Thrifting in Ontario, CA

I flew into Ontario the day before Coachella. Rachel and I had some time to kill, so I talked her into going thrifting with me. She was a good sport.





She likes sushi as much as I do, so we had dinner at Toro Sushi, which is where this photo was taken.

Thrifting in Reno

Reno is a thrifters Mecca. There are literally dozens of thrift stores in the Reno/Sparks vicinity, and with a little help from Google Maps, you can easily locate them as I did.

In case you don't have the time to visit all of them (or most, like I did), then read on to see which ones are worth a look, and which aren't. I won't go into the many pawn shops stopped by. Suffice it to say you can augment your DVD collection quite cheaply with them.

1. Savers on Kietzke Ln. : A fantastic Savers with lots of variety that hasn't been too picked over. I found 2 vintage "Reagan/Bush '84" t-shirts.. I also bought two vintage Izod shirts.
2. I want to mention that I had a fantastic all-you-can-eat sushi lunch at Sushi 7.
   
3. Washoe Thrift on Prater Ln. : Not bad for the size. I found 2 items.
4. Reno-Sparks Gospel Mission Thrift on Gentry Way: This one's a bit run down, with a very poor men's selection. However, I still found a cool T and an Armani tie for 50 cents.
   
5. St. Vincent Thrift Store on Kietzke Ln. : Only found 1 item, and it was a pair of girl's vintage Penguin shorts. I can't help myself from buying quality vintage items, despite the fact that I no longer have a store to sell them in, or an active eBay account for that matter. I kind of treat them like stocks and bonds. I own a lot of Izod, Penguin, and LeTigre stock right now. These are the holy trinity of my favorite vintage brands.
   
6. Easter Seals Thrift Store: Great store. I bought 4 items. Very cluttered, but if you put in some time, you might find 2 amazing embroidered vintage western shirts like I did. Both in mint condition. I'll never wear them, but some day, someone will.
   
7. Rad Betty's Fresh Thrift: With a name like that, how could I not go? Mostly women's stuff, but she does have some men's in the back. This is more of a boutique shop, so both the quality and prices are higher. I didn't buy anything.
   
8. Bag-A-Bargain Thrift: Terrible. Not even worth a link.
9. Assistance League of Reno-Sparks Thrift Shop: Small selection. Didn't find anything.
10. Nevada's Quality Thrift: One of the best layed out stores in Reno. The displays are fantastic. They must have some talented people working there. Unfortunately, the clothing section is lacking. If you are furnishing or decorating a home, this is the place to go.
11. The Salvation Army Thrift Store - on Wells Ave. I think: Crappy store with poor selection.
12. SPCA Thrift Store: Only found a DVD. I don't remember the title.
13. WARC Thrift Store on Sutro St. : Pretty good. I found 3 shirts.
14. Goodwill on Oddie Blvd. : One of the best Goodwill's I've ever been to. I started at their bargain bin extension next door. Clothes were $1.50 a pound I believe. I found 2 items and paid $1.50. The store itself is massive and full of great stuff. I bought a lot.
15. Savers on Oddie Blvd. : There are good Savers and bad Savers. This was a bad one. Unorganized, messy, overpriced, and poor selection. I regrettably purchased 3 things.
    
16. Twin Dragon Chinese Restaurant: It was next door to Savers, and it started to snow, so I had my dinner there. Nothing special.

On my way to Coachella 2007

Flew out from SLC this morning to Ontario, CA, where I'll meet up with my friend Jon driving down from Bakersfield. We are both first timers to Coachella and have high expectations for the weekend.

I'm using Marriott points this trip for our hotel rooms. At the Residence Inn Ontario Airport, they upgraded me to a penthouse suite. It's no Wynn suite or anything, but still a lot nicer than a standard room. Thanks to my job, I earn a lot of Marriott points, which earned me Platinum status. I've noticed they treat you much nicer when you flash the platinum.

A few pics of the suite:





Checked in early and then changed into my running clothes. I had Googled a thrift store location and planned to run there and check it out. But first, I stopped by a Yoshinoya joint for some quick fuel. It's 1:00, and this was my first meal of the day. Yoshinoya is a Japanese fast food place that serves up cheap rice bowls in a delicious sauce. I got one with chicken and vegetables. I had slipped a credit card and $20 in my pocket for purchases.

I literally ate and ran--out the door and into the Rancho Cucamonga area. On the way, I passed a lady sitting at a bus top. She yelled out "What are you running from?", something people say when they are trying to be funny. She didn't wait for a response, following it up with "Pansy!"

I kept running without proffering a comeback. What was I supposed to do? Stop and kick her ass? Besides, she rides the bus. That's its own punishment.

I had a printed out map in my other pocket, and eventually found the store about 5 miles out: Assistance League Thrift Store.

I was a little embarrassed, since I was sweating profusely when I entered the store. I probably didn't smell too good either. I thought it was going to be a waste of time, but then I happened upon a mint condition vintage Adidas jacket.



Of course then I had to run back to the hotel with a bag in my hand. The sun was beating down and I was pretty tired when I got back. Showered and caught up on work e mails and a few calls. I’m never really completely off duty, especially tonight with 7 meetings going on.

The nice thing about Residence Inn’s is that in addition to the free breakfast, they now have a free social hour from 5-7pm where a light dinner and drinks are served. I was surprised to see wine and beer on tap included. I didn’t partake, but the gentleman around me were throwing them back like it was free. Oh wait, it was free.

I washed my salad and burritos down with some Dr. Pepper. I had a debate in my head for a minute about how I shouldn’t be drinking soda while training, but Dr. Pepper and his year’s of medical experience made a great case. I had no choice.

Back to the suite to watch game 3 of the Suns vs. Lakers. Jon arrives later tonight. It’s been a great beginning to the trip. Hoping it only gets better from here.

March Madness 2007 @ the Wynn

We returned to the Wynn for our annual March Madness trip. On the way down, I did a little thrift shopping in Mesquite while the others golfed.


Part of the March Madness trip is uninterrupted game watching in the suite. For some, it means never having to leave your bed. Left to right: Joey, Sam, Dave

Darren, Cort, Kyle, and Jeff H.


Darren, a triumphant Jeff K, Kyle, and Jeff H


Dual flat screens, for multi-game viewing. Night view of the strip below.


Sorry for the lack of light. This was at the Sirens of TI show at Treasure Island

Sirens taunting the pirates.


The Wynn

S.F. Food & Thrifting

I was in the San Francisco area a few days ago for work. I had a few hours to go off exploring. Here are my pictures from that expedition.

This is right off Millbrae Ave and the Bayshore Freeway, near the In N Out Burger. I could kill myself for not making it there.


I walked into downtown Burlingame and found the Juban Yakiniku House Japanese Restaurant. It's a grill it yourself style place--something I had never done, so I gave it a try. The egg drop soup was a nice start.


Here is the beef slices and vegetables they brought me for grilling. It was good, but I should have went with the seafood special.


The art of grilling:


Both of these thrift stores are right around the corner from the Japanese place. Pick of the Litter had a poor selection of men's clothing.


The Goodwill had tons of men's stuff, but was terribly overpriced. You can take your goodwill and shove it.


I had a great run the next morning along a section of the Bay Trail. I didn't take any photographs, but that link has some. It's not the prettiest stretch of ocean, but when you live in a landlocked state, you take what you can get.