Jackie Bristow Memorial 5k in San Dimas, CA

My friend and I AFTER the race

Rating: You Should Go

This walk just happened to coincide with the end of my 5k training plan and was for a good cause, so my friend and I joined their 5th annual run for eating disorders. The cost was $25 a person (which includes a T-shirt and timing chip) and proceeds go to the Jackie Bristow Memorial Foundation for girls with

San Antonio Lights in Chino, CA

One house set to music.

Rating: You Should Go

The lights on San Antonio are actually an entire block of houses between Cypress and San Antonio, Walnut and the 60 FWY (see map). When it gets closer to Christmas, police are hired to direct traffic starting on Cypress then going through to San Antonio. We went pretty early this year and on a weekday so a lot of

Thoroughbred Street Christmas Lights in Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Rating: You Should Go

The lights on Thoroughbred are almost like a mini theme park. Almost every house from the corner of Sapphire and Thoroughbred up to Turquoise and back down Jennet is covered in lights. Each house has a unique theme, from religious to winter wonderland to Christmas movies. Some are interactive or have moving parts, and others are just to gaze at in wonder of how much the electricity bill must cost. There are

Logan's Candies in Ontario, CA

Rating: You Should Go

Logan's Candies is a local family-owned shop that my sister-in-law just happens to work at. I've stopped by the shop for their hand-made chocolates and other sweets, and even had their candy canes at a friend's wedding. This was the first time I had been to one of their candy making demos. They host group demos (if booked by July of that year) starting as early as November, but the public demos start Thanksgiving week and are FREE.

Pizza 'n Such in Claremont, CA

Rating: You Should Go

Pizza 'n Such is a little pizzeria on the corner of Yale and 2nd street in Claremont. It's mostly a sit-down restaurant, but you can also call in orders to-go. The atmosphere is nice and the servers are friendly, although rather busy. The restaurant must be very popular because we went at 5pm on a Saturday and the place was almost completely filled. The prices average $12 for entrees and $14 per pizza. The appetizers are

Pacific Park on Santa Monica Pier

On the Pacific Wheel

Rating: You Should Go

Pacific Park is the amusement park located on Santa Monica Pier. It is free to get into, but you need "tickets" (really a card with money loaded onto it) for all the rides. We were on our way to Malibu for a friend's birthday, so we decided to stop by here for just a couple hours.

Santa Fe Importers in Long Beach, CA

Rating: You Should Go

My dad was having back surgery in Long Beach this past weekend, and we needed to find a place to grab some lunch besides the hospital cafeteria. I found Santa Fe Importers on Yelp. It was highest rated for lunch in the area and one of the cheapest. As we were driving there, the

Kaladi Brothers Coffee in Anchorage, AK

Kaladi Brothers' Bar

Rating: You Should Go

Our friend Thomas, who grew up and still lives in Alaska, showed us around on our last day in Anchorage, so we got the insider scoop on a lot of things. One of those was Kaladi Brothers, a local coffee house committed to quality coffee. Nate and I aren't coffee drinkers ourselves (the caffeine is a problem for me and

The Anchorage Museum in Alaska

Rating: You Might Like It

The Anchorage Museum is one of the few things I could find to do in that city. It was also free with the Bank of America "Museums on Us" program the weekend we were visiting, so we decided to check it out. It has a little of different areas to explore. There are art galleries, a children's science center, a kinetic science zone, artifacts, videos, and stuffed musk oxen all centering around Alaskan culture. We didn't see everything there

Moose's Tooth Restaurant in Anchorage, AK

Inside the Moose's Tooth

Rating: You Might Like It

The Moose's Tooth is another great pizza place in Alaska. It has a ton of unique options, as well as some classics, and a huge selection of their own brews. The ambiance is cozy and artsy. There are paintings and beer bottles decorating the walls. The food is good and decently priced. One large pizza was

St. Elias Brewing Company in Soldotna, AK

The front entrance

Rating: You Should Go

St. Elias is a pizza place and brewing company that was recommended to us by Nate's friend who lived in Soldotna. We stopped here on our way to Homer from Seward. The ambiance in the place was great. All the employees dressed casually and were friendly. They had old window panes and star lanterns hung between every

Flo's Pancake House in Anchorage, AK

Flo's Pancake House

Rating: You Should Go

Flo's Pancake House is not the most scenic stop in all Anchorage, and it's not much to look at from the outside. Nate and I were starving for some brunch (we hadn't eaten all day at it was already 1:30pm) and saw this place had good recommendations on Yelp and was also inexpensive. We were not at all disappointed.

