Brasil vs Estados Unidos

Here we come.. Com mais um post de produtinhos. Tô pensando em fazer esse mesmo tipo de post com roupas e acessórios que eu comprei aqui. O que vocês acham? Compro muita coisa em promoção. A maioria são achados, sabe? O que acaba valendo suuuuper a pena. Enfim, por enquanto ficamos só nos produtinhos mesmo. Hoje trouxe 3 produtinhos de cabelo, um removedor de maquiagem e mais um batom da MAC. 

Primeiro da lista esse creme de hidratação da Shea Moisture que eu tô completamente apaixonada. Nunca vi produto de cabelo tão cheiroso como esse. Sem falar na diferença que isso faz nas pontas que geralmente é a parte mais ressecada do cabelo. É um pouquinho mais caro que o normal mas a qualidade do produto faz valer a pena. Este creme foi $11.99 que em reais sairia por mais ou menos uns R$40 enquanto no Brasil, esse creme é vendido por R$110. Pois é, nem eu acredito. 

O segundo produto também é um creme de hidratação mas esse é de marca bem conhecida no Brasil. Este balm da L'oreal repara danos severos. Uso muuuuuito e super recomendo. O preço deste está na faixa dos $6.99 que seria uns R$23. Este mesmo creme no Brasil está em torno de R$85. 

Trouxe também meu shampoo&condicionador da vida. Todos os produtos da Bed Head são incríveis e esse não é diferente. Geralmente prefiro shampoo sem sal mas esse é tão bom que nem sinto tanta diferença. Tem de vários linhas e tamanhos e esse aqui é da linha Moisture Maniac de 750ml. O preço aqui nos Estados Unidos é em torno de $39.99 (o kit shampoo e condicionador) que em reais dá mais ou menos R$130. Encontrei o mesmo por R$169 o shampoo e R$138 o condicionador em um site brasileiro. Sabia que essa linha era cara no Brasil mas não imaginei que seria tanto, né? Vale muito mais a pela comprar no exterior.

O quarto item é um shampoo seco. Hoje em dia, shampoo seco já é bem conhecido e quase um item indispensável, principalmente para quem tem cabelos oleosos ou sem volume. Este shampoo seco em particular ajuda muito na oleosidade mas não deve substituir a lavagem. Enfim, comprei esse no supermercado aqui perto e paguei em torno de $6 que em reais seria uns R$20. Procurei este mesmo shampoo na Internet mas não encontrei nenhum lugar que mostrasse o preço aí no Brasil. Parece ser vendido no Brasil mas infelizmente não pude encontrar nenhuma referência. De qualquer maneira, TRESemmé no Brasil é bem em conta, portanto não deve ter tanta diferença de preço. 

Okay, quinto e último produto de hoje é uma loção hidratante para pele seca. Adoro comprar creme pra pele seca porque geralmente hidrata mais. Este, por exemplo, tem muita diferença não só na textura como na eficácia. Não era muito acostumada a usar creme hidratante todo dia mas agora tô viciada. Não consigo mais ficar sem.. Enfim, esse é um dos melhores cremes que já usei. Hidrata MESMO.. Este de 709 ml, foi mais ou menos uns $11 ou seja R$35. Enquanto isso, aí no Brasil o mesmo creme é vendido em torno de R$50. 

A cada post me surpreendo mais com a grande diferença de preço. Alguns produtos chegam a ser absurdo de caro no Brasil enquanto nos EUA são bem mais em conta. Bom gente, a solução é esperar um pouquinho, guardar o dinheiro e comprar quando estiverem no exterior. Vale a pena!!! 

Espero que tenham gostado. Até o próximo post.                                                                                                          

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DIY Borboletas

Oi gente, tudo bem? Hoje trouxe algo um pouquinho diferente, um DIY. Pra quem não sabe o que é, DIY é a abreviação de "Do It Yourself" ou seja, "Faça Você Mesmo". DIY pode ser considerado qualquer coisa que você mesmo faça como receitas, acessórios, decoração ou customização. Enfim, o que eu trouxe hoje é um DIY Decoração que pode ser uma ótima dica para quem quer dar uma mudadinha no quarto, por exemplo.

