Perfect Trip: SoCal Day 4 Santa Monica

Santa Monica

Three days inside LA is enough for me, but we aren’t going far.  Time to explore the coast! Santa Monica is LA’s window onto the Pacific, so we will start there. The Georgian is the sweetest hotel I have ever seen. I would love to stay there because of its great central location on Ocean Blvd, facing the beautiful Santa Monica Pier and beach. You cannot miss it; the walls are turquoise with a black and gold striped band around the top of the building; regardless of if you are staying here or somewhere else in Santa Monica (my family is a big believer of Priceline.com), you must start your day with lunch on The Georgian’s patio. The view is fantastic and the food is lovely. The sandwiches are large, fresh, and a must for all my friends who come to visit me.  

There is three-hour free parking on the streets directly behind Ocean Blvd. After lunch, simply work your way three streets behind you and walk down the famous 3^rd Street Promenade (my Master's thesis topic). The attraction is not the shops but the diverse menagerie of street performers you will see break dancing in groups of five or so, musicians of all kinds, belly dancers, mimes, acrobats, and so much more. This is a great experience and a memory you will talk about often. Especially if you get pulled into an act ending with a young man flying over you while you stand paralyzed until you hear his feet hit the ground and exhale as everyone starts to applaud loudly. 

Now, you are walking back toward the beach with less full bellies. Once you cross Ocean Blvd., walk along the ledge overlooking the ocean and take a few incredible pictures (there will be plenty of other onlookers you can ask to snag one of you and your travel buddies). Head to the iconic Pier, the historical end of Route 66, and let yourself have some fun. Play at least one of the games to participate in a tradition long experienced by Santa Monica visitors. Top the Pier experience off with a Ferris wheel ride for a unique and incredible view of the city and the beach. 

Now, ask one of the pier employees for the best place to rent a bike! This beach is luckily complimented with a wide bike path, which is one of my favorites. You will have an incredible time seeing all the other locals and visitors riding along, enjoying the sun and the views. If you are daring, you can choose from all types of “peddling” transpiration other than the traditional two-wheel bike, so go for it and get something flashy!  If you are a beachgoer, wear a bathing suit underneath your clothes to take a detour and play in the sand for a break. Or return your bike and then walk out to the beach for the rest of the day. 

If biking or sunbathing doesn't suit your fancy today, drive south down Ocean Ave. until you run into a unique shopping area. You will know when you are there as the streets will be lined with boutiques and stores of all kinds. This is also a great walking area for the explorer. 

There are several famous restaurants along Ocean Blvd. Once you have rinsed off the sand or just the sunblock, shimmy into something nice and have your choice of top-notch restaurants run by world-famous chefs.

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World Regional Geography: Overcoming Difficulties in Teaching this Class

New perspective: Second Semester as a Geography Professor  

One of the underlying themes that jumped out at me while I was reading my student evaluations from my first-semester of teaching was animosity toward the nature of the course itself. Those projected feelings were explicitly targeted at the circumference of the course, which for World Regional Geography is the entire world. As an instructor, handed a text book covering the physical, historical, political, environmental, social, economic, and cultural geography of the world’s dominate regions and expected to cover it within one semester is boggling, making it easy to sympathize with students. I, too, felt the walls closing in on me when I realized the pressure of teaching THE WORLD. 

Starting last semester (my first teaching this course), I had a sympathetic approach that gave an air of apologies for the enormity of information I would give my students and, consequently, testing them over. However, this did not create reciprocal sympathy from my students towards my endeavor of providing them with the best representation of a region to my abilities in only three days. Like I said previously, it instead created animosity towards the course, “covering way too much,” “requiring way too many notes,” and resulting in comments such as, “the whole world shouldn’t be covered, maybe half the regions.” I teach 9 of the 10-12 regions in your typical geography textbook (everyone is different). 

This is a topic among geographers at national and global conferences every year. “How do we approach World Regional Geography?” This is the course that introduces and pulls in “new recruits” to our discipline around the world. For most students pursuing an education in other fields, World Regional Geography is the key to giving them a window into the world and how it relates to their lives. These responsibilities traditionally handed to World Regional Geography professors are understandably substantial.   As a geography professor, the real difficulty is deciding what needs to be covered and what, resisting your own personal interests and desire to teach it ALL, can be overlooked.

