LA: Solstice Canyon

Went hiking with G in Malibu at Solstice Canyon. I nearly fainted during the initial ascent of the hike, but I felt it was worth it to capture this image (among a few others).

Movie: Sucker Punch

G, B, and I went to see Sucker Punch at Century City mall. Just as everyone said, it's visually stunning, but that's about it. I loved that they built up her dancing sequences so much that they could never show it. Hate to say it, though: it was a fail. :(

Movie: Limitless

While in San Francisco, we watched Limitless. B liked it; I thought it was okay. The ending was a bit predictable; so, I wasn't as wowed as most people seemed to be. I wasn't thrilled either by the (opening) zooming sequences that simulated being "high" on the drug. I did, however, like the time lapse sequences (like when he was cleaning his apartment) and other effects (the letters falling, as he was typing). I, amazingly, did relate to the woes of being a writer.

Travel: San Francisco & Maui

For Spring Break, we had originally planned to go to LA >> SF >> Vancouver, but a last minute deal to Maui popped up, so we changed our plans.

Itinerary:

• Day 1: Drove from LA to SF and arrived almost at midnight. Since it rained our first night, we decided to limit our bar hopping to just the Union Square area (where our hotel was at).
• Day 2: The next morning, the weather completely cleared up to a beautifully sunny, yet chilly day. We had breakfast at the historic Sears restaurant (Swedish pancakes!), walked around nearby Chinatown, and then drove across the Golden Gate to Sausalito. After returning across the bridge, we went to one of my favorite spots in SF -- the Palace of Fine Arts -- before catching a movie in the evening at the large mall on Market. 
• Day 3: Flew United into Kahului Airport Maui), picked up our rental car, and finally arrived in Kihei (away from tourist-laden Lahaina). That first afternoon, we watched the sunset as we had dinner practically on the beach at the Five Palms restaurant at the Mana Kai Maui Resort (warning: pricey!).
• Day 4: I was dying to try loco moco again for brunch so we went to the nearby Home Maid Bakery. We spent the entire afternoon driving around the eastern half of the island on the road to and from Hana, seeing various waterfalls along the way. The best part was eating at a random vegetarian food van (not food truck!) that had the best eggplant lasagna ever. That afternoon, we watched the sunset on our hotel's private beach.

• Day 5: Started the morning off at the Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Museum. We tried to get in some whale-watching in Ma'alaea Bay at Papawai Point, but didn't see any whales, despite it being prime whale-watching season. So, we went off to drive the entire western half of Maui. Having learned my lesson from the last luau I attended in Oahu, I made sure to book a special one that evening that consisted of a 5-course dinner brought to our our private, front row table by an incredibly hot, male, Hawaiian server who made it a point to say my name every time he took my (unlimited) drink orders. There was of course hula and fire dancing, but, still, it was the best "luau" ever! 

• Day 6: Flew back to SF. Stayed in the Fisherman's Wharf area.
• Day 7: Waited an hour in line to have breakfast at nearby Mama's (on Washington Square). Then drove off to SD.
• Day 8: In SD.
• Day 9: Returned to LA to attend my godson's birthday party.