Aqui no apartamento onde eu moro tem um cantinho, onde eu uso para me arrumar, que tem um espelho bem velhinho na parede e já que o apartamento é alugado, eu não posso trocar nada, nem esse espelho horroroso. Já tinha pensado em várias coisas pra disfarçar as manchinhas do espelho e pra deixar esse cantinho mais bonitinho mas tem mais um problema, estou proibida de fazer furos nas paredes. Depois de um bom tempo irritada com essas regras absurdas, acabei achando umas dicas legais de decoração. Tem coisas incríveis que com o tempo eu vou mostrando pra vocês mas o que escolhi pro meu cantinho foi algo bem simples que me deixou beeeeem menos irritada com essa parte da casa.

Além de fácil, você não gasta quase nada. Vou deixar aqui o que vocês vão precisar e uma explicadinha rápida de como fazer. E pra quem preferir ou tiver alguma dúvida, clique AQUI para assistir o vídeo do passo-a-passo. 

Primeiro, escolham a silhueta e o tamanho da borboleta que vocês querem desenhar. Pra isso, só procurar no Google Images. Copiem a silhueta da borboleta em uma folha mais transparente para servir de molde e depois passe para a folha colorida. Recortem, dobrem as asinhas e está pronto. Agora só decidirem onde querem colar e qual a melhor opçao (Cola, Fita adesiva, Fita dupla-face).

Espero que tenham gostado. Beijinhos!!!

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'Felices Cumpleaños'

MUCHAS FELICIDADES!!!

Hoy 20 de julio es el cumpleaños de mi Máma... Así es como la llamo yo para hacerla de rabiar… Jajaja. Papá, no creas que me olvidé del tuyo día 16, tú sabes que no soy el mejor recordando fechas (sabéis que compré billetes para ir en vuestro cumpleaños en el mes equivocado), pero aún así me acordé de que los dos cumplís los años con cuatro días de diferencia.

Este año no podemos celebrarlo juntos tomando un buen pedazo de carne como a mí me gustaría, o un helado del Regma tampoco estaría nada mal… pero bueno, he decidido hacer una tarta de helado de limón en vuestro honor, ya que de aquí a que vaya en Navidades no creo que hayáis dejado un pedazo de tarta para mi o mi chiquita.

También sabéis que es difícil enviar paquetes o regalos con tanta distancia que no separa, pero prometo que me acordaré de vosotros por doble estas Navidades. Lo único que puedo deciros es que, aunque sé que no era vuestro cumpleaños, espero que el tiempo que estuvimos aquí todos juntos os sirviera en cierta manera de regalo... Hahaha

 Bueno, ya sabéis que os deseo lo mejor, y que espero veros pronto. Aquí os dejo una de mis fotos favoritas, que por supuesto ha sido sacada por el mejor fotógrafo que conocéis, moi. Se os ve felices, seguid así.

 Pd: Papá, gracias por seguir dejándote ganar a las cartas. Sabes que le haces el día a mama con solo eso. Hahaha

Un besote! Alvaro y Tayane

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'Veranito, Oh Dulce Veranito'

Sol! Donde has estado??!!  Pensé que nunca volverías a Los Angeles... Hahaha

Si! Ya terminamos el curso! Estamos muy contentos con el resultado de los examenes de este último semestre, al igual que con los que obtuvimos el semestre pasado... Justo después de terminar las clases de primavera, precisamente el día después, mi familia se encontraba de viaje sobre el Atlántico para por fin conocer la costa Oeste de los Estados Unidos de América... A visitar a su hijo favorito! (Todos sabemos que soy el favorito...).

Tenemos muchísimas cosas nuevas que contar desde el último post meses atrás,  y es por que hemos estado muy ocupados con exámenes, viajes y trabajo... La mañana del 15 de Mayo justo antes de recoger a mis padres tuve la 1 entrevista de trabajo. Y es que una posición de ayudante en la Oficina Internacional de la Universidad se abrió, y aquí la parejita hispano-brasileña no deja pasar una oportunidad de ganar unas perrillas... hahaha Hay que decir que la entrevista fué bastante bien teniendo en cuenta que conseguí el trabajo! hahaha.

Tras una larga espera de autobuses para llegar a LAX (Aeropuerto Internacional de LA... La X no se de donde salio hahaha) vino una aún mayor ya que, como no, la llegada del avión fue retrasada  por más de 1h... súmale a 3 muertos de sueño recogiendo maletas a la velocidad del animal ese que sale al sol y es baboso (XD) y el resultado fue 2 horas de agradable estancia de pies rodeados de exclamaciones ooohhhh! ooohhh? aaaaahhh! uooaaa!?? (por lo que me parece, estos monosílabos se corresponden a que bien te veo/me alegro de verte en Japones, ya que era lo único que pude escuchar de sus bocas...hahaha). Pero quien va a quejarse? Ellos pasaron 16h en el avión...

