Mission Inn Festival of Lights

I finally made it to the Festival of Lights last night! I usually go on opening night, which is amazing because they have fireworks and a huge assortment of vendors, but I couldn't go this year. I talked one of my friends into coming with me and we headed downtown around 7:30. I have to say that the whole downtown area around the Mission Inn is fun to see around Christmas time. The holiday spirit seems to spread from the Mission Inn and affect everyone around. There is an ice skating rink as well as horse drawn carriages. (As a side note- there was one carriage driver who almost let his horses run into the back of my car. The other carriage drivers around were appalled at how close he came as well. I own horses and would never put my horses at that kind of risk by being so close to a car where there is unpredictable car and pedestrian traffic. The rest of the carriage drivers were very careful and polite, so it's horrible that one can ruin things.)

Once we parked we walked past the pedestrian mall on Main street where they were selling gingerbread cookies. On the other side of Main street they have a rink where you can go ice skating, which is amazing for the holidays. The front of the Mission Inn is beautiful, and is decorated with millions of lights and Christmas decorations. We walked past the front valet entrance and into the main entrance of the hotel. The inside of the hotel is as beautiful if not more beautiful than the outside. The Christmas tree inside is decorated with gorgeous ornaments, and the mantel is amazing as well.

After we finished walking around the Mission Inn we went down the street to Lake Alice. Lake Alice is one of my favorite bars because it has just about anything you could want to do there. Since it was a Thursday night they had karaoke. One of our friends met us there and sang, but they have a lot of regulars, so the wait was pretty long. We played darts, shuffleboard and pool while we were there. Some tips for anyone who goes- people tend to walk in front of the dart boards, so block off the path with some chairs. For the shuffleboard table, the pegs in the middle tend to stick, so you might have to push them down.

I recommend that anyone who hasn't been to the Mission Inn for the Festival of Lights go at some time. The last day for this season is Sunday January 2, 2011.

California Pizza Kitchen

Last night I met up with some friends for dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. Most of the time when I've gone here it's been busy, but for some reason last night it was pretty empty. I really like their food, and their bread is good too. You have to actually ask them for bread now. They used to bring it out for everyone, but now you have to ask. That's just another change brought on by our horrible economy. Well, since there weren't many people there the service was pretty slow. I'm not sure why that is, but it seems like when restaurants are slow the service is slow even though there is less to do. Oh well, our food was still good. We were all tired, so we didn't do anything afterwards. I'll make sure my next post is a little more exciting. :)

El Torito Taco Tuesday and Killarney's

Last night a bunch of us decided to go to Taco Tuesday at El Torito in the Riverside Plaza. There were about 12 of us, so we had a table in the back that was actually 3 tables put together. They have dollar tacos, which you can get chicken, beef, or carnitas (I think). I got there late, and the line for tacos was long, so I got a quesadilla. They also have some pretty good drink specials. The quesadilla was amazing except that I forgot to ask for no onions and I am not a fan of them. Oh well, that was my bad. They were extremely fast bringing me the quesadilla- I think it only took about 5 minutes. It was probably because everybody else was waiting in line for tacos. :)

Afterwards we went to Killarney's. On Tuesdays they have 2 dj's in the different rooms. I love playing shuffleboard at Killarney's, but there were people on the table when we got there. I wish we would have gotten to play because that is a fun drinking game. Some people think that it's more for older people, but try playing and you'll understand. I love the uniforms for the male bartenders here because they consist of a shirt and a kilt. :) Not too many guys would be excited about wearing a kilt, but the bartenders here rock the kilts. Well, the bar wasn't very busy when we got there, but a lot of people showed up later for dancing and it was a pretty good night.

Presidential Lounge, Lake Alice

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you're all having a great time with your families.

So last night some friends and I decided to go grab drinks at the Presidential Lounge at the Mission Inn. This is a more upscale bar that sometimes has live music and even has a grand piano in the bar. There were people in all different attire- everything from sweatshirts and beanies to suits. I ran into one of my friends from high school there and there were a couple other people I recognized as well. This is a more relaxed bar, lots of people, but not too crazy.

