Universal Studio Hollywood

It has been 10 years since I went to Universal Studios last, and I literally have no memory of it. So, I decided to make another trip to Universal with a couple friends. None of us have been to the new Harry Potter world, and we were all very excited to see the magic world! This theme park is a perfect one day park, just enough things to do for one day and we didn't feel like there's anything we missed. 

1. Harry Potter World
I was a huge Harry Potter fan when I was a kid and it was really cool to see everything come to life. The Harry Potter ride was my second favorite ride here. You were basically flying on the broom during the ride and it was pretty awesome! It was a combination of big screen CGI and real props, which I thought was a good balance. I also enjoyed walking around the town, seeing all those stores in the book come to life.  

2. Transformers

The transformers ride was a little disappointing. It was all big screen CGI and they just move you from one room of big screens to another. I understand that this ride is probably easier for the amusement park staff to maintain, but it really wasn't a very exciting ride. A little underwelming in my opinion. 

3. The Jurassic Park

Love the outdoor ride, but may be just a little bit too much water splashing, but it's okay. It was a mild slow ride along, and then the surprise last drop at the end. It was refreshing to have a ride that was real and not just CGI. 

4. The Mummy
This is definitely my favorite ride in the park. For people who are not a fan of nauseating rides, this might not be the best, but they honestly did a great job with the ambience and the ride itself. 

5. The Simpsons
Cute little fictional town from the Simpsons. This is also where all the food was, so we were having our lunch break here. 

6. The special effect show
It was incredibly cool to learn about how all the special effects in the movies were done. They even set a man on fire on the stage. Pretty cool.

7. The underwater world
This is another live performance based on the movie Waterworld starring Kevin Costner. It was probably better than the actual movie. It has a lot of cool explosions, fire and special effects. The actors did their stunts pretty well too. There are labels for "soak zone", and when they say soak, they mean it. Definitely worth it!

8. Studio Tours
This is one of my favorite itineraries. They drove through some movie/TV show sets, and also showed us how to create rain and flooding for weather effects. The tour also includes two cool CGI rides: one is the King Kong universe, the other the Fast and Furious universe. After standing in line all day, this is a nice and fun one-hour relaxing bus tour.

We got lucky that it was overcast most of the day, and the temperature was not too hot at all. We had a great day, besides all the fun rides, we also learned about some of the older movies from Universal and how some of the special effects were done. 

New York Itinerary Day 5 (5/5)

Last day in New York, we are going to explore Queens!

Stop 1 - Breakfast in Flushing
There is a lot of great Chinese food here, including one of my favorite dishes Xiao Long Bao! There are also many dim sum places that are equally good for those who want an authentic Cantonese breakfast!

Stop 2 - Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
Another beautiful park in New York. 

Stop 3 - MoMA PS1
MoMA PS1 is one of the largest art institutions in the US dedicated solely to contemporary art. The building itself is already very interesting, as well as the layout of the exhibitions. 

Stop 4 - 5 Pointz
Unfortunately, 5 pointz was demolished completely in 2014. Before that, it was an American mural space at 45-46 Davis Street in the Queens Borough. I am glad that I got to see that a few years ago before it's gone. I think it was a very interesting area.

Stop 5 - Mu Ramen
A small ramen place in long island city. Very cozy place, with pretty good ramen. It might not be a very good choice if you want to sit down for a while and catch up with a friend because the place is so small and not especially comfortable, but it's an awesome place for a quick good ramen. 

This concluded my 5 day itinerary for visiting New York city. There is of course, more to do than what I have discussed if you have more time, but I think those are some of the highlights of my visit. There is also so much more food that one could explore if you have more time. 

New York Itinerary Day 4 (4/5)

Stop 1 - Blessings Café
This is a yummy spot for breakfast and coffee and it is also super close to our next stop - the Prospect Park.

Stop 2 - Prospect Park 
One of the many things I like about NYC is the beautiful parks around the city. 

Stop 3 - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
This is right next to or part of the Prospect park. 

Stop 4 - Brooklyn bridge and DUMBO
I always find old bridges especially beautiful, and the view of Manhattan from across is just awesome! There are also a lot of coffee shops and small unique stores around the area. 

Stop 5 - The High Line
The High Line is an elevated park, which used to be a railroad. It is from the 13th street to the 30th street along the pier, which is about 1.5 mile. Definitely a different perspective to see the city. 

Stop 6 - The Chelsea Pier

Stop 7 - Late Night Dessert Bar Cha An
There is quite a bit of good Japanese food in NYC. This is an amazing dessert bar that a friend of mine who lives in New York recommended. What a great spot to hang out with a couple of friends, drinking tea and having delicious desserts.

New York Itinerary Day 3 (3/5)

After exploring downtown and midtown, it's time to see the uptown. I decided to go all the way up, and work my way back down to the midtown. 

Stop 1 - Breakfast and Coffee at Joe

Stop 2 - The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
This is, in my opinion, the most beautiful cathedral in the US. There is a sculpture garden next to it, which is very interesting as well.

Stop 3 - The Columbia University
I don't usually have a strong desire to visit universities, but this is right next to the cathedral, so I decided to walk around a little bit. 

Stop 4 - The Guggenheim Museum
I absolutely love the design of this museum. The idea is that you can walk in a upward spiral from the bottom, all the way up while enjoying different artwork. I always think that museums are a little chaotic with all the different exhibition rooms located in different parts of the museum, and people walking in different directions. You never quite figure out where does it begin, what is the order that I should be going with. In Guggenheim, there is only one way to see the exhibition. 

