We're Going Back to Hogwarts

So, we had our annual Harry Potter party, did a bunch of fun wizarding-related things, and then I went back to Hogwarts. As all of you Potterheads know, today's the day all those little witch and wizards board the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station. While I don't get to be there today (sad face) and get in on all the awesome back-to-school stuffs happening, I was able to beat most of the crowds getting robes and wands in order to tour the castle.

First thing's first, you head straight to Forbidden Journey, where you can walk through the whole castle before being attacked by everything terrifying the school has to offer. It's not genuinely scary. It's actually very cool, but you will get tossed around some, so this is why you get food and a Butterbeer after. Here are some fun castle shots:

Hogwarts in the morning

Mandrakes in the greenhouse. They aren't book accurate, but they are still pretty cute. Check out those dragonhide gloves!

These portraits really talked! (click to see bigger)

The house hourglasses. Why is Ravenclaw doing so badly???

One of my favorite characters in Harry Potter: the Sorting Hat

Now's when you take a bit of a break to get on Flight of the Hippogriff, because it's chill and also you get to see Hagrid's Hut and garden, and Buckbeak!

It's Sirius's motorbike!

Don't forget to bow, or you might end up like Malfoy!

Hagrid has a lot of things that may or may not be safe for students. Make sure to look around when in line.

Now, you can go have some Butterbeer before your wand chooses you, hit up the other stores in Hogsmeade and make some magic before the castle show!

One of these wands might be yours!

It may be small, but Madam Malkins is literally packed with actual props! (click to see full res.)

I really just love the look of the Three Broomsticks amid the other buildings in Hogsmeade. And yes, it's always winter.

The food is delicious. We got fish and chips with Tongue-Tying Lemonade and
the cheese toastie with chicken and a Pumpkin Juice (because yaaasss!).

You gotta love the Butterbeer trucks!

I can't even tell you how much I love Honeydukes. I bought so much
unnecessary candy.

Do not miss the castle show. It plays a bunch of times after dark and is only 5 minutes, but SO worth it.
It's magical, you guys!

You did it! A successful back to school experience. Whether you're a first year, heading back to the first place you call home or still waiting on your Hogwarts letter, Hogsmeade is a magical experience for all. Your Universal trip should start and end there. Now, don't forget to watch out for Peeves, keep up with your homework and practice hard for the Quidditch Cup!

A post shared by Shereen Travels Cheap (@srayle) on Aug 12, 2018 at 11:52am PDT

Have a great term, everyone! Have some treacle tart for me. 

My Portland Coffee Tour - Part 16

You probably thought this series was done, but no. There are are still a bunch of coffee shops in Portland for me to get to. I got to two in the last two months (sorry, but my life has been super busy with no time to go out for coffee), but I also went to an awesome place in Anaheim while my friend and I were at Disney.

Photo credit: Nathan Dumlao

I've spent a fair amount of time planning brunches and shuttling my mom to doctor appointments, so I was able to check out two shops in close proximity to each other that I've been wanting to try.

 

Fairlane Coffee

This shop has a small, but inviting, storefront and I was instantly drawn to it.

Fairlane is very Portland-y looking inside: industrial with warm woods. There's a cement floor, metal chairs and an outdoorsy theme throughout. Imagine a lumberjack opened a coffee joint and you've got Fairlane.  

The case here is full of yummy looking pastries, plus there are a ton of awesome-sounding sandwiches on the menu as well, but I was just in the mood for a specialty coffee since we had just had breakfast across the street. I ordered the Crater Lake ($4.25) which is essentially a vanilla, honey and lavender latte. If you love the soothing smell and subtle flavor of lavender, then this twist on an old favorite is going to be right up your alley. I'll definitely be going back when I am in the area again.

Kahveology

Right around the corner fromFairlane is Kahveology (which is also across the street from a Starbucks, because Portland). It's bigger and a bit brighter with unfinished features, like this particle board counter and lapship wall. They brew with Oatly oat milk, which you know how I feel about (if you don't, I love it), but apparently, you have to pay an extra $.75 to get, and also serve Kombucha (which I hate with a passion). 

