Hip Hop Academy

So we don't know too many people in our neighborhood, but that number seems to grow every day. Just the other night I was walking Loulou when I smelled some fantastic pizza and stopped in for a bite. The table next to me struck up a conversation (as is the case when you have a dog as cute as her) and one thing led to another, before we were all exchanging phone numbers. One girl in the group worked as a teacher/ nature specialist at the nearby Academy of Arts and Sciences and invited us to the Conscious Hip Hop night. She got us comped tickets and free passes to the Planetarium.

The Academy of Arts and Sciences is a giant museum right in the middle of Golden Gate park that we have passed many times, but hadn't had the opportunity to go in. A Thursday night with service bars set up around the museum supplying plenty of beers and cocktails, while hip hop sounds throughout the museum from underneath the Blue Whale skeleton.

 Sea urchin petting

 Aquarium you can walk under

 Awesome planetarium

 DJ

 Jen and her bug

 Jellyfish

This museum was recently renovated entirely about 4 years ago and I have to say, it is by far the most impressive museums I've ever been in in terms of style and engagement and definitely one of the best for its exhibits. It's hard to top such museums as the Egyptian Museum and the Met, but this is a new favorite. We'll be back.

San Francisco So Far

So, we made it here and the blog took a backseat to all the business we had going on. What can we say aside from eagerly anticipating our next box to arrive and quickly installing everything inside it, before we were tasked with what else to get for the apartment. A small apartment is easy to fill and we are already pretty settled aside from the TV and couch we are still deciding on, but those aren't essential by any means.

SO for those of you who want a peek into our inner city lives (and who doesn't, it's thrilling finding the grocery store at this point) here are a few shots of the apartment.

Where we walk Louloudi is in the fantastic Golden Gate park just two blocks away. Since moving in, we have discovered that dog owners run this neighborhood and there are plenty of dog friendly restaurants, stores and even pubs! The best spot is a dog run that right next to us where lots of dogs and their keepers mingle. Louloudi loves her walks and is always eager to get to the park to play with about 3-6 other dogs at any given time.

Then we made our way north to Baker Beach, which is renowned for its view of the Golden Gate bridge, as well as being a wonderful place for dogs to roam free. Jen had planned the trip as her Valentine's Day present to me and packed a wonderful picnic of fresh cheese, wine and bread from the farmers market, salmon and some wonderful artichoke dip. We gorged and laid in the sand, while watching the Golden Gate bridge seemingly disappear in the distant fog. We watched surfers ride their skimboards on the waves and the hobbyist fishermen catch Dungeness crabs. Louloudi ran til her hearts content until she was a big lump of exhausted dog.

Then our very romantic candlelit Valentine's Dinner, sans plates (yet to arrive) and a simple dinner together.

That's our live in San Francisco so far. Soon there will be much more to update!

Life with Liebels

After leaving Paros, we landed in New York. Deprived of bagels, taxis and large buildings, we certainly indulged ourselves while there. Four fast paced days were spent bouncing from one event to the next with a small scared dog who was not so quick to adjust to her new surroundings. I got to catch up with some old Parian friends, Pascal and Alex, who were in NY for a day. We saw our friends Scott, Sarah, Alexei and Katie for a birthday dinner and then a great party afterwards. I hung out with friend Nils, whom I met in Paros, but now lives in Brooklyn. So I left Greece to basically see all my friends from Greece. Jen had her fill of the city and was soon required to take off for Buffalo, while I had two more days to spend in the city and get some work done. 

After a whirlwind 4 days, I headed to Los Angeles to see my dear sisters and close family. The warm up to Christmas was marked with lots of togetherness. We barely left the house, but we had such a wonderful time. The girls were out of school, the house was packed with family and we had so much food and wine to keep us busy for days. 

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 Making masks to fool around with. We had a Mom, Dad and YiaYia mask to boot!

 Cheesy photo grin

 Christmas Dinner

 Everyone dressed up for the occasion.

 Two wiiild and crazy guys.

 Mimi and Zoe

 Family Christmas Tree

 Candlelight church service

 Dance party with Baba

 Julie got the third edition of her lovely blog book from me.

 There was a new kitten that Santa brought that everyone loved very much.

It was a joyous Christmas and it seemed like we all never wanted it to end, but this is the holidays and we just roll one occasion into the next. Next up, Michelle and I moved over to see San Francisco. Our mission was to find an apartment, visit some old friends, introduce me to the town and have some fun. We accomplished all of this except an apartment, but I did get a very good idea of the neighborhoods and where I will want to live.

 So long 2010!

 The famous Painted Ladies

 Mimi helping me find a great place.

 Lovely dinner with some old friends Corey and Katie.

After our trip, I left for Boston for a few days for a business conference and then came back to see my Mom on her first trip to Bakersfield, CA to see the little ones, as well as, her first time meeting little Jack. Unfortunately, I took zero pictures during this trip, but we had a great time relaxing at home, playing games, going to Athena's kindergarten, an art museum and lots of trips to the playground. After she took off, I had plenty of work to do after some added responsibilities to my position. I've been staying at Julie's house for the holidays and more now, so I feel I've become part of the routine a little.

 My office.

 A typical evening of bedtime stories and playing with the kitten.

Dash(ell)

That's all, then tomorrow it's back to San Francisco for round 2 of apartment hunting!

Always Snowing in Buffalo

As much as I dislike shoveling, I love snow. Buffalo, luckily, is a great place to experience snow almost every day! And at least I know LouLou is a girl after my own heart.