Great book about spacesuits. Space is always in fashion.
Spacesuits: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Collection
by Amanda Young, Photographs by Mark Avino
Spacesuits – $29.95
Lake Tahoe from the top of the lift.
Heavenly’s Gondolas
Emerald Bay
Emerald Bay – Playing in the snow on a windy day.
Standup paddling Lake Tahoe
Hot chocolate at Blue Angel Cafe
MacDuff’s – fav pub
In continuation of our Lake Tahoe road trip, I just wanted to share a few photos and some of my favorite things there…
Scott and I stayed in South Tahoe at a great eco boutique hotel called 968 Park Hotel. They have competitive rates and it’s within walking distance of the Heavenly gondola and the casinos at the Nevada border. They give discounts for local restaurants and they also have a great little bar that has Fat Tire on tap ($3 beers at happy hour).
I didn’t think we’d be able to get out on the lake since it was mid-winter, but the weather turned out to be just fine. We have some friends that own South Tahoe Standup Paddle and they took us out on a sunset paddle. The views were incredible and we had the whole lake to ourselves. (Thanks again, Chris and Jared!)
Emerald Bay state park is absolutely gorgeous. Hiking trails are usually closed during the winter, but you can still hangout at the viewpoint and snap lots of photos of the lake and Vikingsholm mansion. (Or in my case…just play in the snow!)
I love great food, so after doing some recon on Yelp, I found a pub called MacDuff’s. They have amazing french onion soup, wood-fired pizza, and corned beef and cabbage. We also loved Driftwood cafe for their mimosas and breakfast nachos, Blue Angel Cafe for their hot drinks and cozy fireplace, and Freshie’s for their incredible Hawaiian pork tacos and salads.
Can’t wait to plan a summer trip for some hiking and mountain biking.
(Fossil Falls next – Part 3 of 3)
Photos: My own and the standup paddle photos courtesy South Tahoe Standup Paddle
Mt. Whitney 14,505 feet/4421m – the tallest mountain in the contiguous U.S.
Mono Lake lookout
After missing out on a few good snowboarding seasons, Scott and I finally pulled the trigger and drove up to Lake Tahoe for a few days. There’s two main routes you can take from Orange County to Lake Tahoe, either way it’s about a 7-8 hour drive. We always opt for the 395 hwy just so we can go through the gorgeous Sierra Nevada.
I have an affinity for this area since it’s incredibly beautiful and diverse. The Sierra Nevada mountain range was formed about 4 million years ago from granite and then was later eroded by glaciers during the last ice age. It runs about 400 miles north to south and highway 395 weaves itself between the east and west mountain ranges in a area called Owens Valley. There’s lots of parks and natural formations that you can see right from the car like Mt. Whitney (the tallest peak in the contiguous U.S.), Mono Lake, and the lava rocks and cinder cone at Fossil Falls. What’s really wild is that the road also winds through Long Valley Caldera which is one of the largest calderas on Earth.
This is just one of the many amazing drives you can do in California. If you ever get the chance to drive it, don’t pass it up!
(Tahoe up next…)
Photos: First eight shot with the Fuji X100 and last three shot with Canon 5D mk II, 17-40mm f/4L lens
I’m a big fan of Icebreaker. They make some damn good-looking performance apparel. All of their products are made of 100% merino wool which regulates your temperature in cool or warm conditions. It also doesn’t hold stink, so it can be worn over and over again without being washed… perfect for travel. (I never pack a bag without at least one Icebreaker top.)
This boatneck sweater is part of their new “Black Sheep” travel and urban wear line. It’s constructed with a premium fine gauge merino wool which is soft, lightweight, and non-itchy. Sold.
Athena Boatneck Sweater – $180
Okay, I’m ready to pack my backpack after watching this video… (This couple spent five weeks traveling through Chile and Patagonia.)
These girls are my new heroes! This is what life is all about.
If you’re still looking for a Valentine’s gift for him, for her, or even for yourself, you can’t beat a cooking class. I’ve been obsessed with cooking lately, so I signed up for a Thomas Keller inspired series at Sur la Table. Even if you already know how to cook, it’s still a fun time and they have all kinds of classes to pick from… like cheese making and a macaron workshop!
Cooking classes at Sur la Table – $ price varies
Photo: iPhone via Instagram – @leahsak
One of my favorite hotels is the literary themed Hotel Rex in San Francisco. It’s a small boutique hotel with a fantastic 1920′s – ’30s vibe. They have a cozy library bar that serves a free glass of wine every night, live jazz, an old movie night, inspiring excerpts from books painted on the walls, and an adorable 20 lb. resident pug that hangs out on the couch by the front desk. (His name is Maximo.) The staff is always very friendly and helpful too. The Joie de Vivre hotel group always seems to “get it” and after reading this post on Tim Ferriss’s blog, now I know why.
The CEO, Chip Conley has learned to become a “Chief Emotions Officer”. He explains by using baggage as a metaphor, “Countless times I’ve seen people show up at our hotel front desks with all kinds of baggage, and only some of it the physical kind… Lugging that baggage around for years is noticeable in how that person shows up at the metaphorical front desk of life. If you are a Chief Emotions Officer, you are more aware of all the bags you’re carrying and how to open your luggage up and make sense of what’s inside.”
In his new book, Emotional Equations, he uses equations (such as Anxiety = Uncertainty x Powerlessness) to help make sense of emotions that are weighing you down. He says, “Creating your own internal logic regarding your emotional baggage will allow you to carry a lighter bag… one that’s eminently easier to unpack.”
Now I love Hotel Rex even more… (By the way, remember this old post?)
Photos: My own (except for the one of Maximo)
Source: Four-Hour Workweek
I’m crazy about the unexpectedness of Vivian Maier’s photos and the way they instantly strike emotion. There seems to be an interesting story behind each of these shots… don’t you think? (The last two photos are self portraits.)
Vivian was a nanny with some mad camera skills. She was born in New York in 1929, lived in France as a child, then moved back to the U.S. in the early 50′s where she spent most of her life as a caregiver in Chicago. She picked up photography as a hobby and shot mostly in New York and Chicago from the ’50s through the ’90′s. What’s amazing is that she never showed her work to anyone so she was completely unknown. Her photography was eventually discovered by a historian when it was auctioned off in 2007.
Now her work is published in a book and you can find it in my Amazon shop.
Source and Photos: VivianMaier.com
The picker’s wallet is the perfect Valentine’s gift for the guy who loves the guitar. Whipping Post is owned by a longtime friend of mine and is known for their killer leather guitar cases.
I need to learn how to play so I can buy a wallet for myself!
Picker’s wallet – $30