Other museums options: The Metropolitan Museum of Arts, the American Museum of Natural History and the Frick Collection
There are numerous museums along the west and east sides of the central park, depending on what you are interested in, you can choose accordingly. 

Stop 5 - Central Park
This is one of the most famous parks in New York. It is enormous. This is a great spot for dating, running, reading, walking around, I would say almost anything! There are meadows and lakes, with different views in different seasons.
Note* I later found out that there is an interesting sculpture "Alice in the Wonderland" that I missed.

Stop 6 - Washington Square Park
I was kinda taking a nice break before dinner in the park. It happened that there was some sort of event that day and it was very entertaining to watch people doing different tricks like the unicycle, juggling, etc. 

Stop 7 Hakata Tonton
I met up with a friend for dinner, and I found this Japanese place to try. This is definite somewhere I would come a lot if I lived in New York. 
Appetizer: Fatty Tuna Sashimi
Main course: Hakata Tonton Hot Pot (for 2 people) 
Dessert: Premium Japanese Tea Crème Brulèe, black sesame ice cream
Everything was super fresh. The soup was delicious. The vegetables added a little sweetness to the stew, and the seasoning was just right. When the ingredient is good, you don't need a lot of seasoning because you should be tasting each individual ingredient. Not only was the soup so delicious, the black sesame ice cream was probably the best I have had in the US. Highly recommended if you are in New York and craving for some hot pot.

This day ended with an amazing meal. The rest of the 2 days will be focusing on exploring the other boroughs a little. 

Paint and sip - The Art Room LA

Don't know what to do on a weekend? Running out of ideas for group social activities? My friends and I decided we wanted to reconnect with our inner-artists, so we went to a paint and sip event last weekend. None of us has painted since high school (mandatory art classes) and it was so much fun to pick it back up! 

The art room provides everything: the canvas, the brushes, acrylic paints, and some snacks. I thought they were providing wine too, but I misunderstood. You bring your own wine and they have wine openers and glasses. Anyways, although we did not have the wine, we still had a really great time painting Van Gogh's Café Terrace. I have to say, you appreciate the talent of artists more when you try to paint it yourself. It was very difficult to even paint a simplified version of it, and it was supposed to end at 9:30, but we stayed till 10:30 because it was so hard to finish. The artist hosting the event provides step-by-step instructions on how to attempt the painting, which was very helpful because a lot of us would not know where to start. At the same time, if you know what to do, or even want to paint something different, it was totally fine as well. I was debating whether I should show my painting here, but I decided not to because I found it too embarrassing..... maybe next time when I get better!

There are also a lot of other similar events hosted by different artists around LA, and they do different paintings all the time. You can definitely pick the one you like best or pick an easier painting to start with. On average, it's about $25 - 35 per person, and it is really fun to do it with a group of friends. What's interesting is that the paintings can look very different even though we are all trying to paint the same thing. Everyone can be an artist with a little practice, right?

New York Itinerary Day 2 (2/5)

After exploring downtown on day 1, let's move up to midtown!

Stop 1 - Bibble & Sip
Start the day with delicious coffee and pastry! My favorite pastry there is the earl grey cream puff. It was so good that I wish I could bring some back to LA.

Stop 2 - Times Square
Tons of stores around times square, including the LINE store and the Nintendo store if you are interested. For those who fancy a Broadway show but cannot afford it, here is some information on the ticket lottery schedule. On specific times and days, you can enter a lottery for a cheap ticket. 

Stop 3 - The Rockefeller Center and the Saint Patrick's Cathedral

Stop 4 - The New York Public Library and the Grand Central
I have always had a thing about train stations, especially one as beautiful as the Grand Central Terminal in New York. I always feel like I can just hop on a train and run away. 

Stop 5 - MOMA
This is definitely a must-go, although I find it a little hard to understand some of the arts. 

Stop 6 - Totto Ramen
Everybody in New York knows about this place. There are tons of great ramen places in New York, but this one (and maybe Ippudo) is one of the most discussed ramen place.  

Stop 7 - The Empire State Building
The night view of the New York city is something no one should miss if they are in New York. This is one of the most spectacular city skylines in the US. Yes, the line is pretty long. And yes, it is kinda pricy. But, it is totally worth it once you are up there. 

New York Itinerary Day 1 (1/5)

It is super easy to get around New York because it has an extensive subway system, and I plan to take full advantage of it! First thing that you need to do when you arrived in New York is to get an unlimited 7 days metro pass! It costs $32 and it works on subway, as well as all local buses. Once you have that, then you are ready to explore the city!

Stop 1 - Blue Spoon Coffee
Always starting my day with a great cup of coffee. They also have pretty good bagels as well.

Stop 2 - Statue of Liberty
There are different kinds of tickets you can get to visit the statue of liberty. I only wanted to see it quickly to say that I've seen it, so I only took the cruise to a very close spot from the island without touching the ground and back to the pier. 
For those who wants to spend more time on the island, go into the pedestal, the museum, the Fort Wood level or even the crown, there are different kinds of tickets. Those tickets are a little harder to get and you might want to reserve it in advance before you go. 

Stop 3 - Manhattan Chinatown
The cruise ride took me all morning because there was a huge line. After seeing the statue of liberty, the shuttle dropped us off close to the Manhattan bridge, which is not too far from the Manhattan Chinatown, therefore I decided to go there for lunch. There are so many good Asian restaurants. I bet you can pick almost anything there and it you won't be disappointed. 