Hahaha El 1er momento fue intenso! Aunque mi mama intento mantener sus bolsitas lagrimales llenas y no derramar ni gota, como las apuestas predecían eran bien apreciables las dos piscinitas llenitas y a rebosar listas para vaciar! Aunque nunca sucedio... Mama se que lloraste antes de salir por la puerta! hahaha Por cierto, mi padre casi me estrangula con su bíceps. XD. 

Tayane, mi camara/reportera en cargo de grabar los momentos inéditos para vosotros tuvo... "problemas técnicos" hahahahaha la mi pobre estaba tan nerviosilla que en el video de 23 segundos que hizo, solo la pierna de mi padre ay la cara de mi hermana aparecen en escena por medio segundo... Los otros 22 y medio ella decidió mostrar con detalle el increíblemente limpio suelo del aeropuerto y una gran variedad de zapatos japoneses del grupito de al lado! Vamos, lo que quiero decir es que no hay video...Hahaha

Por 21 días, viajamos y visitamos algunos de los lugares mas famosos y maravillosos a este lado de Norteamérica. Algunos que ya habiamos visitado Tayane y yo y otros nuevos que descubrimos juntos, asi que en las siguientes semanas iremos mostrando (tan frecuentemente como el trabajo nos permita) reportajes sobre estos sitios, por supuesto con preciosas fotos gracias a la nueva pero vieja lente 300mm que mi padre me trajo de España! Gracias papá!

Esperamos que os guste!

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'Dear Summer'

Where were you last month? We were worried we would never see you again! Hahaha

Yeah! We are done with the semester of course! And we are really happy with our success, since we did pretty good in all the classes. The 1st day after the classes were finished, my family was on a plane flying over the Atlantic Ocean to experience USA for the first time, and of course to say Hi to their only and favorite son, ME. Yes! Tayane, don't be jelly hahaha Well, it might be true that they came to stay with both (60%you 40%me) but whatever...

So in the morning before we went to pick them up at the airport, I had an interview at one of the College's offices, because I'd been begging for a job the last month of classes and finally it looks I may have a chance!

Of course, the flight was delayed and we waited for almost 2hours, but who can complain when they were in that plane for 16h? Hahaha The first moment was.. Intense! Although my mum tried to keep her tears inside, I could see two little pools with the intention of jump and cover the face, something that never happened. My father almost kill me with his powerful hug, this time unintentionally haha. 

Tayane, my 1st camera-woman in charge of recording the scene for you guys was so nervous that in a 23seconds video, only the leg of my father and my sister's face appeared for half a second. The other 22 and 1/2 were awesome views of the airport floor and plenty of shoes of a Japanese group... So... no video sorry! Hahaha

For 21 days, we traveled and visited some of the most famous cities at this side of North America, a few we had already visited before and others that we discovered together, so in the next weeks, we'll be posting about it and showing some amazing pics that I was able to take thanks to my old 300mm lens that my father brought me from Spain. Thanks Daddy!

We hope you like it!

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'Tarta Helada de Limon - Kitchen Survival'

Nuevo Video!

Aceptando el último desafíom, Golden Coast Connection presenta este nuevo video sobre como realizar una deliciosa Tarta Helada de Limon cuya receta fuimos perfeccionando con el tiempo.. Prueben a hacerla y comentad que os parece!

Haz click en la foto de arriba  para visualizar el video en nuestro Youtube Channel.
                             

                                                                                                   

Si teneis alguna duda, no olvideis preguntar abajo en los comentarios del post en el video en Youtube.

Thanks for watching!

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'Important Dates'

Valentine's Day

Hey guys, sorry for not posting anything for a week but it has been such a busy week for both of us. We have had too much homework, projects and tests so we had to study hard in order to get, at least, a B-. There are no C's allowed in this relationship. Well, only if the subject is Biology. Oh btw, I just got an A+ in my first math test and I'm so happy that I could finally understand trigonometry. Sine, cosine, tangent, cosecant, secant.. For what do we need all of this? Whatever, as long as I get a good grade, I'm okay with that.

