I love those little guys. It was Ali's first time noticing them. On our way back through the park I saw this... playground?



Financed by your neighborhood dentist I suppose. We may need to call in back-up for that decaying tooth. I think a root canal is in order.

Carvel and Food Glorious Food!

When I finished writing this post I realized that I sound crazy. Yes, I love food. No, I do not understand what about food here has me singing and dancing like my 4th grade version an orphan in the musical Oliver. "Food! Glorious Food! We're anxious to try it!"

Today we kept things simple. We walked over to the local ice cream place which just so happened to be the famous Carvel ice cream.

I have noticed that New York is all about the soft serve. Usually when I think of soft serve I think of somewhat crappy but somehow delicious McDonald's ice cream. I remember in Grenada when a place got soft serve people were falling over themselves. I didn't get it. I now understand that is because I am a west-coast human. Because East Coast soft serve is where it's at!

Soft serve round here is so rich and creamy. Swirl machines are the best. I'm not indecisive, I just want it all. Imagine when I laid my eyes on this magnificent machine.

I was practically gasping for air as I tried to point and express to Ali the important of that beautiful, center level that would soon dispense my dream come true.

Okay, that's so dramatic. But things got a lot more dramatic when I got a Sundae Dasher. It was so rich I couldn't even finish it all. We walked over to a park to eat our ice cream. The village is so small we were already in a different city by the time we had walked a few blocks.



Back at home with the sunset.



Speaking of soft serve... Ali and I finally dug in to those ice cream sandwiches from our trip to Stew Leonard's. They are made with soft serve too. I have found out that makes all the difference! Instead of a melty outside and an frozen iceberg-solid core, it is the perfect softness throughout. Why are they so small?! Oh yeah, so I can eat 15 in one sitting. Cookie Ice Cream Monster! nom nom nom

Also from Stew Leonard's, but not soft serve, this pretzel roll & Italian cold cuts & fresh mozzarella sandwich turned out amazing.



Ali and I have been having incredibly good luck this trip. Remember when we got a free trip to Grand Central and saved $30? Or when we barely had to wait in line at Katz's?

We also picked the most delicious watermelon ever. I like watermelon. But this watermelon was like candy. Ali and I can't stay away from it, and it is guilt-free, so it feeds our ferocity.



And last of the random food updates is brought to you by my sister's landlords. Ali lives beneath an awesome Italian couple who treats my sister like their daughter. They are so nice and always bringing food. One day it was homemade eggplant parm (I thought I didn't like eggplant- I did then!) Another day this plate FULL of cake. Sheet cake is meh but this stuff was good!

I feel like I am going slightly crazy here. I sound so dramatic, like I have never eaten before. But it seems like everything that comes out of a New York kitchen is laced with cocaine. I just can't get enough.

Caught a Train to Poughkeepsie

I mentioned how hopeless I am when it comes to pronouncing things on this coast. Luckily I listen to Something Corporate and therefore knew how to properly pronounce Poe-kip-see. Thanks!

We didn't catch a train, but as soon as Ali was done with work we shot off, hoping we could make it to all our sights before they closed. We held our breath and raced up north.

On our way, we passed by THE Culinary Institute of America. You know, with alums like Anthony Bourdain and Duff Goldman. The drive was cloudy and beautiful. I can never get enough of all this green.

We made it just in time to take a brief walk around Springwood, Franklin D. Roosevelt's birthplace, and home with Eleanor Roosevelt. Also home of the First Presidential Library. The library was closed so we just walked around. We saw the graves of Franklin and Eleanor in the Rose Garden.

The house is really impressive. Apparently it was used as a "Summer White House" and housed princesses and monarch from around the globe, as well as Winston Churchill himself.

Not to get weird, but this place is likely haunted by a ton of political ghosts.



Scared of ghosts face.

After that we jetted over to Poughkeepsie to walk on the longest pedestrian bridge in. the. WORLD! New York always has to be so epic. So obviously it is also a National Historic Site.

We got a little lost in some sketchy places thanks to our shady navigation. But after a while we shut her up and found our way.



The bridge closes at sunset. We weren't really sure how that was going down since there was no sun with all those clouds. But we made it and had time to walk about halfway down the bridge.