Stop 4 - Charging Bull

Stop 5 - Trinity Church and the Wall Street

Stop 6 - 9/11 Memorial and the new world trade center
I cannot believe the 9/11 attack is over 15 years ago already. This tragedy took so many lives, and the names of every person who died are inscribed around the twin memorial pools. That probably does not really mean anything to the families who lost their love ones, but let this be a reminder to cherish every moment in life. 

Stop 7 - Soho and Little Italy
I was wandering around the Canal street, which led me to the SoHo area and Little Italy. The SoHo area was filled with beautiful architecture, boutiques, art galleries, and it was really fun to walk around. Then, I picked a random Italian restaurant in Little Italy, and it was amazing. There are dozens of great Italian restaurants around the area, from home Italian cooking to upscale fancy Italian cuisine, and I am sure you can find something that suits your wallet and palate. 

Stay tuned for Day 2!

My favorite city in the US - New York, New York

I live in Los Angeles, California. When I say that, a lot of people would give me this envious look. California is known for its great weather, the beaches, diverse culture and great food. However, my favorite city is definitely New York. It is such a vibrant city with equally diverse culture and great food, and on top of that, it also has a fantastic public transportation system and something I have always wanted to experience, four distinct seasons. I might not be able to live in this city, but I got a chance to pay a short visit in late September before I start my new job. 

This is my second time to the big apple, and it's true that I was not as excited as my first time, but I still love being in the city. Maybe that's because it reminded me of home. So, what is there to see or do or eat in New York? I am going to give you my take on a 5-day New York trip itinerary, which includes all the must-go places in order to get a feel for the city. 

Smorgasburg LA

What are you doing this weekend? Any plans? Here's a suggestion. Smorgasburg LA! This first started in New York, and it has spread to Los Angeles! Treats from all over LA gather in one spot! It is locate in DTLA every Sunday from 10am to 4pm. There is a parking structure next to the market if you follow the sign and it's free! The sun gets really hot and the lines also get really long after 11:30, so plan accordingly!

Lobsterdamus

We tried a couple places because we can only eat so much! We tried the lobster nachos from Lobsterdamus, and it was pretty good.

Tacos

We didn't try any tacos when we went (was not in a taco mood), but there are a lot of good taco places including macheen, little llama, goa tacos ,etc. Those would definitely be the places I want to try next time!

Desserts

So many dessert places, including a lot of ice cream/gelato places, perfect for a sunny hot day! We got the brulee donut from Donut Friend, and it was pretty damn good. Custard in the middle and crispy burnt sugar on top, and surprisingly, not too sweet at all! 

Hot Star

It is a Taiwanese Chicken place! One of the most popular fried chicken in Taiwan night market has expanded to LA, and to smorgasburg! They are known for there big fried chicken steak, but I did not want to get full from this because there are so many other things to try! So, I got some popcorn chicken instead. One of the best popcorn chicken I have had, very crispy but not greasy at all. 

Workaholic

This place has the longest line and it is probably due to its creative presentation of the food. The flying noodle! They used two long toothpick to create this flying noodle illusion, which is super cute. It also tastes very good. 

Hong Kong Style Waffle

This is one of my favorite Hong Kong snacks. It is not as good as the one I had in Hong Kong, but this would do until I go back!

Stand Coffee

This is the only coffee place at the market, so I guess I would have to get coffee here. There are not a lot of options, but the coffee is decent. 

Ice cream

There are a lot of ice cream places, including Jenny's (I had that before, and it was SOOOO good)! I wanted to try something new, and I was attracted to this one because of its stumptown coffee flavor. Not the best ice cream I have had, but pretty good. I would have gone for Jenny's next time though. 

It was slightly hot that day to be in an outdoor market, but it was definitely a nice market to try different things out. Also, it is located in DTLA, and you can definitely walk around, go to museums after food! Sounds like a nice Sunday, eh?

Vancouver - The food

Food in this city was pretty good. I felt like I ate a week's worth of food in three days..... Diet starts tomorrow, eh? I looked up a couple spots that I really wanted to try, and we stumbled upon some other places as well. 

Jam Cafe

We were actually heading to Chamber for brunch, but saw a line waiting for this place to be opened, then we were like.... um.... it must be good, right? So, we decided we should try this place instead! Coffee and food were decent, big portions, barely finished it. I loved the decor, very rustic. 

Miku Restaurant

I wanted to try some sushi places in Vancouver, and found this place! This place is right at the waterfront, beautiful view while you eat! Their signature dish is the Aburi Oshi Sushi, meaning torched on top, partially raw, and with their signature sauce. I was skeptical at first, but it was AMAZING. It certainly is different from the traditional raw sushi I have had, but it's also very tasty. Besides the sushi, the matcha opera cake was to die for! They said it took them days to make that dessert and I believe it, because look at it! There were so many components to it. 

Cartems Donuterie

It looked a little dingy from the outside, but once you go in, it brightens up! I didn't take a picture of the donuts, so you will just have to take my word for it, and it was delicious! We got the earl grey flavor, and it was so good that we got another one for later. 

Sura Korean Cuisine

There is a whole street of restaurants on Robson, and this is one of them. The food tastes as good as it looks! Unlimited sides as usual for Korean restaurant, and I just loved their sweet and spicy crispy fried fish side. I think I might have single-handedly finished 3 of those. This place does not take reservations and always has a huge line. (Tips: come when it just opens to avoid the wait) I thought LA has the most legit Korean food outside of Korea, but I guess Vancouver has it pretty good as well. 

Chamber Belgian Restaurant

We almost went to the Medina Cafe because we saw a long line there too, but we decided we should try this place out. The dishes we ordered were a little rich for breakfast, and it was not as good as I thought. Their waffle on the other hand was excellent. As you can see, they made it fresh there, and you can choose a topping. 

