Polychromatic leaves strewn across rain-streaked blades of grass, the itchy warmth of your favorite knit sweater and that familiar, sweet scent of a Pumpkin Spice Latte wafting from a porcelain mug up to your nostrils signifies only one thing: Autumn has finally arrived! As we bid Summer a bittersweet adieu and gladly greet the Fall, we are also approaching the end of my first month here in Yellow Springs, Ohio. I would be very dishonest if I said being away from home hasn't been challenging: there was an entire week where the couch, Malcolm in the Middle reruns on Netflix and cereals sugary enough to put you in a glucose-induced coma were my only companions of choice. I am used to a much faster-paced lifestyle than the laid back way of life provided here, and it put me in a pretty serious funk. But after forcing myself to put down the Captain Crunch and get some fresh air (not the recycled, Freon-based air supply I had been inhaling), I re-gained a positive perspective and made a choice to allow myself the pleasure of enjoying this gorgeous Ohio environment. On the last Sunday of September, weilding my camera, a journal and a smile, I set foot for Downtown. Here are some of the lovely things that caught my eye:
There are a lot of minor, eye-catching details within the colorfully decorated interior of the Underdog Cafe , but this one was my favorite! I spent an hour or two here enjoying a delicious Blueberry Muffin, a small cup of House Blend and Yann Tiersen's lovely Amelie (my all-time favorite foreign film!) score. This photograph was taken with my iphone.
I would love to meet the person behind this Basquiat tribute. One of the best artists that ever lived! Rest in power.
Some creative soul decided one of the trees would be more appealing to look at if it were adorned with multi-hued beads. It's the minor details that make this town so undeniably charming!
I absolutely adore the architecure of the buildings here! I love the old town aesthetic the crimson bricks give the buildings. So lovely to look at.
Part of the mural beneath the marquee of the newly renovated Little Art Theatre, the local movie theatre. If I'm not mistaken, it was created by local artist Pierre Nagley, the man responsible for a large portion of the murals that can be seen around the village. He does really magnificent work!
With October comes some things I'm truly looking forward to, ranging from a birthday to a highly anticipated Art Walk taking place on the second weekend of the month. Here's to openly embracing Ohio for the last month and a half before my next journey! xx
Tucked away within Greene County and speckled with lush forestry, unique shops, yummy cuisine and "the most educated hippies you'll ever meet" (quote courtesy of my dad) lies Yellow Springs Village. The entire town is covered in art: from side walk chalk drawings to the carefully crafted felt butterflies and yarn cozies adorning the trees! There is little to no crime (most of the police reports are of neighbors complaining about noisy dogs) and everyone is extremely kind. It's rare to walk by someone without exchanging a smile or a friendly "how's it going?"! Upon arrival, I was told there is only one rule in Yellow Springs: Do not judge. Wow! As my eyes wandered from colorful building to colorful building wondering which one to enter first, I suddenly made a striking observation: contrary to California, there's no litter! The people of this town really work together to keep their environment pristine. So refreshing!
After 2 1/2 years of working at Jamba Juice, I've developed a serious smoothie addiction. In search of a blended treat, my Dad, his girlfriend Jessica and I headed downtown (my brother, Caleb, was in school at the time).
Roughly 7 minutes later, we walked into the Spirited Goat Coffee House.
An explosion of patterns and pastels, this is by far one of the most unique cafe's I have ever set foot in! With a stage for open mic nights and original for-sale-artwork hung on the walls highlighting a new artist each week, I was completely in awe. It is definitely a place I will find myself spending a good amount of my time. And yes, my Strawberry Banana smoothie tasted fantastic!
With a shining sun and clear skies, who would want to stay inside? We soaked up the sunshine while enjoying our breakfast: made-to-order bagel breakfast sandwiches with asiago cheese, egg, turkey & roasted tomatoes from the local market and smoothies. Yum!
Jessica next to one of the many art retailers downtown. Art is a very important part of life here!
