Kiri Callaghan's Blog

Hygge: 10/10, drinking tea a windowsill and listening to the the birds

Whimsy: Transports you through canvas and world. Gorgeously art-directed.

Game Type: Story-Driven Point & Click Puzzle

Estimated Playtime: 1hr

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Playstation, Mobile (iOS, Google Play)

Step into a beautiful story that almost feels like a lost Studio Ghibli film. You play as an artist going

about her day, readying to apply to an arts program in New York.

Through simple point and click, this cozy and soothing game presents odd little puzzles and you begin to realize as the story unravels that something mysterious is going on with the paintings and the old man who lives across the street.

A lot of care clearly when into the creation of this story and the art around it. I found myself swept up in the 6 chapter story, not ready for it to end and moved a bit to tears when the final pieces fell into place. It's a quick game--taking only an hour to complete, but very worth the time and money.

If you're looking to travel and transport yourself to a magical world and get swept up in the whimsy, I cannot recommend Behind The Frame enough. It was truly breathtaking.

Play The Game

or

Watch the Game (Spoilers, Full Gameplay)

TikTok and Instagram are filled to the brim with aesthetic videos, promising whimsy, hygge and wonder. So when I came across multiple videos from creators touting Pasadena's Burlington Arcade as feeling like a little piece of London, I had to check it out. The location likely takes its name from the Burlington Arcade in London itself, and while not as large or grand in architecture, it does feel like a nice nod to the 1819 establishment. Arcade, I should clarify, is used in the traditional sense here, meaning a covered passageway with arches on one or both sides. The word derives literally from "arc" or the latin, "arcus" meaning bow. Which is kinda cool. Language evolving and all that--but I'm getting off track.

Most of the videos about the arcade, unsurprisingly, focused on a few key angles--which is understandable when you're trying to capture a particular feeling. The aesthetic is there--BUT if all you have to go on is the aesthetic, I personally feel you're likely to be a little disappointed. So let's talk about the meat of this location, shall we?

Most importantly--and I know you've been dying to know with baited breath--Burlington Arcade offers a parking lot with free 90 minute parking (then you're able to pay for an additional 90 minutes after). Yes, I know, all your questions have been answered, you're welcome. I think we're done here...

But I GUESS, if you wanted to know about what the arcade actually offers other than parking for some weirdo demented reason... then read on.

First, I will preface, that it does seem like the area is still recovering from the pandemic--so my notes here may be entirely superfluous in six months or less. There are a few storefronts looking for a new caretaker--and you'll also want to double-check hours before you go because quite a few of the shops do not run on a typical 7 days a week 9-5, or even M-F schedule. It would especially be a shame if you had your eyes on one shop only to find out it was not even open the day you decide to visit.

Because I am a self-admitted tea goblin, most importantly, I must outline that there are 3 different cafes in the arcade: Oink Moo (Boba Tea), The Mandarin Coffee Stand (Tea and Specialty Coffee from small roasters) and Float which has a full coffee and tea bar but bills more as a sandwich shop.

I was only personally able to try Float on this visit--which I will go into more detail later on in this article--but my lovely friend Joe, who lives a short walk from the arcade, assured me Oink Moo's Boba Tea was fantastic. In fact, prior to our excursion together, it was the only shop in the arcade they had frequented.

Among the other storefronts there is a tailor, a kimono shop, a high-end children's clothing boutique, a nail salon, a flower shop, and an aesthetician who specializes in permanent makeup. Unfortunately a few of them were not open on the Monday we visited, so we were only able to admire those shops from the beautiful Georgian window storefronts. What a divine thought though? Going dropping something off at the tailor and then getting your nails done with a tasty tea in an arcade that looks this whimsical and lovely.

It is worth noting: I adore a Georgian storefront--the great big windows feel so perfectly magical. I admit while I waited for Joe to arrive, I stared for far too long at the currently vacant #12. This is something those aesthetic videos never seem to highlight, and while I understand why, the mere possibility of what this could one day be had me buzzing.

Don't leave me alone with an empty store front. By the time my friend arrived I had dreamed up a cozy little bookshop with one of those windows refashioned into a pillow-piled reading nook. Plants hanging from the ceiling, warm amber lighting, and the soft sound of rain intermixed with music playing through the speakers scattered about the cafe. Pure hygge.

