Another Weekend, Another Set of Adventures

After months of being somewhat of a homebody, I have broken out of my shell! Every weekend seems to somehow top the previous weekend. My schedule is filling up and so are my adventures. This past weekend I had no plans as of Thursday afternoon, but by Thursday evening my weekend was packed with activities. Since Jessica departed our internship for a real job, we have been trying to catch up at least once a week by trying out new restaurants I discover on Yelp. Friday we checked out Lares Restaurant in Santa Monica. All I can say is I want some of its chips and salsa right now!

Legends in Long Beach

As I anxiously awaited my evening plans Saturday, I spent the day reading my “fun” books that I have been falling behind on. I couldn’t wait to catch up with my friend Meghan, who has been in Boston for four months because of work. I headed down to Long Beach for a night of wine and movies. The night ended a little more interesting than planned. Instead of staying in, we went out on Second Street in Long Beach, which is actually an awesome area. It was so good to catch up with Meghan and discover new places. We wrapped up the night early in preparation for our Sunday adventure. 

Angels v. Royals: June 12

The KU Alumni Association was hosting a meet up at the Angels verses the Royals baseball game in Anaheim. Meghan and I set off for the game around 11 a.m. to ensure we were there in plenty of time for the 12:30 start. Once at the game, we indulged ourselves in some classic baseball food. This is practically the only setting where I will submit myself to eat hotdogs. I used to love hotdogs, but my love faded when I gave up red meat; however, I sometimes cheat and eat a tasty Hebrew National hotdog. Anyways, I loaded up my “Angels” dog with sweet relish, barbecue sauce and spicy mustard. Needless to say, it was completely worth breaking my red meat ban. It was a little chilly since the June Gloom hadn’t burned off for the day, so we were a little dismayed that our seats were in the shade. To hell with those seats! We were not in the mood to be cold. This started our adventure of seating swapping throughout the entirety of the game!

Third seats of the game

After the fourth inning, we wanted to track down where the other Jayhawks were sitting. We knew they were in the 200-level, but we weren’t sure which section. We started near the left outfield and made our way to the right outfield in search of our fellow alums. By the end of our walk, we had seen numerous Royals hats but no big group! We decided to stay in the outfield for a while to soak up some rays since our search seemed to be pointless. After baking for a couple innings, we wanted a closer look at the game. We found some amazing seats just right of home base! We planned to finish the remainder of the game here before a brilliant idea popped into my head. I had heard rumors that there was a Sonic Drive-in in Orange County and suggested we track it down. Turns out its in Anaheim! How lucky are we? Since the Royals were up 9-0 in the bottom of the 8^th, we left early to avoid the crowds. Getting to Sonic turned out to be something of a wild goose chase, but it was worth it once we arrived. Just in time for happy hour, we both ordered variations of limeades. I had been craving ice cream all day and decided to treat myself to a Reese Sonic Blast! From living in Oklahoma and Kansas, I have an unhealthy obsession with Sonic and hate that it is not in LA. Now that I know where one is, I will be back.

Karaoke and Dancing

I had planned to return to my apartment for a relaxing evening of reading scripts and writing coverage, but the LA Jayhawks had other plans. They were meeting up at a bar in Santa Monica to watch the Maverick’s game and wanted me to join. How could I say no when I live five minutes from Santa Monica. I rerouted my drive to The Shake, which I had actually wanted to try out. Since it was a group of KU alums, there wasn’t a clear cut team that we should be rooting for but as a consensus everyone wanted the Mavs to win but Mario Chalmers to have a good game. As it turns out, our wish was granted! Not wanting the party to end, a small group of us headed down Wilshire to an Irish pub. We didn’t stay long since the place obviously didn’t know what Sunday Funday meant. The next place was a success! Oh Gas Lite how you surprised me. This tiny bar featured not only karaoke but also a rocking dance floor. A good mix of hipsters and beach towners, I will be back to the Gas Lite soon! To make the night even more interesting, a random girl at the bar also actually went to KU and had a good friend in my sorority. What are the odds? I love the KU connection.

I fall more in love with Los Angeles the longer I am here. I can’t imagine living anywhere but here for a long time!