Friday, September 28, 2018

Ghostland in polka dots

This past month I got to host another one of my friend's Ghostland events. I absolutely love working these events because they are so much fun. It's also my only chance to dress up like a ghost and still be in bed by 10:30pm. 

I am glad I finally got to wear this top and skirt together. I designed them six years ago and knew one day I would rock it. Didn't know I would be 5 months pregnant when I finally did wear it...







Top: Made by me, Spring 2012 Collection
Skirt: Made by me, Spring 2012 Collection
Sunglasses: from a vintage store on Melrose 
Necklace: from Urban Outfitters 15 years ago....


Monday, September 24, 2018

Retro Airbnb in Tijuana


When I planned my first trip to Tijuana, I knew I wanted it to be epic. I have a good friend who lives there but didn’t want to impose on his lodging (at the time he was living with an ex) so I decided to book an Airbnb with two bedrooms in the city center so we could enjoy Revolucion Avenue in the day and night.
I let him narrow the list of options down since he lived there and knew the area, and when we settled on three, I decided that one was too far and the other two basic. So I splurged and book the most expensive one.

The place we got was a concrete condo with a very reto vibe. Eclectic furnishings and a record player. It took me a little while to get used to the cement staircase with no railing, but every time I came down the steps to the sound of Nat King Cole I felt like I truly was on vacation.




The apartment is in the Colonia Cacho, a stylish neighborhood that melted my heart from the instant I saw it. I would much prefer to live here than the area around Revolucion.



Thursday, September 20, 2018

The Joy of Mezcal


Mezcal is the often ignored cousin of Tequila – a distilled liquor made from a type of agave, with a strong smoky flavor. I first had Mezcal at a bar in Portland. The bartender said it was like tequila, only smokey, and I like tequila and I like smokey, so I gave it a try.
I won’t say it was love at first taste, in fact I didn’t like my drink at all. But I liked the idea of myself as a person who like atypical things, so Mezcal joined the ranks of my signture liquors.

Eventually my taste buds caught up with my ego and I got to love mezcal. You can imagine my excitement when I learned that Tijuana is actually a great place to experience this liquor in all its wonderful forms – there are even bars like La Mezcalera and El Tiniebloe Mezcal room that are dedicated to it!

This is a catalogue of every way I tried Mezcal in Tijuana.


La Justina
LA Justina is my favorite bar in Tijuana for cocktails. It is almost always where I begin my night with some fancy drink before heading elsewhere...

With lavender and watermelon 
 

With cucumber, smoked bay leaf and rose petals 
 

With grapefruit and thyme 


Bartender’s choice


Mezcal Bars

I love La Mezcalera but never stay long. They play of a lot of trance and techno which I hate, and it gets very crowded with hipsters as the night goes on. 

With tamarind at La Mezcalera


With cream in a flight at La Mezcalera



EL TInieblo is a tiny speakeasy that feels like a time machine. Loved the ambiance. 

With hibiscus at El Tinieblo 



Random Bars


With tamarind and Cine Tonola.
A fantastic bar on the third floor of the cinema with stunning views and excellent cocktails.






As a shot at Dandy del Sur 
Classic shot at the oldest bar in Tijuana....




With Chamoy at Loki café. My friend's go-to place.




Fancy Restaurants



With lime and soda in Verde y Crema


With absinth, Aperol, St. Germain, and bitters at Nortico, a speakeasy at Oryx Capital.  



With tropical fruit, tangerine, lemon and salt at Mision 19 - th best restaurant in Tijuana. 




Across the border...


So I know this is supposed to be a post on Tijuana, but I didn't want to ignore the great Mezcal margeritas I had in San Diego. In a Margarita with salt in San Diego 



Sunday, September 16, 2018

Photo Diary: Best of Tijuana


One of my favorite cities on earth is neither beautiful by nature nor by design. It doesn’t photograph well and is hard to complement, even in words.
But I love it. Every pot hole and plastic bag. Every sun-bleached roof and graffiti-splattered wall. These photos are by no means beautiful images. They do little in the way of evoking the character and intrigue of this dynamic city. Instead they are photographs of my emotion, heart and sole, for this place.



























Rainy Days in the City

 These days we do lunch indoors with the rainy cold weather that Portland winters always bring. This day's lunch was in the lobby of the...