Best Laid Plans....

So the stuff just hit the fan (although, its probably not as bad as I think it is).

After learning that the movers we hired would take at least two weeks to deliver our belongings, Laura and I decided to take the plunge and do the driving ourselves. So far we have a moving truck and movers in DC to load the truck for us. We continue to search for a mover to unload the truck in Chicago.

The nice thing to come out of this is a sizable savings in cost, along with the avoidance of two weeks sleeping on an inflatable mattress as we await the delivery of our bed.

I know that all will work out, however, perhaps not the way I originally envisioned.

Been a Long-Time Coming

Back by popular demand (mostly from my spin class), I will be keeping a blog of my transition to Chicago. Now, onto the post.

Well, its been a while since my last post here. Lots has happened, and, if you are reading this, you probably already know most of it. I became engaged to be married, graduated from law school, passed the bar, and had my start date at my future law firm deferred until March 1st. Finally, and most importantly for the purposes of this blog, is that my future law firm is located in Chicago!

That's right, Chicago. City of Al Capone, Doyle Lonnegan (see The Sting), and Richard Daley. Come to think of it, they are all gangsters. Well, there is more to Chicago, my future home, than just mobsters. There is snow. More snow. And even more snow.

So in an attempt to keep in touch with all my friends, and to keep them apprised of my doings and happenings, I am, once again, attempting to keep a blog.

So enjoy as we prepare for one of the largest moves of my life.

Finally, you can follow part of the trip from my twitter feed too (thats right, a blog and twitter, I'm SOOO cool): http://twitter.com/@zman81

Going Out on a High Note

Much to my dismay the summer is coming to an end.

But before it does, there are still a couple of things I need to do.

TO DO LIST:
Sat: Dodgers Game and Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles
Sun: Running to the "Hollywood" Sign
Next Weekend: Getty Museum

ALREADY DONE LIST:
Santa Monica Pier
Malibu
Drinking in Hollywood and BevHill
Disneyland
San Diego
San Francisco
Las Vegas
Driving Mullholand Dr.
Farmer's Market
Walk through BevHills (okay, we ran out of gas, but I did get to walk past the police station from BevHills Cops. Fun fact, BevHills has their own civil services so LA Cops are not BevHills Cops).

WONT MAKE:
Sedona Wine Country
Hurst Castle (the Citizen Kane House)
Drive up Pacific Coast Highway to San Fran

Last night was the last Shabat cedar in LA for me. A nice jewish family welcomed me with open arms to their weekly cedars which allowed me to meet some really sweet interesting people while getting some really great chicken soup; during my trip these dinners became something of a regular thing for me a perfect way to start, or sometimes conclude, a Friday night, thanks Sandy.
[Side note, this family lives down the street from Beckham which sounds great until you realize they come with dozens of paparrazi. I did not appreciate how sketchy these guys were until I drove past them yesterday.]

Following dinner a couple of us went to the Beverly Hills Hotel. Once again I realized I need to pay attention to my surroundings more. While sitting at our booth Katie Holmes, who apparently cut her hair really short, and her child stood five feet away being serenaded by the piano player. One of the Olsen twins walks past looking like a hooker with a new conquest. And I got to see the goalie and owner of Chelsea FC (although the piano bar was littered with all the Chelsea support staff donning their uniforms trying desperately to impress the women there. Apparently no one let them in on the fact that American women don't follow soccer).

After two nights of late partying, and a baseball game the next day, I packed it in.

San Diego Sunshine

So this past weekend I made the trek down to SanDiego, but not before my first studio tour.

A coworker at my office set up a tour of Warner-Bros. Studio for a couple of us for this past Friday. It was neat to see how creatively the same exterior of a building can be used to reflect so many different locals. This included seeing the outside of ER (although I have never seen the show), the interior of the Friends Coffee Shop (although I hate the show), and the Mystery Machine (okay, I did like this this movie).

Taking us to the WB Museum I saw costumes from all my favorite WB shows and movies: the Departed, Harry Potter, Veronica Mars, and Babylon 5 (yes I am a nerd). The tour concluded at 5pm leaving me in the akward position of traveling across LA during rush hour to get to San Diego.

Let me just say that LA traffic is a bit overratted. Granted it sucks to be sitting in traffic, but it is no worse than some of the traffic I encounter in DC, just this seems to go on for a longer distance.

