On the Streets of San Diego

Silent Disco Picnic

Imagine you’re driving and you see the guy in the next lane rocking out to the same song you are! You catch each other’s glance mid lip-synch to Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ and smile. “She took the midnight train going annyyywheeere.” Suddenly there’s a party in the middle of a stalled 405 and you’re the only two cool kids invited.

A silent disco party is kind of like that.

Main entry: Silent disco party

Part of speech: Noun

Definition: A dance party in which every attendee wears headphones tuned into the dj’s frequency

Synonym: A musical day dream with hundreds of singing and dancing extras

Antonym: Awkward silence

It sounds weird, I know, and don’t get me wrong- it is.

But it’s pretty cool at the same time.

My sistah from another mistah, Tomasa, and I recently went to a silent disco picnic party powered by Silent Storm Sound System on the rooftop of the adorable boutique hotel in West Hollywood, Palihouse. We check in the lobby and pick up our headphones along with a picnic basket full of rose wine, sandwiches, cookies, water, and a blanket. After a short elevator ride we step onto an astro-turf covered rooftop with a great view of the Hollywood Hills and tons of blue sky. It’s such an impressive view that Mas and I both let out a ‘whoa’ upon entering. We stake out a little spot against the railing facing all the action, prime real estate for people watching.

Hipsters, fashionistas, punks, and preppies all mingle together playing beanbags, ping-pong, and drinking. It seems that the established couples sprawl out on blankets, first daters keep at an arm’s length distance at the picnic tables, and singles walk around from social circle to social circle with Stella in hand. I overhear quite a few winning pick-up lines- one being ‘Wait, you’re gay right?’ For the sake of the man in question, let’s hope.  

The dj is set up along the side and spinning everything from Top 40 to oldies to indies. 

Wine. Music. Sun. It’s the stuff weekends are made are.

The headphone idea is genius. The apartment dwellers living a stone’s throw away probably don’t even know there is a full-blown party yards above them. It’s surprisingly easy to carry out a conversation. You can simply turn your volume down or position the headphones to cover one ear- acting as the accompanying soundtrack to your life just like in the movies. Having the option to opt out of the music is actually kind of nice. It’s like going into that quiet bedroom in the house to grab a sweatshirt when the party’s cracking in the living room. You just want to stay in there for 60 seconds for a little peace to recharge your battery before hopping back into party mode. Another example: A pool party in Vegas. Your ears are ringing from clubbing the night before and the poolside speakers are shrieking remixes. Being able to choose something more siesta than fiesta could be just what the hangover ordered.

As the sun goes down, the music picks up along with the dancing. It’s a feel-good vibe with lots of laughs and drunkies talking loudly over the music in their heads. (Maybe those neighbors can hear us now.) 
Here’s a video of the day because a party's bff is a good photo opp.

Miss Adventure’s Disco Tips:

1. A Silent Disco Party is great for a first date as the event itself is an icebreaker. It’s also an awesome group event. I’d love to come again and bring the crew.

2. At Palihouse, there is a food and drink station on the roof. Though, food is pricy and the menu is limited. If you plan on staying awhile I’d suggest bringing some snacks or eating light before.

3. Wear something comfortable for both day and evening weather. 

Very, very quietly rocking out 

The Happiest Place on Earth: Disneyland

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a freak for all things Disney. Twenty-four (and counting) vinylmations live on my desk and watch me work, I have an annual Disneyland pass which I take full advantage of on low-key Friday nights, and my favorite movie of all time is Wall-E. (It’s just so magical!) As a kid growing up in Illinois, we would take family vacations to Disney World in Orlando about once a year. The Disney magic just never gets old. Every time I walk down Main Street USA the buttered popcorn smells, the muted sounds of a ragtime piano, & the inevitable smile that creeps on my face transports me back to the three year old me who couldn’t pronounce her R’s. “I can’t beweave wehwe weally hewe.” Disney marketers & Imagineers. Big props. You guys know the power nostalgia has on the heartstrings of lifelong consumers like Pocahontas knows that river.

