Culture

Tomorrow I’ll be heading over to the Sunset Junction Street Festival with one of my super-cool-music-industry friends.  Well, she was my friend before she was a super-cool-music-industry person….Not she is my friend BECAUSE she is a super-cool-music-industry person.  Okay, I’ll admit it.  She’s my friend because she’s good looking.  UCLA or USC Campus Confidants should make their way over to the East Side with us since apparently there is soooo much more than all the great music.  I’m looking forward to seeing the Submarines (more than just my obsession with Apple computers) as well as a few of my super-cool-music- industry friend’s suggestions:

I remember a time in LA where the taco truck was a shameful crime.  Despite being ever-so-tasty, did you really know what kind of meat was in your super speedy burrito?  Please believe this girl has had her fair share of hot dogs from a cart vendor in Santee Alley in Downtown LA.  Those discount prom dresses always came with a $1.50 hot dog!!! 

This is a re-post of a great great great article from Daily Candy showcasing the revival and gentrification of the LA Taco Truck.   But I have to add to their post because they forgot the best taco truck of them all, KOGI KOREAN BBQ!  This Taco truck serves up Korean tacos.  Yes, I know what you’re thinking.  But one bite of a Korean Short Rib Taco and you will claim yourself converted.  And if you don’t believe me than you can ask every studio executive in LA who this truck serves up weekly.  If it’s good enough for the people who green-light George Clooney’s projects its good enough for your 12 am “fourth meal”.  To top off all their glorious food, the guy behind their Twitter tweets is really funny and a little bit gangsta.  Come on, you gotta be creative when you’re serving up Korean tacos on a truck.

Follow Kogi Korean BBQ-To-Go here on Twitter.  And read about their amazingly sweet story here in the LA Times. 

Below is Daily Candy’s list and to read the full details of their favorite LA trucks check out their article here.

Frysmith
Follow at twitter.com/southphillyexp.
Nom Nom Truck
Follow at twitter.com/nomnomtruck.
Marked5
follow at twitter.com/marked5.
Fishlips Sushi
Follow at twitter.com/fishlips_sushi.
Baby’s Badass Burgers
Follow at twitter.com/babysbbs.

Cheap and Chic at its best, the Movie Colony Hotel in Palm Springs

I’ve never been one to hop into a van and drive the great highways of the US for more than an hour. Most of my friends wouldn’t join me in that escapade anyways. But a weekend at a nearby vacation spot is the perfect way to relax and have fun without breaking the bank. Palm Springs is a great weekend getaway for all you California co-eds before classes begin.

PACK:
1. Bikini and Bikini Cover Up
2. Sunscreen:
3. Straw Fedora
4. Carry-All Tote bag
5. Skin Travel Kit
6. Fruit and 100 Calorie Packs to snack on

JAM OUT: Maybe its the sudden emergence of open space on the 10 Freeway, or the whimsy of the windmills, but something about the drive to Palm Springs makes us want to get down right Indie. Here are some great albums to get your Desert on:
1. Dixie Chicks: Wide Open Spaces
2. Jim Hanft: Backyard Waltz
3. Lykke Li: Youth Novels
4. Little Dragon: Machine Dreams

STAY:
1. Hotel Zoso $99
http://www.hotelzoso.com/
2. Movie Colony Hotel $119
http://www.moviecolonyhotel.com/
3. Travelodge Palm Springs $53.57
http://www.palmcanyonhotel.com/

PLAY: You can enjoy the fabulous life without booking a room for $300/night. Head over to the Riviera Palm Springs or the Viceroy to have lunch and drinks by the pool. A bit pricier than most places but you’ll get to enjoy the atmosphere of these two famous hot spots without spending the cash that their hotels guests shell out.

SHOP: Drop your boyfriend off at Morongo Casino (lucky co-eds, their legal gambling age at this casino is 18 years old) and head over to the Cabazon Outlets. Designer duds for half the price, the perfect way to have your cake and eat it too without the silly calories.

5 at Hotel Shattuck Plaza

Food is classified into five basic tastes: Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Sour and Umami. I say YUM, YUM, YUM, YUM and YUM! Go out and explore all five of these tastes at 5, the new restaurant inside the Hotel Shattuck Plaza in downtown Berkeley. While all you Berkeley girls were away for the summer, the hotel got a multi-million dollar facelift which will give your life a touch of glamour amidst a social schedule of keg parties and well, more keg parties. I find a full sit-down dinner to be too pricey for our CampusConfidant budget so get your girlfriends together for a school-year kick-off cocktail hour at The Lounge at 5! Your party will sit underneath chandeliers while toasting with mixed cocktails made from freshly squeezed juices and appetizers made with organic, locally farmed ingredients. Crispy squash blossoms, Orzo Mac and Cheese with a glass of organic wine? YUM, YUM, YUM, YUM and YUM!