Welcome to day four of summer flashbacks! Today’s photos open the nostalgia floodgates as I recall my favorite memories in Los Angeles last summer. From food to hikes to birthday parties to concerts, my friends and I sure had a blast.

I hiked with my friends Mike, Amy, and Clinton to get exercise and scope out wildflowers.

Here’s another hike with my Zeta buddy Mike in Burbank:

And I spent many nights catching up with friends at Golden Road brewery in Glendale.

I attended an early screening of The Newsroom at LA Film Fest followed by a Q&A with Aaron Sorkin, Alan Poul, and Greg Mottola, moderated by Madeline Brand.

I spent several weekends lounging on my blanket in nearby parks, plowing through books. It was my first time relaxing this way and I love the simplicity of it. This quickly became my reward for editing photos or getting other work done.

I enjoyed several shows at the Hollywood Bowl. My sister Bethany and I saw The Producers (with Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Richard Kind) while dining on sushi.

I returned later in the summer to catch Liza Minnelli. Of course.

And I enjoyed so many great meals with friends! Kelley, Adele, and I indulged in pies from House of Pies (peanut butter and key lime). Bethany and I met for lunch at Charlie’s Pantry in Studio City; it became a fast favorite.

Bethany and I consumed MANY meals at Octopus Sushi in Burbank.

Bethany, Summer, and I attended Comedy Bang Bang’s live summer tour when they passed through Los Angeles. That’s Scott Aukerman, Adam Scott, and Harris Wittels (fellow Emerson grad and the object of my sister’s desire).

I visited The Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles just to take this photo:

And ate dinner at Lucy’s 51 with my favorite family in Los Angeles — Kelley, Irving, and Adele!

(P.S. note the fried pickles on Kelley’s plate — THEY ARE SO GOOD. Even Adele is eying them and she wasn’t on solid food yet.)

And here’s Bethany and I on the other side of the table:

Later that night I met up with friends Allison and Nicholas at the Hollywood Forever cemetery for a screening of Wet Hot American Summer.

The very next morning (this was a busy weekend) I did a 5k with Kelley, Irving, and Adele around Lake Balboa in Encino.

Then I rushed over to Silverlake for my sister’s birthday brunch at La Mill.

Here’s the whole gang:

Grace, Jamie, Michelle, Lindsey, Bethany, and Tamar!

A few weeks later I met up with my college buddies Mike and Taylor, who was in town visiting for the weekend.

And here’s a shot from brunch at Kelli’s apartment celebrating the fact that she kicked cancer’s ass:

And one last photo of Lindsey, Bethany, and Michelle at Tony’s Darts Away in Burbank:

Okay, I’ll tear myself away from fun summer LA memories (…which shouldn’t be too hard, as I’m near the Great Barrier Reef this week). I am already looking forward to future summer memories in Los Angeles with these fantastic friends.