However, back to the issue of animosity towards the responsibility we put on non-geography majors to absorb the immense amount of knowledge presented during a World Regional Geography course. To combat reading the same comments at the end of this semester, I took a new attitude into the first day of class: “if that does not spark your interest, then this is not the course for you.”

Yes, I spent the second half of the first day with my students going through the tell-tell signs they should look for other classes that match their interests in substitute for mine.  This may seem harsh, but by the early vital signs, I think both of my classes will be incredible learning experiences for every student. So what exactly did I say?

While there are other things I will detail in later articles, these were the three “kickers,” or most important reasons to either stay and “have one of the most influential and grand classes of your college career, or find another class to suit your “check out, and copy the board” approach of going to class, because that is not what I am offering.”

Firstly, I did not hide the large amount of work necessary to succeed in World Regional Geography. There were no blinders to hide the average 30-40 pages of notes (which I will explain in a later article) required to study for each exam, not to mention the complexity of those notes (covering several themes of geography). Instead, I pointed out the name of the course and made it clear I would do my best to give them an eye-opening experience in each of the world regions but to do that, there would be a world of information to give them and subsequently to study. This was presented as a responsibility for every student, not as a consequence of the class. 

My expectations are very high and include embracing the knowledge they willingly signed up to absorb. This was the first step in moving away from apologizing for the enormity of the class and giving the students the choice to commit themselves to be participant learners out of interest, even in the face of a huge task. This is a worldly class for knowledge-seeking students, not those only seeking a GE credit (general education). Now that this was made clear, I do not expect any more “maybe only cover half the world” comments, because it was a distinctive choice to take on the world, not half.

Secondly, I was honest about my perspective. Geography is a dynamic discipline; each geographer has a different specialty and most importantly a facet of geography that stirs their heart. Mine is cultural and historical geography. So, instead of apologizing for a historical-geographic viewpoint leading the classroom, I explained my background and why I believe that view best explains the territories grouped together we call “world regions” today. Then I simply said, “if the examples I just provided do not give you an “aw ha” moment and/or the thought of hearing about how the physical and cultural geography influenced the history of a region/country, while at the same time learning how history influenced the cultural geography we see today, then this is not the class for you.”


We all have different interests and backgrounds. College, therefore, should not be a place to check off your core classes but to apply the knowledge you gain from the diverse mix you pick to those interests and specialties. This makes students more marketable and well-rounded and prepares them for a lifetime of new information, continually enhancing or questioning their perceived knowledge. There are so many “electives” to choose from on a college campus and all have their own unique way of improving a student’s overall education, however every “elective” is not for every student. Now, I do not dread comments regarding “too much history.” That is my training and perspective; plenty of courses and even World Regional Geography classes from a different perspective are available. The four students who did not come back the next day will be much more engaged in other classes, and I am glad they are seeking the type of course that interests them most. 

The third “kicker” I divulged was the most intriguing to most students, I presume, from their reactions. Teaching for me is centered on facilitating, a part of my training at CSULB that I will discuss in a later article. Specifically, this means, “I do not want to talk for an hour and a half and spoon-feed you information to store in your brains and then spit out on a test.” Instead, my goal is to “get the information from you. I want to facilitate conversation and discussions that ultimately lead the entire class to the main point.” For this type of classroom environment to happen and be as much encouraged by students as I am, students have to make a commitment to participate. Not only a commitment to me but also to each other. To my delight, that is exactly what I witnessed. 

After explaining this type of atmosphere and why it was necessary for the class's success, I asked them to stand up and raise their hand if they intended to stay and commit to being a vital part of a learning community. Everyone stood up and reacted excitedly to being expected to talk back to their professor. We covered some key concepts necessary for the rest of the course and used them to show how I would conduct the class. Almost every other sentence is a question posed to the class to interpret, give examples, opinions, objections, or explain.

