travel plans: the decision

Jesse and I had been hoarding airline miles ever since we made several trips back and forth to Japan while living there. Although we've flown many times since, I was really committed to using the miles for a "big" trip, and we'd been thinking for several years for how to best take advantage of them. The prospect of "the trip" grew bigger and bigger in my head. The longer we went without travelling internationally, after travelling so much for several years, the more the trip started to feel like a major, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I wanted to make sure we used the miles for just the right thing. But the longer we held on to the miles, the more I worried that they would disappear and the more I feared that this long hoped-for trip wouldn't actually happen.

With both of our jobs, we had a hard time finding time that we could both be gone for more than a week at a time. My first year at Pepperdine (2009-2010), I never took more than a few days off at a time. My second year, Jesse had started working as a consultant for Disney, and didn't feel like he could get away while he was on a limited-term contract. The third year seemed to be the right time for us. We initially planned to go in the fall, but several other events came up, and we decided to put the trip off (again). Then, American Airlines declared bankruptcy in late 2011, and my irrational fears that we'd lose the miles re-appeared. It turned out to be the kick we needed.

We started looking into dates for the travel. We knew we wanted to travel internationally, and we wanted to take two weeks off. Although we had started discussing "where" we would go, we were really more concerned with the "when" at first. By the time we got the vacation time approved for the middle of April, we still didn't know where we wanted to go. There were so many places we both wanted to see and it was starting to feel impossible to choose. Making decisions has never come easy for me, but this one seemed particularly difficult. I love to travel so much. But with limited vacation time and the cost of travel, I started to feel like we wouldn't be doing it as often as I'd like. These miles were our chance at a low-cost trip, and we were only going to get the one. Neither Jesse nor I could figure out how to prioritize the places we wanted to see, so we started to think about the kinds of international experiences that interested us.

Classic: France, Italy
Adventurous: Machu Picchu (this one is mostly me - I'm sort of fixated on it)
Exotic: Turkey, Morocco
Familiar: Japan
Little-Bit-Unique: Finland, Russia, Iceland, Eastern Europe
Leisurely: A resort anywhere in the tropics

We pretty seriously considered every one of those areas. Finland was one of our top choices. Since Jesse's ancestors originally immigrated to Wisconsin from Finland, and our last name is Finnish, we had a special interest in seeing the country. It also looks gorgeous and has an interesting design scene. However, once we knew we were going in April, it didn't seem like the weather would be ideal. Having spent most of our lives in the Midwest, the chance for a cold and slushy vacation wasn't all that appealing; give me snow or sun, but not in-between. The same went for Russia. We talked a lot about going back to Japan. It's been five years since we left, and we would love the opportunity to visit friends and see familiar places. But ultimately, we decided we wanted to do something new. Japan felt like a trip we could take anytime, and we know we'll definitely go back at some point.

Around the time we got the vacation approved, we had more or less settled on France. We even used our miles to put some tickets on hold. We figured we'd spend a little time in Paris and then make our way south to enjoy villages and hopefully lots of wineries. It sounded relaxing, leisurely, and romantic. A perfect trip, right? For whatever reason, I really couldn't get excited about it. I think when it came down to it, I wanted something completely new and out of the ordinary. I would love to see the south of France one day, and I think it will happen. But a bigger adventure was more appealing to me. I'd also been to Paris, and although I had loved it, it wouldn't be new.

Although our frequent flier miles wouldn't get us all the way there, we ultimately chose Morocco. By booking tickets first to Madrid, and then buying separate tickets from Madrid to Marrakesh, we were able to work it out. I had originally seen Morocco on a list of great places to travel in 2009, or sometime around then. The brief note had mentioned the food, and that Morocco was a culinary destination. That piqued my interest, and it has always stuck in the back of my head as a place to see. The more research that I have done, the more I feel that this trip will encompass so many of the kinds of experiences we had hoped to have. There will definitely be some adventure, it will be exotic, there will be good food and leisure, and it will be unique. So far, our planned activities involve a cooking class, a spa, an afternoon at a resort, art galleries, old medinas in several Moroccan cities, historic markets and sites, a ferry across the Strait of Gibralter, train travel, and Roman ruins. Sadly, we had to rule out a camel trip in the desert due to time (who knew two weeks isn't even close to enough time for Morocco?). We're making time for a few days in Spain, and we will get to see the French influence in Morocco, so we'll get to have a taste of the classic as well.