Let's change this conversation to its real topic that is "Valentine's Day". It's so funny that in Brazil this special date is celebrate in June 12th while in the USA and Europe it is in February 14th. This last week was full of special dates; on Tuesday it was Alvaro's birthday and we had dinner with some friends but unfortunately we forgot to take pictures.  We only have this one of Alvaro with his 2 Japanese friends...

On Wednesday (It was supposed to be on Tuesday but we adapted it), we celebrated one year together... our 1st Anniversary!, and on Saturday, it was Valentine's Day and we decided to go to Silvio's BBQ, a Brazilian restaurant in Hermosa Beach. We had already been there so we already knew how good the food was. This time we ordered a big dish to share since we had a great breakfast. He wrote me a cute note and prepared some strawberries with Nutella in the shape of a heart.

Doesn't it look delicious? It was.. And that's the reason we were not that hungry for lunch. Well, for lunch we had my favorite meat: picanha. It's the most famous meat in Brazil and it couldn't taste better. As a side dish we had rice and French fries. We also ordered a small dish of black beans that I, particularly, love but Alvaro (as always) didn't like it... hahahaha just kidding!

The breakfast was great, the lunch was awesome and to end the day even better we spent the rest of the day in the pier watching the surfers just like Alvaro loves. - It was our first Valentine's Day here in the United States and we spent the day in a great way. Thank you for the breakfast. Thank you for the lunch. Thank you for the amazing day, babe. But most of all, thank you for being my valentine.

We hope you like it guys!

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"The Late Late Show - Jonh Mayer"

Going to TV Shows

Welcome to our new post! Yesterday February 6th we had the incredible chance to be in CBS's studio for "The Late Late Show"  on the last day of John Mayer as Host, and Ed Sheeran, Stephen Merchant and Jillian Bell as guests. I'm just gonna say that it was unsurpassable.

John Mayer, one of my idols who is in 6 of my TOP 10 favorite songs, was just a few meters far making jokes and singing with one of the greatest singers of the moment... We were so lucky.

Let me tell you the truth. We had no clue that John Mayer was going to be the host when I applied for our tickets. I expected that he would be on the show as the principal guest... What an incredible surprise when we arrived and found out the truth hahahahaha. Not only John Mayer but also Ed Sheran? For FREE?

And yes, my friends, I said for FREE. We didn't pay not even a cent for our tickets thanks to "1iota Tickets". On its website, you can find a lot of TV shows to go and the only thing you have to do is to have an email address, to apply for the tickets you want (max of 3 per petition) and wait!

And that's why we also wanted to recommend you, as a new LA Tip to go on 1iota and find some shows that you would like to go to on the dates that you will be on Los Angeles. It is worth, I swear.

It was that easy... I still dont believe the incredible day we had yesterday! For those of you who wanna watch the show, it was on air yesterday night at 8PM on national television (you can watch the complete episode in HD on CBS's website), but I found that some fans already posted it on youtube, so let me show you, at least, the part when they sang "Don't", by Ed Sheeran.

We hope you liked it!

Read this post also in Spanish and Portuguese.
See you soon.

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'Driving Through Paradise'

California Driver License

Hello my friends! Today we bring you here an interesting post about driving in the states .. Did you know that international students can obtain the official Driver License as any other american? In fact, it isn't a "can". If you are gonna be here for a while and you are planning to be driving from time to time, it is a "have to". Better you get the license before you get in troubles!

It seems to be that althought you are in possesion of an international license emited by your home country, it's on the police that stops you to give you a juicy fine... If you wanna try to pretend that you are stupid, maybe it's your lucky day hahahha. But nothing more than that.  And if there is an advice I can give you, it is: Don't argue with any police here... DO NOT do it! 

I have to say that both of the times I rented a car I had not problem with them. In fact, last time we where SO lost on the freeway with no battery in our phones (what means no google maps) and the police stopped us and they not only didn't give us a fine, but helped us to get home hahahaha.

I've been reading about the tests, people experiences and comments and this is the summary: it's a game for kids. Some of the comments were about how easy it is to pass the test due to the "hard" level of the questions such as: "A pedestrian is crossing the street. What do you do?: a)I crash my car againts a tree, b)I reduce speed and let him cross, or c)I increase speed and hit the pedestrian." (WTF???I wish we had that questions in Spain hahaha).

Do you think your English skills are not enough to make it? Don't worry, you have the chance to choose between up to 25 different languages... Come on, you have to speak at least one of them, don't you?.

