Visiting the LA Auto Show

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

The LA Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center (South Hall entrance).

Last weekend, Dave and I visited the LA Auto Show on Saturday. Through Dave’s membership in the Audi Club, we were able to enter the show an hour before it opened to the general public. What a treat to see and take photos of the different car manufacturers displays without crowds of people!

The LA Auto Show is at the Los Angeles Convention Center and is open through Sunday, November 29th, and show hours are 9:00 am – 10:00 pm daily. There are cars to suit everyone’s interest, an aftermarket hall, and opportunities to test drive some vehicles too.

Here are some photos of the cool cars we saw.

We first explored the Audi booth, or rather, we made a beeline to see the new Audi R8 in the Audi booth.

I event sat inside for a little bit – there’s a surprising amount of head room (not an issue for me, but for those with taller builds, I imagine it would be quite comfortable).

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Here are the displays.

BMW:

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Mazda:

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Cadillac:

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Acura:

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The new Acura NSX was on display with a screen above showing the overhead view.

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When I walked by the Alfa Romeo area, most of the cars were still covered, but this 1968 33 Stradale was unwrapped and gorgeous.

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The 1965 TZ2 was also uncovered and looking fantastic.

Alfa Romeo 1965 TZ2

The Maseratis were also still under wraps but slowly emerging. I love the look of the Maserati front grill, and their trident logo is iconic.

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We briefly ran through the Mercedes booth, stopping to take photos of this.

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And the SLS

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We left the South Hall and rushed over to West Hall, hoping to see the Ford booth before the show opened. We wanted to be able to ogle the new Ford GT before the crowds came. It did not disappoint in person!

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Both the race car and the street car were on rotating stages so you could see the car from every angle.

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It was really interesting to see the back and look under the car to see how the air flows beneath it. We can’t wait to see this race!

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Although I am not crazy about the yellow color on display, the lines of the street model of the Ford GT are beautiful.

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After staring at the two Ford GTs for a long time, we looked at some of the other Fords on display, like this Mustang GT 350r which Dave declared is, “my next car.”

We went outside to test drive the Fords. Ford had an Explorer, Edge, CMax, Focus and Mustang to test, but in order to test the Mustang, you had to drive another car first. Dave tried the Explorer and I drove the Edge. Both were nice comfortable rides and handled well on the short drive around Los Angeles’ city streets.

We both drove the Mustang – it has eco boost which makes it not as front heavy as usual. There was also a paddle shift option on the car, which I tried for a small section but it didn’t have the same feel as the manual transmission I am used too, so the Ford representative switched it off.

After our test drives, we went back into the hall to see the Fiat booth – I love the Fiat 500s, and was also interested to see new Fiat Spiders on display.

We took a quick glance at the Dodge Viper.

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We left the south hall and went to see the Porsche display, which was in its own contained area in Petree Hall. Not surprisingly, it was very crowded.

The 911.

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It was nice to see the race 919 Hybrid FIA World Endurance Champion car on display.

While I was adding money to our parking meter Dave visited the Galpin Hall and saw the Aston Martin from Spectre…and didn’t take any pictures of it, or tell me about it. I love the beauty of Aston Martins and am bummed I didn’t see any.

In the After Market Hall, there were some modified Lamborghinis and Corvettes on display.

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Of course I spotted some original Abarths – modified by Madness Autoworks in Signal Hill (Long Beach). They are so tiny compared to the modern versions!

This is only some of what is on display at the show. There are literally hundreds of cars to see, to sit in, and to test drive! It is fun to see the new cars the manufacturers are showing, and also to compare different makes and models of cars if you are in the market for a new one.

It is the last weekend of the LA Auto Show, so head downtown and check it out!

Manhattan Beach Pier Lighting

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

Last week, Manhattan Beach hosted their 21st Holiday Open House and 26th Annual Pier Lighting. It was a relatively warm night, so I threw on a sweatshirt, put the boys in the car and drove down to join in the festivities.

Local streets were closed in downtown Manhattan Beach, and as we parked and started walking, we saw many other people headed downtown as well.

