Growing up, I was lucky enough to be witness to the BlackGirlMagic that was Lisa Turtle on Saved By The Bell. She was a trendy fashionista, with big beautiful hair and I was happy to have her as a positive representation of being young, black and fabulous!

So trust me when I say that I was super excited when I saw that a Saved by the Bell pop up diner , called Saved by the Max, was heading to LA! I sent a text to my friends and we got tickets for a Sunday brunch.

The Basics:


Located at 7100 Santa Monica Blvd in Los Angeles, the Saved by the Max diner is designed to look like The Max from the TV show. Complete with a mini arcade, lockers, a jukebox and even a replica of principal Belding's office.

We were able to find metered street parking fairly easy, but there was also a parking garage behind the diner.

Walk ins are welcome but there may be a wait. It is suggested to purchase your tickets in advance. Tickets and additional information can be found here.

Cost: 
Tickets are $40 each, but come out to $52 after taxes and fees. An appetizer and entree are included in the ticket price and you can choose to be seated in Mr. Belding's office or in the Saved by the Max Diner.

What to Wear:

Going full out 90's, posing included, is super fun but strictly optional! I choose to look to my inner 90's diva and wore some vintage biker shorts, Doc Marten boots, a fanny pack and bamboo earrings. However, casual is just fine. There were plenty of other people partaking in the 90's fun so don't be shy!

What to Expect:
The cutest diner ever:

A pop up from original Cast Members (we were surprised to see Mr. Belding):

Screech and Lisa back together forever:

A real 90's cell phone:

A jukebox:

A visit to the principals office:

A phone contraption of some sort:

An Arcade:


What would the 90's be without graffiti:

Plenty of lockers:

Memories of every 90's teenage girl's crushes #teamzach or #teamAC:

Most importantly, good times with friends:


Legit and Ready to Quit Travel Moment:
The food had me ready to officially quit. In all honesty, it was not the greatest. I don't eat pork, so I played it safe and choose the Mac and Screech (macaroni and cheese) as my appetizer. Unfortunately they cook it right under the bacon, which means all the oil from the bacon dripped right onto the mac and cheese. I didn't realize until after I'd eaten a couple of bites that I could taste bacon. They were nice enough to switch it out for one that wasn't cook under bacon but be careful if you plan to order the same dish.


For my entree, I ordered Tori's Fried Chicken (chicken and waffle) and there was not one ounce of seasoning in sight. The waffle was hard and also came with a peppered syrup that didn't quite work. I was able to try my friend's fries and they were really good but you can't really go wrong with french fries.

So basically, DON'T GO FOR THE FOOD! The experience overall was a fun experience and brought back memories of years long gone. It is definitely worth experiencing if you are in the LA area and a Saved by the Bell fan.

Words to Live By:
The Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ~Lao Tzu

What happens when you are dreaming of going to Thailand but don't plane tickets and there are no flight deals in sight?? You keep it local and go out to celebrate your friend's birthday at a cute and trendy Thai food restaurant!

The Basics:
Hae Ha Heng Thai Bistro is located in Koreatown at 301 S. Western Ave, Suite 209, Los Angeles, 90020. They are open daily from 11am to 10pm, with a daily happy hour from 3pm-7pm. Parking is by valet and costs $2.50 with restaurant validation.


Cost:
Pricing for most dishes was around $10 and beverages were about $3, which is very reasonable for LA eats.

What to Wear:
That is the question we all love to ask! The restaurant had trendy causal vibes, with most people casually dressed. It is on the 2nd floor and up 2 flights of stairs so be careful if you plan to wear heels. I had no clue what to wear but knew I wanted to be comfortable. I ended up wearing jeans, a tee, some heels and a fanny pack. Yes, a fanny pack! Somehow, they have made a comeback with a new and improved name: the belt bag or waist bag or something like that. In my book, once a fanny pack always a fanny pack! I love them and think they are so cute and super functional! Would you rock one?


Here are some cute fanny packs I found on Amazon:



Bring a jacket in case you are seated outdoors. Although there are patio heaters, it did get a little cold.


What to Order:
My favorite Thai dishes are Pad See Ew (a mild noodle dish), Yellow Curry (a spicy type of soup) and Spicy Basil Chicken (a spicy rice dish). Can't do Thai without a Thai iced tea to top it all off. Honestly you cant go wrong with any of those dishes! Pad Thai (a mild noodle dish) and fried rice are other popular options. Most of my friends ordered the fried rice and thought it was really good! Be careful with customizing orders or substitutions because we did encounter some confusion once the orders came out.


What to Expect:
Good times with friends and cute filters:

Delicious Pad See Ew::
A very trendy indoor area:
That will definitely make you feel:


A very cute and dimly lit outdoor area:

Legit and Ready to Quit Travel Moment:
I love food, but me and super spicy don't get along! I ordered a "mild" Spicy Basil Chicken with shrimp but forgot that Thai mild can still be pretty spicy. Needless to say the food was delicious until I felt my lips tingling, nose running and tongue burning. As we know, the water did not help! After a few bites I happily switched over to eating rice lol Learn from me...If you don't care for spicy food, don't order a dish with the word spicy in the title!


Travel Tips:
I hate when people say they cant travel because it is too expensive. I will be the first to tell you, it doesn't have to be. Being flexible with your travel dates, staying passport ready and having about $300-$400 tucked away for those moments when bomb flight deals pop up will shave hundreds of dollars off you cost.

