Tag: travel

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From Hollywood to Hurricanes…by way of 50 unique cities

Stay strong Floridians, in the wake of Hurricane Ian and thanks for having me in your Sunshine state. Albeit, not much sun the past few days as I’ve experienced my first Category 4 hurricane. The good news is I’m located in central Florida and the brunt of the storm just missed us. The bad news is my friends in St. Pete’s and Ft. Meyers weren’t so lucky. No worries, just stay positive and enjoy the rebuild!

And as luck would have it, since I left Los Angeles about a year ago I’ve survived 30,000 miles of “nomad living” while trans-versing the United States and getting to know 50 unique and exciting cities. That’s right, 50 amazing cities in 10 different states where I’ve spent anywhere from several hours to several months (most recently in Frisco, TX). Check them out:

Leaving Los Angeles for…

Oceanside, La Jolla, San Diego, and Needles – CALIFORNIA

Yuma, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tuscon, Mesa, Chandler and Flagstaff – ARIZONA

Las Vegas – NEVADA

Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Vegas and Tucumcari – NEW MEXICO

Amarillo, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Waco, Ft. Worth, Grapevine, Denton, Dallas, Plano, Frisco and McKinney – TEXAS

Texarkana and Little Rock – ARKANSAS

Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga – TENNESSEE

Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah – GEORGIA

Charleston – SOUTH CAROLINA

Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Melbourne, Ocala, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Dunedin, Ft. Meyers, Sarasota, Naples, Hollywood and Miami – FLORIDA

Now I can only imagine what’s in store for the next leg of life’s journey. Have an awesome Autumn everyone…and get your workout in!

Peace – R

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Nomad Living – The End

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

At least when it comes to those good things that have a positive impact on your life and are meant to be provisional. That is to say, they’re meant to inspire and empower you in the present moment, but definitely not the long haul.

Like nomad living.

Because any individual who roams about for any length of time will certainly desire a more permanent resting place. Trust me, I should know. After 9 months of transversing this great country – from LA to Plano to Las Vegas to San Diego with many many stops and cities in between – I’ve found my way back to Texas (no kidding). Although I loved every minute of the journey as well as my time in San Diego – a place akin to heaven – it was time to return to the land of the free and home of the brave. Thus, I’m back in Lone Star state.

As for cryptocurrencies, well that’s another story. Since my last post they’ve crashed by more than 50% and have no doubt sent seismic shocks to my portfolio, to say the least. But then again when it comes to anything in life and especially stocks and cryptos, nothing goes straight up. So keep the faith and HODL on for dear life everyone, because like I’ve said many times before on Tola Talks Texas, we’re in the first inning of a very long ball game.

Be kind and stay strong everyone, and no matter what, get your workout in!

Peace – R

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Nomad Living – Part 2

Six months and 15,000 miles since leaving Los Angeles, I guess you could say my nomadic ways are coming to an end. At least for now, as I thoroughly enjoy exploring and transversing the plethora of amazing neighborhoods throughout San Diego (including Oceanside below).

After a dozen years living in LA and just a few months here in SD, no doubt San Diego trumps LA-LA-Land. In so many ways, but let’s just say it feels much safer and it’s definitely much cleaner here. Not to mention I haven’t had one homeless person approach or harass me, or worse, grab me like that time in LA. So rock’on San Diego! And speaking of rocking on, if you’re still HODL-ing firm with your cryptocurrency portfolio – like I am – keep the faith and know that prices will skyrocket again. That is to say, when the retail buyers come back with a vengeance coupled with 401K allocations for Bitcoin and hopefully Etherium and my fav, Dogecoin.

That’s what I believe, albeit perhaps against the grain, and like I said numerous times on Tola Talks Texas, we’re in the first inning of a very long ball game, so stay positive and stay the course everyone.

And as always, get your workout in. Peace – R

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Nomad Living – Part 1

Four months ago I packed my shiny new Bronco to the gills and departed California on a beautiful sunny morning (of course). On my way to Texas, with no particular city in mind or specific travel map in place except for my one goal: to find a place to live within a month. Just the right amount of time to visit and explore at least a dozen major cities along the way.

