Sunset Blvd to Silverlake

I was thinking of doing something touristy today but instead my mission took me to the closest to downtown LA that I have been bold enough to venture to so far. I remembered when I was looking for places to live that Silverlake was an area that caught my eye, being a funky place with a good mix of diversity amongst the locals. I had been feeling a little down in the dumps so thought some retail therapy might do the trick. After what felt like the eternal bus ride i hopped of the bus and checkout out the area. There was a nice mix of earthy folks, crafty shops and more vegan cafes than you could shake a soysauge at. I tried to limit the damage by only buying things that I really loved... which left me with one print (below) and a new frock that reminded me of Melbourne. I didn't eat for a combination of reasons (forgot something to read, my ipod and my appetite) but I did see a coffee shop that was a little proud mary-ish (they were clearly into all things coffee, so I must return to check that out).. The print came from reform school, where loads of crafty things abounded.

I also bought this dress from Matrushka where there are loads of handmade dresses sewn on site, with the wonderfully talented owner behind her sewing machine as you check out the wares. I tried a number of times to take a photo of me wearing the dress where the dress looked good and I didn't look like an idiot. This proved harder than I thought; after some time prancing around I realised the dress looked better on the coat hanger, so I took it off and photographed it there (much easier!). I also included my pranciest photo below just to show you how crazy things get when you have too much time on your own.

This was another little collection of vintage shops that I decided I could not afford to go into today, but I will return, hopefully with a vegetarian friend in tow to sample the tasty treats Silverlake had to offer.

I randomly took a few pics of the UCLA campus on my way to the bus stop also... its massive and lovely.. and there is the Bruin Bear (the uni mascot) which I understand is in its final stages of recovery after being brutally defaced by an opposing team (aaaah the hi-jinx!).

This is the little fella, the Bruin Bear

Where would you expect to find the best meal in Arizona for a pescatarian boozehag?

After eating some of the worst food in my life...we half jokingly headed to the Bourbon Steak restaurant thinking..perhaps the least likely place to get vegetarian food would probably turn out OK. The other main dining alternative seemed strangely deserted (but we did manage to check out some very large bottles of tequila while sussing it out, see below, but could not find any staff).

The bourbon steak house has been designed to be a very stylish upmarket restaurant, great decor, the wait staff were exceptional..i felt the most grown up i have since my arrival in this country. The steak is clearly the selling point. I was amused by descriptions of Kobe Beef and various other cuts of meat, including the rib eye 'cap'...reportedly had the best steak Nicole had ever eaten, big call!!

Our meal was super flash including fries with a truffle sauce of some sort, rosemary bread baked in the pan...some very special sides including shitake mushrooms, broccolini and asparagus.

There were not any vegetarian mains so I decided to be a dirty pescatarian and still blog because it was so good. I had an amazing tuna sashimi dish that was prepared table side in a spectacular arty fashion by the chef himself; it was flavoured with ginger, sesame, chili...it was sensational. I tried not to think of how far we were from the sea, and was so overwhelmed by its magnificence in preparation that I forgot to take a photo! I did get a cheesy snap outside the venue (and a little pic of the tequila earlier mentioned). Who wooda thunk it, Arizona you sure are a crazy place to eat!

CPDD ..in the desert

I am finally back in my own place after one of the worlds longest conferences. It has been crazy hot, 39 degrees today. So, back home again. It was very wierd getting of the plane at LA thinking "am i home...is this it?"

It was pretty great spending some time with familiar faces....and a little sad leaving seeing everyone flying back home while i got out at LA. I can also proudly say that the table of Australians at the conference dinner was the very last to leave...... good times.

A cautionary tale for vegetarians in Arizona

I have been in Arizona for five days now; five long academia filled days (with the occasional dip in the pool). The conference is amazing, the location is pretty spectacular... I have even enjoyed the odd drink by the pool (where my wireless works..the perfect balance of work and play!).

All in all its a pretty cool place, though I have to say the dining is something else. Not wanting to run down any establishment in particular ...but I need to mention that the food in Arizona is not the highlight of my time here. I have included a selection of highights below:

• Breakfast burrito (requested sans chorizo)...came cold and looked like it was never fully cooked, coagulated orange cheese on top... in theory there was no meat but there was a nasty smoky meat flavour. the burrito itself was filled with rubber egg and potato... and there was some kind of oily sheen surrounding the entire meal. This was not at all similar to a Trippy Taco treat. Disgusting... i score this meal zero cacti stars, it was possibly the worst meal I have ever been served.