Crazy thing is, I recently missed out on $340 round trip flights to Thailand! For deals that good, you have to be ready and I definitely wasn't! I usually send a mass text to my friends to see who is interested and try to book the flight within 1 hour but I was at work and figured I could wait a bit. Needless to say, I missed out! After about an hour and sometimes even less, ticket prices start to go up or the deals sell out.

I don't worry about the hotel booking until later. As long as I have the flight secure, I know that I am good! I'm hoping the deal comes back but you never know. Either way, I have travel alerts set for round trip flights to Thailand for under $400 and am crossing my fingers that something pops up soon. I'll definitely keep ya'll in the loop. Until then, Thai food, Los Angeles beaches and plenty of imagination it is! 

Words to live by:
Take the time to make your soul happy!

Time to run right over to Southwest's website and book your next travel adventure. Flights must be booked by 6/7/2018 and blackout dates apply so make it extra snappy! Flights out of  Los Angeles Airport has fares starting at $49 one way, so we are definitely keeping it close to $100 on that one! I always say travel doesn't have to be expensive and this is the perfect example. Don't buy the shoes, book the flight instead sis!!

Sometimes a much needed vacation is literally right around the corner. After talking myself out of driving 8 hours and taking a road trip to the Grand Canyon...I decided to search for some local weekend fun.

I keep telling myself that I need to be a tourist in my own city but the struggle is real! Anyone else have this problem? I always seek adventures in other states or countries and often forget all the fun that can be had locally! Especially if you live in a major city. In my case (LA area), you just have to be willing to get out, explore and fight traffic on the 405. Woosah!



A quick google search for ‘fun things to do with kids’ reminded me of Candytopia. I’d been wanting to take my son but tickets were always sold out. Surprisingly, I went to the website on Wednesday and was easily able to purchase tickets for Friday evening. The hardest part was keeping it a secret from my son for 2 days!!

The Basics:
Candytopia is a selfie and social media friendly pop-up experience and will be in Santa Monica through July 4, 2018. Located at the Santa Monica Place Mall: 395 Broadway #142 Santa Monica, CA 90401, near Bloomingdale's. I suggest parking on level 2 which will put you closest to the entrance. To avoid getting lost (like someone who shall remain nameless did), take note that the entrance to Candytopia is on the second level but the exit is on the first level. The entire experience takes about an hour to get through so plan accordingly. There is a food court, Starbucks, and a Cheesecake Factory within walking distance should the hunger pangs kick in

Cost:
Adult tickets are $30. Tickets for kids aged 4-12 are $23 and kids under 3 are free. Upon checking out, there were additional fees. I ended up paying a total of $57 for tickets for myself and my 12 year old son. Although the price was almost as expensive as trying to find the actual golden ticket, he had an amazing time and that alone made it worth it. 

Legit and Ready to Quit Travel Moment:
Although this picture might look pretty, although I have a smile on my face...Please tell me you can see the pain in my eyes!! Carefully examine the photo and see how my leg is stretched out and my toe is curled up. That my friend, is the number one sign of a Charlie Horse *sigh* Why I tried to hop on this high and slippery "100" swing in a floor length skirt and sandals is beyond me BUT it will almost get you killed. Swear, I almost fell through the other side while trying to turn around and sit down! I overestimated my athletic abilities and quite possibly forgot about my age!! Don't be like Ebony, keep it 100 by wearing sneakers and pants OR by taking a picture standing next to the swing...

What to Expect:
To kiss a shark and kinda like it! What happens at Candytopia does (not) stay at Candytopia (it gets posted all over social media).



To not have to think, the only brain power needed is that of imagination!

To get your surf board swag on!!



Or maybe not! I foresee acting lessons in the near future lol


To wish you knew how to keep your mouth closed and not smile (so you don't end up with a mouth full of paper confetti)!!



He was smart enough to follow directions!



To swim in a sea of marshmallows and then struggle to get out! 



To be attacked by kids who will throw marshmallows everywhere (including at you)! 
    
                                     

                                      

   To remember what it means to be a kid! What happened to never growing up??

























To see well know art pieces made entirely out of candy!


 

To have your child not recognize the original Willy Wonka! Crazy thing is, my son kept saying that Candytopia reminded him of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but when we came across this picture, he was completely confused as to who it was:



Then it dawned on me, he’s used to a Willy Wonka that looked more like this: 



Man, I'm old!! I don’t care what anyone says, Gene Wilder was the MVP when I was a kid! 

Quick tips:
•Sign up for a QR code at the kiosk upon entering Candytopia. Scan the QR code at exhibits for fun pictures taken by the facility cameras. The photos will later be emailed to you.

•Try lagging behind your group once you leave the library. That way, you get a chance to experience the different exhibits and take pictures without too much of a crowd.

•There are no restrooms located inside Candytopia and there is no re-entry so remember to use the restroom before entering!

•Wear pants (and not a skirt like I did) if you plan to swim in the marshmallow pit or hop on the 100 swing. 

•Shoes have to be removed for the marshmallow pit so be sure to bring socks.

•Let your imagination run wild and have fun! 



Words to live by:
There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you’ll be free if you truly wish to be. ~Willy Wonka