And what is the funniest thing? You might be thinking that the fee to get the license has to be so expensive and that it isn't worth. Well, you are almost right. The total amount for tests and taxes is $35. I'm not kiding!

So, I will tell you more about the tests and my personal experience during this month, as soon as I have taken them. I just hope that my friend KARMA doesn't punish me with bad luck due to this post hahaha.

For more information, here you have the link of the official website DMV (Departament of Motor Vehicles).

We hope you like it! Don't forget to comment below if you have any question! 

See you soon!

Alvaro.

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California VLOG - Hollywood Blvd

New video on Youtube!

We though you may like to see the places with your own eyes...  We hope you like it!

Click on the picture to watch the video on our Youtube Channel.
                                                                                                                                                              

                                              

Pleasae comment below if you have any suggestion for our future videos.

Thank you for watching!

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'Hollywood Boulevard'

The Famous Walk 

Ranking: 4 stars

Hey everybody, this last weekend we went to the most famous street in Los Angeles and here we have one more LA Tip. We are talking about Hollywood Boulevard and if you are not familiar with this name you will probably know about the Walk of Fame that occupies "only"15 blocks of the Hollywood Blvd.

We really love this place. I think I could go there every weekend without being tired and in my opinion it is a great place to get distracted and have some fun. Well, I've known many people that got disappointed with this place and most of them said that it looks much better in the movies but what doesn't look better in the movies?

Oh, and you must be advised that you won't find Brad Pitt or some other famous actors walking on the street (unless it's your super lucky day), instead you will find many crazy people dressed as famous characters and also some talented people singing, dancing, drawing and etc..

Coming back to the finding-famous-ppl subject, I've been here for almost 2 years and I'vent found any actor/actress yet. Well, one day we did but it was the Once Upon a Time premiere and we didn't even know. It really was our lucky day. Oh, and I'vent been lucky enough to meet Adam Levine on the street, and of course take a pic, hug him and give him my phone number. haha just kidding baby, I'll give yours cuz you two could go surfing together! hahaha.

Anyway, on the walk of fame you will be able to see, at least, 2 thousand stars. Among them, there are great directors, actors, musicians, producers, fictional characters and others.

Another awesome place to visit there is the El Capitan Theatre that is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company and usually host premieres of great movies and tv series like Once Upon a Time.

The Dolby Theatre is another "must visit" place. It is located in the Hollywood and Highland shopping mall. It was opened in 2001 and it is already the first permanent home for the Oscars Ceremonies. The interior of this theatre is fantastic and it has one of the largest stage in the United States.

They often have guided tours for those who want to see the theater a little bit better and the tickets range from $15 to $19 but you cannot take pictures inside.

Oh, and last, but not less important, don't forget to see the Chinese Theatre that has not only an incredible design but also nearly 200 celebrities footprints, handprints and autographs in the concret
.

As you can see this place is full of great attractions so you should save a day only for this visit to be able to enjoy every single thing. Walk through its pavement full of stars, go on a tour at the Dolby theater, go shopping on the Hollywood and highland mall, look for your favorite artist footprint, but don't forget to go up to the second floor of this mall to see the Hollywood sign that I particularly adore.



Hope you liked it and don't forget to put "Hollywood Blvd" on your list.

See you, bye bye!

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California VLOG - Redondo Beach Pier

New video on Youtube!

We though you may like to see the places with your own eyes...  We hope you like it!

Click on the picture to watch the video on our Youtube Channel.

Pleasae comment below if you have any suggestion for our future videos.

Thank you for watching!

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'Third Street Promenade'

A Street Full of Talent

Ranking: 3 stars

Helloooo everybody! As we promised in our previous post, today's LA Tip is about the ôther famous part in Santa Monica besides the pier, the Third Street Promenade.

On 1960's, 3 blocks of the Third Street were converted into a pedestrian mall, and later (1980–2007) an enclosed mall was added at the Promenade's southern end, now known as Santa Monica Place. The renamed Third Street Promenade opened on September 16th, 1989, and has bsince become the nationally success that is today.

Besides the countless national and international brands along the street (famous Forever21, Apple Store, Zara, Louis Vuiton or Tiffanys as a few examples), and the incredibles restaurats, one of the best things that you will find here is many over talented performers and entertainers. On a warm Saturday night, singers, classical guitar players, magicians, street dancers and other artists can line among this street to show their talents. 