After the Presidential Lounge we went to check out Mario's, but there was a line and a $10 cover charge. We decided (despite it being really cold) to walk over to Lake Alice. The cover charge there was only $3 and there was no line. There were people there that we knew also- typical for the holidays when everyone comes back into town to visit relatives. Lake Alice was a lot more upbeat and had a live band. There were different sports channels on, even though it was around midnight. There were people playing pool, shuffleboard, and just hanging out talking. I like this bar because it's a great place to just have fun. They have two small patios and it's just a great casual atmosphere.

Thursday Night Drift at Adam's Kart Trak

I found the website for Adam's Kart Track online when I was doing some research on stuff to do in Riverside. They do go-kart racing there (theirs are gas powered, not the weak electric ones!), timed races, and drifting. So last night I "dragged" one of my friends over there for the Thursday Night Drift. I say that I dragged him because he's into cars and racing, but we really didn't know what we were getting into and didn't know how long we would stay. Anyway, we got there and it was AMAZING! If you've ever seen the movie Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, then you have an idea what this is about. It's cars driving on the go-kart track and sliding around the turns on purpose.

Some of the drivers were absolutely amazing, while others needed some work. This is because anyone can enter their car for $20 for an hour. It only works if you have a car that is rear wheel drive, and most of the cars there were Nissans. There was a Dodge Viper Mopar, Toyota Supra and some other pretty impressive cars there, too.

If driving doesn't appeal to you, you can also pay $10 for a ride along. Next time we go we're gonna try that, so I'll comment on how that goes later.

For the most part just watching was pretty spectacular and for $3 per person you really can't beat the price. They have good music, food, and the announcer is pretty entertaining. This is probably not the best outing for little kids though. They had an eating contest and some other contests, but those were geared towards an older crowd.

Well, we are definitely going back and when we do we're going to try a ride along, so I'll let you know how that goes!

Shooter's Pool Hall

Last night a friend and I went to Shooter's Pool Hall. It's been awhile since I've been there and they've remodeled since I was there last. They have the pool area and the bar area separated now so that there are a couple distinct areas of the facility. The night that we went there was a tournament going on, so it was packed. There was a good mix of music and we were still able to get a table and drinks. It was a fun atmosphere with people in the league joking around and drinking. I expected a pool league to be more serious, so that was a nice relief since we aren't very good and our game of pool probably lasted three times what any of their games did! It was a fun casual night... hmm... maybe I'll join a pool league. :)

Rant- Traffic Lights

This week I realized how bad the timing is on the lights in Riverside. Every morning I drive down about a 5 mile stretch of Arlington Avenue and either I make a couple of the lights when they're green or I hit every light when it's red. It makes a drive that should be fairly short last a really long time. It's really frustrating, too. I don't expect to be able to drive all the way down a street and not have to stop at any red lights, but having to stop at EVERY red light is completely ridiculous! Whoever is in charge of timing the lights in Riverside doesn't do a very good job...

TGI Fridays - Flair Bartending

I love the TGI Fridays at the Galleria. The bartenders are fun and it has a friendly atmosphere. I went there last night to watch the football game with some friends. I didn't know that they were having a flair bartending competition afterwards. All the bartenders there did a routine, and it was amazing to watch. There was a DJ announcing the bartenders and they each made about 3 drinks for the judges. In all the times I've gone to Fridays I've never seen the flair competitions. I am definitely going to go to the next one! They make drinks by doing all types of tricks with the bottles and the mixing glasses. It's like advanced juggling with glass bottles and is incredibly entertaining to watch. Once I find out when the next one is I will post it.

El Torito Sunday Brunch

This morning I went to El Torito for their Sunday Brunch, and I think I have found my new favorite place to spend a Sunday morning! It is a breakfast buffet with all-you-can-drink champagne from 9am-2pm. We ended up going around 11am and staying until 1pm. There were a couple football games on, so we got to hang out and watch them as well. I don't know how I've missed out on this for so long!

Arts Walk, Lake Alice

Last night some friends and I went to the Downtown Arts Walk. This is an event that is put on by the Riverside Cultural Consortium and is held the first Thursday of every month from 6-9pm. There are about 12 art galleries and museums downtown that participate. They have special exhibits and attractions, and all of them are free. There are many people who cannot afford studios in the art galleries, so they set up their artwork on the sidewalks for people to see and possibly buy as they walk between the galleries.

I haven't seen downtown this busy since they used to do the market night on Wednesday nights. It's a very interesting crowd. One of the artists that we looked at was giving away a percentage of her profits to the Riverside Animal Shelter. I thought that was a great idea because not only was she at the Arts Walk helping to bring people out to Downtown Riverside, but she was also helping one of the other groups in the community.