I am really pleased with our choice. Ultimately, I feel really, really lucky that we have a choice at all. The chance to take two weeks off to travel to another country, and not to have to pay for the airline tickets...that's something special.

vegas

I'd never been to Las Vegas, although Jesse had been several times. We'd been talking for a while about going there, since it's so close to Los Angeles, and our anniversary was at the end of January. So when we both realized that we had MLK Day off a couple of weeks ago, we made last-minute plans to drive up for the weekend. It turned out to be a great trip. We mostly spent our time wandering from one hotel/casino to another, checking out all of the over-the-top decor. It truly felt like adult Disneyland. Everything is so fake, but still so nice. Like the Venice canals, for example. Fake sky, fake cobblestone streets. Silly, right? But...still fun! And actually kind of pretty. Here are a few things I found amusing:

1. The drive through the California desert.
2. The different smells at all of the casinos. The Tropicana smelled like tanning oil.
3. People-watching. Especially at night when the cocktail dresses and stilettos came out.
4. The Cirque du Soleil show "O." I've seen a few Cirque shows and wasn't sure one more was necessary, but this one was different and a lot of fun.
5. Dinner at Bouchon, one of Thomas Keller's restaurants. I had scallops with roasted winter squash, glazed parsnips, and confit chestnuts. It was really, really good.
6. Our gorgeous, spacious, and comfortable hotel room at the Palazzo.
7. The lobby at the Wynn, with its colorful tile mosaics and the wall of water.
8. The conservatory at the Bellagio, which looked amazing decorated for the Chinese New Year.
9. The crazy amounts of crystal at the Cosmopolitan.
10. And - my favorite - the fountain at the Bellagio. So entertaining!!

Even after 2.5 years of living in the West, I still get excited at all of the places that are now within driving distance from our home. There are so many more to explore!

rose bowl festivities

I know the Badgers didn't win in the end, but Jesse and I still had fun attending some of the Rose Bowl festivities this year, especially the Rose Parade. We're not always in town for New Year's, so I am glad we took advantage of the opportunity this year - it was really fun to see. And of course, we enjoyed having lots of Wisconsinites around town for the few days leading up to the parade and game. In full disclosure, I don't really follow the Badgers in the same way I follow the Packers, but I'm always a fan of anything having to do with my home state.

A sea of red at the Badgers Pep Rally at the Santa Monica Pier a few days before the game. It was a very, very foggy day. The pep band played, and they interviewed some of the players on stage.

Jesse, Yuki, and Bucky. Lots and lots of people stopped to say hi to Yuki. Someone who stopped to pet him said, "Oh, this must be the big dog that people are talking about." He loved the attention, and we liked chatting with the other Wisconsinites.

Badger train! We parked at Union Station and took the metra to Pasadena for the Rose Parade. We were not the only ones with this brilliant ideas.

The floats were so fun to see! Apparently people camp out on the sidewalk starting the day before the parade to get good spots. We showed up just before the parade started to come by this spot and I was very happy with how close we were.

The Trader Joe's float.

The Badger float.

renegade round-up

I love going to local art shows in Los Angeles. Usually around this time of year, Jesse and I go to Unique LA, held in the fashion district. This year, we decided to check out the Renegade Craft Fair in the Los Angeles State Historic Park instead. It was a little smaller than Unique LA, but I thought it was nice that it was outside and that some of the artists were from outside the LA area. Of course, part of what makes Unique LA so great is that all of the artists are very local. And the food is better at Unique LA, meaning overall, Unique LA wins, but I am glad we tried something different this time around.

There was a nice view of the city, especially as the sun was setting.

Some of the artists' booths.

This was the cute booth for Eri Sugimoto, a Japanese ceramics artist.

Tangleweeds jewelry made of metal and leather - yup, I got one.

