Fruit Adventures: Pasadena Gems

Have you ever been to Pasadena? Most folks, both local and tourists alike, visit the Old Town Pasadena area to catch up on some retail therapy or to enjoy a succulent meal in one of the trendy and upscale restaurants that the Old Town has to offer. But what most people don't know about (or are just nonchalant about) is the rich architecture that lies in the city's vast residential area. I am in no way an art fanatic but having an architect for a boyfriend has definitely given me a new perspective on these sort of things. In short--- I kinda give a rat's butt about it now.

The Gamble House

Being one of the most iconic houses of the arts and crafts movement in architecture, the Gamble House is a sight to behold. The house was built as a winter home for David and Mary Gamble (of Procter & Gamble), designed by Architects Charles and Henry Greene. Guess when this house was built? 1908!

Uh...this was JUST a winter home? Damn.

The boyfriend has been itching to go to this place so when we found some time to squeeze in a one-hour docent-guided tour, I jumped right in to reserve some tickets. The only way to get into the house is through the guided tours so it's best to check out for their schedule and purchase the tickets online at gamblehouse.org. There is no photography allowed inside the house so sadly, I can't share with you how truly remarkable the craftsmanship of this house is but you can easily find a book or google about it. Every detail was so well thought of that the architects even designed the furnishings themselves. That, or they were just a bunch of control-freaks!

The house is heavily Japanese-inspired as the Gambles were very much into the Japanese art and culture.

Personally, I think the best thing about the house is the impeccable wood craftsmanship...like if you think you're anal then you haven't seen what they did for the interiors of this house--- everything was designed and collaborated to a T! Oh and speaking of wood, they won't let you in if you aren't wearing flat shoes (stiletto heels are the devil, or at least that's what the docents would think) as pointy heels may damage the wooden floors of the house.

Just a couple of feet from the house is the car garage that's now been converted into a bookstore filled with art/architecture books (you may also try to drop in and purchase some tour tickets if they're still available).

Dude, you know you're rich when you have your own gas pump in your garage...in---that's right, 1908!

Obviously I cease to exist when the boyfriend is surrounded by architecture books. Note to self: Send boyfriend to buy appropriate size of jeans. Mmmk, Mr. Saggy Butt?

I spy some cute tiles!

Taking pictures under the sun (in every freakin' angle) can really drain one's energy and sanity and since I knew that we were going to be around Pasadena, I called in advance and booked a table for afternoon tea at The Langham . This afternoon tea thing has become a tradition of ours since about 7 years ago, where we had our first afternoon tea together at The Drake in Chicago. It was a sweet discovery to find that both the boyfriend and I actually really enjoy this kinda stuff, so we agreed to try to have afternoon tea wherever we landed on the map. So far we've had tea at The Peninsula in Hong Kong, The Fullerton Hotel in Singapore and The Rose Garden Tea Room at the Huntington Botanical Gardens, and now we can add The Langham to the list!

Who would have known that this was in Pasadena? It's so hidden that you have to go through residential roads to get here. This looks like a perfect setting for a great wedding reception, non?

Upon entering, we were greeted by a modest lobby area, with a beautiful chandelier in the center.

The hallway towards the Lobby Lounge (where they have the afternoon tea), decked in huge beautiful paintings.

The hotel's beautiful courtyard.

It's not that hard to navigate around the hotel but if you spot this sign, you've arrived at the Lobby Lounge.

The set-up is pretty chill, you can hang out with your friends or just have a relaxing date.

Further inside, you can see floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the hotel's garden.

You'd think my date's looking at floor plans---he's just checking out the tea selection. Ha!

The Tiffin Afternoon Tea has two options, you can get the Traditional Tiffin Tea ($39 per person), or the Royal Tiffin Tea (includes champagne, $56 per person). Getting drunk off of champagne in the middle of the afternoon and possibly scaring all the other guests sounded so enticing but we still had somewhere else to go, so...Traditional it is!