Ah, a fae can dream.

We popped into Float and cuddled up with our respective teas, and a succulent that I have decided to name Marleyborne. We caught up on each other's lives and we people-watched, admiring the sleepy bustle to and fro in the little lane. Allowing myself to sink into the moment, I confess, I did feel transported. The cloudy skies and chill-for-SoCal weather certainly helped that London feeling--so much that I couldn't help but order a London Fog specifically.

Some LA folks may loathe June Gloom, but it always makes me feel like I get a little autumnal treat before the heat wafts in for an oppressive and unceasing 5 months.

Float, appropriately named, has a light and airy feel inside. The windows allow a waterfall of natural light to pour in, giving very little need for light fixtures. The sun bounces off the soft cream walls, and light wood tabletops. A charming chalkboard menu hangs above the coffee bar, and a beautiful mural of a woman ties in the pops of color scattered about the café.

While it has no pile of pillows to sink into, I can't imagine a more pleasant place to grab lunch and either catch up with a friend, or your current book. The atmosphere lends itself marvelously to either.

I would also like to return to pay more attention to the flower shop. As we were adventuring, I did not feel confident a plant wouldn't wilt in the car while we were out and about, but the storefront does look straight out of a romantic comedy. While not the style of Flowered Up, you could almost imagine Lena Heady as Luce wandering out of the store front as you browse--offering advice on floral meanings. If you've no idea what I'm talking about, Imagine Me & You is an adorable sapphic romantic comedy, that despite when it was made, does not fall prey to the trope that all queer romances must end in death and/or tragedy. Also, befittingly, it takes place in London, so... thus we are continuing to pass the vibe check.

I have one thing to note, which may not matter to anyone else but me, but feels important to mention. The door to the iconic public London telephone does not open. I imagine, this is to keep it from being used as an outhouse or worse in the off-hours. Still, you can make a silly pose and stand beside it if you so chose and take a photo. Inside is completely empty, however, so if you're looking to attempt a photoshoot, you'll want to be careful to hide that this phone box is missing... well, a phone.

It's not terribly large, and you likely couldn't spend a whole day away in the arcade but with its proximity to the Shops on Lake Avenue, it's more than just an Instagram photo and a whimsical add to a day of shopping--and definitely to get a quick bite or get a little caffeine boosts from one of the three cafes.

If you're a coffee drinker, the smell of coffee beans coming from the Mandarin Coffee Stand was absolutely divine.

A few years ago my wife was having a story meeting with our friend Shawn for the Labyrinth Masquerade.

If you're familiar with the event, you may be surprised to realize that there's a story to it beyond the basic background of the movie that inspired it. There is! And there's a new plot from year to year but unless you're part of the cast it can feel impossible to decipher it through merely dance and pantomime.

If you're not familiar-- The Labyrinth Masquerade is the largest masquerade ball in North America. It's fantastic and definitely a place of magic and whimsy--but more on that later--I promise. And I'll do my best to let you in on any story points--just so you have them.

My point is, during that story meeting, Shawn posed a question to Angelique that has admittedly haunted the back of my mind ever since she shared this story with me.

He asked, "Where's the whimsy?"

An odd out of context question, which becomes a bit silly when you realize it's about the story of one of the most whimsical events we help come to life (seriously, we end the night by dancing with a giant sparkly white and blue dragon puppet). Trust me, this event has the whimsy, it's got it coming out of its ears--one hardly need look for it.

However for the rest of my life, that question sat, mostly unanswered.

I am a devout seeker of hygge and magic. So every now and then when the world feels drab, depressing or just suffocatingly mundane, I find myself asking that same little query: Where is the whimsy? If a simple quality can bring such unmitigated joy to my day, why am I not trying to incorporate it into my life all the time?

Here I will be cataloguing that search--and I hope you'll join me in doing the same for yourself.

Tell me friend, in your life, where is the whimsy?

I love the look of the quintessential donut. Perfectly golden dough cooked just right, the shape, the bubble-gum pink icing that always makes me think of the best confectionaries--even though I really hate bubblegum flavored anything... other than bubblegum--SPRINKLES, I mean... who doesn't love sprinkles?