After the Arts Walk we went to Lake Alice. I really like this bar because they have so much going on there. They have pool tables, a shuffle board table, arcade games, bar games, and some big screen tv's. On Thursday nights they have karaoke, too. We watched the game for a little while and listened to a couple people sing before we left for the night. Lake Alice is a good place to just hang out and meet people or bring a big group of friends for the night.

Fairmont Park

Today I went to Fairmont Park with a friend and her daughter. I haven't been to this park in a long time. It has a lake with a boathouse where you can rent paddle boats, a place to play horse shoes, basketball courts, tennis courts, a playground, and a lot of other stuff to keep anyone busy. First we went to the playground because her daughter wanted to go on the slide - about 100 times... on the same slide. After that we walked around the lake. There's a road that goes over the lake where you can walk to the other side. An ice cream truck drove by while we were walking, so we got ice cream. On the other side of the lake is a huge playground with an area that has a water playgound, which is awesome for summer! This park definitely has a lot more to offer than I remember.

TGI Friday's

Last night, after finding out that some of the bars we wanted to go to were closed, we ended up at TGI Friday's. It was pretty busy, and we made friends with the people sitting next to us. Friday's has a good friendly vibe, and some of the bartenders will practice flair if they aren't too busy. The best part of the night is that one of the bartenders was showing us his phone, filled a glass of water and dropped his phone in - on purpose! It still worked and even when I called it the phone lit up and vibrated the glass! Apparently it's a new phone from Verizon that can be in water up to 1 meter deep. I think I want to get that phone just because it is an amazing bar trick! :) Needless to say, we had a great night, and Friday's is a good place to make friends on a Saturday night.

Citrus City Grille, The Auld Dubliner

Last night while trying to decide what to do we found out that both Citrus City Grille in the Riverside Plaza and The Auld Dubliner in the Galleria are both closed! What is happening to all of the bars in Riverside?? :( The Auld Dubliner is being replaced by a Mexican Restaurant. I don't think they have a new business moving to where Citrus City Grille was yet.

Heritage House, Riverside Airport, UCR Botanic Gardens, Benedict Castle

I'm working on a website, so I went to a couple places today to take pics. First we went to the Heritage House, which is on Magnolia. It's free admission and is one of the oldest landmarks in Riverside. Unfortunately we found out that it's closed in July and August. :( It's still really pretty to look at from the outside. We're going to go back when it opens again to see the inside and see what it's really about.

Next we went to the Riverside Airport... just because we could. I've lived in Riverside my whole life and have never even attempted to go there because I figured that there really wasn't anything there. It wasn't like LAX or the other big airports at all. There is an old WW2 plane (I think) that was pretty cool to look at. It was closed when we went, but apparently when they're open you can go in the hangar and everything. We decided to eat lunch there since we found out that they have a diner we never even knew about. The food there was very affordable and really good. From inside the diner you can see the Cesna's taking off or you can sit outside and get a better view. Inside the diner there are model airplanes hanging everywhere and pictures of different aircraft on the walls. It's a really good place to just have a relaxing lunch. After lunch we went up to the patio and watched a couple of the planes- including an impressive private jet -take off from the runway.

After leaving the airport we headed to the UCR Botanic Gardens. These are really beautiful. There's open grassy areas, a rose garden, a koi pond and many other beautiful areas. It's a very peaceful place to spend a Saturday afternoon.

On our way back we passed the Benedict Castle. Apparently this is not open to the public, but the people there are extremely nice. They do a tour of the Castle, and you can book events here. The grounds are beautiful. They showed us around to the fountain, the chapel, and showed us the view of a Cross at the top of a ravine that is illuminated by different colored lights at night.

Overall today was very enlightening. I've lived in Riverside my whole life and have never seen any of these places. It's amazing what you can miss when you take things for granted.

