I arrived in Orange County on Friday morning and was promptly greeted by Adam. After grabbing lunch at In-N-Out, we headed to Newport Beach (above). Though there was a cool breeze, it was nice to walk along the shore and out onto the pier. We finished up the first day with a delicious seafood dinner at the Crab Cooker to satisfy my urge for steamed crab smothered in melted butter. Then Adam finally agreed to watch Love Actually for the first time, and I watched it for probably my 12th time or so.
On Saturday we ate some Chronic Tacos and played a rousing round of mini golf. I showed Adam who's boss on the green, as evidenced by the preceding picture. Though he gave it his all with the signature Tiger fist pump, his ball went up and came back down the path; mocking ensued. Of course, I had my rear put in gear when it came to playing skee-ball, so I guess it all evens out in the end.
That night we got all fancied up and went to the Spectrum, a large outdoor mall complex. The place was hopping, so we put our name on a list and grabbed a crepe for a yummy appetizer while we waited. Then we sat at the sushi bar and had some really delicious rolls, including the avocado-topped caterpillar roll above. Once I was completely fed up, we headed back to the UC-Irvine campus and worked through some crosswords together.
Sunday's main event was a trip to Malibu to visit the Getty Villa. When I visited Adam nearly two years ago, we went to the main hilltop Getty overlooking LA. This cliff side villa was a bit more modest but equally beautiful and well manicured. We spent a few hours viewing the art and strolling through the gardens. Docent Ron Getty (linked to J. Paul Getty around the time Gettysburg was founded) led us on a brief tour of art and architecture so we were sure to hit the highlights. That night Adam and I met up with two of his grad student friends for some scrumptious Taiwanese food. The night ended my favorite way- with ice cream!
Monday was a lazy, game-filled day. We played Battleship, gin, Duckhunt and Tetris on old-school Nintendo, and completed more crosswords. For lunch we indulged in some Big Belly sandwiches, which held up to their name. Later in the day, we watched the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall and ordered pizza. Tuesday morning came too soon, and I headed back to Houston. All in all, it was a nice getaway and wonderful chance to see my Rice/Idaho friend.
Though it seems like ages ago now, the Snoop Dogg concert on February 12 must be recorded on the blog. It was definitely the grossest concert I've ever been to with all sorts of smells, sounds, and sights. Though not my first choice for a concert, I am certainly glad I went... quite the experience! Before the craziness went down, Amy and I worked out with her friend and fellow gym buddy Gretchen (above, with Amy).
After we worked up an appetite, the three of us met up with Sarah for dinner. Then all four of us went upstairs to House of Blues through the swanky Foundation Room. As usual, Sarah was our awesome connection for concert tickets and exclusive access. The concert was certainly memorable, and I will admit that I was surprised how many songs I knew.
