Movie: X-Files: I Want to Believe

R, E,  one of E's other friends, and I went to an AMC in La Jolla to watch the new X-Files movie which ended up being so mediocre. It was particularly disappointing because I was such a huge fan of the show and had high expectations. I suppose too much time had lapsed to maintain my interest or the storyline was just that weak. I'm not sure. Sad to say, but it was a fail.

Travel: San Diego - Comic-Con

I was a volunteer this year at Comic-Con. During one evening event that I worked on with E, I must have been asked where the after-party was at least a dozen times. Because I worked so late that night, I was hoping that I could get my day pass to see Hall H the next day (without working that day), but by the time I picked up my badge the next morning, the line for Hall H was so enormously long that I had no chance of getting in. I suppose it makes sense, since there are people who camp out the night before just to attend certain events. I met R (E's friend) who helped explain a lot of the convention to me; otherwise, I would have been clueless, as I am year after year.

LA: The Getty Center

I was playing tour guide and decided to showcase LA with a trip to the Getty. I love using it as a reliable tourist sight because, not only does one get to see world famous art (Van Goghs!), but also fantastic views of the Westside and downtown (smog permitting, of course). The museum itself is an architectural dream.

Travel: San Diego - La Jolla Cove

E, MP, B and I all went to have dinner at Alfonso's of La Jolla before checking out La Jolla Cove's seals. The next day, E, B, and I all went to Coronado, Seaport Village, and then hung out at Pacific Beach. We had quite a time at Gringo's Cantina (in PB) and E even fell asleep on the beach afterward. Loved their cheese dip!

Travel: Zurich, Switzerland & Florence, Italy

I did a 12-day trip to Europe to meet up with E and C, and where I also got to meet new people (G and T, among a few others).
Itinerary:

• Part 1: LAX >> JFK >> ZRH. Originally, my flight was to go through IAD but it was cancelled entirely. United Airlines worked to get me on another flight as soon as possible and I was only delayed a couple hours. As soon as I arrived in Zurich, I stored my luggage and got on the train to Bahnhofstrasse. From there, I rode the trams to a stop to meet up with C. He took me to have lunch with him at the Google offices in Zurich. I had a very nice tour and even rode down the slide! After lunch, I wandered around aimlessly (taking photos) and eventually picked up my luggage. Later that evening, after meeting up at C's apartment, we went out for dinner and drinks. The next day, I flew out to Florence, Italy.
• Part 2: ZRH >> FLR. E, a couple of her friends (L and G), and I all stayed at an apartment in Florence for 8 days to attend a conference. We learned a lot, had a good time, and met some very nice people. We had authentic Florentine steaks for dinner not once, but twice! It was insanely expensive, but oh so delicious! In the evenings, we attended local parties and had tons of fun (courtesy of open bars). I wasn't too keen on doing that many touristy things this time around because I had already been to Florence before. I also met T who seriously sparked my interest in learning about photography using a dSLR.

• Part 3: FLR >> ZRH. I flew back to Zurich with C's apartment key in hand, so I didn't have to stow my luggage again. The next day, we decided to do free things around town (seeing as how I'd already been to Zurich last year). So, we went to see the Botanical Gardens of the University of Zurich, Voliere Zurich, and Langenberg Wildlife Park. We had ridiculously expensive Starbucks while waiting for our train and then later, upon our return, a very late snack at the Coop near Bahnhofstrasse. That evening, we attended a sophisticated (ok, maybe not so much, but definitely grown-up) birthday party (everyone was about a decade older than I was). At first, I thought my not knowing enough German would pose a problem, but everyone spoke English :). One guy especially cracked me up by promising to visit me in LA when he would go to SF (I had to keep explaining the distance factor, but he didn't seem to understand or was too drunk by then. Haha.).
• Part 4: ZRH >> IAD >> LAX. :(

Travel: San Francisco & Mountain View

Itinerary:

• Day 1: E, B, and I drove up to Mtn. View to meet up with C. That evening, we went out to Castro Street for a little nightlife. 
• Day 2: B, C, and I picked up E from her aunt's nearby place (where she was staying) and drove out to SF. We visited the Palace Hotel, Coit Tower (pictured above), Lombard Street, and Lincoln Park. We had lunch at some random place suggested in C's out-of-date guide book. Afterward, we grabbed coffee and pastries at some random Italian bakery we passed by. E left us at some point in the afternoon to meet up with her friends. So, B, C, and I had dinner at Plouf in the French Ghetto. It was fantastic food. We then drove back to Mountain View.
• Day 3: While E attended to other things, B, C, and I had breakfast with C's colleague at Hobee's. We then went to the expansive Shoreline Park and saw various lake activities (sailboats, paddle boats, etc.), joggers/walkers, and picnickers. We also went to the Rengstorff House, a Victorian house located within the park. We then wandered to the outskirts of the park, until the Shoreline Amphitheater and golf course. Afterward, we picked up E from a nearby train station, had a late lunch at Neto Cafe & Bakery, dropped off C, and then drove back to LA.

Travel: Joshua Tree National Park

Itinerary:

• Day 1: E and H drove out to LA from SD to ride up with us to Joshua Tree National Park. My tango partner, F, drove up in a separate van with 4 other people and met up with us there. We stopped at an REI along the way to rent camping equipment. At the park, we drove around taking pictures of the trees, flowers (they were in full bloom!), and mountains. We couldn't find any camping grounds in the park (we didn't make any reservations), so we camped off the park grounds. We spent the night getting to know each other, dancing (E was our DJ!), drinking wine, and eating smores around the campfire we built. In reality, we had very little food and not even the correct cooking supplies, but we, amazingly, had a blast. We slept through the incredibly windy night.
• Day 2: Starving, we drove out to have breakfast at a diner at Chiriaco Summit. We were near the General Patton Memorial Museum, so we checked out the various tanks and military equipment on the grounds. After taking a long, wrong detour, we then regrouped to hike Ryan Mountain for a 360-degree view of the park. We all made it to the summit but we went with a girl who was dressed in inadequate boots and who slowed us down. To convince her to continue hiking, we told her there was a Starbucks at the top of the mountain (which there was not). Later that afternoon, we all drove home. Despite everything that could and did go wrong, we all had a really good time :).