So Saturday afternoon rolled around and my roommate Brian and I decided to check out what LA has to offer in terms of beaches. A while back I posted about some sweet photos I found in the LIFE Archive of people enjoying summer at Hermosa Beach in 1948. With that in mind we hopped in the car and headed down the 405 to see what the Hermosa of 2009 is like.

After finding a parking spot, we started walking towards the ocean. The first glimpses of the water already had me ready to jump into the cold Pacific waves.

We passed by this amazing house which I had previously seen on Arch Daily (great blog if you have any interest in architecture).

Brian is loving the California beaches.

As members of The Windmill Club are oft to find themselves, we spent the day alternating between lying in the sun and bodysurfing. Which is pretty much all I can ask for of a summer afternoon.

The last few days have been a crazy whirl of packing, driving, moving, and more driving. Over the course of the past 72 hours I completely re-packed my life, drove from Santa Barbara down to San Diego – and back, then moved into my new apartment in Culver City where I will be residing this summer. Needless to say, it’s been pretty hectic.

What has kept me going through long hours stuck in traffic is the spectacular mixtape put together by J. Period celebrating once of the greatest artists in hip hop: Q-Tip.

Thanks to my good friend Jabari, over the past semester I have become fully acquainted with the discography of A Tribe Called Quest. Simply put – they define what hip hop is all about. If you have not had the opportunity to listen to “Electric Relaxation” or “Scenario” blasting out of your car speakers as you ride around with your friends, you should definitley do so posthaste.

The impact of ATCQ and Q-Tip is indeed spectacular and J. Period’s mixtape The [Abstract] Best Vol. 1 is not only full of hard hitting tracks, but also the history behind one of the most influential artists around.

Download the mixtape HERE and be educated.