Observations on California

We made it back from our trip! It was awesome and we got to see and do so much. I hope to put up some pictures soon, but in the meantime, I would like to share a few observations...

1. Palm trees make everything look better, nicer, and less scary. Irving Mall really should invest in some tall palms. That place is scary.

2. In-N-Out is good, but it's still just a burger. Personally, I think Airways in Arlington is every bit as good.

3. There is apparently a new fashion trend for women where you wear tights and a short/crop top. I'm not talking about just tight pants or even leggings, but TIGHTS. Where every minuscule detail of your legs, thighs, and butt is on full display for the world to see. Half the time, they wear midriff baring tops too. I don't get it. I kept wanting to tell them that they forgot to finish getting dressed. So tacky. We even saw one girl that had a small hole right forming on each cheek, I guess from leaning up on the wall or something. Normally, I would inform a woman if she had an embarrassing situation going on, but honestly, she didn't appear to care. Besides, with her outfit, it's not like she was hiding anything anyway... I really, REALLY hope this trend doesn't catch on here.

4. There is WAY too much money in LA.

5. On the subject of LA, it is like a whole other planet. It's bizarre. The people are weird, the highways are stupid, and it kinda smells funny. I was so happy to get out of there and head down the coast! The only good things about LA are Kara, Emily, and Michael.

6. Arnold Schwarzenegger is waaaay shorter than I imagined him to be. I really expected him to be a lot taller.

7. Hotels.com lies. Ok, that's not an inclusive California observation, but it's still truth. We booked a room at a hotel in Santa Monica and when we arrived 30 minutes later, it was like night and day from what they advertised. They didn't even really have a parking lot and there were homeless people literally sleeping on the doorways. Now, I'm not judging, but I was not staying there. The entire neighborhood made me feel unsafe. Not cool. We called hotels.com to cancel and tell them their advertising lied. Long story short, we ended up still having to pay for the freaking room even though we weren't staying there. Then, rather than booking through them again, we called a hotel directly (after we physically checked it out!!) and got a cheaper rate than hotels.com quoted us! Yeah, I would NOT recommend using that website.

8. I think there are more homeless people in SoCal than anywhere else. It made me so, so sad.

9. All the guys and gals between 15 and 25 years old in Southern California look the same. Bleached blonde hair and dark fake tans. Oh, and tights. (Seriously, I still don't get this fad..)

10. Parking meters in Beverly Hills are stupid. Parking tickets in Beverly Hills are even more stupid.

11. Rodeo drive is highly overrated. I guess it was kind of cool to see but I was too afraid to go in any of the stores. I was afraid they'd treat me the way they treated Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman except, well, I'm not hooker. And I was fully dressed. And since I'm not a hooker, I obviously don't have a rich "customer" so I couldn't go back in and pull a Julia Roberts on them after spending beaucoup bucks elsewhere. Oh, and I don't really like that movie. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen it all the way through. Just that part. And I'm really not a hooker. Promise.

12. This is also not strictly California, but, Jewish weddings are absolutely beautiful. Even the modern weddings are so steeped in tradition. Oh, and the singing was gorgeous. It really made me wish I could have witnessed an Old Testament wedding to see how things have changed and how they're likely still the same. Now if they would just accept Jesus Christ as the risen Savior...

13. Watching the sunset over the ocean is awesome. Don't get me wrong, I still love the bay sunsets of NJ, but this was a nice change.

14. Granville Cafe really, really, really needs to open a restaurant in the DFW area. I started craving the Uptown Mac & Cheese about 5 minutes after I finished my plate and the craving hasn't ceased since.