urban revitalization

Little Five Points, located in Midtown Atlanta, is definitely a sweet soul spot. This restoration boasts a handful of trade and sell shops/boutiques, which is a favorite for finding unique and thrifty goodies. The only familiar places this district contains that can also be found at home in Los Angeles include Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, and Rag O Rama. Every other store was a completely unheard of new joint to me. What adds even more flavor to this area is the euphoria of street art. There were several cops strolling around but the street artists here (as captured above) coolly do their thing without legal disturbance. Dope! I was loving the aura, no doubt.

Random outdoor and indoor eateries are also pleasantly scattered along this part of Georgia. To my luck, I stumbled upon The Vortex Grill & Bar off of yelp and discovered that this sick dining was featured on Man vs Food! So I had to try it, and this restaurant definitely has the BEST burgers in town. Hands down. From the decor to the menu, everything about this place deserved to be on television. Despite how awesome this area was, the humidity of peak hour over here (5:00 p.m.) eventually made it too overwhelming to survive any more strolls for adventure... Regardless, I was pretty satisfied with my findings. 

historic wonderlands

Georgia has been just peachy. I've been constantly on the hunt for neat attractions that aren't on the typical "tourist" known bucket lists, but that's been pretty hard considering how humble these lands are in terms of extraordinary activities. This town is full of natural life and serene landscapes.. I mean, this neighborhood I'm currently staying at has a creek! I don't know of any villages around home that have a creek as movie-like as this. The houses and buildings are mostly all gorgeously historic or colonial looking, which is a total contrast to the modern day, urban Los Angeles city life. I've never seen so many brick buildings still standing in my life, and the roads seem neverending, lined up with evergreen everything. 

No exaggeration.

 I can't help but ramble on about how green everything is here because it really amazes me! That last photo up there seriously reminded me of a video opportunity for some exotic car commercial. I won't sugarcoat reality though, not everything out here is picture perfect. Some parts of town are rather eerie... but I love it all.

Anyway, I did happen to stumble upon a really neat artsy town bombarded with street/graffiti art that I shall update photos from another time. All I've got left to say is... 

Finding this little area definitely hit the spot. 

More pictures coming soon....

PS. I scored this sheer black maxi skirt for just twenty bucks at Papaya, believe it or not. I generally don't like this store much... However, Continental & United Airlines lost my luggage for the first week that I was here, so I had to do a little shopping for clothes to avoid wearing what I arrived in for days straight ... Thus, I quickly rummaged through Papaya and came up with this steal deal. Woo.

the wilderness instinct in me

I've been unable to update my blog because I've been constantly on the go.. Literally, I've been traveling ever since my summer class finals a few weeks ago. Right now, I'm on the East Coast for my very first time ever, and boy do I have much to share!

On the first landing of my trip, I was glued to the passenger window like any browser endlessly clicking through tumblrs/blogs. I couldn't hold back from admiring the details of the east coast cities emerge as the sunrise seeped through past the thin mist of fluffy clouds... A moment much like a liberating sigh of, "Hallelujahhh"... It was so serene, so natural, so unreal... When landing in Los Angeles, you're granted with the beautiful twinkles and winks of the city lights welcoming you home through the night. Here, I was welcomed with neverending vast green landscapes as if Mother Nature has always been way too appreciated to distort with building blocks of city life. Says a lot about the lifestyle here in the east compared to home ... Refreshing. Refreshing until the humidity overwhelmed my Californian weather loving body. It was definitely an extreme contrast to what I consider norm. Nevertheless, this is all definitely a lifetime experience. In these past few days, I've crossed paths with mainly Florida, alongside Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. With that being said, I've got much catching up on sleep to do so there will be more photo adventures coming soon....

Several people questioned where I got my outfit today while shopping at the Great Mall of Georgia, but I had to tell them I was from California. Regardless, I spotted this salmon color slanted top down Melrose in La. The laced white skirt is from Fashion Young, and the taupe ankle boots are my ancient Jeffrey Campbells from years ago. Oh, and the earrings were from the quarterly flea markets held on my campus at UCI.

"What a country chooses to save is what a country chooses to say about itself."
— Mollie Beattie, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1993-1996

bike trails

"A picture means I know where I was every minute. That's why I take pictures. It's a visual diary."

- Andy Warhol

Did you know .... that Andy Warhol was revealed to have an IQ score below average?
Yet, he's one of the most influential individuals in the world! Regardless of what others said or what studies confirmed, he succeeded in simply being himself.

If you can be yourself and stay unaffected by all negative vibes or influences in this world, then you, my friend, are truly alive. Alive within your soul, your beliefs, your heart, the blood running through your veins ... everything. I peculiarly admire people that can go about their lives, fulfilling their utmost dreams and desires, not giving a damn about what others perceive of them.  Pure self actualization.
Just saying.

To be bold is to be beautiful. 

JUST BE.

"The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do." 

- Andy Warhol

summmmertime ... when the livin's easy

Summertime, to me, should consist of a purely spontaneous adventures....
and it has!
Lately, I've been able to take advantage of these sunny summer days by overdosing on blissful outdoor activities. My beach cruiser always gets put to best use during this season. The other day, while frolicking out in the Newport Beach waters, a baby octopus swam right by me!
Oh summer, how I love thee.

La vita è bella