Oishii Sushii

Oishii sushi is in the Ralph's shopping center on the corner of Magnolia and Jurupa. It doesn't look very big, but they have a whole section that you can't see from the main restaurant area that is set aside for private parties. My friend and I sat at the bar and did the all you can eat. They brought out miso soup and edamame before we even ordered, so that was nice. All the sushi was very good, and sushi is really easy to mess up, so we were both happy about that. My favorite for the night was the green mussels. They're cooked mussels with sauce on them... Amazing! I love just the plain sushi and don't like the rolls as much, but that's personal preference. I got the avocado roll, which was good. The crab sushi came out and they did some as sushi and some as sashimi (sushi without the rice). That was a nice surprize since most restaurants don't usually do that for the all you can eat. This is definitely one of my favorite sushi restaurants. I've been here a few times and the food has always been good, while other places have varying quality of sushi. Definitely a place to check out if you haven't been there before.

Hangar 18 indoor rock climbing

Indoor rock climbing is something I've seen at amusement parks as something you can pay $15 to go up one time and not learn anything, so I had no idea what to expect when we decided to go to an indoor rock climbing gym. Going into the gym was interesting. In the middle is a huge rock looking structure, and on all the walls are climbing grips and ropes hanging from the ceiling. The gym is in a warehouse, so it has extremely high ceilings. At first it was like going to a members only club where we stuck out like a sore thumb and everyone else seemed to know each other and what they were doing. It took a little while to get someone to help us, but once they did they were extremely friendly and very knowledgeable.

First of all, there is bouldering, which is climbing the wall with no harness or belay. The part of the gym that the bouldering is done on is in the very middle and is only about 20 ft tall with mats under, so there's cushion if you fall. Then there's rock climbing with a belay. We did the first timer's lesson where they teach you how to be the climber, and how to be the belayer (?), which is the person on the ground. There are different difficulties of climbing, which are determined by the size of the rocks you can grip, and how much of a hand hold you can get on them. Some you can grab pretty easily while others are nearly flat and are extremely hard to grip.

I'm not as sore as I thought I would be and it was a lot of fun! All 3 of the friends I went with got memberships. I already have a gym membership, and way too many other things I want to try before I commit to one. :) I'm definitely going again, though!

Yard House

Last night we went to the Yard House in the Riverside Galleria. It's in a large building with high ceilings. The parking lot was busy, but I found a spot pretty easily. Inside it is dimly lit with a large bar in the middle. I sat at the bar and waited for my friend. They have around 80 beers on tap, which is impressive. (The location in Long Beach has around 180 beers on tap!) The music selection was really random. There were some popular songs that most people probably know the words to, and some other songs, which I had never heard before... and never wanted to. When my friend got there we ordered drinks. Because it's such a big franchise the bartenders have to pour drinks to standards- so we ordered beer. My friend ordered the Mac & Cheese². They have the kids Mac & Cheese, and the Mac & Cheese² is the adult version with better cheese and chicken. She got the chicken on the side, and the meal was actually amazing for being so basic! The bartenders were friendly, which made for some good conversation. Overall it was a good, relaxing night.

Hiking up Mt. Rubidoux

This morning I went hiking up Mt. Rubidoux. We met at the base of the mountain at around 7:45am and started our hike. Apparently there are a couple trails that you can take up to the top. The one we took was off San Andreas Ave. We parked on the street and headed towards the trail. It's a pretty wide asphalt paved trail that winds up to the top. Once you get to the top there's an auditorium style setup. There's an open area with stadium style seats carved into the rock. If you walk to the top of the seats there is a large cross and an amazing 360 view of Riverside and Rubidoux.

I think it's been around 10 years since I walked up Mt. Rubidoux and I forgot how much of a walk it is. We went early enough so that it was still cool, but I would also recommend bringing water, which we forgot. I've never been a runner/walker/hiker, so I was totally out of breath by the time we got to the top. It's a couple hours later and I'm a little sore, but I'm definitely going again because I don't like not being able to do something well!

Back to Gerard's

I love this place! We went back here for my birthday. There ended up being 4 people who came with me and we pretty much had the place to ourself. One thing I noticed this time is that they have oil paintings throughout the restaurant that you can buy. They are originals and depict various scenes. Anyway, most of us got drinks to start out with. They have beer and wine. I got the Lindeman's Raspberry Frambois (my favorite!), and since I got the last bottle my friend got the Lindeman's Peach, which is really good as well. Another friend got a light beer and another got a white wine. Most of us got the escargot as an appetizer, but one of my friends got the stuffed mushrooms. They were really good, but I do love the escargot there! All of the entree's were amazing as well. One of my friends got the soup and salad. The salad was a hot salad, which means that they brought out spinich, and other ingredients on a cart. They took a pan and cooked bacon and other ingredients to put on top of the cold spinich, which looked really good.

