Expo, Hike, Shop, Eat!

Posted by Nicole

Turns out my busy busy busy plans for Saturday were underestimated. We actually packed more into the day than expected!

I picked up my mom and her fiancé (soon I’ll be able to write “stepdad”!) and I opened a special early birthday present at baggage claim. Two pairs of beautiful new purple Brooks PureFlows. I’m glad they took advantage of my little hint and ordered them while they were on sale! Now my feet will run happy for months to come :)

We drove to Pasadena directly from the airport. It was an hour long drive (thanks 110-N), but getting our numbers was nice and easy. Apparently the race is a lot smaller than other RnR, with only about 10,000 runners for the half. We got some running goods (Nike shorts for me, Brooks shorts and hat for David, and a Garmin 10 for my mom), and then hurried out of the expo.

We figured that we would have juuust enough time to hike to the top of the Hollywood sign. You all know that I love this hike, and I was excited for David and my mom to see it in all it’s glory. It really is so much more beautiful in real life. This was a special hike for me though because it was my first time doing it during the sunset.

I didn’t have workout clothes (luckily I got shorts at the expo and shoes as a gift), so I had to wear my Rock ‘n Roll swag bag shirt. And then my mom decided we should all match. Yup, we are just a wee bit embarrassing.

Selifes with a big Canon Rebel is no easy task.

The sky was an amazing rainbow of colors and we stopped multiple times for photos. This was a good idea at the moment, but our entire hike down was in the dark. Oh well, it was worth it!

We drove westward to Santa Monica for dinner. My mom requested we go to True Food Kitchen like last time she visited. Of course I was more than happy to agree! The hour-long wait gave us plenty of time to find a dress at White House Black Market. My mom is the best shopping partner- she just hands you dresses and somehow they magically fit. I also snagged a pair of $10 red heels!

At True Food Kitchen, we started with some juices.

I thought my “Apple Carrot Ginger Tonic” was wayyyy too spicy from the ginger, and unfortunately not as sweet as the waitress described. David really enjoyed his “Andy’s Elixir – Sea Buckthorn, Pomegranate, Cranberry, Black Tea, Soda” juice and said that the flavor was really hard to describe, but good. My mom really liked her “Cucumber Refresher – Cucumber & Honey Lemonade” as well. I tried both of their drinks and loved the sweetness.

Hungry from hiking and excited to carbo-load, I ordered the winter vegetable salad and the coconut panang curry. This is literally the salad of my dreams… Spicy horseradish dressing with Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, mulberries, winter squash, and other tasty things. The curry was perfect just like last time. SO good.

David ordered the sardines and then the turkey lasagna- he said it was very filling considering the smaller portion size.

My mom liked her harvest salad also. She ordered this last time and liked it so much that she wanted it again.

For dessert, they split the flourless chocolate cake.

Then we walked around the mall, mostly to show David these old sewing machines, and then back to the car.

Now I am back at my apartment and I just made about 3 cups of oatmeal with banana and cinnamon so we can grab-n-go in the morning. 5:15 AM wake up call and it’s 11:15 right now… yikes!!!

Wish us luck as we run 13.1!

- Nicole