Week 7- Puerto Rico Baby - Bioluminescent Bay, Cushman Cart and Salsa

Girlfriend/Birthday trip to Puerto Rico.  Crazy fun was had by all! 

My first "first" of the week, was a ride on a Cushman Cart ^^ in the airport!  This nice man offered to take us to the part of the terminal we needed.   6 Giggly gals on a cart buzzing through the airport waving must have been a sight to behold! haha

The weather was perfect!  84F and sunny most of the time. The resort has a beautiful pool with local iguanas visiting regularly. Really soft sand beaches and clear and blue water topped it off.  The only rain we got was when we were heading through the rainforest area to kayak and that turned out to be a blessing! (more on that in a second!=])

I love Puerto Rico's rich culture and history.  As and example, they celebrate Christmas from Dec 15-25th and begin decorating in early November!  This is followed by New Years and The Kings Days (celebrating the 3 kings). I believe this ends on Jan 9th. Long Christmas season for sure! haha

I was a bit disheartened when the tour guide mentioned that 65% of Puerto Ricans do not speak English.   (According to Wiki its even less http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_in_Puerto_Rico)  There seems to be a large % of the population living in the continental US  as well.  (4.9mil as of 2012 vs 3.5mil that live on the island  http://www.pewhispanic.org/2014/08/11/puerto-rican-population-declines-on-island-grows-on-u-s-mainland/).  Puerto Rico does not pay federal taxes either and they vote in primary but not in presidential elections.

We took a 3 mile kayaking trip through red mangrove lined channels leading to Laguna Grande and the Bioluminescence Bay one day.  Since it had just rained and the plankton glows as a response to movement, the bay actually sparkled when you looked into the water! We weren't allowed to swim in the bay, but when you splashed your hand around and lifted it out of the water your hand sparkled too! The microscopic plankton, called Pyrodinium Bahamense, even lit up the paths of fish in the water. They looked like shooting stars!  Really a cool experience and something that has been on my Bucket List for ages! Glad to check off that box =]

Some highlights besides the wonderful pool and beach:
The El San Juan hotel - Gambling and dancing.  We even saw the lead singer from the band Kansas do a cameo appearance with the band.  I am not sure that he was so fabulous but the band was good and I knew all the songs! lol

Old San Juan, the historic district, was interesting.  We had dinner at The Cafe Puerto Rico (http://www.cafepuertorico.com/intro.html) The food has a latin flair, but isnt what I would call spicy. It came highly recommended but I thought it was just fair.(We ate at another place close to our hotel, called Platos Restaurant and Bar which was much better. The food at The Ritz was actually the best we had the entire trip... the Fish Tacos were AMAZING!) After Cafe PR, we went to a Latin/Salsa dance club.  Before this trip I might have said I knew how to Salsa a bit, but I was dreadfully wrong! lol  These people were awesome!  Visiting a Salsa club was definitely a first!

My favorite memory was the night we happened onto this small bar while walking back to the hotel for the night.  The bartender of this quiet place (literally only 4 people in the place at the time) quite literally dragged us in.  Just when we thought our night was winding down, it got a second wind.  We stayed for hours.  They let us manage the music, get a little crazy dancing on the bar and I even got to play bartender! A fun time was had by all.  =] The people of Puerto Rico were wonderful.  I need a vacation from my vacation! lol  #puertorico #bioluminescencebay #salsa #ritzfishtacos

Week 6 "Firsts"- Venice Beach, The Getty Museum, Fitz & The Tantrums

The week began in sunny California. 

Venice Beach.  Apparently because the water flows from the north, even on the hottest days, its always cold. 63F the day we were there.  We passed by 'Muscle Beach" where there are weightlifting machines on the beach and these Paddle Tennis courts (Especially funny since its an outdoor winter sport here). Its different from the sport I play in Philly.  This one is played on asphalt and uses a tennis ball.  We play on a raised, metal platform and use a hard ball like a racquet ball. They also serve into a different area of the court than we do.  The positions are the same and as far as I could tell the scoring was the same as well. Cool to watch!

Marijuana is legal for medicinal purposes in California, but you can see the signs with green crosses and an outline of a leaf EVERYWHERE! Most also have "the doctor is in" signs and advertise that for 40$ you can see a doctor and get a prescription! lol 

The same day we visited The Getty. It is a gorgeous facility and free (Besides the $15 parking fee lol) After you park, a monorail takes you to an expansive stone building that itself is a piece of art! The views were amazing and the gardens wonderful to walk through.  We didnt even see the inside of the museum because of time restrictions, but I did get a few little things from the Museum Shop (which also is a good way to find out what masterpieces are in the museum).  I would have liked to have seen Vincent van Goghs "Irises". A list of the most popular paintings in the collection can be found here http://laist.com/2013/10/29/most_popular_paintings_getty_online.php#photo-1 

Italian travertine stone with fossils

The bougainvillea is on a rebarb trellis! Very clever and just beautiful! 

My week finished back in Philly and on Friday I went a tasting menu dinner (chief decides the 6 courses) at Ella's http://elaphilly.com/  delicious but not a lot of food.  Then to a concert of a band I never heard of (though I did recognize some of the songs) 

Fitz & The Tantrums played at the Electric Factory on Friday. Super fun concert!  Saturday night I attended a Hoe Down Birthday party for a friend and I can add Square dancing to my list of firsts for the week too!  Its probably been since 4th grade gym class since I attempted Square dancing! lol Notice I said attempted... I wasnt good then and I am not good now! haha  Unfortunately I also lost my Iphone so no pics from the party (License and Credit Card inside the phone case too) =[  #fitzandthetantrums #thegetty #venicebeach #ellasphiladelphia

Week 5 -The Breeders Cup 2014 - End of Month 1!

In Thoroughbred racing, the International "Breeders' Cup World Championships" is the culmination of the horse racing season worldwide. Its location changes annually so having been in LA the day and year it was also held here was quite lucky! =]   

Amazing views of San Gabriel Mountains.

 California Crome (winner of the Preakness and Derby this year) was the local favorite for the final race... he came in 3rd.  I bet on about 6 races and my net profit was $2.60! Woot! haha

'Bayern' won the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic by a nose.  Great ending race!  Fabulous experience Thanks to my friend Brad for organizing and driving! #breederscup2014 #californiachrome #la

Week 4 - WeHo for Halloween 2014

Not sure anywhere is quite the same as West Hollywood, CA on Halloween!  Santa Monica Blvd shuts down to cars and hundreds of thousands of people converge for street concerts and dancing.  Parading their clever costumes. So fun! Another 'First'!  Here is a closer look:  http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Parking-Options-and-Street-Closures-for-West-Hollwood-Costume-Carnaval-281115302.html 

http://ktla.com/2014/10/31/west-hollywood-carnaval-street-closures/ 

You have to love and hate a man that is more beautiful than you are... just sayin! =]