You may call it a long road trip, but I call it Nomad Living. Nomad as in “a member of a people who have no fixed residence but move from place to place”. And that would be me.

The good news is I love to explore and have since adapted to the inconveniences of not having a fixed residence – trust me, there are many. Plus, nomad living is never boring because you’re always scrambling to familiarize yourself with the plethora of unknowns. Until you eventually land and get the lay of the land, like I did in Plano for a few months and where I also produced my podcast, Tola Talks Texas. Opinionated and oftentimes political for sure, and be sure to check out my two favorite episodes Ep 8 – Suicide Sucks and Ep 20 – Never Live in Fear.

Then it was back on the road, again, this time desiring to spend quality time with my father who’s battling liver cancer as well as revisit some old friends and haunts in Las Vegas and of course, my formerly beloved LA. Not to mention a bunch more cities along the way.

All told I’ve driven 12,000 miles in 120 days while heartily visiting the following 30 cities: Yuma, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tuscon, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Flagstaff, Sedona, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin, Boulder City, Amarillo, El Paso, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Waco, Fort Worth, Dallas, Denton, Frisco, Plano, Needles, Riverside, Pasadena, LA and most recently, San Diego – as I write this I’m curiously exploring the boatloads of amazing neighborhoods and beaches of SD!

Have an awesome weekend and keep moving forward with your goals and dreams everyone…and get your workout in! Peace – R

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Never Live in Fear – Ep 20 – Tola Talks Texas

Today is all about doing whatever it takes to never live in fear. Because during the past two years of this COVID pandemic, the powers to be have done their best to control you by instilling fear in your mind, body and spirit. No doubt fear controls – so never let it happen. In our last Tola Talks Texas, at least for now while I travel and spend time with family, I do my best to communicate why we need to get rid of the divide between the vaccinated and unvaccinated. Plus kudos to Bill Maher for his recent monologue about not wanting to live in a masked, paranoid world and never being scared of COVID, but rather the reaction to it. Not to mention this particular comment that I totally agree: So, the fact that America, the medical establishment never even attempted to get people to live a healthier lifestyle as response to this pandemic is a giant scandal to me. Right on Bill, because everyone needs to get with the program and Drink from the Fountain of Youth, like I do. And no matter what, stay strong, stay positive, stay true to your dreams…and get your workout in.

Peace – R

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Welcome to Wherever You Are

Hope you’re awesome everyone, and in case you were wondering, this isn’t a tribute to the music of Bon Jovi or INXS.

On the contrary, it’s more like a welcome home post after spending the past five months traversing the U.S. in search of the Holy Grail, much like a modern-day Indiana Jones. Well, not exactly, but I’ve definitely been a modern day cowboy cruising the countryside since I left my beloved Los Angeles in June.

Why, you might ask? Because  I love to explore new lands while checking out the fitness and yoga scenes – not to mention the music and entertainment and comedy club scenes – of America’s largest and most popular cities.

And on this particular leg of the adventure I’ve traveled to Austin, Dallas, Denver, and most recently, the lovely beaches of Santa Barbara (picture).

For those of you who have been following my life’s colorful journey since I moved to Hollywood in 2007, I’ve now lived in 11 major cities over the past 11 years.

The good news is I’ve also walked over a thousand miles and met tons of cool locals that made my sojourn an especially enjoyable experience. No doubt traveling to other cities is something I definitely recommend to anyone who has the time and vigor to do it. Notice I didn’t say money, because if you fly solo like I do, you really don’t need that much to explore. Just a pair of comfortable walking shoes and a lightweight backpack. Oh, and don’t forget an open-minded attitude that comes with a big fat smile on your face…because that ALWAYS helps.

So pack your bags and enjoy your journey wherever it takes you this holiday season, and have an amazing Halloween!

Peace – R

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Thank you Seattle…until we meet again!