Most students in both classes kept their commitments, and the first two days were full of insightful hypotheses, ideas, and examples they used to make the topics personal and understandable for them and others. Therefore, I hope to put to bed the comments of “too many questions,” “expects us to know more already,” and “too high of expectations.” These students made a visible commitment to their classmates, and the initial results have been very promising. 

In all, this semester I chose to be clear about what I expected from my students and what they should be prepared to undertake in my class before they fully committed. It is now in their hands to make this class what they want it to be, instead of being subject to an impossibly large body of information, imposed by a sympathetic professor. Now, they are engaged, active learners willingly taking on the responsibilities of the class. 

I cannot wait for week two! 

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Perfect Trip: SoCal Day 3 LA and Runyon Canyon

Los Angeles & Runyon Canyon 


You are tired; give yourself a late wake-up; today is going to be ACTIVE! For lunch, stop by Toast. The area is neat for shopping or strolling, so take a walk and have a fabulous lunch. The food is great, and there is a large variety.  Everyone can find something, but the bakery will undoubtedly satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth! 

For the rest of the afternoon, you will see the great outdoors inside the LA city limits. Runyon Canyon is your next destination. Almost every weekend, I made one trip to Los Angeles, but not for the typical reasons. Izzi and I would spend up to three hours hiking Runyon Canyon. This local favorite hiking spot is only a few blocks behind Hollywood Blvd. Give yourself time to find parking! By the end of my time in California, Izzi and I could take off on our own “off the beaten path” trails and never see a sole.  

one of the beautiful hidden paths in Spring 

 This would allow us to leave behind the hikers, walkers, sunglasses, hat-wearing celebrities, and the unfortunate few tourists who decided it was okay to leave their pumps and tiny blazers on for this outdoor sightseeing opportunity. However, for the day tripper, I suggest staying on the path. I spotted Cat Deeley, Amy Smart (whipped cream bikini in Varsity Blues), Robert Downey Jr., one of the guys from Gossip Girl, and a few others on the primary paths and viewpoints, so you will have a good chance of running into a celebrity while getting a great work out. At the top viewing point, you have a direct eye-level shot of the famous Hollywood sign on the next mountain (skip that hike and try Runyon). What a fantastic photo opportunity! This is also the time to take in your surroundings. As a geographer, I love to have a viewpoint, and this one is amazing. You can see all of Los Angeles, and on a clear day, all the way to the ocean. See how many of the Hollywood hot pots you can point out… Chinese Theater? Magic Castle? Rodeo? 

not one of those clear days, but still beautiful 

great place to take a unique shot of you & the Hollywood Sign

Comme Ça is a classy French restaurant that was always outside my price range, but the bar area is open to everyone. It sits right inside the middle of the restaurant, giving you a great vantage point over the diners. Stay for dinner or grab a drink, but it’s a must on my list. I saw my mom’s and my favorite soap star, Michelle Stafford (Phyllis off Young and the Restless), here, and she is, laughably, the only star I almost ran after, but I didn’t, regretfully. Take in the sophisticated atmosphere and wonderful aromas. The area has several bars and a busy, entertaining neighborhood to wander through.  If you skipped Comme Ca for dinner, there is a restaurant down the street with a large open patio.  I cannot remember the name, but I remember how great the food was! 

I always enjoyed dancing, taking in the history, and people at Teddy’s, at the Roosevelt Hotel (perhaps you are staying there!). The DJ always played great music and the crowd is constantly changing. Sorry I can’t comment on the drinks at any of these places (I’ve never been a drinker), but if you get restless you can always walk around the historic hotel itself.

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Perfect Trip: SoCal Day 2 LA at it's best!

Los Angeles

If you are a shopper, which I am not, but can still have fun walking down beautiful streets, head to North Larchmont Boulevard. This strip is full of fun stores and is a beautiful pedestrian-friendly area to walk through and do a little window shopping. Whichever of the tourist sights you didn’t get to the first day, finish up today because we are leaving LA soon! 

