Island Dreams of Palmed Beaches

The day has finally come, my patience has paid off. This morning, John and I hopped on a plane with my sister and brother-in-law on my first major vacation in years, this time to somewhere a bit more tropical: Hawai'i. More specifically, the island of Kauai. Seems appropriate, considering California has gotten a bit nippy in the last few days. Meaning it dropped into the "freezing" 50s.

I'll still be posting a little bit here and there, but check in on my Instagram for pics from our trip. I hope to come back with a little travel series, including pictures that I'm sure won't be terrible.

Aloha, everyone, and have a wonderful weekend!

(image via Hawaiian Days Collection, artist: Gill)

If ever there were a spring day so perfect...

... so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze. — Billy Collins, "Today"

I've been distracted of late by an upcoming vacation. A tropical destination awaits, and I'm giddy with anticipation, eagerness, and anxiousness. It's been several years since my last real adventure, and I don't quite know how to contain myself, but in a week's time, I'll be laying beach side amid the palm trees. I'll just have to remember to pull out my camera every once in awhile.

In the meantime, I'm trying my best to exercise patience, but it is beginning to feel fruitless. I've even had difficulty focusing on watching movies, that's how distracted the prospect of travel makes me. We're heading into a holiday weekend, for some, and while I will be using these next few days to prep for my trip, I hope that everyone finds just a little bit of sunshine and eases into their happy place, even if just for a little while.

Happy weekend, all! xx

(image via Sinjun Strom)

West Side Market, Cleveland

I completely forgot that I had taken these pictures, and considering this is a slow week for me blog-wise (work-wise, it's insane, so apologies for the delay in posts!), I figured I'd post a little throwback. A quick return to my holiday trip to Cleveland, Ohio, John and I spent a drizzly weekday morning strolling about the historic Ohio City Market Square. There, we found the longest running and the oldest publicly owned market: West Side Market.

Now a Cleveland landmark, the market is housed inside a famous brick building built by architects Benjamin Hubbel and W. Dominick Benes, and it features over 100 vendors every week, all from different backgrounds with various foods to sell. We went on a Monday morning (a work day), and it was full of bustling people shouting, carting away meats, breads, pastries, and vegetables. Me, I ventured in with just my camera.






Slipping through the entrance, it felt like we were dipping down into the depths of the city, the massive space framed with subway tiles, old brick floors, and dimly lit windows high-high up near the ceiling.

The first area we saw was the meat. I was shocked by the variety and just how fresh the ingredients were. Some of the displays actually caught me off-guard (pigs feet and ham hocks!), but for true chefs and foodies, this is probably what heaven looks like.









We all know how partial I am to jalapenos, so I felt my mouth salivating the moment I saw the bacon-wrapped poppers skewered endlessly in front of me.

My kryptonite, though, is fresh baked bread. Particularly of the sourdough variety. And the enter center section of the market was jam-packed with vendors selling their freshly based loaves, most that were as big as my torso!










I mean, can you even? You'll never find me giving up gluten!

Then, the busiest area of the market was certainly the dessert goods. Many people were like me, however... smelling and staring from a distance, resisting temptation. Cannolis of every variety were lined up, irresistibly, and every pastry counter was like a kaleidoscope of color and chocolatey sweetness.

If I lived near the Westside Market, you'd better believe I'd be there every week to get all my bread, meats, and produce (which is actually sold in a different building right next to this one). John and I decided to sneak to the back, where there is a made-to-order falafel place that makes that entire section smell ridiculously good. We wandered around a bit more, trying to find a place to sit (there isn't any), and found ourselves in the dangerously narrow upstairs walkway, where shoppers were gathered, snacking, chatting, and of course... snapping pictures of the market below.

xx



(all pictures property of Through the Reels)

A Taste of NOLA in Cleveland

Yesterday I wrote about wiling the day away in Cleveland's up-and-coming neighborhood, Tremont. John and I enjoyed our time there so much that we went back a few days later, this time to enjoy a late dinner. Again, I went back and forth about our options, and whether I felt like sushi, tapas, Spanish, or Thai. I always scour menus on websites before deciding on places, which means that by the time the hostess seats us at our table, I usually already know what I want.

One Tremont restaurant menu in particular caught my eye. The Bourbon Street Barrel Room offers a little taste of New Orleans creole fare.

A Day in Tremont, Cleveland

I've finally gotten around to organizing my pictures from my time in Cleveland this past holiday. We spent a wonderful nine days there, and it was nothing like I had expected. Originally, I thought I would be sitting around, hunkered away from the freezing winter cold, only to venture out on the rare occasion we would run out of wine.

Instead, we were met with remarkably warm weather. For the Mid-West, that is, meaning it wasn't snowing, and hadn't quite gotten down to freezing--yet. I had done some research on neighborhoods in Cleveland proper that might be a good place to spend a sunny day, and immediately, I knew Tremont was the place to be.

