She's already planning to come visit again.

What was supposed to be the final day of Anthony and Liz's visit was also the first day of my parents' visit! They've been planning this trip ever since I started planning for my semester in LA, and it was really exciting to have them here and show them around. Technically it was the week of our "spring break," but it was really only a break from classes as we still chose to attend our internships.

On Monday, my parents came to the Fox lot for lunch. I brought them to our Commissary for lunch, took them to the Studio Store where they could use my discount to buy some souvenirs, and took them for a walk around the lot and the floor where I work. Since it sadly was a particularly busy week at The Young & the Restless and I wasn't allowed to bring them by the set for a visit, I'm happy they at least got to see one of my internships and get a better idea of where I've been spending three days a week all semester.

Monday night we went to The Grove for some dinner and shopping, and Tuesday night I treated them to a performance of the national tour of the musical Cats at the Pantages Theater as an anniversary gift. As a theater buff, the show itself left a lot to be desired, but I was still happy to finally check such a classic off my list and also to finally see a show for the first time in LA (I've been having serious theater withdrawal).

On Wednesday we had dinner at the Pig 'n Whistle on Hollywood Boulevard, the perfect choice for St. Patrick's Day. Afterward we headed up to the Griffith Observatory. It had been on my list of places in LA I absolutely must take them, and they loved it just as much as I do. Especially with last week's amazing weather, it was a perfect night to admire the stars and the best view of LA there is.

The telescope, before we got yelled at for taking pictures.

Thursday night was a highlight of their visit. First, we took advantage of the fact that CBS Television City is a five-minute walk from the Farmer's Market and they met me there for lunch. Then, my parents wanted to take my friends and I out to dinner, so I rounded up Lauren, Jenn, Mapgar, Josh, and Nick and we all went to Louise's Trattoria, an Italian restaurant that had come highly recommended. It was absolutely a great choice: to-die-for foccacia bread and delicious, huge portions. Combined with the great conversation, it was such a fun dinner. My parents fit right in, with my mom jumping right in to the inevitable LOST debate that seems to be unavoidable whenever we're all in the same room. With the exception of Nick, my parents had met everyone before during their visits to the Bay State set, so it was a really nice outing, complete with delicious food.

The group after dinner.

Friday night was fairly low-key with some shopping and dinner. For their final day in LA on Saturday, we started with a yummy breakfast at Swinger's Diner, followed by a trip to Santa Monica. It was one of the places they had gone while I was at work and also one of their favorites, so we decided a return visit would be a perfect way to round off the week.

This monkey on the Third Street Promenade tried to take a swipe at my mom!

Despite the strange fog that rolled in mid-afternoon, it was a great day. We grabbed some Yogurtland on the way home (I took them there on their first day in LA, and they proceeded to go twice without me during the week- everyone becomes a convert) and then it was sadly time for them to head to LAX for their red-eye trip back to Albany. Overall, it was a lovely week! It was so great having them here and I was sad to see them go.

Once again, a long work week has thwarted our blog catch-up plans, but we're close!

-Erin

Does that mean I can green light the frat's operations?

Continuing to play catch-up....

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

After work, we celebrated the holiday by heading to Henry's Hat for a special deal: 50% off food if you wear a hat; free round of green beer if you wear a green hat. How could we not?

Map, Chris, Lauren, and I began the night with a rousing game of "Sorry!' -- easily the best game to play at a crowded pub. In an exciting follow-up to the last time we played this game, I came from behind to win again! Whether the victory should be attributed to my Kamikaze or the luck of the Irish, Lauren and Map were especially bitter about my success.


After dinner, we headed to the Nuart, a cool art-house theater in West Los Angeles, to see a special screening of "Mystery Team," the first feature film by the hilarious "Derrick Comedy" group. After the movie, we stuck around for a Q&A with some of the Derrick Comedy guys, who told stories about creepy sexual deodorant commercials they turned down and how it was easier to stay on book when your writers are your actors. The film is heading to DVD this summer, and if you like watching G-rated characters stuck in R-rated situations, then you should check it out as soon as you can. It's funny, I promise.