Also, stars get their ‘stars’ on Hollywood Blvd pretty regularly. So, if seeing a celebrity is a must for you, then look at the schedule and plan to include the duration of your trip to cover an ‘unveiling.’ If you have done this, it would be a great day to visit Hollywood Blvd and hear the celebrities give speeches about their achievements and gratitude. I made sure to do this while I was in California, and lucky enough, I could see Russell Crowe get his star. He was precious and so thankful.  Jay Leno and a few others were also there to congratulate, which is typical.  

 

For my Frogs, I swear that's Boschini! ha ha

The food in Los Angeles is fantastic, so pick a place nearby, and if all else fails, always go for the fish tacos! I will forever be addicted. When your arms are full or your feet are tiered, head back to the room to get all dressed up for dinner at Cravings. It is right on Sunset Blvd and gives you a great view of the strip and all the beautiful and unique people walking by. Edward Burns parked right in front of our table while my sister was visiting, so she got her celebrity fix that day! P.S. There is free parking right behind the restaurant.

My favorite places to go out in Los Angeles are the Den, where you can eat good food, so some dancing, and is also just a great place to people watch from a booth or out on the patio. The Den is close to Chateau Marmont, the famous hotel where all the A-list stars stay. There is a small but very cool Bar Marmont right next door that is frequented by both up-and-coming talent and full-blown stars. We missed Prince Harry here by minutes. So, head in that direction for a different feel. 

Bar Marmont

You will be hungry by the time they kick you out, and luckily for you, right down the street is the best late-night taco place in Los Angeles. Pinches Tacos on Sunset is on a corner and parking in the back. Sit out in front with your fried shrimp tacos and take in the Strip and all the fun cars driving by. 

If sweets are more your thing, be sure and swing by Swingers Cafe where the cupcakes are delicious and come in such crazy and wonderful flavors, like, cookies & cream, sherbet, sprinkles, and the goodies like red velvet ;)! The Café is old school, with a 50s feel; you choose your cupcake by browsing the huge cake stands displayed along the snaking bar. This is such a fun experience at a truly local hangout.

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Perfect Trip: SoCal Day 1

Your perfect trip to Southern California

Planning a trip to California? Let me help! This blog series will include the perfect tips and ideas to plan an incredible trip to SoCal based on my personal favorite places and activities! Each day of the trip will be its own post, so keep checking back for a full two weeks of beaches, cities, restaurants, and hidden places to choose from (Geographically from Malibu to San Diego). 

While I am so happy with my career, being close to family, and most importantly, being in the same state as my fiancé, I cannot help but miss my life in California. I made every day count and feel like I truly got to experience the best parts of Southern California. When living in a new place, it is hard to go and be out and experience the place on your own, but it also gives you incredible freedom to live and see what makes your heart warm.

For me, that was being outside. I miss the lifestyle I led in California more than anything else. During the week, I woke up and walked Izzi down to the park that overlooked the beach to play ball for a little while before I biked the 40 minutes to class. The ride home was just as tough as the bike ride there. Long Beach is incredibly hilly, so the trip was literally uphill. But it was worth it; the streets were lined with precious homes, amazing flowers, and trees that only an out-of-stater could appreciate. I would spend the rest of the day sitting on my little porch in the sun, reading for my classes or thesis literature review with Izzi stretched out under my chair.

 

my little porch

On the weekends, we (Izzi and I) hit the road. We saw everything and loved every second. Over the next few weeks, I will be laying out my perfect trip to Southern California based on my adventures and experiences. This will be filled with my tips, secret favorite places, and actual day plans you can follow on your trips to SoCal. 

Day 1. Los Angeles

Flying into LAX is the best way to go, and it is a great central location. To venture outside your hotel in California, you need a car. So rent yourself a little sedan and get going to avoid that terrible LA traffic. Stay wherever you can get a great deal because you will have to drive no matter what. But, if you have the freedom, I recommend the Roosevelt on Hollywood Blvd.  On your first day, stick to the traditional sites like Rodeo Rd., Hollywood Blvd., and Chinese Theater and visit the Grove and Farmers’ Market for a fun shopping experience and possible celebrity sighting. I would skip the first two, but if you must, get them out of the way. 