L' Abatoir

This is the best restaurant of the trip, and this is a place I would definitely return to whenever I am in Vancouver. We can probably find similar quality in LA, but the price would have been higher than here. We were not hungry for this meal, so we didn't order too much, but just from what we ordered, it was absolutely delicious. Everything was well-cooked, well-seasoned, not too heavy, great plating and service. Especially loved the honey cake dessert, it was definitely one of the best dining experiences I had. 

Snowy Village

Korean shaved ice! Very good and tasty, not too sweet, but pretty big portion, definitely better with a big group. I would say.... we've had better in LA for this. 

Chatime

They called it bubble tea here, instead of boba. I have tried this place in London, so I know it's pretty good. A pig-out event always calls for a boba! 

Deer Garden Signatures

I wish they have this here in LA! They are famous for their fish-based noodle soup, and it was very tasty. Because it's fish-based, so it's not too heavy ( I am a little tired of the pork-based noodle soup), and also healthier as well. We ordered one Laksa based noodle soup and one fish-based, and they were both very good. 

We also went to a dim sum place called Imperial Chinese Seafood Restaurant, and the dim sum was amazing, even better than LA! I didn't take any pictures, so I can't show you guys, but trust a Hongkonger when it comes to dim sum! 

Vancouver was definitely a nice city to visit, and it was also a much-needed relaxing vacation. The aftermath: Currently enrolled in a kickboxing/krav maga class in an attempt to loose the weight I gained during this trip LOL

Vancouver - The Places

This is really one of the most chilled and relaxing trips we have been so far, and it was a very nice trip. Vancouver is definitely a nice city, with a nice harbor, good food, cool weather. In terms of things to see, there are not too much, and 3-4 days are probably plenty. One place we didn't go is Victoria, which is a day trip by itself. Always leave a reason to go back, right?

Capilano Suspension Bridge

It was cool, not as cool as it looks. I thought it would be a lot more thrilling, but.... meh.... There are free shuttle buses in the city that go there pretty frequently. It is a very family-friendly tourist spot. It is kinda in the nature, but not too much. There's the suspension bridge, the tree houses, cliff walk, totem poles, some birds, etc. It is a very nice close-by getaway for families to go into the woods and walk around, spend the day there. 

China Town

Like Los Angeles, there's the "old Chinatown" and the "new Chinatown", and this is the old one, with the gate and stuff. As you can see, there are more tourists than Chinese here lol. There's Chinese garden that you can walk around, which is actually pretty nice. 

Gas Town

Apparently, it's the first downtown in Vancouver, named after "Gassy" Jack Deighton who arrived and opened up the first store there, and the area soon became the center of trade and an important port. Now, there are a bunch of restaurants and boutiques there. If you are into shopping, definitely the place to go!  

Stanley Park

A very nice park, took a long walk along the water as well as inside the park, and it was beautiful. You can see a lot of people jogging in the park, and I thought, if I live here, I would probably run here!

Granville Island

Food! More food! Basically a market with cooked food, as well as fresh ingredients. We couldn't really buy anything because there's stuff we cannot bring back in the US, also we are not planning on checking any luggage. You can take the aquabus from downtown across, and that's what we did. We decided to walk back to downtown along the water after visiting the market. As we walk back to downtown from Granville Island, we saw a "pirate" ship on the harbor, looked like they were acting, and it was pretty entertaining. 

Steveston

It was a tiny fisherman's wharf, but it was kinda cute. I like that it's not really crowded. And of course, there's fish n' chips! How can a fisherman's wharf be complete without fish n' chips, right? We tried some, and it was pretty good! You can also buy fresh seafood here, shrimps, sea urchins, etc. 

British Bay

Walking along the Robson street from downtown towards the ocean, and you will see this beautiful beach! We went there after dinner, and saw this gorgeous sunset. The water is definitely a lot cleaner here compared to LA. We saw some creepy smiling statue next to the beach, not sure what it meant, but they for sure are creepy.  

Overall, it was a fun and relaxing trip. I can see why people say it is a chilled version of the States. I think it would be a nice place to live, might be a little boring for young people, but definitely a great place to raise a family or enjoy retirement. 

Vancouver - The Coffee

How can a trip in the city be complete without great coffee? Here are some of the good coffee places I tried, and they are mostly in downtown/Gastown area. 

Buro Coffee

A nice bright coffee place, I ordered a Cortado and it was very aromatic! 

Timbertrain Coffee Roaster

A very cool coffee place. They have really good drip coffee as well as cappuccino, and delicious pastry if you want a snack!

The Revolver

My favorite out of the three. They have 2 spots right next to each other to accommodate more seating. They also have some photography/artsy books for you to read while you enjoy your coffee there. And of course, the coffee there is absolutely delicious. 

Overall, there's some good coffee around, meaning this is a livable city for me lol

Labor Day Long Weekend - Vancouver

I will not waste any long weekends without going anywhere of course! But I do feel like a slightly more relaxing weekend after all the trips I have taken this year, so I decided we should check out Vancouver in Canada! 

I got a super cheap direct flight for $200 round trip from West Jet. It was definitely a decent airline, comfortable seats, no delay, can't complain. There is not too much to see honestly (correct me if I am wrong), but I hit all the touristy spots, ate SO MUCH food (I felt like I ate a week's worth of food in 3 days..... diet starts tomorrow, eh?), and it was a nice relaxing getaway.