Eric was with me and we ordered an Americano ($3 -me) and a white chocolate mocha ($5.25 , because oat milk - him). I wasn't enamored by either drink. I felt the Americano, which I'm told is one of their most popular drinks, didn't have the full body I look for in a coffee. I also felt that the mocha was not that strong and wasn't worth the price. If I have the choice, I'll head around the corner instead.

Creme & Sugar Anaheim

I've been following Creme & Sugar on Instagram (are you surprised?) and have been drooling over their unicorn lattes and milkshakes. I wasn't able to hit up the shop in Vegas for cotton candy burrito, so I found this place instead. While not exactly the same, the calories are probably up there. 

I found out they had all the Butterbeer options and drove 20 minutes to indulge.  I mean, we were going to Universal the next day for Butterbeer at the Wizarding World, but why not pre-game a little bit? I was dead set on the Butter Latte ($7.25) piled with a mountain of whipped cream, butterscotch drizzle, gold sprinkles and a lightning bolt (as a nod to Harry himself). It was just as delicious as I expected and as big as my head. You don't get a choice of size. It's on the Epic Lattes menu. 

I forced Mel to order something ridiculous on me (or is it Riddikulus?) and she opted for the Butterbeer Float ($8), which also gives you the rest of the butterscotch soda that didn't fit in the glass. It also was covered in butterscotch drizzle, gold sprinkles, that adorable lightning bolt, but also gold Sixlets. She couldn't finish it and I wasn't surprised. Look at that thing!

The shop itself is a mish-mash of amazing things: unicorns, rainbows, cake, ice cream, antiques. It's right next door to a pizza parlour and a nice family came in after they had eaten there and were asking us questions about it. They were a little surprised that we had never been there before and we had a nice chat about their yearly trips to Portland and what we were doing in Anaheim. If you are dying for a good ice cream, float or coffee that's mostly sugar, this is the place for you. It rivaled my "official" Butterbeers at Universal.

So, next month I'll try to bring you more coffee from actual Portland. I should have more time to get out and about and enjoy a cup (or 5) of locally-brewed Joe.

What are your favorite coffee shops where you live or from your travels?

Free Art in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is full of culture and art and, even though the city is expensive, a lot of it is free. I went into planning a trip to Disney with some partial days in the city that didn't cost a fortune. I asked for help from my friends online and they offered a few great ideas. 

While walking around the city to go to brunch and hit up a gallery we found some awesome street art. We also found some great murals downtown while wandering back to our car. I loved this skeletal cat. It pays to look down wherever you go.

We saw this amazing artwork on the back of a building.

This was a fab mural that was obviously commissioned by the city. The whole block had murals on the buildings and made for amazing backdrops and photo ops.

I was able to snag some free tickets to The Broad. Apparently, these tickets can be hard to get, even though they don't cost anything. If you're headed to Los Angeles, jump online and get yours ahead of time and then enjoy two floors of modern art - even if you don't love modern art, because there seemed to be enough for everyone to make it worth the trip.

This huge painting had a huge haunted house vibe to me, hence the scared faces. 

The Broad actually features a lot of well-known artists that you weren't even aware you could see in a free gallery, though I did see a Picasso in London for free, but it was also hanging next to a starfish with a Barbie shoe, so it sort of took away from the awesomeness.

The artwork here rotates, but on the day we were visiting, we saw a handful of artists both of us actually knew of: Koons, Lichtenstein, Warhol, Jasper Johns, and Rauschenberg were just a few.

On a slightly more fun note, a friend recommended Gallery 1988. It's a small gallery that features local artist's pop culture work. The one room was full of small paper cut art, like this one with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Love!

Here are a few other pieces in that room. Click on the photo to see the pieces in full resolution. I was so excited about 90% of the stuff here, because it was almost all cartoon-related, which I love.

As you can see, the rooms are not large, nor are there a ton of things to see on the walls, but there are a few racks full of a larger selection of art big and small. I, honestly, could have blown my whole budget here. Much of the work is really affordable, but not if you buy 30 pieces. I took down the name of some of my favorite artists there to find online later. If you like pop culture, you should definitely take the time to browse what's on display. 

These are just a few of the places we found free art, but I know downtown has more galleries and way more street art if you have more time. You'll even see giant murals beautifying the sides of the freeways, which makes for a nicer drive, even if only for a few minutes.

What are you favorite cities for art?