We have been here at Santa Monica Downtown many times, and we were frequently surprised by many artists, but we both agree that the young violinist Daniel Morris that played on Thursday was awesome, becoming one of our favourite street performer in LA. Here you have an small part of one of the songs he performed:

As we explained yesterday, just a few blocks away you also have the pier. The day is long enough for enjoying both places in only once, but if you are too bussy, just write down the name of the one you let out and come back in you next free time.

How to arrive? - Take a look on Google Maps.

More pictures on our Flickr.

We hope you like it!
Read also in Spanish or Portugues.

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'Santa Monica Pier'

The Night Paradise of Lights and Roller Coasters

Ranking: 4'5 stars

Hello everybody! Yesterday we went out to find a new place to show you, and we think you guys are gonna like a lot this one... We decided to lead our trip to another famous place in the coast of LA, well known for its countless apearences on TV series and Films, and also with a high reputatation between those who love to go shopping... Yes, the protagonist today is Santa Monica.  

We are gonna divide this one in 2 different posts due to the high amount of information we have to give you about 2 different places here, the Santa Monica Pier and the Third Street Promenade. Lets start with the pier ok?

It doesn't matter when you go... it's always full! This landmark has become one of the most famous palces in LA. If you are asking why, the answer is easy to find as soon as you stop at the entrance of the bridge that leads you to the pier. Such an incredible structure going is hard to forget.

Don't forget to wait your turn to take a selfie with the sign before you go down. Also, if you are brave enough to put on a big snake (I AM NOT), you can find a "strong" man (sometimes 2) with a big one that will offer you to take a pic with it for a few dollars.

Walk down the bridge! now you are officially in the pier. There are plenty of things to do here, so choose the ones that fit more with you! From renting a bike, playing videogames or enjoy the incredible food (the Pier Burguer, the Bubba Gump Shrim, the Marisol Mexican Food... and many more), to ride the rollercoasters or enjoy the street performances inside the pier (singers and dancers, but also some weird people).

Walk around and check everything you can, that's the best advice we can give you. The are also many talented artists drawing caricatures of the tourists! Do whatever you want to do around but just be sure you are on the pier yet when the sun goes down. Again, the city of LA will present another incredible sunset. Everything here costs money, but this one is FREE, so be ready when it's almost time and find a bench if you can. Enjoy it.

Ouch! I forgot... Did you know that the worldwide Route 66 ends here?  You will be able to take a picture with the famous sign "Santa Mónica Route 66 End of the Trail". For those Motorcycle's addicts, this is another reason to visit the pier...

If you have the chance to go back to your hotel or house late because you have a car, we are gonna suggest you something... Go early in the morning (10 AM is fine). Visit the pier, check all the stuff you can do BUT don't stay too much in the Pacific Park (rollercoasters and games). After that, walk to the 3rd Street Promenade (we will talk about it in our next post), enjoy shopping and also eating! Spend there about 2 or 3 hours and go to Ocean Ave (the closest to the beach) and enjoy the small parks and gardens. Stay there, lay on the grass, take a nap... When the sun is going down, lead to the beach but this time try going through one of the small bridges for pedestrians over the freeway (north and south from the Ocean and Sta Monica Blvd intersection).

Go to the South side of the beach and find a place on the sand or in the "park" (close to Arcadia Terrace"). The sunset is already one! From this side, the last orange sunbeans will be hiding behind the pier's structure. Now go to the pier an enjoy the weak light in the horizon until it's dark.

Waiiiit, waiiiiit.... Lights ON! hahaha. Perfect time to enjoy the attractions and the lights show before go home.

How to arrive? - Take a look on Google Maps.
More pictures on our Flickr.

We hope you like it!

Read this post also in Spanish or Portuguese.

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'Redondo Beach Pier'

A Beautiful Pier with a lot of Mad Animals

Ranking: 3 stars.

Hi guys! Yesterday was another "day of work", so we went out to write our new posts. Today we start with a new LA Tip for you. It is a special place for me because it's one of the very first that I visited when I came to LA for the first time. The Redondo Beach Pier.

This pier has been rebuilt and altered by storms and redevelopments, but its first was built between 1895 and 1915. The pier's modern reinforced concrete version was completed in 1995, bringing back the appeal to Redondo Beach's business district ever since.

