Newport Beach...

January 18, 2015 by Matt Bates in yourfriendmatt, youtube, christmas, los angeles, newport beach, apple, santa monica, philadelphia, california, film making, comedy, growth, love, humor, matt bates, lifestyle, family, fun

“Total rookie mistake bringing the car on this ferry.” I said shaking my my head staring at the shoreline.

Jamie and I love to take day trips. We have both recently entered into the next steps in our careers and trying to line up our schedules has been less than perfect. I spend more time with our dog than with her some days. Luckily we had the opportunity to take some time off together around this past holiday season.

We got up one morning, lazily, had a pot of coffee and started bouncing ideas around. Laguna Beach? A bit far. Santa Ana? What is even there? Burbank? Santa Barbara? Can we bring the dog? As we surfed the internet for “best places to visit in - insert SoCal town name here - we came across Newport Beach, CA. It look adorable and not too far. Kind of a New England feel to it. We found out there was a ‘Fun Zone’ with arcade games, ferris wheel and shore snacks…and who doesn’t love corn dogs, funnel cake and other deep friend delicacies. It has beautiful beaches from the pictures we saw and Balboa Island. Which we weren’t really sure what was there but you had to take a ferry (with car, totaled $3…where the hell can you find anything that cheap in Southern California?) which seemed fun enough for a day trip.

We jumped in the car and 40 minutes later we were reading ‘Welcome to Newport Beach’. As we pulled on to the main strip it reminded us of our vacations with family in Outer Banks, NC. Sleepy, quaint, beach-bum vibe that made us feel relaxed. Beach on both sides of us as we pulled up to the Balboa Island Ferry…which only allows 3 cars at a time. I can imagine during there peak season this might be a nightmare but I guess we went on an off day and pulled right on. The ferry took off across the bay and we got out of the car. “Man, is that were we are going? That island is tiny as hell.” I said to Jamie as she shrugged and nodded yes. We stepped out of the car to take a selfie and we were there. The ferry ride took less than 4 minutes. “Welp. Let’s get back in the car.” I said feeling very much like Clark Griswald.

***BALBOA ISLAND TIP - If you are just heading over there to walk around, sit on the beach or meet up with a friend…YOU DO NOT NEED YOUR CAR. The streets are narrow, parking was hell and it could take upwards of an hour to get back off the island on the ferry. We walked the perimeter of Balboa Island in under 20 minutes. I am not talking about speed walking either. We stopped to take photos, see Christmas displays on the neighborhood lawns and walked an entire dock.

We visited Newport Beach on a perfect day. No clouds in the sky and 60 degrees. Just the right kind of weather to were a sweater or hoodie-vest combo. Which is a fantastic break from anyone who has been living without rain in 75 degree weather for the last year…not that I am complaining. We hitched a ride back on the ferry to see what else Newport had for us. The ferry is located right next to Fun Zone and we found street parking one block way. Told you it was a perfect day. Jamie and I immediately went for the arcade to play as much Skeeball as we could. We grabbed some lunch at Newport Landing conveniently located a on the water near Fun Zone with and upstairs porch to eat on. The food wasn’t that great but the wait wasn’t long and the views made up for it. Their outside seating is a great place to grab a drink, people watch (one of our favorite things to do), look at the beautiful California coast and share a warm conversation.

It’s rare that we get time together, especially for a day trip, but if your in the area or looking for a quick easy place to spend an afternoon with your love give Newport Beach a try. We loved it…just leave your car.

-YourFriendMatt

Safe to say 2014 ended with a bang...from what I remember...(this was in my camera roll the morning of January 1, 2015...no idea who that guy is.)

Hello 2015...

January 03, 2015 by Matt Bates in family, lifestyle, matt bates, santa monica, christmas, philadelphia, growth, film, comedy, california, fun, love, film making, music, yourfriendmatt, humor, social media, instagram, friendship

Shit to do in 2015:

-Get passport and get off North America…even for a weekend.

-Play drums for a band at a show in LA…and beyond.

-Post a blog once a week…totaling at least 52 post in 2015.

-Work on next film.

Shit accomplished in 2014:

-Survived Los Angeles for 365 days straight…fuck yeah!

