Califoreigners Blog

Visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific with our 3-year-old was a blast. We initially set aside two hours to see everything but ended up having to plead with our daughter to head out after 5 hours of exploring!

Australia is beautiful. Staying in both Sydney and Melbourne, we were able to plan a handful of big day trips in and around the cities. All the sites and unique animals made for a fun Australia travel video.

In December, families from all over SoCal visit Logan’s Candies to watch them make their signature peppermint candy canes. The 45-minute presentation goes from boiling the sugar into bending the candy into its iconic shape. At the end of the demo, you can even form your unique candy cane!

We loved our previous visit so much that we came back to experience GreenSpot Farms Christmas Tree Farm. Visiting opening night, our family had a great time walking to see the trees and enjoying the activities. The warm smores hit the spot as well!

Universal Yums is a monthly subscription service that delivers another country’s tastiest treats straight to your door! One month you might be eating Austrian chocolates,  and the next could be bacon chips from Colombia. It’s the Best Gift for Travelers. Use our referral link and Sign up today to get $5 off your first box!

An apple-picking town where every parent is yelling out, “Don’t touch that!” Bad joke aside, Apple picking Oak Glen is a great day trip for any LA and Orange County families looking to do something fun with the kids.

We really wanted to find a real farm that offered the possibility of picking pumpkins right off the vine. After some searching, we headed out towards Greenspot Farm in Mentone, CA. While the farm is pretty far off the beaten path, Greenspot more than makes up for the trip in character and charm.

The FUNBOX LA Pop-up selfie museum in the Westfield Santa Anita Mall is a colorful Instagram playground that any selfie-loving person can enjoy. FUNBOX LA is a family-friendly pop-up and well worth a visit if anyone in your family is addicted to Instagram. Learn more about this limited time pop-up in the Post

I decided to write this post in hopes that it could help other moms that are struggling with their breast milk supply.  I found breastfeeding and pumping with my first daughter to be very difficult, and it was probably the hardest part of motherhood for me.

We spent about eight days traveling the country, and it felt like we didn’t even scratch the surface of what Portugal has to offer. As a result, our travel video flies through the famous landmarks of Lisbon, Sintra, Guimaraes, Braga & Porto.

Our Vietnam Travel Video shows off our favorite parts of our two stays in Hanoi. Visiting famous landmarks, sampling Anthony Bourdain’s food recs, and a couple of day trips out to Halong Bay and the Perfume Pagoda.

I just finished listening to the third installment of the Commute audiobook series by Joshua Guyou.  The entire series is outstanding and worth a listen.

The Orange County Model Engineers have been giving FREE rides to train enthusiasts young and old for almost 30 years.

When traveling, you’ll eventually have a bad experience. One of our first was an uncomfortable run-in with a group of pickpockets in Madrid Spain.

The “it” place to be in Southern California this March has to got be the Walker Canyon poppy fields near Lake Elsinore. The last time our state had this much rain the canyon’s hills were alive with color.  Fingers crossed super bloom 2019 will put our last one to shame.

Let’s face it, flying with a lap child is miserable. Thankfully a little preparation can help dull the pain.

Right in the heart of San Bernardino lies a forgotten piece of American history.  The site of the Original McDonald’s.

March Field Air Museum is home to many of our country’s most iconic military planes. In addition to the aircraft, the March Field Air Museum is full of interactive models and documentary videos that make it a great place to take the kids to learn about our past.

We stumbled across Amy’s Farm on our search for petting zoo alternatives.  Our daughter Kairi loves animals, and we decided to check it out after a friend’s glowing recommendation.  

Although our time in Laos was affected by the flu we caught before our visit; we still managed to have a good time in Vientiane. If I had to choose between Vientiane, Bangkok or Hanoi, I’d pick Vientiane every time. We felt welcomed in Laos. From the minute we landed, the Laotians were friendly and helpful.

We drove down to San Diego for a day of fun and relaxation.  In addition to a full day of eating, we headed south to visit the Wonderspaces San Diego popup exhibit located inside B Street Pier.

I wasn’t able to listen to as many books as I usually do for May. You may notice that the LitRPG genre has got its claws in me right now. So it’s a safe bet that I will be added more LitRPG style books to my library in the coming months.

One of our days in Chicago was penciled in as “Michelin day.” Using the Michelin guide, we stacked the day with some of Chicago’s top restaurants. Getting reservations to Blackbird, Roister, and Grace.

We had a blast visiting Happy Place at LA Live in Los Angeles. While it’s LA run in nearly over, Happy Place will be reopening in Chicago this Summer! The pop-up is excellent for more than just people addicted to Instagram. We brought our 20-month-old daughter, and she loved it!

Audiobook Reviews April 2018 was a fill of good listens.  Sticking to my backlog, I finally got around to some books that I had forgotten about.  Before you go forward, please know that I am a huge nerd.  I enjoy Sci-Fi / Fantasy books, with a healthy mix of Suspense/Thriller novels.  If that's in your wheelhouse, this...

Zoomars is perfect for kids, and it’s been a staple in the Los Rios Historic District for over 30 years.

Swimming with sea lions in Peru off Palomino Island was amazing. I’ll be the first to admit, bobbling around the ocean surrounded by shark food is crazy, but we had the time of our lives.