I decided to record this trip differently. I used to do it by days, and I am planning to do it by 3 different categories, ""coffee", "food" and "places". I am working on them, stay tuned!  

LACMA - The Rain Room

This is the latest "hot" thing in LA. The first time the exhibition was open, the tickets were sold so quickly and some people were selling their tickets on craigslist for $200 because a lot of people want to go! I thought it was cool, but I was not gonna pay that much for a couple minutes of rain. 

A couple months later, guess what?! They extended the exhibition and I got the ticket this time! Just $15 for the rain room plus $17 for general admission. The Rain Room was founded in 2005, and it's basically creating an immersive environment of falling water around you. Wherever a human body is detected, the rain pauses in that spot. The installation gives the visitors an experience of controlling the rain and feeling the rain without getting wet. 

Only 15 people are allowed into the room at a time, and only 9 people can go into the rain at a time. Although they tried to limit the number of people, that's still too many people! Sometimes, there's absolutely no rain around me! Overall, it was a very cool experience, and I am hoping that they will make this a permanent exhibition, so that I can go there again and have more time to enjoy this.  

Happy Pride - Los Angeles

Happy Pride! It is the Gay Pride weekend here at Los Angeles! I hung out with a couple of friends Saturday night at WeHo, and it was quite fun! A lot of them have cover charges, so we didn't go in to too many bars. We went to the Mickey, and there was a $10 cover charge when we first lined up, and by the time we paid, it was $15, and there were 4 of us, the last person ended up paying $20! It was just crazy! We headed back before the festival ended to avoid the traffic and the crowd, and it was late enough for me anyways. Oh God, too old to party already!

Next day is the actual parade, but unfortunately I woke up to bad news. 50 people were killed and more than 50 were injured at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida early Sunday morning. A man was arrested right before the LA gay pride. He was going to attend with weapons. Why do people have so much hatred? Love is love! Love is always better than hatred, and it is none of your God damn business what other people do with their lives as long as they don't hurt anyone else.
It was not too hot today and because of all the current events, it wasn't as crowded as it would have been. I took some pictures and videos of the parade, for those who missed it, enjoy! 

Dogs.... So LA!

Hong Kong!!!!

Damn, he's hot

One day adventure in Downtown Los Angeles

DTLA, short for downtown Los Angeles. It has so much going on all the time, and it also has a lot of good food! People usually focus a lot more on what's going on in the Hollywood and forget about this part of town, which is equally awesome! These are some of my favorite spots in DTLA, and for those of you who are looking for something to do for a day, this might just be the perfect itinerary for you! 
*Tips* Street parking is free on Sundays! 

Before you start walking around, you definitely need some food first! First stop! The grand central market!!! It opens daily at 8am. The market has different vendors, including Delis, Thai, coffee, pizza, baked goods, cheeses, tacos, etc. I am sure you will be able to find things you want to try! There are a couple places that I like in particular. 

1. Eggslut! Besides all the obviously delicious sandwiches with eggs in them, one thing that is highly recommended! The "slut", which is a coddled egg on top of a smooth potato puree, poached in a glass jar and served with toasted baguette. The taste is simple, but so good! 
2. G & B Coffee! I like coffee strong but not bitter, and this place is exactly that. The aroma of the coffee goes right through even before you drink it, and the coffee is so smooth and strong, but not bitter! They have another location in Larchment called go get em tiger, which I have been to, and their coffee is equally good there. 
3. Wexler's Deli! Their Lox Bagel with cream cheese is to die for!
4. Sticky Rice! Awesome thai food, better than a lot of the proper Thai restaurants out there! Writing this makes me want to go there for an early dinner tonight......

Besides all those places above, all the other places are just as good! There is really no bad food there! This is really one place that anyone who lives or visits LA should not miss! 
After you had a nice full meal, right next to the grand central market, there's the Bradbury building, which is the oldest commercial building remaining in the central city and it is absolutely gorgeous. It has this glass ceiling to let the sunlight come in, also an open cage elevator, marble stairs, iron railings, etc. Definitely worth a visit! It is free to go in and wander around, take pictures. 

While you are walking around between places. you can see all the artwork, murals all around DTLA. 
Next stop! The last bookstore! With bookstores dying out, this is just the most appropriate name for a bookstore. This is an amazing bookstore with a wide collection of used books, records, and artworks. The decor of the bookstore is already worth the visit, and if you like reading, there might be books that you can find here but nowhere else. 
Next stop! The LA central library.  This is just one of the many beautiful buildings in DTLA. A lot of people actually have weddings there! Other buildings include the Walt Disney Concert Hall are also a must-go. (I would really love to see a concert there some day!)

*Not a weekend activity* The art walk! It is a nonprofit organization that supports local artists.It happens every 2nd Thursday of each month. For those who happen to go on that Thursday, strong recommended! First, go to the art walk lounge to grab the maps for the art walk, and hours vary by gallery, range from Noon-10pm. It is a fun experience to see different artworks from the local community.

There is one more thing that would be awesome to do, which is the angels light railway, but unfortunately, it is closed now :( They are currently trying to raise money so that they can operate again! 

After all these walking, time to find a place to sit and chill! Besides all the amazing coffee shops around, there is one other place that will give you a little bit of a view. Echo Park! It has a beautiful lake, with ducks swimming and lotus blooming, it is just an awesome place to chill on a Sunday afternoon. 
Very close by the Echo park, there is Carroll Avenue, a street lined with Victorian homes from the late 19th century. This neighborhood has been featured in a lot of the films and TV shows. The boyfriend remembers watching "Charmed" when he was a kid and really wanted to see that "charmed" house. Anyways, it is a beautiful neighborhood. 

