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Author: Ruby Rodríguez

The Outdoors Perspective – Guest Blog By Bobbi Klein

 

Narrative and photos by Bobbi Klein.

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Once you begin going outdoors and experiencing all that life has to offer, there is no stopping the places that you can explore. When you put your mind to it, it is possible.

Every city has something new to offer whether it is the mountains, rolling hills, desert, or the beach. You begin to realize a new perspective and seeing things through a different lens transitioning from being a tourist to one who knows the city better than some of the locals. The more that you explore a place, you quickly learn from the locals by speaking to them about the must see spots that you cannot leave without visiting.  It is quite addicting.

As a photographer and one who loves the outdoors, all of my adventures begin by walking the city to find those hidden spots that offer the best views and gaining a new perspective about that city. For instance, some may say that Chicago is just a smaller version of New York City. However, after exploring Chicago, it has its own flair to it and inhibits the Midwest culture of being a little nicer than NYC with it’s on set of neighborhoods within the city.

The more that you travel you can get into two separate types of people- one who explores off the beaten path of Yelp and Fodor’s must travel places in a city and another who lives for the guides.

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Throughout all of my travels across Europe and the United States, I have lived for exploring the cities without travel guides. Yes, there are times when I know of a few must see spots, but I always rely on the locals to help me finish my trip. Usually that means I begin my day at a local café and start talking to people asking them about life in that city and the must see spots for photography.

I have never used a location fixer (one who scouts out the perfect place for photos) in my travels, and I always rely on the locals. I have found the most amazing skyline views, the best places to eat, the amazing local shops, and the hidden features of a city (like the beach deemed as too windy for tourists and that no one ever goes there, which turned out to be the best beach and full of sunset kite surfers in Guincho, Portugal).

When you are open to exploring and have an open mind that there is more that meets the eye than a travel guide can offer, you see the beauty that surrounds you. Everywhere that you go to is unique and it is up to you to see it. It all begins by having a love for being outdoors and seeing this incredible world.

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Bobbi Klein is a lifestyle and travel photographer and creative director at Splendore. She loves traveling, helping people, and exploring. Connect with her on Instagram/Snapchat/ and twitter @bobbiklein. To see more of her work check out www.bobbiklein.com. 

A Day Trip Getaway – Guest Blog by Bobbi Klein

Narrative and photos by Bobbi Klein.

Hiking Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California is a quick drive, bus or train ride from downtown LA. It’s a quiet oasis compared to Los Angeles offering outdoor adventures and a small town feel.

If you feel that it’s time for a getaway, try a day in Santa Barbara.

1. Hiking

There are numerous hikes that you can go on in the mountains. One of the trails lead you to Inspiration Point, where you can overlook the entire town of Santa Barbara and see out to the ocean. Another takes you to the old hot springs hotel that used to reside above the town. It’s a great way to get some exercise in and take in the incredible views.

2. Botanical Gardens

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is full of a variety of California’s native plants with a picturesque background of the mountains. Walking through the paths, you feel as if you have been transported to somewhere else. It’s an adventure taking the paths through the trees seeing the bright pop of color from the poppies and other flowers.

Botanical Gardens
3. Beach Time

Like other coastal California cities, the waterfront allows for people to sunbathe, take a kayak ride, watch the kite surfers glide across the ocean, catch a sailing regatta, and go swimming. For watching sailing regattas and water equipment rentals, the Marina is a must stop. After indulging in the fun, stop by On the Alley restaurant for a quick bite to eat.

For beach time, West Beach is perfect for watching water sports and East Beach is great for sun bathing and swimming. If you are driving to Santa Barbara, Padaro Beach is one of the quietest and cleanest beaches with easy surfing lessons. Just take the 101 and exit for Santa Claus Lane.

4. State Street

The main street in Santa Barbara houses the shopping and local restaurants all with the Santa Barbara architecture of white stucco walls and orange tiled roofs. After a day of hiking or on the water, enjoy looking around and seeing what the downtown has to offer before making your way back to Los Angeles.

Santa Barbara has something for everyone and is the perfect place to explore the outdoors!

Bobbi Klein is a lifestyle and travel photographer and creative director at Splendore. She loves traveling, helping people, and exploring. Connect with her on Instagram/Snapchat/ and twitter @bobbiklein. To see more of her work check out www.bobbiklein.com.

Teaching about nature=finding myself Part. 1

During the week of May 4-8, 2015, I was honored to lead 2 workshops for high school students. These workshops were part of an ongoing effort from the Holyoke Adolescent Sexual Health and Pregnancy Prevention Accountability Committee (HASHPPAC). HASHPPAC’s mission is to develop community-based, multifaceted approaches to decrease teen pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in Holyoke, Massachusetts. For their ongoing campaign called “You Have Choices”, HASHPPAC decided to introduce workshops for the teens teaching them how to get involved in their community. The workshops were facilitated by organizations, the community, and Latino Outdoors was fortunate enough to participate!

It was extremely exciting to be asked to facilitate a workshop related to the environment. The first workshop took place at Holyoke High School. I had an amazing experience with 2 teens, Carmen and Tatyana.

Carmen & Tatyana

Carmen (left) and Tatyana (right). Two powerful teens from Holyoke, Massachusetts.

The first question I asked them was, “How do you define nature?”

   “Nature for me, is something beautiful, brings me peace, I listen to ocean waves before I go to sleep because it’s boring.” -Tatyana said

“haha. I love listening to the waves too! How is it boring? Maybe you mean you get so relaxed that it may feel boring?” – I asked

“YES! That is what I mean, it is relaxing. I can forget about the world and just be relaxed and in peace” -Tatyana added.

“Cynthia, can I say it in Spanish”- Carmen asked

“Por favor!” -Cynthia said

“La naturaleza es algo increíble, es bello y la necesitamos. Muchos no la aprecian y les estan haciendo daño. Tenemos que ayudarla.”- Carmen added

My heart was so happy to hear these answers, not because they were connected to nature in their own different, beautiful ways, but how I saw a reflection of me in these two powerful girls.

We proceeded to complete a Nature Scavenger Hunt that I adapted from the High Trails Outdoors Educational Center. One of the list items was to look for evidence of animals. We came across this tree, and saw ants and talked about how scary they look once you get close to them, yet how cool they are. Then we saw this “No Parking Any Time” sign being ‘eaten’ by this tree. tree & sign

 “Isn’t this incredible ladies?”- I asked

“Yeah, nature takes over.”-Carmen

“You can’t even see the sign anymore”-Tatyana

After the incredible conversation, discovery, and fun, we walked back to the cafeteria to hydrate ourselves and give ourselves props for completing the scavenger hunt! Later, we ended  our time together talking about how challenging it is to be a Latina and how many expectations are made by society of what we should look, be and act like. What was wonderful was me being able to see myself years back with the same frustrations as a young Latina and I was able to give Tatyana and Carmen the space to express themselves, be themselves, and cherish their grace as amazing young, powerful, Latina girls.

Those moments that are not accounted for in my curriculum design, are the ones that I find most precious, life changing, and incredible. This experience speaks to what Jose Gonzalez, founder of Latino Outdoors, mentioned “this is our voice, this is our heritage, these are our connections to these outdoors spaces” and by Tatyana and Carmen having a connection to the outdoors right at their school, we were all able to connect on a deeper level and empower each other as Latinas.

Que viva el poder.