...Well, I'm sure someone does but I personally worry for their soul and sense of joy. Sprinkles are just happy.

Yet despite this, I have to admit... I do not care for donuts. I have never encountered something so aesthetically appealing and delicious smelling that my mouth just did not care for.

It's the texture, it's the taste of nothing but sugar, and after about a bite, I'm ultimately done. I think it's gotten worse after the pandemic.

We live in a fairly small one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles--but at the start of the pandemic, it was even SMALLER. So at the height of lockdown, the only place we had to walk or move was from our front door to the 30 paces to our back window in the bedroom.

It wasn't great.

For this reason, we decided to try a keto diet so that we could try to manage things, and honestly, I think this killed my tolerance for a lot of very sugary things. I still like sweet, mind you, but anything that tasted literally of just sugar... soured with me a lot. And not in the fun "this makes my mouth pucker and eyes water" way. (This is a tangential point, but I'm fairly certain my sour tolerance went up, maybe? That or American sour candy has gotten weak. Very weak.)

This is my overly loquacious way to introduce to my fellow LA residents: The Protein Do-Cake by New N' Fresh Nutrition.

First, I'm going to clarify: This is in no way a paid post. I'm just kind of obsessed with these donut/cake things.

Second, I firmly believe we should detatch the idea of morality from food. It's caused far too much damage, and the bs of "you are what you eat" is dehumanizing and let's be honest, the biggest scam in America would have to be the diet industry.

I want to preface with this, because when I talk about the nutritional value, I don't want to shame anyone for preferring the OG donut or cake or what have you. While I personally do have a bit of a struggle with real cake or donuts (depending on the recipe) because it can often taste TOO sugary to me, my favorite thing about these is they're packed with protein and make a great pre or post work-out snack.

If I'm not careful, I can be prone to getting very shaky and even a little light-headed after cardio, but this is both rewarding for my taste-buds and my body (helping me restore what I need after a workout, but also tasty enough that I remember... to eat)

Sometimes remembering to eat is an uphill battle. And then by the time I do, it's usually something last minute that's not actually giving me the nutrients I need to recover/continue.

Steph makes these fresh every week, you can fill out an order form, and then I believe there are locations to go pick them up.

I realize this isn't super helpful if you aren't in the Los Angeles area but... I'm a wee obsessed with these things and I just want to share this small business with you.

This week I got to have coffee and a donut for breakfast. Normally after one bite of donut, I'd be done. And if I DID get to nom it, I'd be crashing pretty hard due to the sugar high.

It's a silly thing to rejoice in maybe, but it brings me joy. I mean, look at the sprinkles!

Yay sprinkles.

"My wife and I are taking a long weekend in wine country," was a phrase I uttered last week when booking my PTO at my day job. It felt oddly posh, something a different person would say. Someone who wears blazers and shops regularly at Bloomingdales.

But nah, still me.

We first decided on our location inspired by a feature on The Cold Spring Tavern in Santa Barbra. Angelique showed me photos and we thought it looked like a delightful space between cottagecore and fantasy. Amusingly, we never actually got there. The plan was basically that we would drive up Thursday afternoon after work, get dinner, and have an early night so we could drive up to Solvang for Friday. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that on Monday and Thursdays they close at 3:30pm.

So! Instead, we made our way down to the Santa Barbra Wharf.

First, it's beautiful. I don't think that really needs to be said but it feels important as I'll rave about other things later. Because while it was gorgeous and lovely, and the waves and mist were just fantastic--it honestly could have been anywhere. We could have been closer to home in Santa Monica. Beautiful horizon, boats, great seafood--but if I'm honest, a bit touristy.

Not that there's anything wrong with touristy, but you can't really get a feel for the city you're in. We dined at the Harbor Restaurant, partially because Angelique had some hankering for oysters, and partially because it was one of the few restaurants open on a Thursday after 7pm. In the spirit of wine country, while the glass of Meomi Pinot Noir was surprising and delicious.

Though, if I'm completely honest, it tasted more like a Malbec... and I feel really fancy that I both knew that and could type it with relative confidence.