For lunch, take a different look at LA and wander past the numerous and diverse stalls in Grove’s Farmers’ Market. You will be surprised by the greatness of the food, and the people-watching is priceless. The desert stand in the middle displaying cupcakes (the size of your fists put together) has the best red velvet cupcakes I’ve ever had (and I have a heavy resume for tasting them). 

For your first night, venture over to Los Feliz area of Los Angeles. My favorite restaurant in all of LA is Figaro’s Bistro. This jewel is straight out of a Parisian painting, with small sidewalk tables topped with candles. Inside are low-hanging chandeliers and a dark atmosphere that is so romantic whoever is sitting across from you will start to look like Paul Walker (my Hollywood crush, but insert yours). The first time I visited, I was walking by with my friend Hayley, and I was so taken aback by how precious this place as we sat outside and shared a crumpet (yes, a crumpet).




Until a beautiful white Mercedes Benz pulled up to the curb, Hayley and I had been completely oblivious of Paula Abdul sitting two small tables away. As she stood up and quickly got in the car, we both said, “She is so little!” Could be the smallest woman I have ever seen. At another time, my sister and I saw Natalie Portman here, pre-Oscar. 



the other side, "the lounge," is my favorite part of the restaurant

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DCC: Letting Go - Kalli Fullerton's Goodbye to Seasons 2 and attempt number 2

After being called into the office, when Brittany was asked to help me through the last week, I left training camp knowing my future was not stitched with blue and white.  As you might have been able to tell from the cameo shoot, my heart had begun to face that being a DCC was not a likely possibility. At the last performance night before the photo shoot we were asked to perform a dance with two versions. We had learned the extended version the night before and were told, almost as a fleeting thought, something like, “We also do this to another song and change the order.” Well, of course, the next night, Kelli and Judy asked to see the version I had not even practiced (ironically choosing to rigorously rehearse the long version, thinking Kelli and Judy would surely ask to see it).

 As you can tell, I am exactly an 8-count ahead of my group. When the routine called for the first glance to the right, I felt a dagger in my stomach.  I felt like everything was in slow motion as I took a deep breath and told myself, “You have to keep going.” It was a tough internal battle, and my smile was almost painful. Realizing you have been completely off when seconds before you were confident and possibly enjoying performing for the first time all summer is, to say the least, discomforting. I reluctantly tried to block the reality out of my mind and focus. Rather than perform for the cameramen in front of me, I amateurishly directed my attention to Marie in hopes of remembering the 2^nd version of the routine.

Kelli and Judy’s song choices during performance nights are something I resisted up until my last performance in front of them at Cowboys Stadium. Regardless of the songs I thought they would choose both in 2011 and 2006, Kelli and Judy seem to be devoted to their favorite handful. Unfortunately, I think whatever your least favorite dance is, that’s the one your group always gets, while you only get to perform your favorites for your reflection in the mirror. Every performance night, my group was given the most hip-hop of dances to a song I had never heard before camp.  And sure enough, that was the last dance I will ever perform in my life.

Once the night had ended, I felt like it was surely my last. Being called into the office with Brittany was difficult. I had grown to adore her, and when she said before Kelli and Judy even asked her to help, “I want her on the team too,” I lost it. I am not sure I would have taken the second chance if Brittany had not been in the room. That week of camp, one of the veterans said that when she was going through her first year of training camp, a vet told her, “Remember, you love to do this!” And I looked down at the floor and thought, “do I love this?”  I love to perform, and I would have loved to cheer on the Cowboys and be all that is a DCC. However, only someone truly a dancer by heart can dedicate that much time to DCC and have it fill their spirit. This would have been true even for me in 2006, but my ambitions had changed by the time I had the opportunity to try out again when I wasn't in school. 

I auditioned again because I had wanted to be a DCC for as long as I can remember, but mostly because during my time at training camp in 2006, I saw what a family the cheerleaders are to each other. I longed to be a part of a beautiful group of women who got to experience all the things reserved for their special feet alone. From a distance, seeing the lifelong friendships I might have been a part of is one of the hardest things to overcome. That desire to be part of those friendships and the organization as a whole is what ultimately brought me back.