I love the colorful patterned earrings on colorful patterned paper, from Cookie and the Dude.

We got a small version of this print from Misha Ashton. Jesse always like prints of roller coasters and ferris wheels and the like. We also got a small print of some Japanese gates in Kyoto. (Photo from Etsy site.)

I like maps and I love Wisconsin, so I was super excited to get this print from Paper Parasol Press (photo from Etsy site). They also have prints of other states, including California, and some awesome holiday cards.

Card from Ilee Press, which had some very pretty things. (Photo from Etsy site.)

Mehoi had the cutest earrings and things. (Photo from website.)

ciqLAvia and BAM

After a shamefully lazy Saturday yesterday, Jesse and I went to not one, but two, LA events today. The first is called CicLAvia, and is based on the ciclovias that started over 30 years ago in Bogota, Colombia and are now held in cities throughout the world (Blogger needs to let me use accented letters...). The basic concept involves shutting city streets to automobiles for a day and opening them up to bicycles and walkers. Our bikes are in rough shape, so we just walked this time. But I can see how it would be really fun to bike around the city on open streets that are usually clogged with traffic.

The second event we went to is called BAM Fest (for beer, art, and music). It's held annually at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica, where bands play, art studios are open, and California craft beers are available for tasting. We got cute little tasting glasses to keep.

hollywood bowl

Jesse and I finally made it to Hollywood Bowl...and for a great event too! We went to the annual John Williams event when the LA Philharmonic plays the music of the movies and John Williams conducts. We heard familiar scores from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, and lots of others. The audience was entertaining as well (see below). Before the performance, we had a picnic dinner on the grounds with friends and made a whole evening of it.

For our seats, we had to take escalators up to the top of the amphitheater. When we turned the corner, it was a fun sight to see. The Hollywood Bowl has been around since 1922 and has become a true LA landmark/experience.

A lot of audience members (including a couple of our friends!) brought out lightsabers for the Star Wars songs.

rose bowl flea market and pacific asia museum

Last Sunday, I decided to check out LA's most well-known flea market at the Rose Bowl. I've been meaning to go there for a while and it's come up recently on a blog I follow, so I thought now was as good a time as any to go and see what it was all about. I was wrong. It was too hot. I'm not going again until at least October.

But at least I know what it's all about now! It was pretty fun, and I definitely saw a lot of great things that you could use to decorate a home. I only bought one thing, mostly because I hadn't brought much cash (unintentional, but fortunate). Next time - when it's cooler, I have cash, and Jesse is with me - I would spend a little more time looking at the furniture and stuff for the apartment.

Afterwards, I was really hungry, and so I drove into Pasadena for lunch. I used my Yelp app to find the closest restaurants, but they were all Italian and Indian - both of which generally appeal to me but were not ideal considering how hot it was. So I searched Yelp for "salad" near my current location. And it worked! I was impressed. It led me to a great restaurant that basically only served salads. Yay Yelp!

Lastly, I went to the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. It's a nice, quite small museum of art and artifacts from South and East Asia. It was fun to wander through. The sections on Japan reminded me of all the art I loved while I lived there. I bought a beautiful book of photographs of Japanese art.

Then I drove home in very hot vehicle without a/c. The reality is that I don't think the temperature was above the mid-80s, but I have become so accustomed to the cooler weather in Santa Monica that it was almost unbearable for me. I had the windows down on the whole drive back, and I could feel the air getting cooler and cooler as I approached my exit. It felt great and so refreshing. It made me extra happy about living in Santa Monica.

Go Wisconsin!

These are blocks that are used for woodblock printing in India. I bought the one in the upper right.

I loved these glasses. If they were orange instead of pink, I would have bought them.

These old, worn pots appeared to be made out of papier-mache of Chinese newspapers. There were other very cool Asian antiques as well.

There were quite a bit of vintage clothes for sale as well.

Shrimp salad with mint lemonade - perfect hot weather meal.

The rest of the pictures are from the courtyard at the Pacific Asia Museum, built in 1924 and a good example of Asian-inspired architecture of the era.