Thrift Store- Junkee Reno, NV

By far the best thrift store ive ever been to. Too bad its located in Reno, NV. Stepping into this store was like stepping into a time warp. Most thrift stores you go to carry old recycled clothes and junk. Junkee carries actual vintage clothing, bags, suitcases, etc. The other half of the store contains records, house hold items, glassware etc. I was in complete awe when I was shopping around. The clothes were amazing. I ended up buying a red letterman jacket and a 1950's suitcase. When I was looking through the other half of the store I was able to touch and see various items made decades ago, some even centuries ago. Its was truly an amazing and eye opening experience. If you are ever in Reno, you need to check this place out.

Thrift Store Rating- *****

Truckee California

I recently stayed at a friends cabin up in Truckee for a couple weekends in March. It is one of the most beautiful places ive been to. It was like a winter wonderland, something you would see on a cheesy post card. Truckee has a lot to offer for vacationers. Its very close to several ski resorts like Boreal and Donner Ski Ranch. Its also about 20 minutes from Nevada and 30 minutes from Reno. I really enjoy small towns and I could tell it was a really small town because they only had one Starbucks and most of the shops and eateries were locally owned. If you are looking for a hidden weekend get away in California, I would highly recommend Truckee.

Recommendations-
Wild Cherries. Its a little cafe that serves bomb ass coffee and food. Try the chocolate cake and the cheese cake. Order a soy hot chocolate, its a yummy way to warm up and fight the cold.

Donner Ski Ranch. Smaller ski resort, not too crowded. Bar and restaurant as well.

Academy of Sciences

Had a day out with my sis and mom yesterday and my mom wanted to check out the Academy of Sciences. I went there when I was alot younger but I dont remember much at all. Honestly I could have spent the whole day in there. The rainforest section was amazing. They had a ton of different live animals on display and living in the rain forest and butterflies flying everywhere. I actually reached my hand out into the air and one flew onto my wrist. It may sound cheesy but it was fucking magical. The butterfly was just chillin on my wrist for a minute then he flew away. After this exhibit we took an elevator down into the lower level where the aquarium was. Omfg. At certain points you were under the tank and you could see the different types of fish swimming around you. The bottom floor was huge and they had a bunch of smaller tanks with different types of sea life. It was really really cool. I also saw the penguins in the African section, they looked pretty sad though =(. Last but not least we watched the 30 minute planetarium show. It was amazing. Very eye opening and gave alot of insight on how stars are created and how everything came to be. Sorry for the brief post but if I write about everything that I witnessed and felt there, this post would be about 3 pages long. Its definitely something that you have to see to understand. So go check it out and enrich your mind.

For more info click here.

Dim Sum Bar

Let me just say yum yum yum. One of the reasons I love downtown sf is because of all the mom and pop restaurants you can find. I came across this place online while I was looking for dim sum restaurants near my house and this place popped up. On their website they boast that they have the best dim sum in Civic Center and after reading their reviews I had to check it out. I must say this place was great. On top of serving dim sum, the menu also had other traditional chinese dishes to choose from. I took my mom and sister here and I ordered a dim sum platter with shrimp, beef, pork and spinach. My sister ordered cheese and shrimp dim sum and spicy garlic beef and my mom ordered a fried noodle dish with mixed vegetables and beef, as well as won ton soup. I was able to try all the dishes and they were all super delicious. One thing I must admit was that ive had better dim sum in china town, and ive had better won ton soup in merced but I was very satisfied with both dishes. One thing that stood out though was the garlic beef, it blew my mind! So so yummy. Come check this place out. Inexpensive good eats north of civic center. Go now!

Dim Sum Bar is located at 620 O'Farrell. Click here for more info.

Price- $
Food-****

Awkward bus story.

Today on the bus, some guy from out of town sat down next to me with his girlfriend. Halfway into the ride his leg was resting against mine. Not just touching but full on leg to leg and we were both wearing shorts. It was fairly awkward but I didnt move my leg because secretly I like to challenge people. His leg began shaking and I could tell he was tense. Everytime the bus shook our skin would rub together and his leg would start shaking. I kept thinking that if he just moved his leg he wouldnt be so tense, but for the rest of the ride he kept it there and tried his hardest not to shake. Once we got to my stop I looked at him and asked him if I could get by. He didnt look back but I noticed he was holding his girlfriends hand real tight. Maybe its a pride thing, or something to do with male dominance. I guess I have a twisted sense of humor but I was very amused by this. So much so I took the time to blog about it.

Izzy's Steak and Chops

I just got back from this restaurant in San Carlos called Izzy's Steak and Chops. Today was my sisters 19th birthday and my family and I went out for dinner to celebrate. This place was bomb diggity. This restaurant is lot fancier than I am used to and most of the people dining there looked very well off. I felt like an uppity bitch just sitting in one of the booths. Everything on the menu was more than what I would typically pay when I dine out but it was well worth it. I ordered Drunken Shrimp, which was a soup dish with delicious whole shrimp in a creamy beer broth. I also ordered creamed spinach and some asparagus. The dinner was exceptional, surpassing all my expectations and I was very much satisfied with everything. The creamed spinach was divine! Every bite got better and better and was by far one of the most delicious things ive ever eaten. I highly recommend this place if you want to have a big tasty expensive meal because you will leave extremely happy.