Most of the stores were open until 9:00pm and were decorated for the holidays. Many had snacks, treats and drinks inside, but since the dogs were with me, we were only able to window-shop.

It was a festive atmosphere as the streets were filled with adults and children of all ages enjoying the shops, carolers, and music playing outside.

York Town on Manhattan Avenue. I liked their wood houses and white light display.

The window display for the Rolling Hills Flower Mart featured a ‘living’ flower dress, but all these children cared about was the snow that was falling outside.

It’s snowing!

Snow dance.

Carolers wandered the streets singing holiday songs. Here is a group in front of Manhattan Beach Creamery.

I reached the intersection of Manhattan Avenue and Manhattan Beach Boulevard and saw the traditional “Season’s Greetings” sign across Manhattan Beach Blvd., but the tree and the pier was yet to be lit.

Looking west toward the pier – waiting for the tree lighting.

And then, promptly at 7:00 pm the lighting began – it took less than a few minutes, but you can see there was a large crowd to watch.

Looking west and there are no lights yet…

Then the trees lining the pier and the ‘pier tree’ were lit.

And then everything!

I continued walking around to see more of the holiday windows.

A snowy window-scape at Dacha.

Lush and festive floral displays at Growing Wild.

The windows at Udderly Perfect featured an old-school TV.

In the Metlox complex, Waterleaf had pretty stars hanging in their windows.

I love Fringe, the new store on Manhattan Avenue. They also have a location in south Redondo. How cute is this oven display with cookie ornaments?

Bo Bridges Gallery seemed to be having quite a party inside the studio. This striking photograph of the Eiffel Tower was touching in light of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris.

Manhattan Denim decorated their windows with disco dancers. They kept moving so it was hard to take their picture. I want a wig like that!

At Katwalk there was a large elf blowing kisses to all who passed by (and obliging selfie-takers).

Prizes were awarded to the best window designs, detailed here in The Beach Reporter. Rolling Hills Flower Mart won “Best Overall.”

There is a beautiful photo gallery, also by The Beach Reporter, with more images from the tree lighting.

It was a fun night to be out enjoying downtown after dark, although I wish the holiday season started after Thanksgiving!

South Bay Scenes – Week of Nov 15 – 21, 2015

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

The week started with cool (cold for southern California) nights and high winds. We didn’t take the dogs to the Strand then, as the sand was blowing and would get in their eyes. Later in the week, the temperatures rose, and it felt like summer during the day.

Surfer on the beach.

Late afternoon sun.

Clear skies.

Down by the water.

Portions of the bike path were closed due to the sand blown on the path.

On Wednesday night, Manhattan Beach hosted the annual tree-lighting ceremony and open house downtown. The temperature was warmer as I was comfortable walking around with only a sweatshirt.

: Looking west toward the pier – waiting for the tree lighting.

: The tree and the pier is lit!

And the nights, while cooler than in the summer, were still California temperate. But you can see the days are very warm! We traveled downtown for the LA Auto Show on Saturday, and it was much warmer there.

: Friday night and still warm in Redondo Beach.

: Very warm in downtown LA on Saturday, but cold weather is on the way.

But as you can see, cooler weather is on the way – just in time for Thanksgiving!

Travel Treasures: Roots Canada

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

I remember becoming aware of the Canadian clothing brand Roots Canada when watching the Olympics – they outfitted the Canadian Olympic team for several years and also created the berets that the US team donned at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002. The hats created quite a frenzy as everyone was desperate to purchase one.

While at the Winter Gamers in 2002, we spotted some creative fans at the Super Giant Slalom event wearing their own hand-made “Rootz” gear.

Custom-made “Rootz” bathrobe and baseball cap worn by fans at the Super Giant Slalom.

And I even met the Silver Medal-winning Canadian Men’s Curling Team – outfitted in their Roots attire – walking around downtown Salt Lake City!

The 2002 Winter Olympic Silver Medalists in Curling: Team Canada. I asked to take their picture, and they said, “You should be in the picture with us!” I’m so glad that they said that!