So I couldn’t think of how I’d rather spend my 25^th birthday than at the happiest place on earth. My two best friends, Mary and Wodek, from Chicago flew out to California for the big weekend making me the happiest girl on earth. Nick had been to Disneyland once (actually it was one of our first dates years ago- obviously he passed, I mean, it was fun) but the girls were first timers. It became an entirely different experience for me seeing the park through their eyes. This is starting to sound super cheeseball. But for one day we were just four monkeys running wild- like sugar drunk toddlers who broke free of those disturbing animal-kiddie leashes.

Seriously, the whole weekend was a fairytale and I still feel like a princess. I made a video to immortalize our special day.

Lines weren’t crazy long, the weather was Orange County usual- beautiful, we utilized our fast passes very strategically, which maximized our ride quota. All right, pin the Mickey ears on the nerd. If you REALLY want to geek out with me, take a peek at some interesting Disneyland insight found in my friend David Hoffman’s book,

Disneyland: Little-Known Facts About Well-Known Places. He has books in the same format on other places in the world that are equally as fascinating. I love this stuff. Here are a few fun Disneyland facts that David dug up:

- The official street address of Disneyland is 1313 Harbor Boulevard.  Because there were no buildings (and hence no street addresses) in the neighborhood at the time that the park was under construction, Walt was able to select the number.  The most common explanation for his choice is that 'M' is the thirteenth letter in the alphabet – thereby making the address "MM", or an abbreviation for Mickey Mouse.  But '1313' was also the number that the Disney artists had previously used as Donald Duck's address (and '313') was the license plate on Donald Duck's car), so it is probably more likely that Walt liked the number '13' and simply considered it lucky.

- Even at its fastest, Space Mountain never goes more than 30.3 mph

- For the first year Disneyland was in operation, the Main Street Penny Arcade included a shooting gallery that used real guns – live ammunition .22-caliber rifles. 

- Initially, among the stores on Main Street (it was in the house that has the front porch, between the Silhouette Shop and the China Closet) was the Hollywood Maxwell Corset Shop, also known as "The Wizard of Bras".

- The gold decorating the exterior of It's A Small World isn't paint but, in fact, 22K-gold leaf.  And not just because it looks amazing; gold leaf is, over time, more cost-effective – since it does not need to be replaced as often. 

- In the mid-1960s, when the novelty of the Submarine Voyage started to diminish, Disneyland executives attempted to liven it up with live mermaids wearing bikini tops.  The gimmick didn't last long, however;  the park was already dealing with how to stop young male guests from jumping into the lagoon and swimming out to have their photos taken with the maidens when several of the performers reportedly started getting sick from the chemicals in the water.

- When President Harry Truman - a Democrat - visited Disneyland In 1957, he refused to ride on Dumbo, as he did not wish to be photographed with a giant elephant, the symbol of the Republican Party.

- The underground, inter-terminal train that has been operating at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston since 1981 replicates the exact mechanical design of the Tomorrowland PeopleMover and is the only transportation system outside of a Disney park that was built by the Walt Disney Company.

Miss Adventure’s D-Land Tips:

1. A park hopper pass allows back & forth admittance to both California Adventure & Disneyland. I'd recommend one of these as there are must-sees in both parks.

2. After you buy your ticket, get a fast pass in California Adventure for The World of Color Show. It is a nightly light and water show that is such a hot attraction it usually only permits people with fast passes to view. Then feel free to go into Disneyland or explore California Adventure. (It’s SO good. I heard Nick say ‘wow’ three times.)

3. Disneyland permits outside food. If you are on a budget, bring a picnic lunch and splurge on a meal in California Adventure. They have a wide variety of cuisine from Chinese, Mexican, American- oh, and several spots to buy alcohol. My personal favorite is the Glowjito in Tron territory. (As seen in the video above!)

4. Hit up the Dole Pineapple Whip stand in Adventureland. The Disney Resorts, the Hawaiian Dole plantation, and The House of Dolewhip in West Hollywood are the only places in the world to savor this yummy stuff. Mmmm...

Hanging out off the grid in California Adventure's ElecTRONica