Travel Stories | Expat Life
Today’s photo from the hip comes from Mike. He managed to snap a photo of these two dapper gentlemen while on the street in London. I must say, I love that bowtie.
Thanks, Mike!
xo, jill
From the Hip Friday features photos taken without the use of a viewfinder. If you have a photograph that was taken from the hip you’d like to share here, please contact me!
Next we took a nice drive along Mulholland Drive. We tried to use our star map to find celebrity homes, but it’s tricky! Mostly, it was just good silly fun.
And speaking of silly fun… our next stop was Randy’s Donuts! Of course you should drive miles out of your way for an .89 cent donut. It’s a classic!
We followed Randy’s with a visit to the Coca-Cola bottling factory. No one else seemed excited about the idea of a giant Coke bottle. But that’s ok. Totally worth it. (Not).
Finally, we ended up in a slightly more sophisticated tourist destination: El Pueblo de Los Angeles. This is the oldest and most historic part of Los Angeles. It’s really quite lovely. The buildings themselves are gorgeous and the atmosphere was relaxed.
Union Station, also gorgeous, was nearby so we had a look at that too.
Our last outing as a group of four was a stop at In N Out. This time I remembered to order off the “secret menu,” which I highly recommend.
We said goodbye to Shera at the station and then called it a day.
xo, jill
Our second morning in L.A. we were up early. We went to check out the iconic Hollywood sign. I had seen it before, but never as close as this. It’s hard to believe that originally the sign was only meant to stand for 18 months. Today it’s one of the most famous landmarks in the world!
Next we met up with a friend of mine from college for breakfast at The Black Cow Cafe. I had read about their cornflake crusted French toast and for some reason felt compelled to try it. I’m not usually a French toast person (it’s the egg), but this was amazing. I need to recreate it. Of course, it was great to catch up with Monique too!
We planned to do a bit of sightseeing after that… but… well, Mike lost his wallet. Instead we did a lot of searching, visiting police/sheriff stations, and cancelling bank cards.
At that point it was time to race off to the real reason we went to Los Angeles, Hannah and Allan’s wedding.
I don’t have many pictures to show, but it was a beautiful ceremony and a fun reception. Not only was it my first exposure to Gangam Style, there was also an ice cream truck!
After the reception we headed to a karaoke bar and were delighted to discover another celebrity… Mr. Belding!
xo, jill
Our first day in L.A. we picked up our rental car and set off to explore the city. We stayed in Burbank so we quickly checked out the studios in the area. It would have been cool to take a studio tour, but we were on a budget. Maybe next time.
Instead we headed down near Hollywood and Vine to check out the Walk of Fame.
Here’s where Mike insisted we investigate a crowd of people who had gathered a bit further down the block. Honestly, I wasn’t that keen. We walked that way anyways and Mike asked around to see what was happening. Turns out everyone was waiting for Neil Diamond. He was about to get his star! But not only that… Randy Newman was there too! Mike was right on this one!
After our celebrity sighting we went over to the Chinese Theater to take a look at famous hand and foot prints. It’s fun to do that silly celebrity stuff!
The afternoon was pretty warm so we headed into In N Out Burger for some lunch and to cool off. It was Mike’s first taste. He approved!
Later in the day we checked out a very famous house. Do you know it?
It’s the Brady Bunch house!
Then we needed some tacos… so we took care of that.
xo, jill
While we were in L.A. for our friends’ wedding, we did a little sight-seeing as well. It turned out to be a pretty special part of our summer travels. Good friends + Mexican food, all you really need.
Good, eh?
Novelty snacking in Canada was pretty fun because I was finally able to eat some of the foods my Canadian friends often talk about. I mean, I had been waiting three years to get a taste of poutine! Visiting the Jean Talon market also afforded the opportunity to try a few new fruits and vegetables.
Novelty Snack: Toronto street hotdog (veggie dog, really)
Description: A hotdog grilled right before your eyes with your choice of toppings
Tastes Like: Pickles and mustard. My topping choices overpowered the hotdog itself, which didn’t taste like much.
Verdict: Thumbs up!
Novelty Snack: Beavertail
Description: Fried dough covered in cinnamon and sugar, shaped to resemble the tail of a beaver
Tastes Like: A thicker version of an elephant ear.
Verdict: Thumbs up!
Novelty Snack: Poutine
Description: French fries covered in gravy and cheese curds.
Tastes Like: What you would imagine. Delicious! (Although Mike says it wasn’t actually that great compared to other poutine he’s had.)
Verdict: Thumbs up!
Novelty Snack: Green, purple, and orange cauliflower aka rainbow cauliflower
Description: Alternative varieties to the classic boring white cauliflower that may be healthier too!
Tastes Like: Pretty much the same as white cauliflower but perhaps a tiny bit sweeter.
Verdict: Thumbs up!
Novelty Snack: Cerise de terre (ground cherries)
Description: Like a tiny tomato with a papery cloak.
Tastes Like: A bit like a pineapple and a bit like a tomato.
Verdict: Thumbs up!
Novelty Snack: St. Viateur bagels, sesame variety
Description: Bagels made in the Montreal style: boiled in honey-sweetened water and baked in a wood fire oven.
Tastes Like: A normal bagel but a bit sweeter and more dense.
Verdict: Thumbs neutral when plain (I don’t like sweet bagels) but Thumbs up! with spread.