My brother getting in on the action within the painting. He blends right in!
One of the things I love looking at downtown is "The Alley", an alleyway covered in murals by varying artists. Ever-changing, someone has already begun painting a new one since I've been here!
In the short time I've been here, I have met so many open-minded, trusting, intelligent, creative, inspirational and unique people! The amount of culture in this town is incredible: it seeps from the cracks in the pavement, it shows itself in the dreadlocks and tattoos of well over half of the residents, it's in every cup of coffee, in the strokes of paint on the buildings, it flows on the beats drifting from the coffee shops and import houses... I am falling in love! Possibly the best part is that I've only begun to scratch the surface of this wonderful place! Stay tuned to see what other treasures and surprises this town holds! xx
At the golden hour of 5:45 am on the 8th of September, I departed on my next big adventure: a temporary relocation to Yellow Springs, Ohio (Yes, you read that properly. I said Ohio!). A small, eccentric and artistic college town surrounded by greenery and inhabited by people rumored to be some of the nicest in the country, I decided it was finally time to pay it a visit (my father lives there and has been begging me to come check it out for about a year now). Although born and raised in sunny Southern California, I am by no means attached to it. I'm not sure why, but I've always had a feeling I belong elsewhere, which brings me to why I made the decision to travel to Ohio: if it turns out I fall in love with it as hard & fast as my father did (it took him 2 days!), I am most likely going to permanently relocate to Ohio. It would be a huge leap in a new direction, but I'm unafraid and more ready than ever! For the next 2 months I will be posting from Yellow Springs & sharing it with all of you! I'm really excited to see what lies ahead and what this new town could possibly hold for me. With 2 plane tickets & a glossy Vogue September issue in hand, Ohio, here I come! xx
To get a little idea of what it's like, just click here!
In my 20 years of music-loving existence, I had never been to a concert. A little hard to believe, right!? After months of cyber-stalking one of our favorite rappers, Kid Cudi, my best friend Tiffany and I finally saw our opportunity to catch him live when he posted a touring schedule that hit a city relatively close to our hometown. Not only was this the perfect opportunity for us to get some quality time together since she currently lives 8 hours away from me, this was also a chance for me to finally attend a concert! And if that wasn't already enough, Tyler, The Creator was his opening act! It was a concert tailor made for me! As we excitedly plotted & planned our trip to San Diego for the show, we knew we needed to make room in our plans for girl talk and good eats. Here are a few photographs from the day!
We started our adventure with a round of tea from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
I felt like trying something new! After careful consideration, I settled on a Strawberry Cream Green Tea Iced Tea Vanilla Latte. A mouthful to say, but so delicious! I would order it again in a heartbeat!
After a 2 hour drive where we rapped along to Kid Cudi's entire Indicud album (his most recent release), we arrived at Phil's BBQ, a popular restaurant located in San Diego.
We both ordered BBQ Turkey Burgers & French Fries. We aren't sure what they put in their sauce, but it was to die for!
After rummaging through 3 different thrift stores in search of the perfect pair of overalls (a gem I was unsuccessful at finding) and a round of coffee to rouse us from our looming food comas, show time was upon us! Unfortunately, cameras weren't allowed inside the venue. So for your viewing pleasure, here are some photos taken with my iPhone:
Within the sea of sweaty bodies on the Arena floor, we danced, we laughed, we sang, we screamed, we jumped, we chanted, we lifted our hands & lost our voices in the process. Both artists performed songs from old and new albums. Cudi nearly made me cry with his heartfelt rendition of Pursuit of Happiness while Tyler had me hyped as I aggressively shouted out the lyrics to IFHY. Kid Cudi is an honest and incredibly talented visionary. Not only are his beats out of this world, the lyrical content of his songs always hits home. His songs are personal, like pages from a diary being shared with the world. If he comes to a town near you, I suggest paying his concert a visit! An unforgettable adventure, I'd say my first concert was an incredible success! xx
