Activity: Natural History Museum First Fridays
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Description: DJs, Dinosaurs and exhibits! On the first Friday of the month the museum opens up with music and food trucks for a night of fun
Activity: Museum exploring in LA
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Description: Went to a variety of museums to see exhibits from Jeff Koons > Rain Room> to the national treasure of the Back to the Future car and the Bat-mobile
Activity: Hike to the Griffith Observatory
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Website: http://griffithobservatory.org/ and hiking locations
Description: There are a few hikes to the Griffith Observatory that you can chose from ranging from 1 short mile to 7 miles. The views on a nice day are great.
Once you get to the top you can explore the observatory or go to one of the shows that plays on the hour. Mostly the shows are related to the solar systems and constellations. However, there is an marine/ocean show that plays a couple times a day.
Activity: Cabazon Dinosaurs
Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Website: http://cabazondinosaurs.com/
Description: This is a fun photo op on a pit stop to a long drive. There is a small museum of mechanical dinosaurs and some large ones outside to take pictures with. I only recommend going if you are in the Palm Springs area.
Activity: On the fourth of July holiday weekend I flew south for the Winter (aka SF summer) to Los Angeles. I went to Hermosa Beach/Redondo, Venice and Santa Monica.
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Website:
Description: I started the weekend going to Huckleberry's brunch in Santa Monica which was delicious. The line was long, but it went quickly. From there my friend and I went to the Venice Canals which I had not been to in many years. It is very serene to walk around on a nice day. In the link above there is an events calendar including boat parades.
On the 4th of July I went to a friends house in Redondo Beach for their annual family and friends reunion. Afterwards my friends and I made it to Hermosa beach for a bit before I headed back to Santa Monica for a friend's BBQ. Nothing better than a warm beach filled day with good friends and food!
For those looking for fun LA summer activities, check out the Thursday night free concerts on the Santa Monica Pier!
At the gun range shooting a revolver in slow motion
Apparently I am much better at duck hunter than I am at shooting a gun in real life.
As a family friendly Saturdaze activity we went to the outdoor shooting range. I assumed I was going to have a good shot, but it is harder than it looks. I had read somewhere (in a Law & Order episode) that guns had kickback so I expected some force from the gunshot. I guess I am not as strong as I think because the first time shocked me. I ended up overcompensating for the sensation that the gun was going up that I was just shooting the dirt and not the target. I guess there is room for improvement.
My dad and brother were much better, but to be fair they had been going for several years. I guess my invitation was lost in the mail... Invited or not, I had a great time trying the revolver and the automatic gun this time around. I stood the entire time while others in the gun range sat and had a stand for their weapon of choice. In this particular range most people brought their own firearms and purchased the day pass to shoot. You may be able to tell from the dirt and metal targets that this was not the most state of the art range. I did like it because the owner made an effort to teach me the proper stance and where to look to improve my aim.
Overall, I feel a little more patriotic and a less inclined to pursue a career in law enforcement. But don't take my word for it. Try it out and see what you think!
Until next time. Stay tuned.
SF Surfset at the beach
SF intro to aerial silk
LA anti-gravity aerial yoga
NYC Row house picture repost:@transformingmommy
I am constantly looking for new workouts that are both challenging and achievable. When I signed up for ClassPass I was excited to try new routines. Below is a short story of the most unique work outs I have tried in SF, LA, and NY!
San Francisco
Left Coast Sweat: Surfset at the beach: this workout includes a surfboard, two balls and some ropes to tie it together. The surfboard lays on the balls so that when you stand on the board it moves to simulate waves based on your body weight and positioning. I first tried a class in the Marina (Sweat Republic) and enjoyed it. I thought it would be much more fun to do it outdoors the second time. Luckily it was a gorgeous day which made the workout even better.
Type of exercise: squats, push ups, lower body, plank
Unique moves: mix of yoga moves and surfing techniques. Think downward dog meets duck dive.
Length: 1 hour
2. Aspen Aerials- this was a great class because it was small and the instructor paid a lot of attention to each student. We were all first timers in the class. We started with some warm up exercises on the floor including planks and then moved to the silks where we learned about 6 moves
Type of exercise: upper and lower body. When done properly: lower body, as a novice: upper body
Unique moves: mermaid
Length: 1 hour, 15 min
Los Angeles
1. Coolhotyoga: Antigravity aerial yoa- yes, more circus moves. This one was slightly easier since everyone had their own station to practice with rather than using the silks.
Type of exercise: mostly yoga type moves with some opportunities to flip upside down
Unique moves: chandelier (pictured above)
Length: 1 hour, 15 minutes
New York
1. Row House- This was the first time I tried a rowing class. It felt very much like a spinning studio with loud music and an instructor yelling commands. I mean that in a good way actually, the instructor did come around to make adjustments. He also made it challenging for the veterans in the group by encouraging us to go faster than our previous time. There is a monitor on the machine that allows you to tell Rows per minute to benchmark your progress. Additional workout benefits of rowing here.
Type of exercise: upper body mostly but your legs are tired from pushing your weight when done properly
Unique moves: floor work off the machine was included such as side planks and push ups
Length: 1 hour
And yes I have a lot of black sport leggings and white workout shirts :)
Until next time. Stay tuned.
This SATURDAZE was a horseback riding class for myself and my mom. I booked it through Connemara Ranch in Malibu by our house. for Christmas. We rode on January 3rd 2015.
A great gift idea for the holidays is to reserve a class for yourself and a friend/family member. SATURDAZE experiences are more fun when there is a group and who can say no to a free adventure? Especially one that they might not have researched, planned, and paid for themselves.
If the adventure is a gift, clearly you should consider the recipient's interests. Luckily, there are a variety of packages for two or more- flight classes (later post), cooking classes, workout classes, DIY classes, that cater to all types of people. i will continue to post ideas and share in the newsletter!
Until Next Time. Stay Tuned.
