Disneyland Trip Review

We spent a few days at Disneyland over the long weekend, and I have much to report.

Geppetto's Sweet Shope and Jewel of Orleans

There are two new shops at Disneyland, and I have to say that both of them were a disappointment. I was originally stoked about the Sweet Shoppe, but when we went in all they had was packaged candy. I LOVE candy, don't get me wrong, but I was hoping for some cookies or baked goods or something. Same thing with Jewel of Orleans - I wasn't expecting to actually buy anything in there, but it just felt disappointing, I can't really tell why.

Silly Symphony Swings

They remodeled the Orange Stinger and it is now Mickey / Silly Symphony themed. I have to say that it's much, much better than before - it's no longer enclosed and the music is better. Thumbs up for this one.

Captain EO

Nothing new to report here - same show as before. There was no wait to get in though, and I'd say the theater was about half full. I wouldn't be surprised if they stop showing it soon, but I'm praying that they do NOT bring back Honey, I Shrunk the Audience.

Dino Darts

This "new" game replaced Bo Peep's Balloon Pop in Toy Story Midway Mania. It's still balloon popping, but just with different characters. But I won't complain because this ride still rocks.

Catch a Flave

I think they need to change the name of this place because you can no longer add a swirl flavor to your soft serve - whatever! Honestly, they didn't really have that many good flavors to begin with, and I'm fine with the fact that you can just get Vanilla, Chocolate or Half & Half, because it's gooood.

Baby Goats

The baby goats at Big Thunder Ranch are adorable!

Celebrate!

I am not a parade fan, but I have to say that at LEAST this one is different than the typical Disneyland parade. The brief part I saw was swing-dance themed which is waaaay better than the cheesy parade music they usually have about friendship and dreams.

D-Street

This is a new store at Downtown Disney, which is pretty much a clone of the Disney Vault which is two doors down. The only difference is that they have the Vinylmation stuff. Whatever, I don't get it.

New Art at the Disney Gallery

The new art at the Disney Gallery is pretty cool - nothing that is quite worth owning, but there were two prints in particular that I really liked.

That's about all I have to report for now. Not sure when our next trip will be, but I can't wait to see and report on World of Color at DCA - it looks like it's going to kick serious ass!

It's Been a While

I hate saying things like this, but it's kind of crazy how time actually does fly by. I can't believe two months have passed since I updated the blog.

Anyhow, things have been so busy lately and I've been so exhausted that any free time has pretty much been spent watching TV/movies, napping or shopping. That's pretty much it. But I'm looking forward to a long weekend spent at Disneyland next weekend, so I'm feeling a lot better. Can't wait for the food, people watching, mid-afternoon naps, (hopefully) warm weather and time away. I guess we might as well see Captain EO too.

We've also made some new purchases lately that I thought I'd share. We're slowly working towards getting home furnishings that we actually like. Since we didn't have much cash when we got married, we saved up for the important things and were forced to buy IKEA to fill in the rest. Now we're pretty much over everything right down to our dinnerware, so we've been making the steps towards replacing it all. It's going to take a while, but it's nice to have things we actually like around the house.

Garden Party Doormat

Our old one was impressively gross.

Pia Side Table

Replacing a $10 IKEA p.o.s.

Keep Calm Poster

We still have next to nothing on our walls. Just ordered this today, can't wait to get it in the mail.

Precious Pleats Shade

We got a new table lamp to go with it, but it's not online. We found it on the floor of the sale section at Anthropologie, and since I never ever look at sale merchandise, it was a pretty good find.

Latte Bowls

They have these in a bunch of pretty colors, and you can buy them individually in the store, so we mixed and matched.

Mia Lamp

Got this to replace an old bedside lamp.

We also snagged a cool cabinet on our first trip to the Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Fair. It was super fun, I highly recommend. We'll definitely be hitting it up again next month.

Be back soon with some new clothing purchases!

Modern Chic Home

LOVE this website! They have some really great things at pretty decent prices. Here is what I'm currently obsessed with:

Billow Pedestal Bowl, $40

Party Animal Salt & Pepper Shakers, $15

Artichoke Print, $55

Perch Glass Canister, $25

Petite Nautilus Shell, $29

Sodastream

I really love carbonated water but for some reason can never remember to buy it at the store. I heard about the Sodastream recently and am really intrigued. I wonder if it would be a pain in the ass to deal with picking up new CO2 refills or if it's not that bad? You can recycle the bottles at Sur La Table and they will sell you a refill for half price ($15), which isn't bad but who knows how long they will last. I also don't know if it's one of those totally useless appliances that is really stupid to buy. It does waste less plastic which is good, but it would probably take a while to pay for itself in the savings on buying the bottled version.