So when our family traveled to Whistler, British Columbia, for a family vacation, I saw the Roots boutique in Whistler Village and had to stop in to shop. My sister joined me and we had a hard time figuring out which things to buy.

We both decided to purchase these cozy sweatshirts. Now that it’s a bit chilly in LA in the morning and evening, I’ve been wearing my sweatshirt to keep me warm. It’s so soft and comfortable – and brings back happy memories of our trip and beautiful Whistler.

Sarah and I posing in our new Roots sweatshirts at our rental home in Whistler.

I loved this black t-shirt with the red maple leaf – the leaf is felt and stitched onto the shirt. It is a woman’s cut so the fit is quite comfortable. Koa and Lau Lau are modeling the t-shirt and sweatshirt I purchased for my nephew who was born in Canada while we were on our vacation!

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I normally do not purchase clothes on my travels, but I am so happy with my Roots items – especially the cozy sweatshirt that is soft and keeps me toasty when it is cold!

South Bay Scenes – Week of November 1, 2015

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Sunday afternoon, while walking the dogs to the Redondo Beach dog park, it was very windy, and then it started raining and dark clouds loomed overhead. We kept walking and the strong winds seemed to push the storm to the east and suddenly as we reached a high point on the street I saw a rainbow and then a double rainbow! Everyone at the dog park was taking photos of the rainbows. SBS Nov 2 2015 2

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More crazy storms in the late afternoon. You can see the dark clouds looming at sunset.

I saw this pretty butterfly sitting on our bougainvillea.

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We finally experienced some fall temperatures – or LA’s version of fall temperatures – and bright, clear skies.

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Saturday night, after I walked the dogs, I saw this bright blue-ish light in the sky. At first I thought it was the moon behind clouds but there weren’t any clouds in the sky. It was so odd, that I went inside to get my phone to take a picture. It doesn’t look like much, but apparently it caused a bit of panic and lots of social media postings.

Apparently the Navy test launched a trident missile from a submarine off the coast. News reports earlier in the week reported that the flight patterns in and out of LAX would be changed for “military operations,” but I didn’t put two and two together when I saw this light burst. There are better pictures of the sky on KTLA‘s site and more information on the launch via The Los Angeles Times.

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Flashback: Jacqui and Jackie at Penn Homecoming

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

It’s Homecoming Weekend at Penn this weekend, and for the first time in a long time I will not be there. Today, the campus will be full of alumni, parents, friends and families walking through College Green on the way to a lecture, art show or the football game. There will be Red and Blue everywhere and hopefully crisp fall weather.

Here is a post from a few years ago, when I met two lovely women who met at Penn and returned to campus many years later, still the best of friends.

I hope everyone has a fantastic time on campus this weekend. And let’s cheer for our Penn Football team – Beat Princeton! Let’s Go Quakers!

This post originally appeared on the Frankly Penn blog on October 26, 2012.

Jacqui and Jackie at Homecoming

By Kiera Reilly, C’93 @KieraReilly

In case you didn’t know, it’s Penn Homecoming Weekend! The foliage is blooming, Locust Walk is abuzz and alumni young and old are returning to campus to experience and participate in the Arts & Culture at Penn (as well as a little Penn Football and other athletic contests – Go Quakers!).

As I sat at the Homecoming registration tent (on Locust Walk right across from the Sweeten Alumni House), I met two enthusiastic alumnae, Jacqui Schneider, CW’47, G’49, and Jackie Wiegand, CW’48. They met at Penn many years ago, and remain friends to this day. Jackie said she was the maid of honor in Jacqui’s wedding, and Jacqui was the matron of honor in her wedding.

They were looking for Van Pelt Library, so I pointed them in the right direction, but they also wondered about Bennett Hall – is it still here? Yes, it is, but now it’s Fisher-Bennett Hall, and since its renovation a few years ago, it’s in wonderful condition. Jacqui remembered a coffee shop that used to be at 34^th and Walnut that’s long gone. They wondered about their old dorm. They were looking forward to seeing the woman that was the Dean for Women when they were students – she’s going to be at the Old Guard Brunch tomorrow morning.

