She's Gone Country

Growing up my family's idea of vacation was spending three weeks camping up in Northern California at a preserve called Lake of the Springs. Camping...well, let's just say it's not exactly my scene. Don't get me wrong, there were some awesome moments like star gazing out on the lake in the warm summer nights and spending hours and hours reading in the shade of the 100+ year old trees. But when my Dad busted out the fishing pole, that's when I needed a getaway. 

I think I was probably 10 when I first discovered that each morning in the club house an older woman with a thick Southern accent and a heavily sequined blouse would round up "the ladies" whose husbands were out fishing and teach line dancing lessons! Now THIS was right up my alley. The pace was a little slow--we were lucky to get through one dance in an hour--but hey it was way better than being out on the dock! And so, despite the apparent age gap between me and my classmates, I would show up each morning and rock out to country jams with Marilyn and Eleanor. Then on Saturday night a live band would play out by the lake and we would show off our moves! So cool right? 

All those summers raised me to love country music and especially line dancing. We stopped going camping a few years ago, but I've recently gotten back in touch with my line dancing roots thanks to all the country bars that have popped up around Orange County. Compared to the trashy night clubs where you will undoubtedly be violated by multiple drunk guys who will never remember your name, I much prefer the country bar scene where you LINE dance in your own little space and the dancing actually requires skill and practice. There's also something so cavalier about a man rocking cowboy boots and a hat who actually comes up to you, face-to-face, and asks you to two-step :)

In honor of this country love, thought I'd do a quick round-up (no pun intended) of local line dancing bars and YouTube tutorials for a few of the most popular dances. Just in case any of you want to trade in your heels and skirts for some plaid and cowboy boots ;) 

WHERE TO GO: 

In Cahoots - Fulleton, CA 

Cover: $5 for 21+, $10 for 18+ on Wednesdays 

Open: Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 

Ambience: Down home country. A little rough around the edges, but just right for line dancing.

Crowd: Mix of young and old with one thing in common--line dancing skills! 

The Ranch - Anaheim, CA 

Cover: $5 before 10pm, $10 after 10pm 

Open: Monday-Sunday 

Ambience: Swanky country (including a disco ball made of rhinestone guitars!). The facility is new with lots of nice ranch-inspired details. 

Crowd: Older in the early evening and younger after 9pm. A mix of line dance pros and newbies, both rocking cowboy hats and boots. 

HOW TO DANCE: 

Fake ID 

Electric Slide

Tush Push 

Good Time 

Power Jam 

The Wobble 

God Bless Texas

Y'all come back now!

<3 Lyssa

Berkeley Love

Just a week after my San Francisco adventures, I journeyed back up north to visit to one of my oldest and closest friends in Berkeley. The trip was wonderful, beyond wonderful really. I have so much love for the Berkeley area and all it's pedestrian & vegan friendliness. If the opportunity presents itself, I'd quite enjoy living there one day. 

Not surprisingly, my friend has amazing taste in food and atmosphere, and she took me to some incredible spots that I just have to mention. 

Razan's Organic Kitchen: Your typical hole-in-the-wall, with all the design quirks to go with it. Everything from their Tofu Shish Kebab Wrap to their made-to-order Vegetable Soup will knock your vegetarian socks off. I recommend sitting upstairs by the window. 

Guerilla Cafe: "Coffee and Vibes" A funky joint with a modern groove feel. Perfect for breakfast or you can stop by for live music in the evenings. We opted for the Waffle of the Day special (Apple & Plum Waffle with apple syrup that day) and were anything but disappointed. 

La Farine: A heavenly French bakery with a wide assortment of breads and pastries. There's just one long farm-style table inside so you get to mingle with fellow pastry connoisseurs. Highly recommend the Lemon Oatmeal Cookies. 

The Meadows: Just a couple doors down from La Farine, the flower arrangements here are stunning to see and smell. The perfect place to pick up a unique bouquet.

 

Cafe Intermezzo: SALAD HEAVEN. Seriously, the largest and most amazing salad I've ever had. My friend and I shared the vegetarian-friendly Chef Salad, but there are tons of options, all of which looked incredible. Love the tree in the middle of the restaurant too. 

Venus: Go with a friend and split the Vegetarian Omlette and the Luxury Flapjacks (made with fresh raspberries and chocolate chunks). It's the perfect (though not the healthiest) Sunday brunch blend of savory and sweet. 

La Note: Two words...Ratatouille Omelette. It is absolutely INCREDIBLE. From the vibrant flavors to the homey corner cafe atmosphere, this place takes me back to France every time I visit. When I'm rich and famous, I'll fly up to Berkeley just to have breakfast here. 

Time to book another trip to Berkeley I think...

<3 Lyssa 

Up, Up and Away

A couple weeks ago I took off on a mini-vacation to San Francisco to visit friends and volunteer at the Outside Lands music festival. It was the first time I'd been on an airplane since flying back from Cannes my sophomore year of college, and I could barely contain my excitement. 

Suffice it to say, Outside Lands wasn't all it was cracked up to be (ended with me stranded in Golden Gate Park at 10:30pm alone with no cell phone--if that's any indication). Fortunately, the rest of my trip was very enjoyable, particularly exploring the restaurant & shopping scene in Palo Alto and Downtown Stanford with my good friend. Here are some of my new favorite spots to enjoy a French lunch break in Nor Cal...

 

Dolce France: Authentic French Bakery in Palo Alto owned and managed by a wonderful French man. Best Chai Latte I've ever had and amazing Banana & Nutella Crepes. 

Stanford Shopping Center: A gorgeous outdoor mall with a wide variety of stores. Finally purchased my first pair of Toms (in Academy Plaid) at the Nordstroms there. 