The best part of the meal was when they brought our desserts! We ordered 4 different desserts that we each tried. I ordered the creme brule, which had a strawberry on top. One friend got the Cherries Jubilee, which was hot cherries cooked in liquor and sugar poured over vanilla ice cream. It was amazing, and I'm going to get that next time. Another friend got the crepes with orange carmel sauce. They had vanilla ice cream inside, but the sauce absolutely made the dessert. Another dessert was a light vanilla mousse with strawberry sauce, which was a great light dessert. Overall it was a good night with amazing company and fantastic food!

Monark Asian Bistro and Romano's

Last night I went to Monark Aian Bistro in the Canyon Crest Towne Center. The windows are tinted, so from the outside it looks closed, but inside it's very private. We ordered food and appetizers. For the appetizer we ordered the Crab Rangoon, which is like a won-ton. Then our meals came, and we could have just split one because the plates were big enough for one person. Each entree came with a bowl of white rice as well. I got the Monark Steak and my friend got steamed beef with vegetables. Both meals were fantastic, and we even got fortune cookies after our meal.

Afterwards I went to Romanos to meet up with some other friends. Apparently they have open mic night on Wednesdays, but they hadn't started by 10:30 when I left. Romanos has an open bar area, but also has separate rooms for private parties. They have a great outside patio area with tables, a covered area, and heat lamps. I'm planning on going back again when they have their comedy night.

There is a river in Riverside

Yes, there is a river that runs through Riverside... even in July! I went horseback riding down at the Hidden Valley Wildlife Area yesterday and explored more and actually found the river. Here is the proof that a river does exist.

AMF Riverside Lanes Bowling

Last night we went bowling at the AMF Riverside Lanes bowling alley. This bowling alley isn't close to many other shops, which puts it at a disadvantage. We started out in the Pro Shop because my friend wanted to buy a new bowling ball. Luckily for me they sell socks there because I didn't think about it and wore sandals. We ordered a pizza and a pitcher of beer because we found out that if you wait until after 8pm the price per game goes from like $5 to less than $2. After eating we had a little more time to kill, so we played in the arcade for a little while. They have most of the basic games- a basketball shooting game, a car racing game, a zombie shooting game, air hockey, Dance Dance Revolution, and a punching bag game that seemed to be really popular.

When we'd finally killed enough time to get the discount we decided to play 4 games. We got out lane and set up. It was a pretty basic bowling alley, but I'm not a huge fan of bowling, so I wouldn't know the difference in the actual lane quality. They had a pretty good mix of music that would appeal to most people and was non-offensive. Some of it was current, some from the late 90's, and some from even before that. It was definitely a good place to just relax and hang out with good friends.

Hidden Valley Wildlife Area (Santa Ana River Trail)

This morning I took my horse down to the Hidden Valley Wildlife Area. It is one of Riverside's forgotten parks. It is an amazing place to spend a summer morning. There is the Santa Ana River Trail that runs along the river bottom where people can bike, run or hike. This section of the trail runs from around Yucaipa to Arlington Ave in Riverside, then stops and restarts again around Green River in Corona and goes all the way to the beach.

The Hidden Valley Wildlife Area has a Nature Center that is open on Saturday's. In addition to the paved bike trail there are many dirt hiking and riding trails that go through the river bottom and many of the ponds in the area. When I was riding a coyote crossed my path only about 15 feet in front of me. There were rabbits, squirrels, and many varieties of birds that I saw during my ride. I passed other people on horses, people on bikes, joggers, and hikers. The Wildlife Area is open from 7am-7pm during the summer. I would suggest going early in the morning or later in the afternoon, and bring water to avoid getting affected by the heat.

El Torito (La Sierra)

Last night a group of us went to the El Torito on La Sierra by Kaiser. This El Torito doesn't get as busy as the one in the Riverside Plaza because there aren't any other places in the general area. Their happy hour lasts until 8, which is later than most other restaurants. The service was very slow, but the waitress was sure to get an order in for us before happy hour was over. We left just after 9pm, and the restaurant was already very slow. They do have karaoke, but I'm not sure what nights. This is a good place to go if you want a quiet, not crowded place to hang out.