We chatted with the guys outside the theater, and grabbed a picture in all our green gear. Lauren got a chance to tell her idol, Dominic, how much she loved the "Keyboard Kid" sketch he starred in. And I've got to admit, I've never seen Nick so starstruck!

Our blog catch-up is almost finished, but stay tuned for Erin's week of adventures with her parents, and Lauren's tales of fog-fighting at Manhattan Beach.

It's only fitting to end on an Irish blessing in honor of the holiday: Readers, may the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back!
-Jenn

I'm glad you've found some peace. Maybe someday I'll find some myself.

The Blogathon continues. Get ready for the longest entry in the world (it should really probably be three separate entries).

Part of the reason Dante could justify his spring break jaunt to Los Angeles was because there was a major gaming conference in San Francisco, which is just a day's drive away. He got a student pass, and we decided to make a weekend of it.

Therefore, on Friday, Jenn and I took off work, Nick joined us, and the four of us packed up Jenn's car for the drive to Northern California. Equipped with Girl Scout Cookies, XM radio, and graphic novels (for Nick and Dante, anyway), we knew we'd be set. And, aside from a stop for Taco Bell, we powered through the drive. We took the highway route, which Jenn noted was full of "purple mountains majesty above the fruited plain."


After about six hours, we arrived at our hotel in San Francisco, the Embassy. It was not the nicest place (especially after promising us parking on the property, and then telling us it was full--don't worry, I "Jersey"ed them into a solution). And, due to the Grateful Dead concert that night, it was full of self-proclaimed "Deadheads." (Well, the ones that weren't too high to speak proclaimed it.)

We decided to wander around our area for dinner, since there seemed to be highly-rated restaurants every four feet. And Dante's roommate Mark was in the area for GDC, so we were able to meet up with him. After exploring for about 45 minutes (with a foray into a shop to buy hats!), we found a 50s diner. Then, everyone but Mark followed it up with drinks at a bar called Olive. Olive was a highlight for me, since they had cocktails without hard liquor. I hadn't been able to order a cocktail since turning 21, so I was very excited.

We told amusing stories in the bar until it hit midnight, and we realized we'd been awake and moving for far too long, and we were going to get up far too early to justify ordering any more drinks. Thus, we went back to the hotel for a few hours of sleep.

We had to wake up early to get Dante to GDC on time, so Jenn, Nick, and I basically guaranteed ourselves a long day of exploration. We somehow drove our way around the city's insane streets (comparable to Boston--the one-way streets are similar, but the steep hills replace the winding turns), dropped Dante off, and solidified our parking spot (rather aggressively, I might add), all before breakfast.

But, since the parking spot battle was so competitive in our hotel situation, we couldn't drive until we wanted to go home. So, it was walking exploration for us. But that's fine, because we're from Boston. Boston's a walking city. Hubris led us to believe we were made for this.

We started by walking toward Fisherman's Wharf, planning on finding breakfast along the way. It took an hour, but we found an amazing place, Miller's East Coast Deli, serving what we referred to as "East-Coast proportions." The food was delicious and plentiful...though it defeated Nick. For those who attend, I recommend the Challah French Toast, and would advise consumers (ahh...!) against ordering side dishes, as they are largely unnecessary.

Full to the brim, we figured the walk to Fisherman's Wharf would ease the over-eating guilt. Especially since it was largely uphill. It was nice, though--the weather (which had been predicted to be cold and windy) just got warmer and more beautiful as the day went on.

We made it to the Wharf, and spent a long time walking out on a giant pier, and basking in the sea breeze, plus the beautiful views of Alcatraz, the skyline, and the Golden Gate Bridge. This was my first time in San Francisco, and I was really excited to see all of these things. One goal we'd all set was to venture to the Golden Gate Bridge and walk along it, especially since it was my first visit.

When we consulted our map, it looked like the bridge was about the same distance away as we'd already walked. We figured, that was an easy walk, so we should definitely do it.

On the way, we stumbled into a lot of really fantastic things:

1) The park, full of random exercise equipment, views of the city, and sprawling grass where we could nap.