The tea comes with a selection of scones, pastries and finger sandwiches. I was so hungry that I devoured all the sandwiches first, screw the pastries! Ha!

This passion apricot cone had a gold flake in it, should I eat it or save it 'til I end up having a whole gold bar? Hmmm. Decisions, decisions.

We're having afternoon tea with our little pinky's up so, I have to act all prim and proper, right?

But then I couldn't help myself and got sugar high with God knows how many sugar cubes and milk I dumped in my tea. My cup is too full, I lick the tea spoon and I don't wait until the sugar dissolves, I MASH it---I am every tea aficionado's faux pas nightmare! Ha!

Thank you, boyfriend, for recording my VERY FIRST short video (?) on my blog! And also for holding in your giggles until the last part.

Is that food in my hair?

When we were done with our sugar-high tea, I had the hostess validate our valet parking stub. Please take note that this place has valet parking only. I think they charge $12 for it but with a validated stub, we only paid $5.

We ventured a little bit more around the property and found cute little bungalows where guests could stay at instead of the usual hotel rooms in the main building.

As we went back inside, I noticed there was a nice, dimly-lit place called The Tap Room.

I wanted to grab a drink or two since it looked so cozy in there but alas, we had to leave or we might miss the main event of the night---which you will find out on my next post! :)

Stay tuned for more fun stuff coming up on the blog but for now, have a great weekend!

Toodles!

The Reluctant Road Tripper: Day 14

Nevada→California

This is it! We are on the final leg of this amazing trip and you know where the final stop is going to be...home sweet home, California! Coming out from Laughlin, there’s a narrow road that you would pass through and if you are feeling a little bit insane and ruin your car, you can go a little bit faster to feel the rollercoaster-like, uneven road. The engineer who built this road was definitely on some good shhh or he was a toddler...or a toddler on some good shhh.

See how freakin' uneven the road is? Man, I hate rollercoasters.

And here we are cutting across the Mojave desert.

Did you know that there are actually volcanoes located in the Mojave desert? They have been dormant for thousands of years but you can clearly see the vast land filled with dark lava rocks. I really had no idea that volcanoes existed in deserts. What the heck was I doing back in elementary? Playing Nintendo, that's what! Listen to your teachers, kids!

If I am not mistaken, this is the Pisgah crater.  The lava rocks make quite a contrast against the sand of the desert.

Thinking that we were in the middle of nowhere, I was really surprised to see some trailers and small houses scattered around (like, yeah, in the middle of the damn desert). And I can’t help but wonder…where the heck do they get their supplies? There are no establishments within 60 miles or so and what if they forgot to buy toilet paper on their last trip to the grocery store? Do people visit them during the holidays or family gatherings? What if the Texas Chainsaw massacre guy paid them a visit, where will they run to? What if they get the munchies and they ran out of Doritos? I'm sure you were thinking the same thing too, right? No? It's only me? Mmmk.

We were so close to home but we decided to do a quick pit stop at the Barstow Station where they had the usual fast food haunts such as McDonald's and Panda Express...they even had a little kiosk that served Filipino cuisine, what a sweet surprise!

And tadaaaa...

I AM FINALLY HOME! I'm so happy to see this big baby but I'm not sure if he's happy to see me, he looks mighty comfortable on my bed, non?

I’d like to make a special shout out to Skyler’s dog sitter who took special care of Sky for two weeks. Thanks a lot for keeping my baby alive and healthy! I hope Skyler didn’t give you any more headaches than you usually have and I hope he only kicked you out of the bed once! Hehe!

My overall experience with the road trip was simply awesome and I understand now why a lot of people in the U.S. like to do it too. The interstate roads are well-maintained, there are plenty of clean rest areas spread across every state and they even have huge grass areas for your pets to relieve themselves and get a little bit of exercise. I recommend bringing a GPS system with you for easier navigation and make sure to check up on the weather so you'll know if there are any storms, tornadoes, hurricanes that you need to watch out for.

