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

Party Idea #5: Big Lebowski Party

The Big Lebowski is sort of a cult favorite, so I understand if this isn't one you'd like to celebrate. Nate and I happen to enjoy it and so do our friends, so for one particular friend's birthday, we decided to put this party idea into action. The group went bowling earlier in the evening, then went back to someone's house for dinner and the movie. If done right, the night can be rather inexpensive. I have signed up for

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

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

Kenai Fjords Tours in Seward, AK

Our cruise boat.

Rating: You Should Go

Kenai Fjords offers several tours from 3.5 hours to a few days. We did the 4.5 hour Resurrection Bay tour that left at noon (mostly because I didn't know if my stomach could handle any longer than that). We showed up 30 minutes before our cruise and found out they

Alpine Diner & Bakery in Girdwood, AK

Rating: You Should Go

Alpine Bakery was our breakfast stop on our way from Anchorage to Seward, and our first real introduction into how expensive everything is outside of Anchorage. We couldn't even get a doughnut for less than $3, so we decided to get pastries instead. Nate got an apple turnover and

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