Audiobook Reviews March 2018 will go down as another month addicted to The Land. It’s only with great sadness and determination that I haven’t listened to the entire series yet.

We spent three days filming our Denmark video diary. Three days was more than enough time to experience Copenhagen and the surrounding countryside.  Playing it safe we stuck to the main attractions.

Traveling is a life-changing experience.  Long flights are not.  Here are 10 simple tips we’ve picked up on how to survive a long flight.

If you’re planning a visit to Arizona or Utah, I would highly recommend adding Monument Valley to your itinerary.

February 2018 will go down as the month I only wanted to listen to The Chaos Seeds Series. Thankfully, I didn’t. Here’s what I listened too in February 2018

The Greece vacation as a whole exceeded my expectations. Not only because of the great sites but also the thoughtful locals we’ve met along the way.

2017 taught me that I didn’t have the time to review all the audiobooks I’ve completed individually.  So for 2018, I’m going to create a monthly post with a collection of short audiobook reviews and ratings.

Wanting to squeeze in one last trip before our first baby was born, and Trang & I were inevitably land locked we headed to Greece. A trip that our friend Geoff had been requesting for years but we kept putting off for the simple fact it was above our budget. After some research we created a Greece Itinerary that I think was a perfect mix of relaxation and exploration.

Happy new year!  Sorry to be saying that so late in the month but a mix of travel, sickness, and video work had us thoroughly spent.  Thankfully, we’ve recovered from our busy holiday break and want to catch you up on everything that’s going on with us.

The awe-inspiring atmosphere is the result of blending nature & special effect lighting.  The blend delivers an experience, unlike anything we’ve seen before.  The Enchanted: Forest of Light is an event that shouldn’t be missed.

For over 25 years The Mission Inn’s Festival of Lights has been wowing visitors of all ages.  Located in Riverside California, The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa goes all out every holiday season.

At its heart, Going home is a cooking guide written by a traveler who loves his brand name backpack.

Looking for 20 hours of thrilling storytelling? The story built on drugs, sex, guns? If you are, check out our The Power of the Dog Audiobook Review

A few times now our family has been featured on different blogs or websites.  From our engagement to our wedding, all of these features can be attributed to our friend and photographer Mimi Nguyen.

Our tour through Chicago was an exciting addition to seeing our family.  We saw the sites, had some amazing food, and were able to find a handful of family friendly things to do around the city.  This here was our 4 day Chicago itinerary for the trip.

Chicago was our first big trip with our 10 month old daughter Kairi.  We learned that it’s not easy to travel with a kid especially when you’re trying to capture enough footage for our Chicago Video Diary.  It’s possible, but the lack of down time during the day turned us into walking zombies in the evenings.  

Down an alley in the Art District of LA lays a pop-up ice cream museum that’s been selling out of tickets as fast as they put them up.  The Museum of Ice Cream Pop-up has been wildly popular in its limited run.

We visited the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana to watch some pizza making. It was 6,333.30 feet of continuous pizza to be exact. An official record certified by the genius book of world records.

Visiting Catalina Island gives LA and OC residents a unique chance to unwind. Just 27 miles off the coast. Catalina has something for everyone.

The Grand Central Market in downtown LA is a great place to go if you’re hungry. Located on the first floor of the Homer Laughlin Building the Grand Central Market is a foodie’s paradise.

Ramen has a special place in my heart. Over the years we’ve eaten at almost all the ramen houses in the OC. We consider these two spots, the best ramen in Orange County.

My 30th birthday in Japan was quite the surprise. Somehow Trang had managed to get reservations to Jiro Ono’s restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro.

Having traveled for almost ten years Trang and I have managed to land ourselves in quite a few scary situations. I would put our night stuck on a boat from Krabi to Railay Beach, Thailand near the top of that list.

Even though the book has been out for years and the movie has been seen by millions, I still highly recommend the book. Like all movie adaptations, The Martian movie wasn’t as good as the book.

Back in 2014 Trang and I celebrated our marriage with a honeymoon in Thailand. As you can see from our Thailand video diary, the trip as a whole was a nonstop adventure. In hindsight, it was too much traveling for a little over a week and a half.

Just the thought of flying with a 4 month old baby can make any new parent stress. I know we stressed plenty about Kairi’s first flight, and that’s why we decided to get it out of the way as soon as possible. At least then we could see how she handled flying.

Every year thousands of tourists find their way to the busiest intersection in the world, Shibuya crossing. What most visitors don’t know is that a quality Ramen house is just steps away! Ichiran Shibuya is a ramen house that specializes in Tonkotsu style Ramen, and it’s delicious. Here’s how to order it

If you’re looking for the best Loco Moco of your life, you’ll find it at R Social Grill in Maui. I love meat & rice dishes. Out of all the different regions of food, Hawaiian food offers some of the best. From spam musubi to short ribs & rice, it’s all good. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the Loco Moco.

I recommend the DJI OSMO for recreational shooters and semi-professionals that are looking to bring a whole new dimension to their videos. The OSMO offers some the best image stabilization you can ask for at a reasonable price. But low light noise, audio artifacts, and file corruption are problems.

Ramen has a special place in my heart. I love it. From instant to restaurant quality, it’s all good to me. We consider these three spots, the best ramen in LA