The First Week

Chad and I have been in Riverside for a week now driving up and down Magnolia Avenue in search of something cool to do. Here's the top 5 best things about Riverside so far:

5. The Pool
Even though it's easy enough to swim in Minnesota, at least during the summer, it's even easier here in Riverside. There is a pool and hot tub within 2 minutes of my door and it has been great fun taking advantage of that luxury.

4. The Reptile Store
We popped into the Reptile Store the other day just for fun. It was kind of like the traveling reptile show you can pay to see at the State Fair, only it was free and it was better. These reptiles were all happy and eager to see visitors. The lizards climbed up to the front of their cages and stuck their tongues out as we passed. The tortoises clomped across their cages and smiled in content.

3. Von's
This is my new favorite grocery store where I have so far saved a total of $80 with my Von's discount card. I just asked for it and then waved it in front of the cashier and poof! $80 disappeared from my total! Von's sells 4 lb packages of hamburger for $6 and NY strip steaks for $4 each to card holders. They have low low prices on liquor and even lower prices on dairy products. Plus, there seems to be a Von's on every corner so I never have to worry about where to shop.

2. In-N-Out Burger
The most anticipated cheeseburger I've ever anticipated eating did not disappoint. We've been to In-N-Out Burger 2 times now and loved it both times. Who could possibly hate the double-double? The shakes made with real ice cream? The hand-cut french fries? OK, I kind of hate those. But the burgers are totally worth $1.99.

1. Riverside is 1 hour from LA
This has been the best part of Riverside because frankly, this place isn't that exciting. Yesterday Chad and I traveled all the way to Beverly Hills to visit the Getty art museum. This is a photo of the museum from its perch high atop a mountain.

It was designed to be a modern day Acropolis, which is a famous ancient temple in Greece. I don't know how you climb your way to the top of Mount Acropolis, but at the Getty you get to ride a monorail to the top of the mountain. Once there, you are confronted with several buildings, a few gardens, and a whole bunch of stairs. Best of all, visiting the Getty is free!

My favorite work of art at the Getty was Vincent van Gogh's painting, Irises. It's been my screensaver on my computer for a few months now so it was exciting to actually see it in person. But since the van Gogh was an obvious choice for favorite artwork, I will choose another, more obscure painting to share with you.

It is called Arii Matamoe (The Royal End) and it is by Paul Gauguin, a contemporary of van Gogh's. This painting features a decapitated head of a Tahitian on a pillow. There's all sorts of high-fallutin' explanations for what this painting could be about, including the one I provided in the link above. I think the painting was simply a way for Gauguin to make some money. People like to be shocked and this painting certainly would've shocked the Europeans back home. Gauguin was living in Tahiti, painting and fabricating a culture for the Tahitian people that didn't exist. He even wrote a book about the subject, called Noa-Noa (which I've unfortunately read), and a version of this painting was included as an illustration.