Why I Love My Neighborhood

posted by: heath

Day at the Races

We went to Santa Anita the other day to watch the horses, and to celebrate our friend Ryan's 30th birthday.

Ryan's wife, Tara, got this really delicious cake - which was actually a bunch of cupcakes.

Gina's dad works at the track. He has an awesome moustache.

Gina's dad was able to sneak us into the VIP box seats, even though we only paid for General Admission.

In between races you can gamble on horses racing at other tracks around the country. Everyone hangs out in the VIP lobby and watches.

Of course, each VIP box has it's own private monitor...

I actually watched most of the Kings game while we were there. The Kings lost, but I didn't care, because me and Gina were winning big at the track. Gina's father gave us great tips, and we picked the winner in just about every race we watched. Here's Gina showing off our winning Daily Double...

This teller is mocking me by waving all the money I didn't win in my face.

We had a great time. Ryan and Tara are supercool, and put together a really fun afternoon, with a great group of people. If I was a betting man, I would bet that we'll be back at Santa Anita before the season ends April 22.

Photos of the Week - Wedding Edition

Here's a special treat for those of you who enjoy your photos too dark and blurry.

is it that good-berry?

By now, most of you are hip to the latest frozen yogurt craze that's sweeping the nation, specifically in Los Angeles.

Most Pinkberry enthusiasts describe it as a drug. They just can't get enough of it. I've heard of people driving around the block numerous times to find a parking space, then waiting in line 45 minutes to get their fix.

My friends talk about Pinkberry all time. "I would kill for an original with coconut and mango right now." "Oh my god, they're opening one near my house." Five, ten minutes pass and they're still talking about their beloved Pinkberry. I must confess, I feel a little left out of the Pinkberry loop when these conversations take place.

Now I've been known to indulge in the latest obsession more than once. I went through my Jamba Juice phase, my Ice Blended Mocha phase... Heck, I'm even currently in the middle of a life-long martini phase.

But to those of you that are addicted to Pinkberry, I ask you... Is it really that good?

Vegas, Baby!

A while back Heath and I took a weekend trip to Vegas.

We decided to get a jump start on our trip by driving up the night before and stayed at a hotel just past the California/Nevada border, Whiskey Pete's. We arrived at about 1am. We were tired, cold, and in need of a hot shower. Now I'm not a diva when it comes to hotels, but let me just say it wasn't worth the $22 bucks we spent for the night. Seriously.

Here's a bottle cap we found in the corner of our room. Classy.

I slept in my clothes. I didn't want my pj's touching those sheets. When we woke up I asked Heath if he was going to shower. His reply was, "Not in this dump." I figured he was onto something, so we immediately grabbed our stuff and got the hell out of dodge.

Okay, so here's the sorta funny part. First let me tell you a little back story. When we decided to go to Vegas, we called a bunch of hotels and were pretty much priced out. We just didn't want to spend $300 plus on a room we weren't going to spend much time in. That said, we decided to get a room at Hooter's Hotel and Casino (yes, you read right). We were like, "How bad can it be?" Well, after spending the night at Whiskey Dumpsville, we were a little nervous. I wasn't in the mood to sleep in my jeans with my arms crossed like a mummy again. And at some point during the weekend a shower would be necessary.

Wow. You have no idea how happy I was when we opened the door to our room. Clean. Comfy. No bottle caps in the corner. It wasn't half bad.

Here's me hugging the bed. With a beer.

Here are some cheesy touches they put out to make their guests feel extra special: The Hotel is right across the street from MGM Grand. Where the San Remo used to be.
The best way for me to describe Hooters Casino is a poor man's Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. You'll definitely see the Nascar types walking around. But who cares when the cocktail waitresses actually keep the drinks coming WITHOUT you having to ask! Now that's classy!

Obviously it's not the Wynn or Mandalay Bay. But for $90 bucks a night on weekends, you can spend your money doing a lot more of this:

and this:and see an awesome Cirque Du Soleil show like this:

There's one thing I couldn't get out of my mind. What those Hooters girls will look like when gravity takes over. Oh snap!