Wet Bar Essentials for Twenty-Somethings

{Our fully stocked wet bar circa 1960s}

You're twenty-something and you like to entertain, but you don't want to tip your budget by filling a wet bar full of expensive alcohol that your friends will end up drinking during one of your many pre-parties. Here's how to keep enough alcohol on hand for entertaining, while also not breaking the bank investing in extravagant single malt scotches and over the top vodkas.

Taking the Subway

Last night, whilst working on checking things off of the Los Angeles bucket list, we decided to take the Subway downtown to Orochon. Not only did this check three things off of my friend's bucket list before she leaves (1 - go downtown, 2 - ride the subway, and 3 - eat at Orochon), but riding the subway was extremely convenient to get to our destination. 

Although we had to wait for the train times, taking the subway helped us avoid traffic and paying for parking. The tickets are $1.50 each way, and were extremely convenient for us to take from my boyfriend's high rise apartment in Korea town. 

By 2015, LA officials say that the purple line on the subway will extend all the way to Santa Monica, and it will be a quick 45 minute ride to downtown from the Westside. So here's the question: would you take the subway in Los Angeles? 

A lot of my friends think taking the subway is unfathomable, dirty, and disgusting - but to them I say, as I laugh in their faces, that it is better for the environment and reduces traffic on the streets of Los Angeles, much less reduces your stress since you don't have to sit in traffic. Other large cities (Paris, New York, Rome, etc.) have a fantastic subway system that no one regards as "dirty." If LA just had a better mode of public transportation (and locals changed their perception of the subway), a lot of our problems on surface streets would go away!

How do you feel about public transportation in Los Angeles?

Happy Hour: Hot and Sticky Vodka

{Stoli Jalapeno flavored vodka}

Freaking out here... I have a love for all things spicy, and now that Stolichnaya vodka has come out with their hot and sticky vodka flavors, I think I know exactly what I will be drinking all summer. Originally released in the 1960s, the two re-released flavors are a hot pepper flavored vodka, and a sticky honey and herb vodka.

"The brand is thrilled to reintroduce pepper and honey flavored vodkas, Hot and Sticki™. These spirited and timeless remixes are the perfect complement to our existing premium flavored vodka portfolio," said Val Mendeleev, CEO of SPI Group. "We hope our fans will enjoy these delicious and versatile offerings in a variety of mixed drinks."

Here are a few recipes for the new vodkas (that I borrowed from Lushworthy):

What's on Your Los Angeles Bucket List?

{Hiking the Hollywood sign}

One of my best friends is leaving for vet school at UC Davis, and despite all of us living in LA for the past six years, there are so many things that we have yet to experience! Of course, we're trying to cram all of these into her last week (despite working full time and packing up her entire apartment). A lot of these things on our list I have already done, but I feel like you can't live in Los Angeles and not do these things.

Los Angelenos, what are the activities on your bucket list? Here are a few that are on mine:

1. Hike to the Hollywood sign
2. Take the Orochon challenge
3. Visit the Santa Monica Pier and ride the Ferris wheel
4. Drive up the PCH all the way through Malibu to Santa Barbara (like we did here)
5. Eat fish tacos at James Beach
6. Visit the Griffith Observatory at night, stargaze
7. Walk through Rodeo drive, celeb stalk
8. Buy a six pack of Sprinkles cupcakes, eat them all
9. Walk the Venice boardwalk after pitchers of Sangria
10. Go to a summer concert at the Hollywood Bowl, drink lots of wine
11. Visit the Getty Museum, Getty Gardens, and Getty Villa

{Griffith Observatory}

{Santa Monica Ferris wheel at the Santa Monica Pier}

{The Getty gardens at the Getty Museum}

Weekend Wrap-Up: Cars, Carnitas, Chocolate Mousse

{Homemade Chocolate Mousse}

This weekend was a hectic weekend at that. The highlight of my weekends definitely centered around food and shopping, but in an unexpected and surprisingly delightful way.

Dinner Parties for Unmarried Twenty-Somethings

We have quite a great group of cooks in my group of girlfriends, and one of our favorite forms of get-togethers is to throw an impromptu dinner party. Wine, delicious food, and captivating (mostly inappropriate) conversation make a weekday dinner something special. Here's how to seamlessly pull together a dinner party for a group of unmarried twenty-somethings.