 There are five crucial questions a journalist must ask (and, ideally, answer) when researching and developing a story: Who, What, Where, When, and Why. These Five W's, along with a bonus "How" for further clarity, will preclude each blog post to provide proper insight into this weird, wild nomadic journey. The Five W's + H: Who: United States Traversing Page Trio: Christina (wife), Sophia (cat), DJ (self) What: Top 5 places to drink up Where: Moorpark, CA When: October 2022 - January 2023 Why: Eager to remain in southern California, we settled on a gig less than an hour west of Eagle Rock. Just 15 minutes north of the more populous Thousand Oaks, Moorpark's serene scene provided a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of northern Los Angeles. + How: Breaking the previous record by nearly five minutes (Rowlett to Fort Worth is only about a 50 minute drive without traffic), our drive was a meager 47 miles and minute 45 minutes long. This consisted of cruising west on the 134 through Glendale, straying north onto the 5 across Burbank, and finally rolling onto the 118 past Simi Valley before arriving in semi-mountainous Moorpark. This delightful drive brought great joy to yours truly, the chauffeur of this operation, as trekking back and forth for days on end between Texas and California had worn thin. Five Places to Drink Up: Moorpark (and surrounding area), CA Boccaccios (32123 Lindero Canyon Rd. #110, Westlake Village, CA 91361) Quotable: "Lakeside fine dining, at its finest." Just 15 minutes south of Moorpark on Westlake Lake, Boccaccios boasts the best lakeside views in the Los Angeles area. Founded in 1968, this restaurant welcomes guests by land or by sea (there are multiple docks for those who really want to make an entrance) to enjoy fine dining favorites and superb sunsets.
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 There are five crucial questions a journalist must ask (and, ideally, answer) when researching and developing a story: Who, What, Where, When, and Why. These Five W's, along with a bonus "How" for further clarity, will preclude each blog post to provide proper insight into this weird, wild nomadic journey. The Five W's + H: Who: The triumphant trio: Christina (Extraordinary Oncology Nurse), Sophia (Not-so Nimbly Bimbly Brown Tabby) and Me-a (Internationally Streamed Spotify Artist. No, seriously) What: Top 5 places to drink up Where: Eagle Rock (10 minutes north of downtown Los Angeles), California When: July 2022 - October 2022 Why: This may be the most pertinent of the five. WHY do we keep going back and forth between Texas and California or Arizona? Why can't we just go from Arizona to California, just stay in California and drive to California, or even do back-to-back contracts in Texas? Why must we insist on making the drive harder for ourselves? Oh that's right: because yours truly is the driver. + How:  How I feel every time we make the same 20-25 hour drive back and forth two to three times a year. Once more into west Texas, my friends, once more. This extremely familiar route is—yet again—approximately 1500 miles and 22 hours of drive time. We spent our first night in Fort Stockton, Texas; second in toasty Tucson, Arizona; and sped through our last day in sunny CA before arriving in Eagle Rock. Five Places to Drink Up: Eagle Rock, CAQuotable: "Neighborhood cafe perfect for breakfast, brunch, or lunch." With three locations and counting across the Los Angeles area—much like your waistline after dining on delicious breakfast burritos, crumb donuts, and grilled cheese sandwiches--Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen is primed for expansion. The Eagle Rock iteration of Hilltop was located (dangerously) just a few hundred feet from the front door of our place. We made sure to make the most of our opportunities living next to this neighborhood gem.
 There are five crucial questions a journalist must ask (and, ideally, answer) when researching and developing a story: Who, What, Where, When, and Why. These Five W's, along with a bonus "How" for further clarity, will preclude each blog post to provide proper insight into this weird, wild nomadic journey. The Five W's + H: Who: Meet the Pages: Christina (nurse with the travel thirst), Sophie (cat with a knack for licking her own butt crack) and me (writer and general delighter) What: Top 5 places to drink up Where: Houston, Texas When: March 2022 - July 2022 Why: While Christina spent the majority of her childhood living in H-Town, she never lived outside of her hometown suburbs in Spring, Texas. This trip allowed her to see more of the city she only saw sporadically growing up. As a bonus, my uncle lives close to the city, and her parents still live about an hour north. It was the perfect opportunity to be close to family and enjoy Houston in a way neither of us had experienced. + How: We reversed course and retraced our steps through 1200 miles and 19 hours of drive time. Once again, we navigated through Arizona and New Mexico, ended day one in familiar El Paso, trekked through Texas, and ended our second day with a foray in Fredericksburg. After three days on the road we finally made it to Christina's original stomping ground: Houston, Texas. Five Places to Drink Up: Houston, TX Sixty Vines (2540 University Blvd. Houston, Tx 77005) Quotable: "New age Italian eats with a bevy of wines on tap." One of the first places to visit in the vast concrete jungle that is Houston, Texas is the popular Rice Village sector located just southeast of downtown H-Town. In this small Rice University-adjacent nook there are many quality spots to grab a bite, one of which being the trendy and delicious Sixty Vines.
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