• Vegetarian lasagna (aka cheesy pasta bake)...every vegetarian knows this meal....forget taste or nutrition, all vegetarians need is pasta and cheese surely?? this was a stodge-filled disaster, it wasn't even good stodge, just nasty nasty (and more cheese).


• Nachos...how far wrong can you go with nachos?..I am not sure what cooking aparatus was used for this creation but I suspect a microwave was linked to the dissapointing outcome. The guacamole was actually a redeeming feature, so this was not as all bad as it could have been.


• Eggs on toast (come on...people..last chance)... why was I surprised when the same rubber eggs appeared for breakfast today... with a smattering of what tasted like..you guessed it..CHEESE..in my eggs! Eeeeeeew. I feel dirty...too much cheese. I think i might have a vegan week when I get back to LA, and ponder my future with cheese after that.

I had a couple of less dissapointing experiences, including something that was described like a focacia but was tasty, more like a pizza (ricotta rather than orange cheese helped) .. and I had some artichoke dip which was pretty sensationaln (and no cheese!). Sadly, not many good news stories on the foodie front. I didn't realise how spoilt I had been in my cosy pocket of the world near UCLA.

The moral of the story is unless you are a totally cheese-tastic vegetarian looking to pile on the pounds then pack your self a picnic when you head to Arizona...the cacti is probably tastier than most of the fare served up in this little corner of Scottsdale here.

I have included some pics from my walk into the desert in search of non-cheese sustinance..fortunately organic food markets still abound and I was able to hunt down some tasty treats (edamame beans, spicy lentil wrap, eggplant dip).

I will be definitely pulling the runners back on and running round my new track. Running a lap around the edge of UCLA is a 7.3km jaunt (it is a truly impressive campus to behold). This has become my new favorite run so I should be able to recover from the cheese-tacular pretty quickly. Bring on the Gushi i say!

Taco-tastic

I am not the only Fitzroyal to become pretty attached to Trippy Taco and their amazing vegetarian burritos...but given the distance to travel to this safe haven of deliciousness I decided to road test a little local Taco place near work. This was recommended by Isapians in the know...'The Mexican Grill'.. cnr of Olympic and Sepulveda blvds. I had the vegetarian buritto which comes complete with cornchips and eye watering spicy salsa and hot sauces (there was hot, hotter and dont even think about it hot). This tasty lunchtime treat was filled with rice, beans, cheese, tomato, and other appropriate salad type ingredients. It was incredibly tasty and HUGE (it was a slow walk back to work)...for the value price of US$4.75. The interior was not quite the cutesy collingwood style we love, the seats were wooden and reminded me of saddles, and the TV in the background has some kind of spanish teenage pop situation with bad dancing ...but the burrito definitely rivaled TT for tastyness leaving me totally satisfied. There was also a range of curious beverages including home made lemonade that looked prettty special. Something to try next time perhaps!

(note..the platic trays and general way the meal was served did remind me of TT and make me feel a little at home, bless)

Did the earth move for you? (aka a night out with the hookahs)

Well i have had a series of firsts in the last few days...my first earthquake happened the other day. In LA terms it was a teeny tiny tremor but for me it was a little nerve racking! I have also had the pleasure of some company from home..its been so great having Nicole here. So my first house guest and first person to show around!

Tonight was my first night in LA out after dark believe it or not (excluding the late night run down to the bus stop to meet Nicole on Sunday night). We decided to head to a bar (Blvd 16)..for a pre-dinner drink..and then attempted to find a suitable dinnery place (which is harder than I thought with all my dining being essentially during the day time). We ended up at the Gypsy Cafe (after a cab adventure to brentwood). This was a slightly crazy place with a night club feel, middle eastern - ish food and a hookah on every table.

So we ordered the vegetarian meze platter..which was enough for several small families ..typical of all meals so far it was MASSIVE. This set us back less than $15..and fed us both with enough left overs for lunch (lunch for 4 people!). The food itself was pretty tasty, the falafel were huge, the dips (hummus and baba) were great, and the dolmades were pretty fresh (as was the tabbouleh)

So, despite the night club atmosphere (the n = 1 speed study, one seriously drug affected patron) the food was pretty good...the ambiance probably could do with some tweaking...and the tweakers could do with some ambiance but overall it was an incredibly entertaining dining experience

To end the story on a sweet note..someone at ISAP had a birthday and brought in an amazing box of strawberry cupcakes and that made my day on Monday...YUM!

Pharmacy in the US

I have noticed that 'pharmacy' in the US is a very broad term

This one sold firewood (which in itself is very strange given then warm weather) and pots, and outdoor furniture.