Gerard's Eve Bistro

Last night a friend and I went to dinner at Gerard's Eve Bistro. I have to admit that I've been here before, but it's one of those places that is definitely worth visiting again. My friend had never been and she loved it. It's a cute little French restaurant near the Tyler Galleria. It's very easy to miss and really doesn't look like much from the outside. Once you go in, it's very cozy and inviting. This is definitely a place to get dressed up for (at least business casual).

We ordered drinks and appetisers. Lindemans Framboise is one of my favorite beers, and Gerards is one of few places that has it. It is a raspberry flavored beer, which takes away the bitterness, but isn't too sweet. While we were waiting for the appetisers they brought us a small cup of blueberry sorbet. Every time I've been here they've brought us something different, and everything has been amazing. Next our appetisers came. I got the escargot, and my friend got the Olive Trio, and the mussels. I love the escargot here because it comes soaked in butter and garlic. The mussels were really good, too because the sauce they came in was a wine sauce that accentuated the flavor perfectly. For the main course I ordered the shrimp scampi and my friend ordered the flank steak (I think that was what it was called). Both came out looking amazing and tasted just as good. They were perfect portions and both came with green beans and seasoned potatoes.

Somehow after all that food we still managed to make room for dessert. :) I ordered the vanilla creme brule, which is a pretty basic desert, but was delicious. My friend ordered crepes with orange carmel sauce that were flambeed at our table. Orange and carmel isn't something I would normally put together, but it smelled and tasted great. The crepes were filled with vanilla ice cream and were pretty basic, but the sauce on top turned them into a gourmet dessert.

Overall it was a great night except that she forgot the leftovers that they boxed up for her. We were both so full that we just went home and relaxed after. Definitely a place to visit.

Mario's Place, Worthington's Tavern, Menagerie Nightclub

Since we weren't able to do the mystery dinner and were already downtown we decided to go to Mario's Place for dinner. It has a great ambiance with dim lights, elegant decorations, and even a live jazz band that started at 10pm. The food was amazing! We split the different appetizers and entrees that we ordered and everything tasted great! Even food that I don't usually like tasted good. It was expensive for the appetizer and desert portions, but that's a given at nice restaurants. The meal portions were perfect.

After dinner we went to Worthington's Tavern. It is a smaller bar, but has some interesting features. It has a pool table in the main area, as well as a seperate room that has a pool table. It has another room that is completely empty so people can dance, and there's a dj. They have a back patio where people can hang out as well. The one thing I noticed is that the atmosphere didn't seem very friendly. It seemed like everyone there was just there to be with whoever they came with, and not to mingle.

From there we went next door to the Menagerie Nightclub. (Note: this is a gay bar, but there were both gay and straight people there when we went.) When you first walk in you are walking behind a stage that is set up with gold streamers, and when you get to the main bar area there are tables set up for people to sit and I would imagine to watch whatever shows they put on. Then there is a large bar in the middle of the room and at the back is a dance floor with mirrors on the walls, so the bar looks much bigger than it really is. The music here was like what you would hear at an LA club with upbeat dance mixes.

The Gourmet Detective

Last night some friends and I tried to go to The Gourmet Detective. It's a mystery dinner theatre that is above The Tamale Factory on Main Street. We had planned to go before and they said we could just pay when we got there, and didn't need reservations. When we got there all the doors were closed and locked even though it said they accepted walk-ins until 7:45 and we got there much earlier than that. I'm going to call on Monday to see what happened, but to anyone else who is thinking of going... make reservations!

Olive Garden, TGIFriday's, The Auld Dubliner

Last night we were planning on going to Olive Garden for dinner, then to TGIFriday's for a drink after because it was my friend's birthday. Olive Garden was unusually busy and we couldn't figure out why at first, but apparently last night there were a couple graduations and people were celebrating. The food was amazing, as usual, and our server was very good at keeping the unlimited salad and breadsticks coming. I absolutely love dipping their breadsticks in alfredo sauce. We decided after we ordered that we probably should have just done that and made it our dinner because by the time the entre came we were so full from breadsticks that we didn't each much else.

After Olive Garden we decided to go to TGIFriday's at the Galleria for a drink. We got there and the music was unbearably loud. Apparently they have Karaoke on Tuesdays, which I had never heard of at any TGIFriday's location. The singer when we walked in was the girl who was putting on the Karaoke and after she sang she played a couple songs, which were good, but a couple decibels above our comfort level. Nobody else seemed to want to do Karaoke either because of the unusual setting, but the bar was pretty busy. Needless to say we left before we even got a drink.