2) The Beach. I capitalize it, because I'm pretty sure it wasn't real. This probably stuck out to me as the most memorable view in San Francisco, because of how ridiculous it seemed. On the East Coast, a beach is a place to relax. But, frequently, that isn't how it turns out. People get sunburned. Kids annoy their parents. Couples fight. I'm not saying that's all the time, but it happens. These unpleasantries are as present as the pleasantries. Not on this Matri--I mean, "beach." We walked past (all at once): an elderly couple holding hands and smiling on a bench, a younger couple flying a kite, a little girl making a sandcastle, a man playing catch with his son, a few high-school age kids playing frisbee, several dogs off-leash and playing in the surf, a family on bicycles...and everyone was happy. This is not something I've ever seen before. It looked like a damn painting.

3) A pier with a Golden Gate Gift Shop (where Jenn purchased a fantastic sweatshirt), and sea lions just swimming around in real life!

It was about this time that we started questioning how long we'd been walking. The first walk seemed so much shorter than this one...but there were fewer distractions. We just kept wondering aloud, "How close is that bridge?" It didn't seem to be getting much bigger...and we really felt like it should have by then....But, it was too late to turn back.

So, we soldiered on, embracing the blistered feet and tired legs as a sign that we must be approaching it soon. Although, I admit, the stairs leading up to the bridge? Not exactly what we wanted to see.
We finally reached our destination (jubilation!), and we spent a long time soaking in the views, and discussing how more people jump off the Golden Gate than any other bridge. Fascinating stuff.

The timing was seemingly great, because Dante finished with GDC at that exact moment. Looking at our trusty map again, we noticed that Dante was about the same distance away as we were from Fisherman's Wharf. We decided to meet back there, and then hopefully meet up with Nick's cousin, who lives near San Francisco.

And when Dante was over halfway there when we were less than a quarter of a journey back, we knew there was a problem. And when we consulted the map again, we noticed a detail we'd missed all day: "Condensed Map." What we'd interpreted as under two miles, was four and a half. And now that we knew we had over four and a half miles to go (because the condensed part started way after the beginning of our trek to the bridge), we were suddenly hit by how long it was going to take, and how our feet were seriously in pain--and, more importantly, how we were definitely not going to make it back in time to meet Dante, Nick's cousin, and make our dinner reservation.

Our solution was to have Nick's cousin pick us up and drive us to the Wharf. Unfortunately, the Wharf has no parking, so Nick's cousin felt more comfortable going somewhere else, and the resulting difficulty finding Dante/a place for coffee made the evening a lot more complicated. It took too long, so we missed our dinner reservation--which we were able to push back. Finding a cab was near-impossible during the preliminary St. Patrick's Day celebrations, but we finally managed to, and sped to the Cliff House, which was our major splurge for the weekend. With upscale dining, fine wine, and views of the ocean, we definitely lived it up.

Sidenote: This Chardonnay was really, really good.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel and calculated our days' walk: eight full miles. And, having to wake up early once more to get Dante to his plane back to Boston, we went straight to bed. I don't remember the last time I've been so exhausted.

Jenn, Nick, and I planned to take advantage of the early hour again, this time to venture to Muir Woods, and then drive the "scenic route" home. But first, we had to check out, get the car, and navigate to the airport, in order to say a sad goodbye to Dante.

Now, Muir Woods is about half an hour north of San Francisco. Aside from a quick stop for Starbucks, we were there pretty quickly. It was unexpectedly busy, so we had some parking issues, and unfortunately, I did not get in for free for bearing the same name--though I did try.

It's surprising how much fun we had at Muir Woods. Just running around the trail, taking cinematic photos, and enjoying the scenery. Plus, I get street cred. for recognizing that it was totally Endor in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (confirmed by Nick's iPhone). We must've spent two hours with our photo shoot here, not to mention the Gift Shop.

Then, finally, it was time to go home. And, like the day before, our map-related decisions led to our own demise. We'd heard that the Pacific Coast Highway (commonly referred to as the "PCH," or "California One," if you like the Decemberists...which I do) had the most beautiful views you could ever see. Though we knew it'd be much slower, we decided to make the day a sightseeing road trip--it was only 1:15 PM, and there was no real rush to get home. A few extra hours of ocean and cliffside wouldn't kill us. We even stopped for an outdoor lunch in Sausalito, at the Paradise Bay.

We each had three glasses: water, soft drink, and an alcoholic beverage. It was silly.