PS. For those who likes to go out at night (I am too old for that), DTLA does have a very active vivid awesome night life! I am not too much of a drinking, clubbing person. I have tried, and it is just not my thing, but for those who like it, instead of Hollywood, DTLA has some great places to go too! Here is some information on that http://www.lanightlife.com/

LA Korean Festival 2015

What should I do this weekend? <- This is always the question on my Mondays! (Something to look forward to and get me through the week T_T)  Last weekend, we went to the annual Los Angeles Korean Festival! Free admission, and as always, the parking can be a little tricky in Ktown, but they offered event parking for $5. And since it is an Asian thing, it is all cash only!!! Just like the 626 market! 

#1 Shopping
They have a lot of small businesses, such as cosmetics, accessories, packaged foods. They happened to be hosting the Korean Small Business Expo this year, so we saw a lot of products from South Korea as well as familiar vendors in LA. For food, there are SAMPLES! Free things always taste better right? We got to try different pickles, ginseng, tea, etc. It was a lot of fun, and we bought some ginseng products for my grandma and some kimchi for ourselves. They also have a lot of cosmetics and skin products, but the problem is they don't speak very good English, and I am not familiar with the brands, so I didn't buy anything. I should have done more research on what's good to get for Korean brand skin products.... oh well, next time! 

#2 Fun
Besides the shopping, they have game booths for kids as well as booths for doing some artwork!! You can paint on a fan or make lotus using paper cups and petals. Not only kids, a lot of adults enjoy the artwork station. They also have price wheel (I got a frisbee), and raffles! I am never lucky enough to win anything, but it never hurts to try!  

#3 FOOD!!!!! 
When at an Asian event, there's no doubt they have delicious food!!! They have a large variety of food, including Korean street food ( korean ricecake, bulgogi, fishcakes, kimchi pancakes, spicy pork over fries, etc) as well as waffles, bobas, the spiral potato thing, etc. I was so stuffed by all those little snacks we bought along the food alley lol They are so good and...... fattening! Time to go to the gym and burn the food off! 

One of my favorite food encounters was the Manjoo. I wasn't even sure what this is at the time, but it looked good and the line was super long, so I decided to try it. (Tips: always follow a long line for food, can't go too wrong) They were sooooo good and definitely worth the wait! They were made fresh, so the cream inside exploded out when you bit into it. I am glad that I got warned by the person who was selling them. And I found this amusing machine that made these little precious cream balls. On the right is a video I took of this awesome little machine. This place called Deli Manjoo is located in Diamond Bar if anyone wants to try those little cream balls. 

This is one thing I love about LA. There is always something going on! If you try hard enough, there is always something fun to do! 

Memorial Day Weekend - Seattle in 3 days Part 3/3

Day 3

Can't believe this is the last day already! First thing in the morning, coffee and breakfast! I was debating to try the waffle in Moore Coffee Shop we saw on the first day or try this waffle place called "Sweet Iron" and I decided to try Sweet Iron. (Bad choice) We ordered coffee, the Bacon + maple syrup waffle, and Berry compote + whipped cream waffle. It was mediocre, honestly, it was a little disappointing. (even the coffee!) In order to make it up for this unfortunate experience, we went to another coffee shop called "Storyville Coffee" and they have excellent coffee!! After I got a good cup of coffee, then, we can continue our itinerary. Today, we wanted to explore the Northwest part of Seattle. First destination - Fremont Troll! The Troll was sculpted by 4 local artists, and the goal was to rehabilitate the area under the bridge, which has become a dumping ground and haven for drug dealers. (Information from wikipedia) It was a really cool sculpture and it was huge!! Must have been a very challenging project! Then, we crossed the bridge (right above the troll) to the south lake union, where you can find a lot of historical landmarks around. We found a boat called Lotus, and she was built in 1909, so she is over 100 years old but still beautiful!!! The owner said that the boat is still seaworthy and they take her out every summer! Almost everything inside is original, and there are 3-4 bedrooms in which tourists can reserve and stay. The room looks cute and cozy, might not be a bad idea to stay on the lake next time! We walked around the lake a little bit before heading back to the city. From the park around the lake, you can see the space needle pretty well.

Lunch time!! We are not missing any opportunities to try different restaurant around here! There is a very popular pizza place called "Serious Pie" in the downtown area. There are actually 3 locations for this place, but we chose the one in downtown because of the itinerary. It wasn't too long of a wait, and the pizza was DELICIOUS! Very creative toppings and the crust was so thin, but just thick enough. We ordered the pizza with roasted morels, crawford farms asparagus, and taleggio. The waitress said that each pizza could feed one person, but we just had breakfast not too long ago, so we decided to have a light lunch and just ordered one pizza. (Now that I think about this, maybe I should have ordered 2! It was soooooo good) After lunch, we decided it is the right time to enjoy some art. Next destination - Seattle Art Museum (SAM). You definitely will not miss the SAM, as it has a giant sculpture outside the building. It is a kinetic sculpture, meaning it moves, and it is called the hammering man. Basically, it is a giant man hammering right outside the museum. Hammering Man is a project by Jonathan Borofsky which have been installed in various cities around the world, kinda like the LOVE sculptures around different cities. Interestingly, the Hammering Man rests his arm every year on Labor Day, so don't go on Labor Day if you want to see the moving Hammering Man.

