Tourist at Heart.

Glendale.... the city of my childhood. The city of my heart. My grandmother used to live there for a while and we would visit often. I think the main reason I liked Glendale so much as a kid was because going to grandma's house meant going to the pool and sitting under the cool umbrella that had water vapor dispenser.
 
It also meant Going to Porto's Bakery, the best Cuban bakery in California... lets just say it comes close to my grandmother's cooking. Porto's is like a distant relative to our family. Since Glendale is about 30 to 45 minutes away, we only pick it up for special events and holidays, and when we know its coming over, we get excited. Really excited. Cuban parties are all about the food, so naturally we order as much as our wallets allow us to, cook like crazy, and don't let guests leave without a plate of leftovers, just for extra good cheer. Got to love Cuban parties!

I spent Saturday afternoon being a tourist in the city. I was there mainly to visit Forest Lawn Memorial Park, but any time I'm in glendale means a visit to the Bakery. If you are in the area, visiting LA, or just a tourist at heart, check it out!

Pastelito de Guyaba con Queso (Guava pastry with cheese, bakery bestseller.)

Popular Cuban Soda... kinda has a bubblegum flavor.

Before going to the Bakery, we ventured through the absolute dream of a cemetery, Forest Lawn. I'm a big fan of wide open spaces, scenic views, and nature in general... who isn't? And I know this sounds strange, visiting a cemetery and not being there to visit someone laid to rest there, but they have a museum, a mausoleum, a complete replicated collection of all of Michelangelo's sculptures scattered thought the 300 acre park, and one of the biggest religious paintings in the world. Needless to say, we didn't finish viewing the gardens and got there too late to enter the museum. But there's always tomorrow :)

   Gasped when I first saw this!