Waking up the day of the first field practice, I was both nervous and sad. Sitting in front of my mirror propped up against the wall, with my makeup spread out all around me, I felt like I was going into battle. I put on my makeup like it was the last time I would do so. I did not rush and finally had time to straighten my hair. It felt like the last time, and I soaked it in. 

I packed my bag and slowly pulled myself into my car to face the giant. I stopped at the gas station and picked up a large water, two energy bars, skittles, a chicken sandwich, and a Dr. Pepper. Unfortunately, I only got one gulp of the Dr. Pepper and a mouth full of skittles down before I hit the field. I arrived at Cowboys Stadium three hours before the actual practice start time. This was to film Britt and me practicing. Before this moment, I would have defended the show as “reality.”

Even though the entire story for each TCC cannot be told, and there will always be gaps, I have to say the events you see for most of the show are real. Yes, some moments are “created” (the rolling out of the white board… both auditions that took at least 5 takes), but those moments did happen and reflect reality, just from a better angle. These “better angle moments” are a way to condense what we go through. However, I knew when Britt and I left the locker room after Kelli’s suggested "help" there would hardly be time on either side for extra practice. Fortunately, Brittany could come and help me with two of the ~18 dances we learned, but that was the extent of this last resort for my case. 

I had agreed to come to this last “better angle moment” at the stadium for an opportunity to arrive earlier than everyone else for practice time. This, however, was a grave mistake. We shot Brittany’s whole-hearted attempt at bettering my dance abilities twice. By the time we got back into the locker room, I had just enough time to change, ask Becca to fluff my hair, and quickly (frantically) run the two dances I thought we would be asked to perform, simultaneously praying for "Thunder" to be heard over the speakers. This was the song/dance for the stadium entrance and the ultimate "cheer," old school dance, and, of course, my favorite (regrettably, we were not asked to perform it). What did I not have time to do… eat.

The first task we were dealt with on the field was the DCC introduction. From the outside, this may seem like a basic, relatively straightforward combination. However, it was the very thing I had dreaded most all summer. Like the second round of auditions, you are taught something foreign and unlike anything you have tried. This is never going to end well for me. The arm movements are big, and when you mess up, it is obvious. The arm movements have similarities (up circle, down circle, right circle, HIT, up circle, out circle, right Hit, left Hit), making the sequence easy to forget. So, instead I seem to have kept my arms tight and tense and just look like I have no idea what came next. That is exactly how I felt, too.

I expected to not pick up the intro, what I did not expected was doing it until I got it right (well, until Judy realized I was never going to get it right at least). This required five tries down the field and five runs back to the in-zone. Mixing that with no food did not have a good result on the next leg of the night’s activities.  After the first dance, I felt like I was going to faint and quickly turned away from the stands after the music stopped. The second dance was worse; having to touch the ground more than once, I fell twice. Luckily, the wonderful crew gave me granola bars and helped me to the bench.  After inhaling the two bars and sitting still, I felt much better. But, if I didn't know it already, I knew it then; I had just signed off on my release from camp.

I joined the veterans to do the kick line; I was close to the middle and next to two of my favorite vets. I closed my eyes, looked down at the star, and up into the empty stands and thought, “You got close.”

Landing in the jump split with DCC veterans on each side of me and giving it my all once more in the face of adversity, I gazed past my fingertips and was proud. It has been almost four months since that night, and while I am so happy with my life, I am conflicted about how hard it truly is to give up. There is honestly no room in my life for one more responsibility, yet the fact I have to walk away with the goal twice at my fingertips is difficult. My nature is to push and push until I reach whatever I am working for. However, I can honestly say, for the second time… God always knows best. And for whatever challenge or dream is next in line, I had better prepare because I have a vendetta out for rising above the circumstances and reaching a seemingly unattainable goal.

I love this picture,  I am the only one walking through the moves as the vets show us how the kick line is supposed to look, and like always, I am sticking out from the crowd.

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