hello photo: modern wedding and portrait photography by sarah trainor

On the Road: All This Could Be Yours, If The Price Is Right

Sarah — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 06:23:10 +0000

Just lots of pictures this time. Words won’t do it justice. The best.

(Also, all the pictures are out of order)

WE SAW THE MOUNTAIN GOATS! (Or Goat – It was just John Darnielle, but goddamn is that man talented. And a good hugger, to boot!)

Joyful Ben

I am gonna make it through this year, if it kills me, if it kills me.

Audience shot. Note the joy on everyone’s face and the guy dressed as an organ-grinder’s monkey.

Gangnmom Style?

Instagrammed, from this point forward:

On the Road: City of Neon Angels

Sarah — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 23:52:39 +0000

Places:

All over Los Angeles, notably Santa Monica, Brentwood, and Hollywood

Food:

Pineapple and chocolate milkshakes at Astroburger
Quiche and jalapeño croissants at La Monarca
Chicken and waffles at Roscoe’s
Chorizo!! at Nick’s Cafe
Breakfast foods (various) at Café 50′s
Tea at The Museum of Jurassic Technology
Umami / Burgers at Umami Burger
Chili Burgers and Fries at Tommy’s Original
Drinks at The Frolic Room

Lessons Learned:

19. Pineapple milkshakes are the best milkshakes.
20. You can get a great night’s sleep in the cemetery.
21. All museums should be free.
22. Gustav Klimt’s sketches are lovely.
23. Dr. Pacheco is a big deal in L.A.?
24. The Frolic Room exists. It is the coolest.
25. Forgetting is only a matter of planes intersecting cones.
26. The Tower of Babel simply couldn’t have reached the moon.
27. Henry Diltz and Bob Gruen shot rock and roll.
28. You meet lots of neat people when you wear a Gogol Bordello shirt.

Sights:

Sweets at La Monarca

Getty Museum

Hills beyond hills

Neon Adventure

Neighborhood Bar

Neon Adventure

Healthy Cat-woman

Neon Adventure

At the corner of Eerie and Bizarre

Inner City Madonna

Neon Adventure

The Frolic Room: The world’s greatest bar

Neon Adventure: The Movie

On the Road Day Three: Technology!

Sarah — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 22:40:16 +0000

Places:

University Heights SD -> San Diego Proper -> The Museum of Man, Balboa Park -> Downtown San Diego

Food:

Polenta scramble at Mystic Mocha (University Heights)
Burgers at Neighborhood (Downtown San Diego)
Beer at Live Wire (University Heights)

Lessons Learned:

13. Working while traveling is totally possible, and actually not as difficult as you’d expect.
14. Eating only two (giant) meals per day saves money and time.
15. San Diego is really beautiful – I’ll finally admit it – but also extremely hot and humid.
16. Chances are, if you’re searching online for someplace to eat, you’ll find a reviewer within two degrees of separation. You might also find a place to sleep.
17. Jesus loves a good cheeseburger.
18. You can learn a lot about somebody by examining their décor.

Sights:

On the Road Day Two: Time Traveling

Sarah — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 05:17:57 +0000

Places:

El Cajon, CA -> Ocean Beach, CA -> San Diego, CA

Music:

The Tikiyaki Orchestra

Food:

Coffee at The Lazy Hummingbird (Ocean Beach, CA)
Lamb Vindaloo and Chicken Tikka Masala at Urban India (San Diego, CA)
Mai Tais at Bali Hai (Shelter Island, San Diego, CA)

Lessons Learned:

6. The ocean is a giant bathtub.
7. The public library has free wi-fi, but it is glacially slow.
8. The public library has all the drama of a soap opera, without the long-lost identical twins… and with better acting.
9. AirBnB is an awesome way to find a cheap place to crash, even if you only give a couple hours notice.
10. San Diegans don’t use air conditioning! It’s weird.
11. You can make a mai tai without fruit juice, if you have skills.
12. Twenty-somethings, rockabilly punks, surf rockers, mermaids, and dads can all be friends and have fun together.

Sights:

People-watching in the Gaslamp.

Geometry on the streets.

Exploring – distorted reflection.

Stunning art deco stained glass in the Gaslamp.

All this could be yours.

Ben and Blue Suit at Tiki Oasis 2012.

Really delicious, pretty drink at the Bali Hai.

People-watching at Tiki Oasis 2012.

Secret agent man at Tiki Oasis 2012.

Fireworks over the marina.

People-watching at Tiki Oasis 2012.

One of the performers at Tiki Oasis 2012.

The Tiki King.

Tiki Oasis 2012.

Baddies at Tiki Oasis 2012.

Awesome – Tiki Oasis 2012.

On the Road Day 1: Boondocking

Sarah — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 19:56:49 +0000

Route:

Tucson, AZ -> Yuma, AZ -> El Cajon, CA

Music:

The Doors – LA Woman (Cassette Tape)
Nat King Cole – The Very Best of (Cassette Tape)
Serendipia Radio on UABC 104.1 (Mexicali Radio)

Food:

Cranberries
Sonoran Beef Enchiladas at Chretin’s Restaurant and Cantina (Yuma, AZ)

Lessons Learned:

1. Yuma was once home to wealthy steamship captains.
2. Boondocking exists, and there is a thriving community online dedicated to the boondocking lifestyle.
3. A good overnight parking spot is hard to find.
4. It’s really difficult to wash your face and brush your teeth using a grocery store automatic-sensor faucet.
5. Sleeping in the car is fun.

Sights:

Attractive decrepitude in Yuma

$ATM$ Inside

We were walking down the main drag in Yuma and saw some horses tied up in front of a defunct theatre. Of course, we felt obligated to investigate.

Two horse friends. Let’s call them Yu and Ma.

When the horses’ owner emerged from the saloon he’d been patronizing, he asked for some help loading up the horses. Ben very kindly agreed to lend a hand. The entire situation was so weird, I just had to photograph it.

Patting some horses, talking about toads.

TOURISM! This was located outside of a restaurant that proclaimed it was a “trans-fat free zone.”

I love art deco. The Hotel San Carlos is one of Yuma’s tallest buildings and its architecture was very striking. We gawped at it from various angles before sneaking inside.

Check out these incredible neon art deco spires.

Lurking around yr mailboxes.

Another view of the neon spires and the architectural details at the top of the hotel.

Super classy, classic neon.

Despite the large neon sign claiming otherwise, there is no coffee in the Hotel San Carlos.

It’s so odd to find a building like this in the middle of the desert. With its proud neon, art deco charm, and fire escapes you’d expect to see the Hotel San Carlos nestled between skyscrapers in the middle of some sprawling city. But, here it is – a silent reminder of better times, a dusty jazz age relic.