Once back on the road, the views definitely lived up to expectations. Highlight for me: listening to "California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade" while driving on California One. It was...amazing. We stopped a few times to take pictures, all the while planning to turn inland once it got dark--since the other highways would be significantly faster, and every town we passed had a connection to at least one of them.

Alas, 'twas not so. It turns out that there's a stretch of the PCH that does not have any inland access...for 150 miles. And those 150 miles are unlit, on the edge of cliffs overlooking the ocean, filled with winding turns, so you really can't go above 40 mph. And that stretch is exactly where we were when the sun went down. The turns make it so that 150 miles don't get you very far. And worse, there's no cell phone signal--so not only can you not call/text anyone, but Nick couldn't see where we were on his iPhone's GoogleMaps app. We were cut off from civilization...and immediately put right back into our horror movie mindset (a la Mojave Desert).

When we did get stray cell phone service, we found out that not only was Dante's plane forced to do an emergency landing in Hartford due to unsuitable conditions at Logan Airport, but Liz, Liz, and Anthony were stranded in Los Angeles until Tuesday morning (obviously we gave them a place to stay!). And when we could check a map, we were always much farther away than we thought we should be.

All in all, with Jenn and Nick driving (I felt sick and ended up passing out), we made it to Los Angeles at 2 AM, after we spent somewhere around five useless hours on the dark PCH before we found a connection to the 101.

And had work the next morning.

What a relaxing vacation, hmm? The only silver lining is that it was now officially BULA's Spring Break, so we didn't have class this week. In true L.A. State fashion, however, relaxing didn't quite schedule into the weekdays, either.

Stay tuned for our St. Patrick's Day adventures, Erin's parents' visit, and more.

(If you made it through this lengthy entry, I applaud you and love you. You clearly love us enough to bear with me.)

--Lauren

Photo cred. in this entry is shared between me and Jenn.

I know about slumber parties. And being famous.

Continuing our attempt to use our lazy Sunday to catch up on the blog, I'm picking up where Jenn left off! Last Friday as Jenn and Lauren departed the apartment for the weekend to venture to San Francisco with Dante and Nick, they were replaced by Anthony, Liz, and Liz, who checked out of their hotel and stayed with me for the weekend. With an extra bed to begin with and my partners in crime out of town, the timing worked out perfectly. Since we were all tired, me from a long day at work and them from a day at Universal Studios, we took it easy Friday night with dinner at the Farmer's Market and some Buffy reruns on TV.

After a week of too much Yogurtland and In-N-Out (although, really...is there such a thing?) we were all jonesing for some physical activity. There is a 5 mile round-trip hike near the Hollywood Sign we've been wanting to try for a while, and some of the best weather of the semester thusfar was just the motivation we needed. After another stop at the Farmer's Market for some sustenance in the form of fruit, we headed out to Griffith Park, where our trail began.

We had some difficulty figuring out which path the internet was referring to as the one that would bring you supposedly within 20 feet of the sign. After a brief detour past the famous "Batcave" from the original Batman TV series, we realized we were heading in the wrong direction. Before we turned around, Liz Breen, ever the fearless explorer, attempted to convince us that the "path" seen below was meant to be traversed. Needless to say, it was not.

Along the way we had a pretty great celebrity sighting: Wanda Sykes, who apparently also enjoys a good hike on a Saturday morning. We powered through the mostly uphill 2.5 miles, motivated by the amazing view of the famous sign that was surely ahead. A perfectly timed break came when we spotted the "Giving Tree": a tree with a box of papers and pens for you to write your hopes and dreams on before tossing them into a hole in the tree. Following in the footsteps of many before us, we took this fun opportunity to express our desires to avoid Madonna's clutches and find her geocache. Oh, and of course we included the Bay State website. You know, just in case anyone ever reads it.

After every curve we were convinced the sign must be around the next bend. Finally, we reached what appeared to be the end of the trail. We were definitely not within 20 feet of the sign and are still unsure as to where that specific hiking path is, but we were perfectly satisfied. We ended up at a perfect photo-op spot, judging by the many other groups there for the same purpose.