We've decided not to buy it for now, but who knows - maybe soon.

What's Wrong with People?

We snapped this pic one evening at Barnes & Noble. I just want to know what's wrong with people sometimes. Apparently it's cool to make a mess of the books you're reading and not buying and leave your soda bottle on the floor when you leave.

NYC Restaurants

I'm leaving for NYC on Friday and since the thing I look forward to the most when I go there is the food, I thought I'd make a list of my favorite restaurants.

Eatery, 798 Ninth Avenue, NYC

My favorite thing to eat when I'm in NY is Mac & Cheese. For some reason a lot more restaurants there actually have it and it's almost always really good. This is my favorite place there to get it - it's topped with 'frizzled' onions and is really amazing. The only other place that is better (and barely) is here in CA at Cugini.

Dos Caminos, 373 Park Avenue South, NYC

To be honest, I find their food to be just alright, but their guacamole is the best! I don't really even usually like guacamole very much, but I could probably eat a meal of just chips and guacamole at Dos Caminos. I've been to the Park Avenue and Third Avenue locations, and the Park Avenue one is much better.

Supermac, 348 7th Avenue, NYC

I told you that I liked to eat Mac & Cheese in NYC! This place is right across the street from our hotel, and it's a tiny space so I always take it back to the hotel room to eat. They offer pretty small portions which is nice so you don't feel too terrible about eating it. I like the Quattro Formagio which is a mix of different cheeses, but they probably have almost 20 different kinds of Mac & Cheese. They also offer whole wheat pasta, which is cool.

44 & X, 622 Tenth Avenue, NYC

I have only been here once but I really like the restaurant and the food was really good. I have tasted the Mac & Cheese, Fried Chicken, and one of their salads (I don't remember which one).

Calle Ocho, 446 Columbus Avenue, NYC

I have also only been here once, but the food was really good and so was the service. I honestly don't remember what I had, but I know it was good!

Puttanesca, 859 Ninth Avenue, NYC

I've also tried the Mac & Cheese here, but it's not great. They have really good salads and desserts.

Serendipity3, 225 E 60th Street, NYC

It's a pretty popular place and there's usually always a line, but I love to go out for dessert, and this place is pretty fun. I've tasted the Frozen Hot Chocolate, and it is pretty darn good.

Chipotle, 283 7th Avenue, NYC

Hey, it's down the street from our hotel, they have healthy options and they post their nutritional information on the menu, so I usually end up eating here a few times during my trip.

Lastly, I just wanted to say that I have tried the cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery, and while they were okay, they were definitely not worth the 45 minute wait. Plus, I really don't like the way you buy the cupcakes there - they just put trays of them out on a table and people are hovering over them shoving them into boxes. I really don't like being around pushy people. Crumbs and Teacake Bake Shop are both better, I think. Also, Dylan's Candy Bar is fun to visit.

Hipstamatic

I'm not that into iPhone apps, but after I heard about Hipstamatic, I downloaded it because it sounded interesting. Even for having the old version of the iPhone, I think the pictures look pretty good. They aren't the most interesting photos, but I think they turned out kind of cool.

Flipping Out

I am so excited to hear that they have started filming another season of Flipping Out! I love Jeff Lewis, he is the best.

Heidi in People

I thought long and hard about whether or not I actually wanted to spend time writing about Speidi, but I have to. I know that people talking shit about them is why they're "famous" in the first place, but I just can't help it.

Please someone tell me, what in the hell is People doing having a Heidi Montag "I'm Addicted to Plastic Surgery" cover story? I mean really. But honestly I shouldn't talk too much shit because as soon as it comes in the mail I am going to read it, but still. Whatever.

And btw Heidi, you're a cow.

90210

We just finished watching 90210 Season 8, and I have to say that it was really good. Obviously it's not the same as it used to be, but every time we start to watch a new season I think, this might be unwatchable, but we just get sucked in every time. Granted, it's a little annoying that they have started to re-use plots (Donna getting hooked on drugs - really? I think the only one who hasn't done drugs at this point is Brandon, but whatever), but I don't really hold that against them. I won't spoil the main cliffhanger at the end of the season, but that was also a reused plot. Oh well. I'm just so excited that Season 9 is coming out soon, on 2/2! I can hardly wait.

As a side note, I heard that Diablo Cody is making a Sweet Valley High movie. I know I am a little behind the times with this one, but I am really looking forward to it! I like her and her column in Entertainment Weekly is usually really good.