-Fell even more in love with Jamie Cartlidge.

-Got promoted.

-Launched YourFriendMatt.com.

-Adopted our dog Piper from a parking lot.

-wrote, produced and starred (unintentionally) a short film. ..along with went to Vegas to do a short.

2014,

You were a good year, a great year - a stupendous year! Thanks for holding it down. You will be missed but we have to keep pushing forward. We will build on top of what we started here and strive for better.

Thanks for everything 2014.

2015 - don't be a dick.

-YourFriendMatt

This is the first picture I took on the first day we lived in Santa Monica...

One Year in Santa Monica...

November 22, 2014 by Matt Bates in apple, california, comedy, facebook, family, film, friends, fun, growth, humor, knowledge, los angeles, love, lifestyle, matt bates, santa monica, yourfriendmatt, philadelphia

I leaned over and kissed her on the forehead like a do every morning. The sound of plastic against skin of our deflating air mattress echoed through the barren apartment. I got up to lift the shades and let the warmth of the sun in. She stirred and sat up. I turned to look back to see the nothingness and sterile white walls of our new place as she said "Well, what do we do now?" The excitement of driving across country faded quickly and the realization had set in as I looked back through the window at a palm tree swaying in the cloudless blue sky.

One year ago today we moved from Delaware County, PA to California.

We arrived late in the night. I took a deep breath as we made the final turn on our adventure across North America. I have been listening to the GPS for 5 days and now it was time to turn it off. Wild. A journey of a thousand miles (or 3,000 miles) begins with a single step. And we were on our last step.

Our landlords were waiting on the curb with their 3 boys who, luckily for us, were eager to meet us and help move a few boxes. I can't help but admit there was a moment of complete terror pulling up to the address that was discussed on the phone a world behind us now. After all the searching we did on multiple real estate sites for living arrangements we found this place on Craigslist. I was praying it wasn't a scam. I had promised Jamie’s family I would take care of her, make sure she was safe and took her away with me. (And they also promised to kill me if I messed up in anyway…and they made sure to tell me multiple times, so I believe them). We had no back up plan. And now here we were. All the prep work of getting out truck ready for a cross-country trip, packing, parties, good bye's, teary nights over beers with friends, and all the help we had led to this moment. "Please, don't let this be a scam." I begged over and over again silently in my head as I shot Jamie a suave-confident smile as we pulled into our new driveway. "Thank you." Releasing with a sigh praising the spirits watching over us. It wasn't a scam. We are home. And there are 3 kids here to help us move in. "Thank you."

We have learned a lot about ourselves over the course of the last year. To pseudo-celebrate our year mark in Santa Monica Jamie and I took a walk to the first place we went the day we woke up in our new home this time last year, our local coffee shop. We reminisced about how we bought a bed from the first place we saw selling them. We discussed finding a Target and battling LA traffic to get there…and purchase things we never thought off…like a shower curtain…or ya know, towels…or light bulbs.

Over the last year we have gone through a lot and accomplished a lot. Like this for example, our truck died a month into us getting settle. We were carless and broke in a new city. Luckily, we have awesome friends, Greg and Rick, who were willing to drive my car I left in Pennsylvania all the way out here so we didn’t have to buy another. Thanks guys! Jamie worked as a visual designer, floral designer and now works for a real estate broker. Go Jamie! I got promoted. We adopted a dog. We stayed in Joshua Tree, went to Disneyland for Christmas and then went again in the summer (why not!), we have hosted her family twice and had more people stay over than I can count…and we loved every single one of you who came out to stay with us! We made it to San Diego, we have hiked all over the Santa Monica mountains in Malibu, I started this blog, we flew home twice for weddings and to play on the radio 104.5 with my friends, we have watched my nephew grow up and learn to walk over FaceTime, I made it to vegas to make a short film, I saw the Phillies beat the piss out of the Dodgers in their own stadium, we made it to Catalina (not for a wine mixer), and made some incredible, lifelong new friends.

It’s been a hell of a year and I look forward on what’s to come. I am truly blessed and lucky. Thank you everyone who has been apart of our lives, especially over this last year. And thank you to anyone who has supported us in any way during these crazy times. We love and thank you for everything.

See you soon!

-YourFriendMatt