A mere three hours later I arrived in San Diego. After catching up with a friend, we went downtown to a bar complete with a killer cover band (the "Disco Gangsters" or something like that). Leaving this bar we arrived at a club only for me to realize, I dont like clubs any more.

The next day can be described by three words, well actually the same word three times. We walked to Balboa Park...amazing. Then continued on to the beach...amazing. And then rolled up USD...amazing.

We grabbed diner at Ra which provided the best spicy tuna sushi I have ever had. Packing it in early, we went to bed and the following morning I left the amazing place that is San Diego.

A Weekend in San Francisco

Well I just got back from San Francisco...I can understand why people like it during the day time, but come nightfall, the other thing that falls is the temperature. We started the trip by hitting up the farmer's market at the Pier. Not since I visited Seattle have I seen such a robust and awesome market. We then hopped the ferry to Salsalito (like the cookie), and grabbed a bus to Muris woods.

After hiking several miles in flip-flops (yeah I know that it is not the smartest move), we sat atop a mountain and drank a bottle of wine. After hitching a ride back into SF and across the Golden Gate Bridge (which was incredible), we visited Fisherman's Warf.

A clear tourist trap, Fisherman's Warf always has garlic pizza. Made for me by matching two of my favorite things, garlic and pizza, it tasted divine. Grabbing dinner that night I was treated to some great cheviche and an amazing tuna steak. It was here that I realized I like tuna, just not tuna fish in the same way that while I hate american cheese, I still like unprocessed cheese.

The next day we took a tour of china town, saw a woman folding fortune cookies and grabbed some freshly cooked duck. Leaving china town we walked through italian town, through a rich town, into the Mission district for some awesome mexican food, past the Full House house and off to my haircut. While there we grabbed some drinks and then stopped by Jerry Garcia town. Following this we checked out Golden Gate Park, grabbed a late night drink and then crashed.

Three hours later, I awoke, got dressed, hopped a plane and went to work. Now, completely exhausted, I head to sleep at 8pm!!

So Much Sun, So Little Time

It has been quite a while since my last entry, a point made clear to me by several of your emails. Over the past week I have managed to get myself back into a rut (some call it a rhythm). Between the gym (let me just say that you do not appreciate towel service until you dont have it), work, and resting, life has really settled in for me.

My apartment is exactly what I need for the summer, a bed, bathroom, 32" TV (okay its not an HDTV, but I suppose I can make due for a couple of months), HBO, and a pool. As for work, it is great to find myself working more than I am being paid for. Granted more money would be nicer, but when I'm doing something I enjoy, money is clearly a secondary motivation.

Prior to my arrival everyone warned me about the "horrible LA traffic!" For those of you considering a trip out here, the bark is worse than its bite. Granted it sometimes takes me 25min to transverse the 7 miles home, but the same can be said for DC traffic.

This past weekend I was convinced to take a trip out to Disneyland. Although I went begrudgingly, it resulted in an amazingly good time. Much like DisneyWorld in Florida, Disneyland is broken into different parks (this way they can charge more). There is Disneyland and California Adventure. Springing for the dual pass, we started with California Adventure. No kids, no lines, the Tower of Terror, two roller coasters (one based on Mullholand Drive captured the feeling of that road perfectly), a water ride (that claimed the life of one purse), and most importantly a wine tasting.

Heading over into Disneyland, the wine tasting came in handy. With thousands of little kids, much longer lines, and an artificial happiness that made you want to drown yourself in the artificial lake, my patience definitely wore thin. One great point of note aside from the amazingly well renovated Space Mountain, is the inclusion of "Fruit Carts." Rather than the normal parfe of funnel cake and hot dogs, Disneyland came equipped with Fruit stands providing amazingly juicy fresh fruit.

Following this great experience with the local fruit, I needed to visit the local Farmer's Market. Between the strawberries, oranges and hummus, I was in heaven. I went there not liking hummus and left with $20 of it. I went there not liking Avacados, and loved them. The same can be said for the kettle corn which is usually too sweet for me. I suspect I return to DC 30lbs heavier.

Well that is it for now, hopefully it will not be so long till my next post. Until then, I'll talk to you later.

All Setlled In

I drove 4,000 miles to go to Ikea? This thought went through my mind as I picked up the various sundries necessary for the 9 weeks that I will be out here.

That story aside, I've settled into the new apartment and starting to love LA.

Work at the MPA remains enjoyable and looks to be very fulfilling. I also found a gym adjacent to the office.

So with all of this, combined with a reasonably short commute, life is pretty darn good.