I have learned something shocking!! Maybe you guys have already known, but if you don't, here it is!! Most of the museums' entrance fees are only suggested!!!! Basically you can pay any amount you want! (because they get funding from the government to run the place) They don't usually tell you the price is suggested because they want you to pay for the suggested price, but you can actually pay less than that if you wish. I can't believe I did not know about this all these times!! Well, that being said, I would still suggest that everyone pay the full price to support art!

Different people have different tastes in arts, and the exhibitions they had this time weren't my type of art. But exhibitions change all the time, so check before you go if you are picky like me! Next destination - Ferry ride! It might sound stupid, because we are not trying to get to the other island. All we want is to experience the ferry ride and see the city view from the ferry. We took the ferry from Seattle to Bremerton. It is an hour ferry ride, and you only have to pay for one trip, the return trip is free. We spent a very relaxing time on the ferry, enjoying the breeze and the view. We walked so much these 2 days, (sore feet...) it is kinda nice to sit for a while.

What's for dinner? I made a reservation at an Italian restaurant called "the Pink Door" tonight. The review seems to be very positive and it has different performances every 30 minutes from 6:30 - 8:45 at dinner time. The entrance is literal enough, a pink door! The restaurant has a very charming, homey feeling to it, which I really like. We ordered Tjarin (Pancetta, aspragus, sugar snaps, green garlic & raw egg yolk), the mushroom risotto with parmesan crip and the Cioppino. The Cioppino was okay, the seafood was not as fresh as I thought. But I really like the pasta and the risotto. That is a very nice spring vegetable pasta, and the raw egg yolk gave it a very creamy texture. For the risotto, the waiter said that they made their own mushroom stock, and you can definitely tell! The risotto was cooked right and the parmesan crip was definitely a plus. We ordered 2 desserts, but they were okay. (can't believe I did not get ANY satisfying dessert on this trip!!)

So much for the food. What made this dining experience exceptional is definitely the performances! During our dinner, there were 3 different performances, and I do not know what they are called. It is like pole dancing, but not with a pole. Instead, the female performer was dancing in the air with the hanging ribbon/hoola hoop. They are slightly exotic, but very very nice performances. I just love it. After dinner, we have one last stop before going back to the hotel and pack - Kerry Park!!! Probably one of the best spots to see the city view! (with the Space Needle in it this time) But we decided we needed a coffee after the meal, so we went to this place called "Uptown Espresso". It is in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle. (We were going to go to Caffe Fiore, but it was closed) It is a very spacious coffee place in the area if you are looking for a place to study/read a book/chitchat with friends, and most importantly, the coffee was great! Then, we walked to the Kerry Park from the coffee shop, which is not too far of a walk, but it is very uphill. We figured it is probably a good idea after all the food we had the past 3 days.

Perfect timing! It was around 8:30-9pm when we made it there, and it is finally starting to get dark! And the view was spectacular! There is another park I was thinking of going called the "Seacrest Park". It is more like a skyline view instead of this close up view of the city. You can walk along the water, enjoy the sea breeze, and look at the city. Unfortunately, we have a 6am flight to catch tomorrow, so we decided to go back to the hotel and save this for next time. But if you have time, you should definitely go! On a clear day, the day view is very pretty too. On this note, our short 3-day Seattle trip has come to an end (*sob*until next time!). I will definitely come back if I have a chance! Bye Seattle!

*Travel tips* I reserved the rental car from enterprise a couple weeks ago for 4 days and it was around $180. And as you all know, you can cancel a rental car reservation anytime without any cost, so I checked again 2 days before the trip, and I got a new quote for $80! I was like "holy shxt!". And I canceled my last reservation and made a new one. That saved me $100!!!!!! I also checked for the plane tickets to see if there's any last minute deal since the ticket I got happened to be refundable. But I already had the best deal. Something to keep in mind! Always plan the trip ahead of time so that you have more time to look for deals (if the budget is a concern), and never forget to check again before the trip too!

P.S. I promise I will be continuing the South America trip posts!

Memorial Day Weekend - Seattle in 3 days Part 2/3

Day 2

I always love nature. And there are two beautiful national parks close to Seattle, the Olympic National Park and the Mt. Rainier National Park. I had a hard time picking which one to go, and I looked at some reviews, and decided to go with the Olympic National Park. We woke up really early because it is a 2-hour drive to get there from Seattle, and therefore we need coffee!!! The only good coffee place I found that's open at 7am in the morning is actually on the Pike's Place Market called " Le Panier", and the coffee is very good and they are famous for their pastries, so we got some for the road! When we finally arrived at the park, we went on the staircase rapid loop trail. It is a 4-mile trail with lots of trees and water, absolutely gorgeous!

There's a picture of the car we rented for the trip! A convertible 2-seater! They ran out of options by the time we picked up the car, so we ended up with a nice convertible! *bonus* I have been to a lot of national parks around California, Arizona and Utah, but the habitat here is just soooooo different. It is just sooooooooooooooooo green everywhere! Even the branches of the trees are covered with mosses and ferns! The water of the creek is so clear and green that I feel like I can just drink it! (don't ever do that... bad idea) After this gorgeous hike, we were looking for some other hikes, but unfortunately, this part of the park is very segregated from the other parts of the park. There are supposed to be some coastal hikes, beaches hikes, mountain hikes, a variety of different sceneries, but unfortunately, despite our endeavor to try to find it, we got lost and barely made it out of the woods. (A large portion of the roads were unpaved......with holes....) I guess I should have done more research before I came, oh well..... I thought I have been to enough national parks that I would be able to find my way in this one...... Anyways, we went back to the city and decided to visit the Chinatown/International District. Then, we went to downtown Bellevue to have some good Taiwanese food, the place is called "Facing East". That place was just PACKED, but it was worth the wait. There is some authentic Taiwanese street food that is not easy to come by in US, and the food was pretty good.