Jackie asked about Smokey Joe’s – is that still around? Yes, it’s now at 40^th and Locust Streets. She then told us that her brother took her there when she was a freshman and she had her first alcoholic drink there…I bet she’d still get carded today!

Welcome Home Jacqui and Jackie, and welcome home to all Penn alumni, who always seem to be young at heart when they return to Penn.

And, Go Quakers! Beat Brown!

Travel Treasures: Gin and Whisky from Fortnum and Mason in London

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

During our trip to London this summer, we visited Fortnum & Mason, the classic English department store with warrants from Her Majesty the Queen and His Majesty the Prince of Wales. Fortnum and Mason is popular for their afternoon tea, although we did not take tea there, I wanted to show Dave’s mom the store, especially the main floor with a seemingly endless selection of teas, biscuits and candy.

We explored the main floor, then ventured upstairs to the makeup, perfumes and accessories. Perfumes were on display in an upside-down chandelier, which I thought was quite creative.

Perfume display at Fortnum and Mason

And the hats, or fasteners, were beautiful works of art.

I particularly liked the blue one with gold feathers.

Browsing the handbags, I saw these beautiful purses by Launer and thought they looked familiar. It turns out Queen Elizabeth is a fan!

Launer handbags. I wish I took a picture of the two-tone styles – they were my favorite!

Eventually, I wandered down to the food hall in the basement, and asked about gin, specifically gin that I would not be able to find in the United States. Immediately, the sales clerk suggested Short Cross Gin from Northern Ireland. I had already purchased some Short Cross when I was in Ireland earlier this year, so I asked for additional suggestions (Short Cross is quite good, and I do recommend it!).

The sales clerk offered me a taste of some of the gins on offer, and another shopper joined me in sampling the gin. We were tasting different gins and comparing what we thought of each – it was nice to try the gins before purchasing any and to see the subtle differences in each brand. I decided to purchase Hammer & Son Old English Gin – I liked the look of the bottle as it was packaged differently than the other gins. I think it might be available in the United States, but I liked it so why not purchase some when it was right in front of me?

As you can see, there is quite a selection of gin to choose – going to our local liquor stores here do not offer this selection! I saw Plymouth Gin on the bottom shelf here – I purchased some of the Plymouth Sloe Gin when I was at the Plymouth BlackFriars Distillery in April (read about my visit here).

Some of the gin at Fortnum and Mason (the Plymouth Gin and Plymouth Sloe Gin are on the bottom shelf on the left and the Hammer & Son Old English Gin is also on the bottom, fourth from the left).

Even more gin!

While enjoying the gin samples, the sales clerk asked if we liked whisky – of course we do – and would we like to sample some? We tried some straight, and then he added just a drop or two of water to our cups, which provided a different and deeper taste. We were having quite a lot of fun – soon another couple joined us. The Highgrove Organic Single Malt Whisky was to my liking, and I purchased a bottle.

As the Fortnum’s website describes it:

This single malt whisky was selected and bottled exclusively for Highgrove. The whisky is distilled from Scottish organic malted barley, grown in Inverness-shire and matured in a single, numbered, first-use Bourbon cask.

It was closing time at the store, so our tasting came to an end, the clerk wrapped my bottles in Fortnum and Mason tissue and sent us on our way.

These bottles made it back to Los Angeles, tightly packed and cushioned in my checked luggage. I have yet to open them but when I do, I will remember the lovely tasting experience at Fortnum and Mason!

South Bay Scenes – Week of October 25, 2015

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

Enjoy scenes from the South Bay (Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach) for the week of October 25, 2015.

The first half of the week I was in Austin, but when I returned home, the weather was still warm although the nights are finally starting to be cooler. The sunsets and early mornings were beautiful at the beach. There was a high tide warning in effect in the morning, and there were bigger waves which the surfers seemed to enjoy.

For the first part of the week, sunsets were slightly after 6:00 pm, so the days are much shorter than in the summer. On Saturday night the clocks “fell back” an hour for daylight savings time, so tonight the sunset was at 5:00 PM.