Recommendations- Creamed Spinach!

Price-$$$$
Food-*****

For more info, click HERE.

Bean Bag Cafe

This little cafe is located at 601 Divisadero Street. When I moved into the neighborhood I would often see a bunch of hipsters hanging out in and outside the cafe. Although they have a huge menu I would never really see too many people eating. For 6 months I wondered why this place always had a full house when I would pass by, and recently I decided to check it out.

I now know they have the best happy hour in the whole city. Happy hour is from 3-10pm. $1.75 beers. I immediately fell in love with this place. Where else can you go and get drunk for less than $10? This is a great place for all you beer drinkers out there. I plan on hanging out at the bean bag more often. Maybe ill even try their food.

Price-$

Cako Bakery

This cute little cup cake shop is located at 211 O'Farrell in union square. Although I stare at it for hours a day while im at work, ive never have the urge to stop in and grab a cup cake. Luckily, the employees there come into my work all the time and drop off cup cakes for my coworkers and I. I must say, these little buggers are delicious! Today I was able to try their smore cupcake. At the bottom was a thin graham cracker crust. The cake itself was a rich chocolate cake, and the topping was marshmallow fluff that was slightly seared. The marshmallow being slightly seared gave the cupcake an authentic smore taste. In the past ive tried one of their chocolate strawberry cupcake which was equally delicious as the smore cupcake. I recommend this place to anyone who has a sweet tooth and a soft spot for cute desserts.

Click HERE for their website.

acapella+boondocks+mild racism=LMFAO!

If you enjoy acapella songs, boondocks, and slightly racist humor. You will love this.

This little boy tells it like it is. You go boy!

Upromise.com

I recently came across this awesome site. You have probably seen their logo before. Probably at a bank or on your campus. They provide free money for anyone and everyone who signs up. You can do what you please with the money you earn. You can use it towards tuition costs, loans or school supplies. You can even give the money you earn to someone else if you dont need it. You dont have to do anything either. Simply link your debit card, credit card, or other cards like a safeway card to your Upromise account. Then everytime you use them to buy something like gas, groceries, food, basically anything you can think of, Upromise puts a percentage of what you spent into a savings account. Before you know it you will have a ton of extra money that you can use to pay for school without even trying.

It seems like this is too good to be true but it is all legit. Also, if you enter ELM3 when you register online, they will start you off with 5 dollars. Cool huh! If you are a fan of free money, I highly suggest signing up for this.

For more info, click HERE.

Music Fix: Delta Spirit

I was introduced to this band by my buddy Frank. He brought me to one of their shows. I was skeptical at first, im very picky about music but OMFG! This band was amazing! If I could describe their music I would say folky, beatley, indie, rocky, hymnaly, and honest. This band knows how to have a good time. They have a good balance of mid tempo tracks and upbeat tracks. The song writing is great, the talent is great, and these guys knew exactly what they were doing. The singer is very talented as well. His voice is very dynamic and hes got a scream that could move god himself. His interpretation of the music and lyrics is incredible. He is absolutely honest with what he sings and its an amazing sight to see. In a world of wanna be's and phonies, these guys are 100% legit.

Recommended Tracks-
Trash Can
People C'mon
Strange Vine

Check out their myspace page.

Bottom of the Hill

The indie band haven.

This place rocks like rock science. This is one of my favorite places to see live music. Its a smaller venue so most bands that perform there are indie artists. From bands that sell out the venue like Delta Spirit and Jay Brannan, to local bands like The Bridge. The transition from stage to bar is seamless which allows for extremely intimate shows. Most of the time the performers are hanging out and mingling in the crowd. Almost all of its business comes from the shows, Bottom of the Hill gets zero foot traffic because of its obscure location. So if you are planning on grabbing a drink there they probably wont be open unless there is a show. I highly recommend everyone to check this place out and to spend some of your money here. I dont ever want to see this place go away.

For more info, or to book your band. Click HERE.

Gap Does Good

I personally do not shop at Gap but I give them props for what they are doing. They are going to be using the old denim that they receive, and turn it into housing insulation. I think this is just great. Not only are we recycling our old jeans, but the insulation made from the jeans will be a lot safer than insulation made of fiberglass. Another baby step to making the world a better place. =)

Music Fix: Hornet Leg

Im absolutely loving the Garage/Punk sound that Hornet Leg has. This little band from Portland packs a punch.

Reommended Tracks:
Those Kids- Great breakdown towards the end.
Im Leaving You- Just an awesome track.

Check out their Myspace Page.