Last stop before the night ends, we went to the space needle! How can you tell people you have been to Seattle until you have been to the space needle! It was not too bad of a line, and apparently there's early/late bird discount (6-9am, 9-12pm), which in my opinion, is the best time to see the day/night view anyways! The space needle is 600 feet tall, and was built for the 1962 World's Fair, same idea as the Eiffel Tower for the 1889 World's Fair. (a little fun fact moment there) The SkyCity Restaurant is a revolving restaurant at 500 feet at the space needle if you would like to enjoy the city view while you eat. I did not go for it because I don't think the food is worth it. We went up to the top and the city view is awesome! (One thing about this view is that.... the space needle is not in it lol)

Memorial Day Weekend - Seattle in 3 days Part 1/3

I know.... I know.... I should be writing about the South American trip... But, I just went to Seattle this past weekend! And since everything is still fresh in mind, let's take a detour to Seattle, Washington before we head back to South America! The picture above was taken in Kerry Park at night, that is absolutely the best spot to see the city view with the iconic space needle. Beautiful!

So, we left on Friday night after work and came back to LA on a super early flight on Tuesday morning to get back to work on time. That gave us 3 full days to explore the area!

Day 1

What's better than starting the morning with yummy breakfast and coffee! We went to this place called "Tilikum", and the breakfast was absolutely delicious! We had eggs Benedict with falafel instead of typical English muffins, seasonal green hash, and dutch babies (baked pancakes)! It is the first time I've had Dutch babies, and it was G-O-O-D! It is crispy on the outside and so soft inside. I might like that more than regular pancake! (I am going to try to make it) I am telling you, that was a very satisfying breakfast! Then, we walked around the neighborhood a little bit, very clean and very green. There are a lot of cafes, coffee shops nearby, if I were to live here, I would definitely try each one of them out.

There are just too many coffee shops around, and we walked past another one called "Moore Coffee Shop". Time to get another coffee! It is a very cute little coffee shop with waffles!!!!! I love waffles! (But that's just me) If not because we just had a very full breakfast, I would probably go for a waffle. We ordered a latte and a cappuccino, and they are both very good with very adorable latte art. I love individual unique coffee shops, and I can't imagine living in a city without that! I am already falling in love with the city! After coffee, we went to the Pike's Place Market. On the way there, we stumbled across an antique store, which has a very interesting collection of antiques, including old pocket watches, fishing poles, telephone booths, record players, etc. I am not sure if the electronics are still working, but it is definitely a good decor if you are into these kinds of things.

They also have a collection of playboys from the 1950s to 2000s, and I have to say..... it was a lot classier back then! We also saw the aquarium and the pier along the way. It is a cloudy day here in Seattle (as usual I guess), but I have had enough sun in California (I am not bragging), so I am loving the weather here.

Finally, we are at the Pike's Place Market. First, there is the market with fresh seafood, and different market stuff. Besides the farmers' market, there are a bunch of different little stores in the building, like gadget stores, bookstores, vintage stores, etc. There is one photography store called "Reflection on Seattle", and I really like his work. Instead of mundane pictures of Seattle (space needle, Seattle great wheel, the city view, etc.), his photos are all reflections of those icon symbols in puddles of water. Since Seattle has so much rain, that makes it the perfect theme for Seattle photos. Opposite to the market, there's the FIRST Starbucks ever world history!!!!! Look at the logo, everything was still there! The boobs, the tail, the belly and everything!! I like that logo a lot better than the simplified one right now. I remembered a pictures I found online a while ago, making fun of the Starbucks logo. (shown on the left from google image search)

The Starbucks has a huge line of tourists waiting to taste the coffee from the first Starbucks, but I figured unless the beans are from 1971, the coffee should just taste the same as the regular Starbucks. The street behind the first Starbucks is the Post Alley, which hosts numerous restaurants and bars. Nearby, we found a very interesting bookstore called "left bank books". It has very unique decor and a very atypical selection of books. It also has a lot of chairs and places to sit for people who want a quiet place to read next to this not-so-quiet touristy market. We spent the whole afternoon walking along the pier, the market, and going into all these little stores. It was so much fun! Then, we walked around the downtown a little bit, and I just love the city vibe! There are so many people walking around the street!!! They are not in the car driving around, but walking!!! I guess it is memorial weekend, but still, I love the hustle and bustle of the city life!

I did a lot of research on restaurants that I intended to try, and it seemed like there was a lot of good food here in Seattle! I ended up with a long list of restaurants, but since there were only so many meals in a day.... I had to pick! And tonight, it is the "Barolo"! It is a fancy Italian restaurant. It is located in the downtown/financial district area, so it has a little business meeting vibe. (I have learned from experience that.... it is often not a good sign.... just personal opinion) We did not order any appetizers because none of them looked exceptionally appealing. Instead, we ordered 3 main courses, Rigatoni al Ragu’ d’Agnello (the lamb leg Ragu), Spaghetti alla Carbonara e Zucchine and Branzino con Verdure e Patate (Chilean sea bass). The dinner was good, but that is also the problem.... it is just good.... nothing extraordinary. The menu was uninspired, the combination of the ingredients were very expected..... we did not even order dessert (which is usually my favorite part), because the dessert menu was boring too. The food was good, but this is not a "wow" type of restaurant, and even if I do live in Seattle, definitely won't go there again. But it's just me. I tend to like a bold and creative menu.