As you come into the pier, you realize that everything fits in the place. You can find many souvenir shops (SO tipical here in every pier), and many places to have different kinds of food. From seafood restaurants, to hotdogs or burguers. 

If you are going to visit the pier, be sure you come hungry to fully enjoy the area, and let a small place to try the churros, crepes and icecreams. Just be sure you are not being followed to the cute tables outside... or you won't have anything to eat! There are starving seagulls everywhere in the pier, and they aren't joking, so keep always an eye on your food. Ok?

There are many fishermans trying to enjoy the ocean, and some of them almost live there. But even them know who the real locals are. As you go inside the pier, you will find more than one big Brown Pelicans not only on the floor but also on the roofs. These big dudes have taken the control of the area... LOL.

If we had to choose the best views here, we will take the ones when you are in the Western and  Southern part of the pier, and no matter where you look, it's awesome. Looking to the South, Redondo Beach and Palos Verdes hills; to the east, the structure of the pier creates a small beach in the middle; and looking to the North you enjoy the incredible view of the wharf and the boats coming in and out... There is also an awesome view of the pier from the southern part of Redondo Beach with the wooden structure of the pier inside the water and the small waves landing on the sand. We LOVE this one.

Notes: The pier is also famous for "The O.C" since The Coffe Shop at the end of the pier was one of the common locations for this TV serie. If you are a fan, you have to know that althought The O.C was set in Newport Beach (Orange County), many of the filming locations were in LA (Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Palos Verdes, UCLA and USC).

How to arrive? - Take a look on Google Maps.
More pictures on our Flickr.

We hope you like it!

Read it also in Spanish or Portuguese.

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'College vs University'

A Cheaper Way to Study in the USA

Heey guys!!! Today the topic is university and here it goes a great option for those who want to study in the USA. We know that many people are curious about studying abroad, so we thought it might be a good idea to write about it.

I'm gonna try to explain it a little bit better.. Here in the USA you can choose between two different options, that would be study 4 years in the same university or study 2 years in a college and then get transferred to a university in order to study 2 more years.

Ok, but what is college ? Well, college is just a small university (I would say) where the students take the same classes as in the university but with a better price per unit .

Surely that it depends on the institution but some colleges are easier to get in than some universities. Many of them require the TOEFL and/or SAT, tests that are designated to test the student's capacity, especially on the English language. Oh, and I must remember you that the schools here are usually paid per semester, not month.

There's one thing that international students usually complain about and it is the difference of prices between them and american students. Every university/college here charge a fee besides the regular price per unit. Not fair, I know.. Especially if you are an international student that goes to class with american students and you see that only 40% of them pay attention or stay untill the class is over. Anyway.. despite the price, the experience pays off.

Those who are used to small universities, don't even imagine how big the universities here are. The small ones occupy one block, at least, and major universities such as UCLA, look like a small town. I've been lost, at least, 15 times inside de campus and I study in a small college that is half of a university. Here everything is separated by subject and each subject has its own building. And when you have one class in "Humanities", one in "Mathematics" and one in "Music" in the same day, is almost impossible to don't get lost in the beggining..

Well, that's it by now...

We hope you like it!

See you soon.. 

Read it also in Spanish or Portuguese.

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The Infinite Manhattan Beach

There are plenty of beautifull places to go to as a routine in Los Angeles. Locations that will make you feel alive and home, cuz even dream cities like LA can be stressing from time to time.

Sometimes, you don't know why a place is that attractive to you, that much that you don't even feel tired if you were there every single day. That's kind of what happened to us 3 moths ago with The Strand and Manhattan Beach Pier, when we were lucky enough to see one of the best sunsets in our lives. 

The Pier creates an incredible sunset-view with the Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab & Aquarium's shadow, and under the pier it's probably easy to find some surfers enjoying the last waves of the day.

The Strand is a small path for people to walk North and South. What makes this place different for us? Well, it's so relaxing to walk there, and the beach view with all the palm trees is, as always, incredible. But The Strand is also an exit door for the irregular 1st line houses, where you can find different styles and price range in just a couple of hundred meters. 

Here we found some of the best houses we have ever seen. It can be kind of sad to know that it's pretty hard to become one of the owners one day, but it feels so good to be part of this place, even just as tourists. 

I wish I can buy my future house there. Imagine to watch this sunset from the jacuzzy of your yard with a soda and some snacks in your hands... IN-CRE-DI-BLE!!

We hope you like it!
Read also in Spanish. 

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