Griffith Observatory

   

   To start this post off, I would like to inform you all that I have never been to the Griffith Observatory in my life. In my 21 and a half year life, I never had the idea to go here. I'm so glad I finally decided to go! The view was breath-taking. So, out of everyone in the group that went, I was the only one from California. Our group consisted of 2 people from Indiana and 3 people from Massachusets. We all met up at the observatory around 5 PM. Even though this has been the only time I've ever gone, I have to say this is the best time to go because the lighting is perfect for pictures and the sunset is absolutely breath-taking. 5 PM is a great time for pictures because it's considered the "golden hour," which essentially means that the lighting casts a golden tone to the pictures creating a beautiful "filter" on the picture. Anyways, the observatory is free if you are just going to walk around outside and take in the views. They do have other things you can pay to do like the telescope and the star show (featured in La La Land). Speaking of La La Land, parts of this film were filmed at the Griffith Observatory. There is a scene filmed inside the observatory where you have to pay to get in. Also, (we couldn't find it) there is a bench that the filmed one of the musical scenes at. A number of photo opportunities

was unreal. I walked around in awe the entire time I was there. I couldn't help but take tons of photos. From my friends to the building, to the sunset. Each and every picture was covered in perfection. Aso, speaking of sunsets, after talking with friends from Massachusetts, I learned that they do not have consistent sunsets. I have lived in California my entire life so sunsets have become a part of my everyday life. It was really cool to watch my other friends be amazed by the incredible sunset. Then I got to thinking, what would I do without watching the sunset every evening? I cannot answer that. I love sunsets and I don't think I could live without them.

   One funny thing that happened while at the Griffith Observatory was when we all accidently walked through a wedding photo shoot. At first, I didn't put two and two together. I was just walking thinking, "Aw! her long white dress is so pretty!" Then I realized... "Oh no! I photobombed a wedding photo shoot. I tried to escape as quickly as I could without falling down the stairs. 

   Overall, I have to say I absolutely loved the Griffith Observatory and I cannot wait to go again and either bring my dog, Douglas or go inside to see the other cool things! Also, I noticed many hiking trails while driving up and when we were looking out from the second level of the observatory so I would be interested in hiking those trails too! One of the best parts about the observatory (besides the view) is that parking is free but the downside to this is the parking because the lot that is right across from the observatory is extremely small and fills up fast. The only other available parking is down the mountain road which can be a pain because sometimes you have to park really far away. My friend Diana and I got lucky because a large car left and because we both have small cars we were able to fit both of them in the parking spot. I highly recommend going to the Griffith Observatory! 

Friend Dates!

   So on Monday, March 13, 2017, I finally got to see my good friend Morgan. She goes to school in Texas but she comes home for every break. On this day, we decided to take Douglas with us and drive to upland to go to this popular coffee shop called Rad Coffee. Rad Coffee is a punk rock themed coffee shop in the downtown area of Upland. They are known for their specialty drinks such as Dracula, Cookies and Scream, and Frankenstein. Morgan got the Cookies and Scream, while I just got a blackberry iced tea. We sat outside and chatted for awhile then decided to walk around and take a few pictures of Douglas for his Instagram. After walking around downtown Upland, we headed to Cal Poly Pomona to show her the campus and to turn in my final paper for one of my classes. I gave her a mini tour of the campus! Of course, people flocked around us to see Douglas. It was such a fun relaxing day! 

Rad Coffee: https://www.facebook.com/radcoffeeco/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf

Yelp for Rad Coffee: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rad-coffee-upland

(Photos are taken with an iPhone 7 by Isaiah.)

Adventures With Douglas: Balboa Island and Newport Beach

   On Sunday, March 12, 2017, I took Douglas to Balboa Island and Fashion Island in Newport Beach, California. This was his second time to both places. He totally enjoyed himself to the fullest out there! Whenever we go out, people will flock around to pet him and take pictures of him. Sometimes people will even chase us down to say hi to him. He loves all the attention from everyone. On this day, everyone had their dogs with them so Douglas got to make a few friends. Also, we even saw a few corgis! Balboa Island has a beautiful walkway that goes around the entire island. You get to see the cute beach houses, the downtown, and of course, the little cove that separates Balboa from Newport Beach. There is a ferry ride across the cove that is only $1. Although, I'm not sure if you can take your furry friend on the ferry. Anyways, downtown Balboa is absolutely adorable with cute shops and dining places. There are a few places that allow dogs to go inside but then there are places that don't. We just walked around today and didn't go into any stores. After spending a while in Balboa, we decided to head over to Fashion Island in Newport Beach. 

   Fashion Island is a very upscale outdoor shopping mall. Stores include Bloomingdales and Louis Vitton but also including stores like Forever 21 and Victoria Secret. We walked though many stores there and once again people, including employee, were flocking around Douglas. After walking around we decided to grab a bite to eat at Yardhouse. We were seated next to other dogs so naturally, Douglas made more new friends. He also noticed the people next to us were eating chicken so he decided to be rude and stare them down while they ate. He is so funny. After an early dinner, we decided to head back home. On the way home, he curled up in the back seat and fell fast asleep. I guess our little adventure made him tired!