I will never be a wine snob. I will never be one of those people who can blind-identify any kind of adult grape juice, but I do appreciate the tasting and flavor process.

Solvang is a strange place. Imagine if Epcot did wine country. Don't get me wrong it's fantastic, but it's strange to be in the mountains of a Californian town in Scandanavian Cosplay. There are faux windmills, a place called Hamlet Square, and bakeries filled with delicious scents that remind me of being home with my family on the holidays.

We started the day at Chomp to get some espresso... where I learned they are not accustomed to serving straight espresso, as it was served far too hot to take as a shot, and it was super bitter. On the upside, it definitely woke me up!

The theme of this weekend ended up being 'pleasant surprise', and it started with stumbling upon the 64th Annual Meet-up of the Pierce-Arrow Society! (We also learned we were one day off from Solvang's 1st Pride Parade!)

I'm not a car person. But these were gorgeous, and they had them organized in chronological order so you could see how the design changed over time. One supposedly was rumored to have once been owned by Charlie Chaplin and had a hidden whisky flask compartment under the floor mat... though we weren't allowed to see it and I'm still a little salty about that. I'm here for the history, gosh darn it!

Most of the society members seemed at least in their 70s, and one talked a little bit with us, joking that he'd talk our ear off.

Joke was on him, we absolutely talked HIS ear off about US history, and piecing together what was going on in the world around the time each of the cars was made--such as the rubber shortage due to the world wars. I think he thought he was going to have a friendly jab at two alternative-looking girls and got more than what he planned.

Looking at the website, it seems like all in all the society (which is surprisingly based out of Michigan even though the Manufacturer was based out of Buffalo, NY, and obviously this particular meet-up took place in Solvang, CA) was pretty set in its ways and old fashioned. They even still have gender-segregated events like a demonstration and educational talk on auto restoration with an emphasis on upholstery and top-making for the gentlemen and a tea and colorizing black and white photographs for the ladies. To each their own, but may I have a full high tea WHILE I learn how to restore auto upholstery? I think that's fun for all, frankly.

We popped into The Red Viking to share a plate of sunny-side up eggs and corn beef hash. I was surprised to learn Anglique had never had corned-beef hash (in our house we still call it Who-Hash thanks to the Grinch), and theirs was absolutely delightful. Perfectly ground beef to properly make sure each bite had the right balance of flavors--and with the runny yoke it was just perfection.

We also snagged some of Arnie's Famous Aebleskivers, and I have to be honest with you... I was both saddened and joyous that they're so much better homemade--at least by my family. They were good, but a little more fried-tasting than I'm used to... sort of like if you made a funnel cake into a ball. But that's also probably because it was doused in both powdered sugar and a raspberry syrup that I think was meant to be jam but was a bit cloyingly sweet and ultimately choked the flavor of the pancake.

Ultimately, I think this was tourism winning over authenticity... which shouldn't be a shocker considering it's a town in California wine country in Scandanavian Cosplay.

But back to the wine because apparently that's the point of wine country, and not if the pulla from the bakery under the fake windmill tastes like how your father used to make.

Spoilers: It did not, but it was pretty darn good anyway.

Toccata wine tasting was lovely, and the breeze that flowed through the terrace was exactly what we needed in the 90+ degree weather.

We also visited their sister store across the way (which focuses more on French-style wines, unlike Toccata which focused on Italian).

But the big thing about Solvang is that it closes down at 5pm. It also didn't really open until about 10 or 11am--or even 12pm for the wine tastings. Not going to lie, the idea of having a 5-hour work day (assuming it's the only job you need to have to support yourself, which... doubtful, but one can hope), sounds rather divine. Props to Solvang!

But a trip to Solvang would not be complete without a stroll around Rennaissance Antiques.

I have no photographs because it felt disrespectful, but every item in there is breathtaking, out of time, and so far out of my budget I am often terrified to breathe on it. But they also have disc music boxes... And I swear these things... You can feel the music resonate in your chest. While originally created in (I believe) the Baroque period, there is a company that still faithfully recreates both the boxes and discs even with modern music.

So while I did not record at the antique shop, I can share the experience through the power of YouTube.

With our hearts and bellies full, we drove back down to Santa Barbra, stopping to admire the sunset on the waves from the bluffs.