Pretty Poppy

The California Poppy should very well be my favorite flower, especially after todays adventure celebrating Mother's Day on a hike. We began with a breakfast of bagels with salmon lox and a basket of strawberries and aside from the wind, our day-trip to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve was well worth it. Although this season was said to be disappointing considering the number of California Poppy's that usually bloom during their April-May season is enough to color the entire fields in orange. I took a few shots of the few that made it through the winter and plan on returning again next year to *hopefully* see the rest! 

You're In & You're Out

My take on what's hot & not this May.

:so in:

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Hundreds of organizations and international groups have come together to support relief efforts after the massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan. It is not too late to help support a cause or give to those in need. Donating has become easier and you can start today by texting REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 contribution.

HOT NAILS

Since the debut of OPI Nail Shatter, this twist on nail design is cooler than you think. Good luck finding this Katy Perry inspired polish, this black attack nail trend is more than fine, fresh, fierce, but taking the high fashion look to the next level.

FOLK MUSIC

Classic and helping us all find our inner child. The 70’s have influenced our spring wardrobe and the tunes from Woodstock are on officially on our radar.  Now that Mumford and Sons have snagged a grammy, this new age folk music is gaining some serious respect.

NANO BREWERIES

So you’ve heard of microbreweries: meet the even smaller, newer way to experience beer. The ‘nano’ is the next best thing in the craft brewing world and San Diego is home to quite a few. Serving up hand-crafted 50 gallon batches, Hess Brewery in Miramar is your stop for some local nano-goodness.  We recommend the Intrepidus IPA to kick off this May the right way.

THE IPAD 2

Not only can you deck out your hardware in candy colored covers, this new piece of technology has two cameras for Face Time, HD video recording, dual-core A5 chip, 10 hours of battery life and all of that minus the 33% of the original Ipad. Yay Apple.

SHARING IS CARING

Welcome to the generation of sharing, from Zip cars to community work spaces and from blogs to social networks like Yelp, people are relying on others more than ever before. For your next vacation, think about traveling smarter by checking out a travel blog or hitting a hostel. You never know where you’ll end up or who you just might meet.

FOODIE TRUCKS

The best meal deal on wheels is cruising around San Diego and using veggie oil fuel. If you do not have a twitter already, here is the reason to get one: the @GreenTruck_SD is a eco-friendly food truck dishing out organic, vegan friendly options.


:so out:

TEEN MOMS

Okay, so we get that you are young, but frankly enough is enough of watching these teenage wannabes broadcast their baby-oops momma drama all over MTV. Since when has the “M” stood for Maternity?

TMI VLOGGING

Youtube might just have to start warning users to use at their own risk. Video blogging has become an internet sensation, but also stands as a double edge sword. One UCLA blonde learned the hard way after her rant on Asians in the library. In less than 1 week, her video racked up over a million views. Lesson learned: vlog responsibly. 

OSAMA/OBAMA
Fox News is not the hugest Obama Administration fan, but goofing on National TV is taking it a little too far. Whether it was the intern that misspelled the President's name or  a coy to cause yet another controversy: definitely NOT something that makes us proud to be an American. 


ROYALLY OBSESSED
We get that Price William and Catherine Middleton had the wedding of the year, but some folks have gone a little too far in obsessing over this celeb couple. From t-shirts to nail decals and even a toilet seat, let’s congratulate these newlyweds by not going over the top.

Catch some of these featured in THE GAUGE of the 944 May Travel Issue, available online and in print. 

May Day

I can definitely say I have had my fair share of authentic Mexican experiences. I have lived in Mexico, worked at a family-owned Mexican restaurant and can comprehend a fairly decent amount of Spanish. But honestly, the last Cinco de Mayo that I can truly remember was bombarded with having to work until midnight on a school day during junior year of high school; servin' up todos los borrachos at Don Cuco's Mexican Eatery. 

This year, I am setting things up a little differently. I am going to plan on checking out a Cinco de Mayo party that is said to be the best one yet! El Dorado, the craft cocktail lounge located on 1030 Broadway in downtown San Diego, transforms itself into one of the most authentic Drinko de Mayo parties around and I definitely looking forward to getting my fiesta fix. My friend Tabby of DiscoverSD gives the inside scoop at some of the party details:

This Thursday, May 5^th, El Saul Q Contra Los Marcianos will be hosted by E.Limon of Elzonkeyshow.com and special guest CHUCUCHU the Cumbia Masher.  Azucar, a cumbia band consisting of Luis (guitar) and Jorge Medina (percussion), Omar Ramos (bass), Pablo Stanley (keyboard and vocals), Georgina Trevino (backup vocals), Brian Cortez and Luis Moreno (both on drums/percussion), will be reuniting for the event playing their own original songs and some classics from past decades adding their flavor. Describing themselves as a mix of hip-cumbia, electronic, and quebradita the band plays to their own unique beat. 

Still don’t know what to expect?...when questioned: Saul Q  replied, “Expect a real Mexican party by Mexicans and one white guy, Turbo”. Don’t contemplate any further and RSVP for the party here for no cover before 10pm, $5 thereafter. 
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Follow Tabby and her toxic tweets as DiscoverSD's event coordinator.  Also be sure to check out @DiscoverSD for the latest and greatest in America's Finest City.

Art Meets Fashion

Thursday April 28th was the Fashion Show launch of the Art Meets Fashion Exhibit series that kicked off at the San Diego International Airport. This collaboration is a fusion between two renowned networking organizations in San Diego: FOCUS & AMF. FOCUS, aka Fashion Opportunities Connect US is spearheaded by Felena Hansen, entrepreneur and marketeer and Art Meets Fashion (AMF) is led by Patricia Frisher. The two have been working together for past two years to create a showcase highlighting the talents of both groups titled "Opportunities to Inspire". For the project, each team is composed of a designer, artist, educator in competing to create a design for the runway as well as to be placed on display. It was truly an amazing to see each detailed piece make its way down the runway.