Just south of Downtown Cleveland, it is apparently the up-and-coming neighborhood for young people and families, due to the newly opened bars, restaurants, shops, and monthly art walks. The area has completely revamped buildings and homes once abandoned in Historic Tremont, so a walk between 14th St and Professor, or Literary and 11th, is like a scavenger hunt for amazing holes in the wall.

The area is bookended by epic churches and sanctuaries, with a small park, ice cream shops, public graphic art, and cafes of all sorts sandwiched in between.

Bijou Park, South Lake Tahoe

Yesterday was spent coming back down to Los Angeles from the sweet, mountain air of South Lake Tahoe. This weekend excursion to the Sierra Nevadas was a gift from my incredible friend Cassie, who—legitimately—won a sweepstakes for herself and 10+ friends to enjoy a cabin in Tahoe, for free!

Yeah, one of those sweepstakes you hear about other people winning, but never believe you ever could. I felt honored to be included in her selected group, so John and I made the looooooong trek from LA to meet up with everyone at our new, temporary digs.

It may not come as a shock to anyone that knows me that I barely remembered even having a camera while lounging about lazily in the cabin. Only when a handful of us came up for air from our hot-tubbing, gaming, boozing fun did I think "Maybe I should capture some of this?"

Not a mile away from our cabin was the expansive Bijou Community Park where the boys insisted on wilderness-ing it up a bit—for them that meant hurling a Frisbee around. No, wait, I'm sorry. A golf disc.





While the boys tossed the discs around, I jumped around on all the stumps and fallen pines, acting a fool. And taking pictures, of course! New camera means testing out all the features—and failing 98% of the time. Why do moving people have to be so blurry?





We trudged through the mountains of pine needles and pine cones, tackling "holes" 10 through 27. The weather report for the weekend had predicted snow, but there wasn't a snowflake to be seen. The crispness in the air suggests some white is just on the horizon, though not in store for our trip, sadly.

Normally I would have been happy to partake in trying to fling around a golf disc. John introduced me to what I considered a silly sport when we first started dating, though my mind has changed a bit. It's pretty fun! When it's frigid cold, however, my little fingers want nothing more than to hide inside the arms of my sweater. Because gloves? Who from Southern California even thinks about gloves?




Sooo I just continued to bug everyone by making them stop moving so they'd actually show up in my pictures. I'm sure they appreciated that, right? I also got distracted by pine cones. Lots and LOTS of pine cones, that appeared seemingly everywhere.



Really, though, I was the guys' biggest cheerleader, commending them for not accidentally throwing the disc straight up into the air or directly into the ground—like me. Or telling them "It happens to everyone," when they inevitably did.





The weekend was altogether too short, too long, and fully revitalizing. I got to take the time to visit with good friends who I don't get to see often enough.  I wish I had more pictures to share, especially of the super-sized cabin, but considering the constant "pajama state" the group was in, it may have been for the best.

Now, back to reality.

Let's Drive to the Desert, the Heat Will Bring Us Life

Today, John and I head east through the desert to spend an extra-long weekend in expansive Las Vegas. No, not that Vegas. We won't be gambling on the Strip (much) or taking in a show (probably)—the jaunt is to escape Los Angeles for a little while and take a long-awaited vacation just off-Strip. That means no work; which probably won't be difficult, since our condo doesn't have internet.

I'm also going to try to abstain from blogging too much while there—though hopefully, a visit to the Red Rocks or to one of my favorite coffee places will inspire some posts on these reels in the coming weeks.

I look forward to the stretch of open highway, the required stops in Baker and "Fake Vegas" (as John calls it), but mostly, I'm thankful for being able to take a few days to rejuvenate my mind and body.

Have a lovely weekend, all. xx

{photo via Flavio}

A Cleveland Christmas

It feels odd to be talking about this already, considering Halloween is only just upon us; but as the months tick down, I realize it's becoming crucial to start planning for all those holiday travels.

Me? I'll be spending my Christmas vacation in the lovely metropolis of Cleveland, OH. It might sound like I'm saying this in a less than enthusiastic tone. Truth is, I'm pretty ecstatic about visiting Cleveland—it's my boyfriend's hometown and a place I've never been! I am, however, less than enthused about the travel bit of it.

I've never had a problem with flying. I actually really like it. But it's been many, many years since I was one of the millions of masses boarding a plane to visit extended family at the holidays. My travels always included me, my pets, and a pile of dirty laundry, all packed into my comfy [private] car on the drive from LA to San Francisco. Easy-peasy.

Not this year. This year, I'll be having a much colder Christmas. And I have been warned that my California blood can't possibly prepare for the chill coming off of Lake Eerie that time of year. Oh, and don't even get me started on forking over $700+ for a round-trip plane ticket... my mouse is hovering over that "purchase" button this very moment. It's a click that'll sting a bit.

Okay. I might have some hesitations. So tell me friends: aside from visiting the Christmas Story House Museum—what is there that I shouldn't miss while in the lovely city of Cleveland? My itinerary planning starts... now.

{picture © Turner Entertainment Co.}