Top of Denny Way in Capitol Hill looking West

Thank you Seattle, for a wonderful six months of teaching yoga to well over 1,000 students in exactly 136 classes. Because as you may already know, I’ll be returning to my beloved Los Angeles (aka Home) where I first began teaching my fitness style of yoga in 2007 before it was even known as Tola Yoga.

And who says you can’t have a blast walking around and exploring Seattle in the rain? Plus, you never really get those torrential downpours like Chicago does, so who needs protection? Seattleites with an umbrella, that’s something you rarely see. I guess that’s why people would always ask, “You’re not from around here, right?” With my black leather jacket and biker boots and carrying a red umbrella, go figure. Or maybe it was just my California tan 🙂

Relaxing in Martin Luther King Jr. Park looking North

And what a great place to stay in shape and to keep moving forward, or I shall I say, upward…on the plethora of hills that traverse the Emerald City.

No doubt your butt works overtime in this town. I should know, I’ve walked more neighborhoods than Oprah has houses (well, maybe not) and loved every minute of it!

But what I’ll miss most – other than my yoga students, especially Charisma, Jodi and Sallie who never missed a class – are the amazing views of downtown Seattle you get just by walking around or lounging in Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, including my three favorites you see here.

40th & Stone Way in Fremont looking South

So thanks Seattle, and until we meet again I wish you the very best. Continue growing and providing your good citizens with more great buildings, parks, restaurants, culture, grunge-free fashion and of course, a Tola Yoga studio in the near future.

Hey, ya neva know!

Peace – R

 

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Explore the world…including Vancouver

If there’s one piece of advice I can give – other than workout everyday and live by Yoga principles to build a strong body clear mind – it’s these three words:

Explore the world.

I just spent the past three days in Vancouver, Canada exploring a plethora of neighborhoods like Gastown, Downtown, Coal Harbor, West End, Davie Village, Yaletown, Kitsilano and Mt. Pleasant.  An amazing 25 miles worth of walking around one of the most beautiful, clean, vibrant and fashionable cities I’ve ever lived or visited. There’s been quite a few.

In Vancouver you’ll find tons of great shops and eateries and cool street fashion that had me people watching as much as checking out the sleek modern architecture that’s everywhere.

There’s also tons of little parks and beaches and public art that seem to pop-up out of nowhere. Like the A-maze-ing Laughter in Morton Park consisting of 14 enormous bronze statues – in all different poses – of a shirtless guy laughing hysterically. And what a great way to get your daily workout in. By kicking-the-bricks, as we used to say back in my NYC real estate days.

Speaking of which, Vancouver also has that international cosmopolitan feel, much like Manhattan and Chicago. Plus, the hi-rise apartment building where I stayed had one of those old-school Universal weight machines and some dumbbells, which came in handy every morning.  Add to that a yoga class, or better yet, a free 30-minute Tola Yoga class, and voila, you’re set!

So pack your bags, pick your destination, and do a little exploring on your own.

Peace – R

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A Taste of Chicago

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Here’s a compilation of me introducing Chicago’s major tourist attractions including Navy Pier, Wrigley Field, the Mag Mile and the beaches of Lake Michigan. It’s where history meets trivia, meets fitness & Yoga and more.

We filmed YogaStyles of RICH and the Almost Famous: Chicago during the sweltering summer of 2016, and had a blast the last day of filming at the Damen Silos & Ohio Street Beach…when temperatures reached 108 degrees.

Thanks for watching and have a wonderful holiday! Peace – R

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Tola Talks Relationships w/ Expert Jennifer Gaynor-Yaker

 

Tola Talks all things Dating with guest co-host and Relationship Expert, Jennifer Gaynor-Yaker. On Top 10 Tuesdays, Rich also talks about the FBI posing as The Seattle Times to catch a suspect, windowless planes making air travel more cost-effective, National Chocolate Day, YouTube launching a paid subscription service, plus the Get Your S#!T Together Award to a single Mom who left her infant children alone in her 100 degree car to attend a job interview.

Watch weekdays on youtube.com/tolatalks.

RichTolaJenGaynor
Tola Talks’ Rich Tola with Life Coach & Relationship Expert, Jennifer Gaynor-Yaker