Witty Wanderlusting Wordsmith: Irvine

Goodbye Orange County-Part III

We made a few more stops during our last day in Irvine. Not to eat, but simply to take pictures of some of our favorite places. : )

The token Taiwanese bakery in Irvine known as 85 Degrees . The long lines, self-serve buttery breads and the yummy dessert counter will surely be missed.

The only decent Thai food place in all of Irvine-Thai Ritz Cuisine. The monstrous portions were a steal for the low price to pay!

My favorite supermarket, H-Mart. This place allowed me to stretch my $20/week grocery budget beyond limits!

I love how clean it is inside plus the assortment of produce was always fresh and very affordable. Where else can you get 5 bunches of spinach for $1. Yes, I did say bunches.

Goodbye Orange County-Part II

This post should really be titled as "An ode to Yogurtland." Yogurtland kept me sane during my long days at work, especially during the hot summer. Thankfully, there was one within a few blocks from my office. Every Friday, Marc and I would religiously reward ourselves with a cup of fro-yo for getting through the week. Naturally, we had to make a stop at Yogurtland before making our final 'exit' out of Irvine. On our way to our usual branch by campus, we stumbled upon the grand opening of another branch just down the street from our former apartment. What a pleasant surprise! Since it was closer, we stopped here and as always, our taste buds were satisfied with yogurty goodness! I'm sure there will be another one of these at our next place of residence. However, this post is just to prove how severe our obsession is with Yogurtland. Sorry, Pinkberry. I think we'd love you more if you were self-serve. : )

New flavors always entice me!

Goodbye Orange County-Part I

One of the things we have been wanting to do in our now previous hometown of Irvine is to ride the orange passenger balloon at the developing Orange County Great Park. After turning in our apartment keys, we spent the rest of the day bidding farewell to our favorite places. In addition, we finally made the flight on the orange balloon. The sunny skies combined with the beautiful weather allowed for a wonderful flight!

Helium passenger balloons require boarding passes too! :)

We were fortunate enough to get a pair of tickets instantly; unlike our last attempt.

Our ride up to the sky

Lifted off!

The balloon's shadow.

The view from 400 ft. The OC Great Park used to be a Marine base/airstrip

It was a happy flight indeed! Can't wait to see how this park turns out in the next decade. It's supposed to be larger than NYC's Central Park.

Farewell 112

For the past 13 months, we have made our home at 112 Santa Barbara in Irvine. This past Thursday, we finally moved out our last box and turned in our keys. It was a bittersweet moment. 112, as we so fondly referred to our apartment, was our first place together. Though we will not miss the sound of the leaf-blowers in the early mornings, the wet halls after 'routine cleaning,' and the gate blockages due to constant tree cutting, we will always remember this place as our first home.