Legends of Aviation Restaurant in Long Beach Airport, CA

Rating: You Should Go

The Legends of Aviation Restaurant is the one and only restaurant in Long Beach Airport (LGB). There's a "cafe" and some food stands, but really this is it if you want a meal, so we ate here before our trip to Anchorage. You can find this place on the top floor of the terminal (the stairs are a little hard to find but you'll see the restaurant once you get up there). There is also a lookout deck up there if you want to look at all the construction going on.

Homer, AK - Food

For anyone who has never been to Alaska, first of all, go visit. It's beautiful and the fish is amazing. Add it to your bucket list. Second of all, it's really expensive. Unless you're in Anchorage, everything needs to be shipped 3 times over to get to its final destination. Groceries, restaurants, knick-knacks, gas, it all costs more in Alaska. In regards to food, though, it is well worth it. Alaska has some of the best food I have ever tasted, and Homer even more so. Homer is also very dog-friendly. A lot of the local places in town have outside patios where you can sit with your pooch. With that in mind, these are the places Nate and I tried out during our time in Homer.

Mermaid Cafe - You Might Like It

Mermain Cafe

The first place we ate in Homer was the Mermaid Cafe. We decided to eat lunch out and dinners in since they're usually cheaper. It was a beautiful day so we sat on the patio (you can see Nate there in the picture if you look closely). A lot of things in Homer are organic and/or vegan and Nate had a hard time finding things he liked that didn't have a ton of strange vegetables in them, so he got a cheese pizza. They had a gluten-free pizza option, also. I got a pulled pork sandwich (with sprouts and kraut) and organic tomato soup. All of it was delicious. All the portions were big enough to

Homer, AK - Activities

Visit the Spit - You Should Go

The Spit

A Fisherman and his Halibut

The Spit is Homer's most pronounced landmark. It is a 5 mile long strip of land that juts out into Kachemak Bay. It functions the same as a California pier. There are shops, docks, restaurants, and even a hotel along its paved, 2-lane road. This  is a great place to stroll and shop, grab some grub, or just enjoy the view if the skies are clear.

Cottonwood Cabin in Homer, AK

Cottonwood Cabin (right)
and Bathroom (middle)

Rating: You Should Go

I may be a little biased because my aunt and uncle own Cottonwood Cabin, but I was really impressed by it. It is an actual tree-house built by my uncle in the front yard of their house. The pictures on the website may be a little confusing to tell what you're looking at (and a lot of them are out of date - it looks much nicer

La Conversation Cafe in Los Angeles, CA

Rating: You Should Go

We found La Conversation Cafe while searching for somewhere to eat that was close enough for us to walk from the Troubadour venue. This was literally just around the corner. It's a little French bakery and cafe just on the border of Beverly Hills next to Santa Monica Blvd (the sign for

Cirque du Soleil IRIS at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, CA

Rating: You Should Go

This review is really about two things, the Dolby Theater and the show IRIS performed by Cirque du Soleil. Luckily, both are AMAZING! The theater is host to the Academy Awards every year (aka The Oscars), which the show played on during one part. The seats are plush and there are four different levels of seating. I

Claremont Hills Wilderness Trail in Claremont, CA

The View Point

Rating: You Might Like It

I went on the Claremont Hills Wilderness Trail with a group of friends last August. I tend to like trails that take me through woods and streams and have a lot of shade, so this was not my favorite. It's a 5 mile loop on a very wide and well-worn path. There is very little shade, so this is a good trail to take on cool

Taco Hut in Ontario, CA

Rating: You Might Like It

To be honest, Taco Hut never seemed very appealing to me when it opened. I thought it was a mix of Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. I had an old friend recommend their taco Tuesdays to us, so we decided to check it out. The inside is actually a lot cuter than I thought. It's cozy and