Hip Kitty Jazz and Fondue in Claremont, CA

Rating: You Should Go 

We've had friends recommend the Hip Kitty for a while now but we never made it around to going there until last week. Nate and I had a date night on a Tuesday because from 6:30-9pm they have Happy Hour (Tues-Thurs). We tried the half-priced grilled cheese and soup (you can get a salad instead of you prefer). It was very good, surprisingly filling,

Baby Blues BBQ in Venice, CA

Rating: You Should Go 

We were lucky to have friends take us to this hidden treasure. Baby Blues BBQ is probably the first time I've eaten at a place that would probably be considered a dive, and I loved it. It was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives for it's delicious BBQ, which is so good that it

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

The Grill on the Alley in Westlake Village, CA

Rating: You Should Go

My job has several perks, such as the short commute from my bedroom to my living room every morning. But my favorite perk is when my boss takes us out to dinner. The last trip I took was to the Westlake area, so he picked a nice steak house there that I never would have picked on my own. The Grill on the Alley is

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.

The Troubadour in Los Angeles, CA

Rating: You Should Go

I've been to a few concert halls over the years, but the Troubadour is my favorite so far. We went there to see mewithoutYou (as well as some awesome openers). Besides the fact that they made us line up around the corner, I liked everything about the place. The venue, like

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

Limerick's Tavern in Upland, CA

Rating: You Should Go

Limericks Tavern is a pub-style bar in Upland. They have a full menu until late at night (we got there at 10pm and they were only serving appetizers and pizza). Since it's a bar, they have a large selection of beer and a decent selection of wine. They have this banana bread beer that is really good if you like banana bread (and are just getting into beers, like myself). I actually ordered a hot chocolate and zucchini fries (both were REALLY delicious). Most places I go I get really thick zucchini

Camping in Hurkey Creek Park, CA

Rating: You Might Like It

This was our first time ever camping in Hurkey Creek Park so we didn't really know what to expect. It's near Idyllwild, which my family went to at least once a year when I was growing up, but a little more dry. We stayed in sites 6 and 7,

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

Liberty Hotel in Hollywood, CA

Rating: You Might Like It

Our church gave me a small trip to the Hollywood area as a thank-you for helping out, so I decided I might as well bring Nathan along, too :) Since people know that I usually care more about spending money on experiencing things than where I stay, they decided not to

Pizza Factory in Fowler, CA

Rating: You Should Go

The Pizza Factory is a little place we found in a little town on our way back from Yosemite. It's a family restaurant and has tons of posters and photos from little league teams and other local teams they support. It's the kind of place where you order at the front then make yourself at home. We decided to order a small Hawaiian pizza (6 slices) and an order of garlic cheese bread. Apparently there at 2 types of cheese bread to be ordered - we ordered the kind in a circle, which we

Woolworth Diner in Bakersfield, CA

Rating: You Might Like It

We discovered Woolworth Diner on Yelp while we were driving to Yosemite. The diner is on the far side of a very large antique store and there's only a short metal gate that separates the two areas, so you can window antique while you eat. The entrance is on the side of

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