From there we went to The Auld Dubliner. It was a much more laid back atmosphere. There was a relatively small crowd, so we got to sit at the bar. It wasn't loud like Friday's was, so we actully got to talk to each other, people at the bar, and the bartenders. The bartenders actually seemed to like their jobs and were all in good moods, which made it more fun. Oh! They have board games there! We were tempted to play Jenga, but since we were sitting at the bar we thought it would be a bad idea to have the pieces falling all over the place. Next time we go we are definitely playing a board game! :)

Riverside Magnum Range

Last night I went to Riverside Magnum Range, which is an indoor shooting range. I hadn't been in a long time and my friend had never gone shooting before. We went inside, picked out a gun and some paper targets, then bought some ammunition, signed in, and geared up. One of the coolest things about the process is that you can choose from many different targets. There are some with one large target, some with a couple smaller targets, and others which show a robber holding a woman hostage.

We walked through a door into a small room, which is where you put on the eye and ear protection. Once we were ready we walked through the second door into the range. We picked a lane and started setting up. We hung the target and sent it down to a reasonable distance, then loaded the gun. We had a Glock 17 9mm, which is an average sized handgun. It seemed like once we got a hang of it we were out of ammuntion. There was a guy at the end of the range who had a pretty impressive shotgun. The sound from that made the Glock that we rented sound just like someone clapping their hands. His paper target looked pretty sad after he was done with it, too. Well, it was definitely something that I will do again. Maybe next time I'll try the shotgun...

Riverside Magnum Range
12391 Sampson Street
Riverside, CA 92503

Pink Carpet Premier

Last night I attended the Pink Carpet Premier of Sex and the City 2 at the Regal Cinemas Theatre in the Riverside Plaza. This was a charity event put on by the Pink Ribbon Place, which supports people who have breast cancer as well as their loved ones. I think this is a great organization, and fully support the cause because I know an amazing woman who passed away from breast cancer.

The event that they put on had a pink carpet with multiple photographers, as well as someone at the end of the pink carpet interviewing people before they went inside the theatre as if it were a big Hollywood premier. Inside the lobby there was an incredible turnout of people to see the movie and support the cause. When we actually went inside the movie theatre there was an amazing array of food and goodies that had been donated for the event. California Pizza Kitchen had donated pizzas, and Edible arrangements had donated snacks as well. After the movie there was an after party at Citrus City Grille, which included a raffle of goodie bags that were designed to represent each of the main characters in the movie. These also had many impressive items that had been donated by local businesses.

This was an amazing idea for an event, however it could have been executed better. After we went down the pink carpet we stood in a line inside the lobby for an hour and a half. The food was inside the movie theatre instead of in the lobby, so after waiting for an hour and a half people were pretty hungry. There was nobody regulating how much people took, so there were some people taking whole pizzas and others who didn't get any. Citrus City Grille is a beautiful restaurant with amazing food, but is a little small for the 400+ people who were supposed to be going to the after party. It was for a good cause, and I'm glad they raised a lot of money. I just hope that next time they do a little better event planning.

Olivia's Mexican Restaurant

Today I went to Olivia's Mexican Restaurant. I had never heard of this restaurant before tonight, but it's received recognition from MyFoxLA and Inland Empire Magazine, so apparently I'm the last person to hear about them. It is a small family owned restaurant that serves authentic Mexican food. It has a friendly, family atmosphere and most of the tables in the restaurant had multiple generations at the tables eating together.

The chips and salsa were great, and the chips were still warm when the waitress brought them out. I ordered a carne asada quesadilla and decided that those two should not go together. Other than that the food was amazing! The servers were friendly, and the atmosphere was inviting... so I would definitely go back again!

Olivia's Mexican Restaurant
9447 Magnolia Ave.
Riverside, CA 92503

All About Riverside

I am on a mission to find all the great places and events in Riverside. My goal is to go out once a week to somewhere different in Riverside. I've lived here my whole life and still haven't seen everything. I want to know more about the city that I live in, so that is my mission.

If you want to contact me email me at AllAboutRiverside@yahoo.com and put Riverside in the subject.