Apparently the bridge used to be a double track railroad bridge. That thing is so narrow I kept thinking of old westerns with trains rattling down these toothpick-frail bridges. I guess part of it got damaged in a fire so they let pedestrians walk on it instead.

Just kidding. Obviously it's safe or whatever. Luckily I had Ali to tell me about bridges and safety and things you know when you are a genius structural engineer for a living.



Bridges make Ali happy! :)

The Walkway Over the Hudson has fun little informational signs along the bridge. Where you can learn about things like sloops, "The 18-wheelers of the 19th century." Pretty much a sailboat. But we didn't have any boat aficionados to educate us on all that.



Pretty soon this wannabe-hardcore wannabe-park-ranger got all bossy about the park closing in 5 minutes. I walked three steps past him to take a picture of the American flag of all things and he pretty much shot laser beams through my back. For goodness sake! It's the flag! What about freedom?! No freedom there cos we had to hoof it back to the car while he drove 5 yards behind us until us and the few other people on the bridge exited.

Sheesh!

Next we rushed over to New Paltz. In New Paltz you can find the debated first/ one of the first streets in America. Seriously. The history over here is crazy. This place also closes at dusk since it is a National Historical Landmark or whatever. *eye roll* 

It is not likely that you can see anything on this map. 

But we are crazies and it's not like there is a fence or anything so we let ourselves in. And that was the funny thing. (one of) The oldest street in America is half museums half occupied residences. There were people just wandering around walking their dog right next to a house that was built IN THE 1600s.

Old stuff is not even a big deal around here. That dog probably pees on those buildings every day. 

Moving on. The street is called Huguenot Street and the homes are dutch colonial style. I'm no architect/ art history buff but they look very Northern European. The community was settled in 1678 by individuals fleeing religious persecution in what is now northern France/ Belgium. That's less than 60 years after the Mayflower landed. 

I started getting a little weird thinking about ghosts because I was getting a little spooked by how dark and quiet the area was.

Don't even mention when we walked past the cemetery. Kidding. I think. 

By this point it was pretty late, so we headed back, hopefully without any hitch-hiking ghosts. 

(Name that reference!) 

Puppy Dogs and Wildlife Sanctuary

Every day in NY warrants it's own post. Today's adventure was to Mamaroneck. Heaven help me pronounce anything here. After I found out Soho stands for South Houston, and it's pronounced House-ton, I officially gave up.

First stop, Walter's, this funny little hot dog stand. No idea why is has the architecture of a Chinese pagoda, but it's cool. I like the sign that has Walter's spelled out in hot dog links.



They have a half hot dog,-just a little guy- called the puppy dog. Since the sides sounded so amazing I went with the puppy dog. Then we shared a shake, sweet potato waffle fries, potato puffs, and a black & white shake. It was pretty good. Sweet potato + waffle fries = my favorite thing about fries so it was awesome!



Cute little place to eat that in California would be called a national forest.



I am not really a planner. I'm the type of person to research a thousands ideas, then just choose a couple to sloppily actualize. The Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary seemed like a cool enough place. As I explained to to Ali, she was confused.

A: It's in Rye, like where Playland is?
K: I guess, I think it's right next to it.
A: Umm, here is Playland. Next to it like where?
K: Behind it?
A: Through the parking lot?

Haha. It went on like this for about 5 minutes as we roll past the creepy deserted looking theme park, past the parking fee station with no one in it. Then through the empty lot, pulling up near a lake looking thing.



I some how convinced Ali to get out of the car and check it out. Since she's my little sister she has to trust me, even if it is reluctantly.



We walked down a path over to a rocky shoreline. The whole geography of this part of the world is baffling to me too many trees and too much water going different directions. But we figured it out that were looking over the Long Island Sound.



We continued wandering and made our way back to the wildlife sanctuary. The sun was setting and everything was bathed in a warm sunset tones. We walked around for a bit. Seeing a ton of cute little bouncing bunny bums.



The weather was so nice and the sky was beautiful.



On our way back to the car, we saw a mamma duck and about 6 or so ducklings waddle across the path, headed to the lake. We were so stunned by how cute and tiny they were. Our hearts were bursting due to cuteness overload!