LinX

Let's talk hot dogs. Finding a good textured, well-constructed, superb tasting vegetarian hot dog doesn't come easy, but when I find those hidden gems out there, I relish every last one of 'em. [Pun intended!]

One of the very best hot dogs I've had the pleasure of ingesting was in cute little Old Town nestled inside Orange, California. LinX had me at pretzel bun and really won me over with all of their interesting housemade condiments.

Jumping all over their vegan dog deluxe on a pretzel bun with grilled jalapeños and onions, I had a really hard time deciding which sauces to try, so I opted for a few while salivating over them all: honey BBQ, lemon aioli and "trinity" (ketchup/mayo/mustard)...all of which paired well with the dog and implemented as perfect dipping sauces for the delicious Belgian frites!

Also notable: they do burritos. Yep, get your bad boys wrapped in a flour tortilla with all the Mexican fixins.





Location: 238 W Chapman Avenue Orange, California 92866
Neighborhood: Old Town

fruits and veggies sleeve

It's been a long time coming, but after years of searching I finally found the perfect artist to make this dream a reality. Terry completed my sleeve in just five sessions over two short months and I'm extremely happy with the finished product, I really couldn't have envisioned it better!

For those of you interested, the magical tattoo wizard was Terry Ribera owner/tattoo artist at Remington Tattoo in San Diego, California.

Baby Ains on a Hardtail

I grew up riding on the back of my Opa's Dyna Wide Glide Harley Davidson, so when I drove up to Manhattan Beach to see my good friend Kingston last weekend it was an honor that he not only allowed, but OFFERED for me to take his motorcycle around the block.





Don't bother mentioning the shoes, this obviously wasn't planned and definitely spur of the moment... plus, I survived! Cross that off the bucket list.

Here's a video Kingston sneaked:

Monterey Bay

After leaving Castroville, it was only necessary to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium on our venture back to San Diego. This was easily one of my favorite aquariums (and I've been to A LOT of aquariums). It's located on Canary Row, which has to be the cutest wharf with a beautiful waterfront. Wish we had more time to spend here...


my favorite of all the jellies ♥







portobello sandwich with blue cheese, roasted red peppers and aioli...
and garlic fries

This place, Lilly Mae's, truly has the best cinnamon rolls:
maple apple cinnamon

our souvenirs

Artichoke Festival 2012

I can't believe it's been over a month since I visited Castroville, CA and attended the Artichoke Festival! Every year I tell myself that I'm going and this year I finally made that dream come true! My friend Nate flew in from Salt Lake and we made the seven hour drive together.





We got to take a tour of the fields and pick our own artichokes!





Ours.

Grilled artichoke, my favorite. I got three.

Fried artichokes with Tapatio.

Artichoke taquitos.

Artichoke soup.

Last but not least, artichoke cupcake.



Working on her artichoke mermaid.

Artichoke flamingos!


Our charming bed and breakfast, Captains Inn.







Cutest decor.


Even the keys were adorable.




Truly one of the most magical experiences of my life.