 

Crepevine: Huge selection of savory & sweet crepes (and more) in the quaint Downtown Stanford area. Bustling with customers on a Sunday afternoon--great for people watching and feasting. 

Coupa Cafe: If I went to Stanford, I'd live here. Amazing Chai Tea Latte (second only to Dolce), an eclectic atmosphere and customer base, and ample indoor & outdoor seating. 

Cheers to Nor Cal! 

<3 Lyssa

Outside Lands

I applied to be a volunteer at this year's Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco, and I just found out today that my application was accepted!! Just a chance to get out of the OC and take a trip to SF will be awesome, let alone getting a free day pass to Outside Lands in exchange for a six hour volunteer shift! So excited, just had to share :) 

<3 Lyssa

PS- the Outside Lands website is awesome...mad graphic design skills on that team

LA Creative Mornings (at night)

A few weeks ago, I ventured to LA for a creative escape day...

Started out with a trip to 212 Pier, a funky coffee shop in Santa Monica that friends of mine had given rave reviews. After this first visit, I'd definitely vouch for their espresso smoothie and the quirky style/ambience of the place (check out the view from our second story table above). After our caffeine fix we walked down to the beach and people watched then grabbed lunch and shopped around a bit. The Santa Monica boutiques are always a nice change of pace from the sprawling shopping centers of Orange County.

Then it was off to Ford & Ching in Chinatown for a Creative Morning (at Night)..so post modern right? Creative Mornings are free design lecture series sponsored by Swiss Miss that take place monthly in various cities throughout the world. This special "at night" version served as part-Creative Morning, part-Dwell on Design Conference Launch Party. The speaker was David Trubridge, renowned New Zealand lighting and furniture designer. The ambience of the Ford & Ching studio was perfect for the event. There was free food, wine and cocktails and an eclectic collection of creatives to mingle with. Best of all was David's presentation, which far exceeded my expectations. Here are a few of my favorite takeaways...

• The creative process should flow through art, design and craft to be complete...
• Art is where your heart lies. Then you have to develop a vocabulary for expressing what is in your heart.
• With that vocabulary, you have something to design with. There must be an element of you in our design. The design is the structure of your artistic vocabulary.
• As a craftsman, you refine that design.
• The brain naturally works best right, left, right; just like the art, design, craft creative process
• We must pay attention to "new" vs. "novelty" when it comes to design--novelty is not original
• Cultural design connects all three elements of the creative process, and is like good food--it nourishes you so you don't constantly crave more
• Find inspiration in nature, but don't go looking for inspiration in nature. Simply be in nature and the inspiration will come. 

With creative juices flowing and our minds open to new sources of inspiration, we ventured to our final stop for the day...The Last Bookstore in downtown LA. The owners of this gargantuan used book store believe, like I do, that the printed book holds special value and that it should not be replaced by the newly popularized e-readers. With Borders, my former employer, recently announcing bankruptcy, it is refreshing to find a used book store that is still thriving. I had eagerly awaited my visit here, and the store did not disappoint! I got lost among the high shelves and became immersed in the worn pages of classics and contemporaries. I left with a bag full of great finds, including some of the owner's suggestions (one of which he bought for me!). For all you bookworms out there, I highly recommend a visit.

Many books to read and much to think about the next time I approach a creative project...

<3 Lyssa

Orange Home Grown

Don't get me wrong, I love Trader Joes as much as the next vegetarian, but every now and then I have an urge to buy my produce from a local farmer's market where I can visit with neighborhood farmers about what's in season and ensure that my produce is fresh and organically grown. Visiting the farmer's market in Cannes and practicing my French with the bubbly, knowledgeable vendors was one of my favorite things to do. I often ponder how silly the French must think we are for boasting our giant grocery stores stocked full of produce that was probably picked weeks ago when they have the farmer's market process down to a science. 

So this Saturday I decided to visit the newly formed Orange Farmers and Artisans Market for a taste of homegrown produce and friendly neighborhood advice (not to mention some great samples!). I was intrigued by Orange Home Grown's beautifully crafted logo, website and tweets. I just couldn't pass up a visit to such a perfectly branded market. Fortunately, my experience matched and exceeded the expectations their fun designs had set. I spent my Saturday morning sipping complimentary coffee and chatting with the cookie lady about the wonder of Nutella, the hummus man about why Ohio hates LeBron and a friendly shopper about how the apple man's fuji apples changed his life. 

I returned home with a reusable bag full of apples, plums, squash, avocados, fresh mint, hummus, pita and--my favorite find: artichoke salad--for just under $20. Sorry Trader's, looks like I may be taking my produce business elsewhere ;) 

<3 Lyssa

Off-Broadway Goats and Artsy Folks

This weekend I ventured outside my comfort zone and visited Chance Theater, a fantastic black box theater in Anaheim Hills to see The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? with some friends. Without giving anything away, let's just say the play leaves no moral boundary uncrossed. Through its stream of consciousness style and highly intelligent prose, this play tests our moral boundaries and questions where those boundaries originated in the first place through the use of hyperbole. 

The sheer talent of the four actors on the intimate black box stage alone left me in awe by the final bow. I rediscovered that I have such respect for actors who perform in such close proximity to their audiences and never waiver for a second from their characters. Yes off-Broadway theater may not be for everyone, but sometimes it is worth stepping outside the box (and into the black box) to challenge the mind with something entirely new. Being around intellectual, artistically-oriented people for an evening is also surprisingly refreshing. 

So whether it's theaters or goats or a conversation with an artist, find some escape from the norm this week. I assure you it will challenge your mind and broaden your horizons. 

<3 Lyssa