New Orleans | Lousisiana

Shortly after returning from our Californian adventure, Haley and I took off for a week to a place we hadn't visited since our childhood: New Orleans. The architecture. The music. The food. Oh my goodness, the food. We had a fabulous time exploring the Big Easy!

Stumbling Onto A Movie Set

While Haley and I were stretching out legs on a much needed break from the bicycle built for two, we saw a crowd of people gathering by the Venice Skate Park and decided to check it out. If you are acquainted with my family, you know that my sister has a knack for running into the rich and famous anytime she lands in NY or LA. On this particular occasion, the subject of all the commotion turned out to be Bruce Willis and crew, shooting his new police-chase thriller, Going Under. While we didn't get to actually hear the dialogue, we did get to jump into one scene and cheer on a juggling clown. Check out some shots from behind the scenes:

Venice Beach | California

Hi everyone, the blog is back! As I wrote about last year, I'll be moving everything over to thetravelingteacher.com. I had hoped to start posting again, from my new location, but it's been slower going than I anticipated. So, in the meantime, I'll catch up on some summer posts!
 My summer back in the States flew by, as usual. It was a wonderful time, filled with visits from friends both near and far. Despite the added task of planning a wedding in six weeks (more on that later), I managed to get away for a couple of weekends with my family.

Our first destination was our home away from home, Venice Beach. Over the years, we've seen it grow and change, but many of the people stay the same (i.e. the artist above). This particular weekend was the 4th of July, which meant an extra helping of street performers, free spirits, and...Bruce Willis. Nothing beats a morning of people watching and a breakfast burrito from the Candle Cafe, which you subsequently have to work off with a nice long ride down the beach from Sea Mist Bike Rentals. Haley and I tried out a bicycle built for two but in case you're thinking about getting one for yourself, it is a lot harder than it looks, particularly on a holiday weekend with clueless tourists walking all over the bike path.