Fueled by the woman having a half-hour photoshoot with the sign in her high heels, we made it our mission to take as many ridiculous photos as possible. Credit to Liz Alfonso for some of the photos in this post!



When we decided we'd had our fill, we began our descent. No longer motivated by the Sign, we decided on a new motivator: a trip to Yogurtland. We also encountered some real-life hipsters on our way back down, which Anthony and Liz eagerly documented.We stopped for Subway and Yogurtland before it was time for Anthony and I to head to the Glee Paleyfest panel! It was the hottest ticket of this year's Paleyfest and we were lucky to have snagged tickets before they sold out. The entire cast, minus Lea Michele, was in attendance, as were executive producers/writers Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, and Dante DiLoreto. I was particularly excited over the presence of Lea's panel replacement, Broadway star and upcoming recurring guest star on Glee, Jonathan Groff.

The crowd went wild when it was announced that we'd be treated to a screening of the director's cut of "Hell-O," the first episode of the back nine of season 1 (scheduled to air on Fox on April 13th). After the episode (which I loved), they brought out the panelists for a lively discussion of the process of making the show, what's to come in the second half of season one, and some fun behind-the-scenes stories. Such a great night!


While Liz Breen got some sleep in preparation for her 4am wake-up call and early flight, Anthony, Liz and I joined my friends Allie and Erin for another UCB comedy show, this time a Pop Culture Trivia extravaganza. It was a perfect way to wind down a great day, and I think we officially have a favorite LA comedy club.

Our mission for Sunday had been set in motion earlier in the week when Liz texted me asking how I'd feel about going to Buffy's house. Obviously my answer was hell yes! Joined by fellow Buffy fanatic Michael Apgar, we set out to hit up as many of the filming locations from our favorite television series as time would allow. We'd gotten a small head start the night before when we stopped by Angel's mansion, which is actually the historical Ennis-Brown House in Griffith Park.


Sunday morning we took a mini-road trip to Torrance, CA. Our first stop was 1630 Revello Drive, Buffy's house, which is actually located at 1313 Cota Drive. The house is a private residence, but we could not pass up the chance to dart across the street for quick photos. Alas, we couldn't fulfill Anthony's dreams of sneaking around back and pretending we were training because we probably would have been arrested for trespassing.


Our next destination was only three blocks away: Sunnydale High School, known in real-life as Torrance High School. This was the one we were most excited for, since it is arguably the most recognizable location from the earlier years of the show and definitely the location where the most actual filming was done (although they filmed in Buffy's house in the beginning, they later built a replica on a sound stage and just used the actual house for exterior shots). This high school was also the home of the original Beverly Hills 90210 series.

Determined to find some of the major landmarks within the school grounds, we wandered around the mostly-deserted premises until we found an open gate. Deciding we could all pass as high school students if any questions were asked, we walked right in and hit pay dirt when we found the iconic staircase where so much drama went down on our beloved show.



Personally, Buffy is not only the show I grew up on, but the show that made me pursue a career in this industry. Getting to walk through those hallways and down that staircase was one of the coolest moments I've ever had as a fan, and I was in the company of others who appreciated it just as much. We kept commenting that the students who actually go to that school probably don't even appreciate it! Grr...

Before heading back to Park La Brea, we decided to swing past the Hyperion Hotel from Angel, which is actually an apartment complex right on Wilshire Boulevard.

We returned to my apartment and were soon joined by my parents, who had just arrived for a week of vacation! We all went to lunch at the Grove and explored the La Brea Tar Pits and Los Angeles County Museum of Art before getting one final dose of Yogurtland and dropping off Anthony and Liz at LAX...or so we thought. Turns out their flight was canceled due to inclement weather on the east coast, and after a few hours of checking every terminal for an outgoing flight, I ended up returning to LAX to pick them up again. When all was said and done they couldn't leave LA until Tuesday morning, a day and a half later than expected! But no one was complaining- we got more In-N-Out on the way home from the airport, and they got to enjoy another day of the most gorgeous weather we've had all semester. We were all sad to see them go, and I know we made them even more excited for their eventual semester "abroad" in LA!

We're getting there! Stay tuned for Jenn and Lauren's NorCal adventures, St. Patrick's Day, my parents' visit, and some more beach action!

-Erin