Walking Miles For Great Food, Exercise, & Adventure

Hello All:

My good friend from childhood and I did one of our weekly "Dining Walks," the other night. We pick a restaurant that is anywhere from 5-10 miles roundtrip from his house in Beverly Hills, we enjoy some wonderful organic treats from the Farmacy, play a game or two of Banagrams, grab our water bottles, and hit the streets. This time we decided to walk to Talesai Restaurant on Sunset Blvd. Along the way, a possum, crossed our path, and we saw a fender bender between a Mercedes and BMW. We arrived at the restaurant at 7:30 P.M., had no reservations, but found the place practically empty. The food at Talesai is always good. The prices are high but the quality of the ingredients, service, ambience, and presentation make this place one of the best Thai restaurants in the city. Some of the dishes I recommend are: The Green Papaya Salad, Hidden Treasures, The Boxing Chicken, Talesai Tiger Prawn, Red Devil Noodles, New Zealand Lamb Chops, Spicy Eggplant, Heavenly Duck, Spicy Fried Rice. Wash it all down with Singha Beer. We tried a desert sampler platter, and the best one was the Sticky Rice/Mango. Have some Jasmine Tea to end the meal.

After dinner, we walked east on the strip to La Cienega Blvd. On the way back, paparazzi were going nuts over someone at Il Sole. Not sure who they were trying to get. Saw a heated argument between a goth girl and some punker guy in front of The Viper Room, and Randy The Macho Man Savage passed us crossing the street, dressed in full black leather regalia. Surreal. We ended up at The Cat Club, drank beer, listened to some ok rock bands, then walked back to my friends' place.

The total number of miles walked was 6. We ate some great food, listened to some good music, got some exercise, burned calories, and had great conversation. A nice way to spend a Staycation Saturday night.

COMEDY TIME

Hello All:

I Went to a great comedy club the other night, called "The Laugh Pack," in of all places, Moorpark, California. It's the only comedy game in the area. It's held every Thursday night at a restaurant called Cafe Firenze (Google It). The M.C. of the night is a guy named Bruce Fine, an actor/comedian. He must have a lot of connections, because the talent he assembles every week is top shelf. There's no 2 drink minimum, and the room where the comedy takes place, is intimate, and comfortable. As far as the food is concerned, it absolutely SUCKS. Fabio, from Top Chef used to be the head chef there, but left it for greener pastures. The new chef is not even of Italian descent. The drinks list however is really good, and there's a large variety of spirits and special concoctions to enjoy. I will continue to go back there every Thursday for great comedy when time permits.

STAYCATION LIFE

STAYCATION LIFE - For me, it means a vacation spent at home, or within 1 to 6 hours of home. It's a life of exploration and discovery, finding amazing new and exciting things to occupy your time.

Hello All, I'm a straight, 45 year old, single man, with no children. I live on a beautiful horse ranch in Topanga Canyon, California. This life that I created for myself is by design. It took some time to get to this point, but it's been an amazing ride so far. One of the things I love about this life, is that you don't need all the superficial trappings to enjoy it. My activities don't have to be too expensive to be incredibly fun and rewarding. If you have some money to spend, well then by all means enjoy the fruit; But just going horseback riding, or hiking with a good friend in Topanga Canyon, on a beautiful 75 degree day, is enough to make it a perfect day.

Over time, I will be posting my sometimes daily/weekly/monthly activities. I will be sharing my insights into great local places to go, things to do, amazing places to dine, travel experiences, and other activities that I pursue with passion and gusto. For now, A lot of my adventures are going to be based in Los Angeles, but, over time, they will spread out to outlying areas and different places. I hope this blog will be fun and informative for everyone.

Welcome to Staycation Life.