This pretty much concludes the Road Tripper series and all I can say is that I enjoyed every single feet-cramping, pee-holding, junk food-bingeing moment of the journey, and I couldn't have enjoyed it with anyone else but the company of my family. I hope this journey has inspired some my fellow readers to plan their own little adventures once in a while despite having a bustling, busy life and see the world with all its wonders. No adventure is too great or too small, it's all up to you to make the journey worth remembering.

And to all you wide-eyed wanderers out there...

May your travels be filled with wonderful surprises and sumptuous food, and may you be blessed with a newfound perspective in life!

Toodles!

Easter Travels: Lake Arrowhead

Southern California is not only well-known for its mild weather year-round, it's also a great place to be in if you just want to quickly get out of the city and do a day trip excursion with your loved ones. The great thing about day trips is that you don't have to pack anything or worry about travel arrangements---You simply get in the car and go!

Being just about a 45-minute drive from my place (with light traffic, of course!), Lake Arrowhead is a great option if you don't want to go all the way to its bigger counterpart, Big Bear Lake. My favorite part about Lake Arrowhead is that they have a plaza right by the lake so you can enjoy a spectacular view while taking a stroll along the walkways.

Once you get there, you can choose between both indoor and outdoor parking spaces, it doesn't matter where you park---either spaces are free of charge. Retail shops and restaurants are scattered around the plaza and they are open most of the time, just like any other commercial plaza in your neighborhood---except for the patios, they are closed during winter season.

This is the by the entrance of the plaza.

I usually bee-line in here during winter time before my hiney freezes over to kingdom come.

Yep, they even got Coach up here.

The plaza is dog-friendly so don't forget to bring your furry babies during your visit!

You can ask for a patio seat so you can watch over your pet while you pig out grab a quick bite.

That grass is fake by the way...Do you hear the landscapers rejoicing?

Okay, so where the heck is that lake that I was talking about? Hold on... I see water.

And...Tada!

If you prefer exploring by water, you can join a boat tour. I think the boat leaves every 30 minutes or so.

It can be a bit windy up there, especially if you're by the docks so make sure to bring a light jacket or cardigan if you're the type to get cold easily. Also, make sure to wear something comfy so you can move around freely.

As for me, I went for the ultra comfy look to keep up with my nephews so I opted for a billowy top from H&M, cropped pants from Zara a.k.a. one of my fat pants and nude sandals by Franco Sarto. Notice how I wore black here? It's spring time and that's clearly not stopping me from wearing my fave color. The key is to know how to balance your outfit. If you've got a black top on already, don't pair it up with dark bottoms. Instead, opt for anything light wash to tame down the dark hue or go for bright colors for a little kick.

I love how my top has pleats all over with a lace hem.

Okay, moving on---before I bore your eyes out with fashion stuff

If you've got kids tagging along, like my hyper little nephews, they do have a little kiddie section complete with a carousel, bumper cars and even go-karts for your little speed racers!

My two little munchkins riding the go-karts for the first time, they could barely reach the pedal!

After go-karting, we went back to the store where we bought the go-kart tickets 'coz they wanted to add some sugar to their natural rush. Great idea, since I won't be riding back home with them. Mwahaha.

Funny how random that store was, it was filled with quirky little posters, quotes and signs like these:

And when you're done there, you can buy some duck feed to fatten up the Cole-Haan's paddling around the lake.

We did all these things in a span of about 3.5-4 hours. Not bad right? Plus my sibs were doing some shopping in between!

I had so much fun just watching the kids explore down to the docks, eat candy, chill underneath a tree's shade... it goes to show you don't have to travel so far or spend so much to enjoy your day. Sometimes I take for granted the fact that I live here in SoCal, where nature is so close and accessible (traffic is an utterly different story)!

The adventure doesn't stop here, find out soon where we went for Easter Sunday! :)

Toodles!