Los Angeles over the years... Los Angeles ---just chilling...
This trip is purely a chilling trip to see good friends and not go crazy on the tour /visit things circuit. I have done alot of the famous tourist things and sights. So I had to be a bit creative while my friends were working , I had to figure out what to do .
Since I was sick the first half of the trip, I relaxed and napped alot. I am obsessed with Project Runway season TWO and congratulations to Chloe Dao! A sister and woman won this time! I am so PSYCHED! I was stuck on my Jet Blue flight into Long Beach and the last few moments for the announcement were cut off as we landed. I was going nuts. Luckily, I called my lil sis back in Boston and she was able to tell me. Turns out, I was not the only passenger on my flight wondering who won--was it Santino, Daniel V or Chloe. According to the internet poll, they thought it was between Santino and Daniel V. You really do never know with the judges, wild card Deborah Messing, Nina Garcia (Fashion editor of Elle Magazine, Michael Kors (American Fashion Designer) and of course the host and executive producer of the show Heidi Klum. I do adore Tim Gunn (he is the guru of taste and has very great insights and opinions when he talks to each contestant). I find Tim to very spot on -- in regards to his assessments for each Project Runway contestant's work. (Though Santino's Tim Gunn impressions were very funny and spot on!)
I did get creative this trip and made a bachelorette photo album for Thai's friend. It was fun and very different. Usually for me, it is a very personal endeavor but this time it was for someone I had not met. A new feeling for me but it ended up that Suzanne (the recipient) really liked it alot. I was relieved.
So thus far on this trip, I did visit the LA Coliseum (where the 1984 Summer Olympics was held), very new looking Museum of Science (too bad only had one hour in there). Got to take a great hike towards the Hollywood Sign---and decided it was too late and just went up Dante's Peak. The guidebooks and other sources were not kidding about the million dollar views of Los Angeles. (My walking/hiking buddy is a local and she never did it before. It did not hurt we went on a gorgeous and clear day). The whole thing was less than 2.5 miles but fun, fully paved on dirt road. (There was a steeper way to get to the top of Dante's Peak (we decided against it). I just kept on taking more photos as we kept on walking higher and higher. It had the prettiest views I have seen of Los Angeles and they were picture perfect for a post card too!
Keeping along the walking theme, I did about almost 3 miles walking from Venice Beach to Santa Monica Beach. It was a lovely day this past Monday when I did it. I loved the breeze and it turned out in one portion of the beach was sectioned off. A local man and woman (he reportedly hosted a game show) was en route to San Diego to get a cancer patient. The small plane the couple were on sunk and all aboard died. What a tragedy! (All the local televisions stations were all there reporting from the site).
This year marks an anniversary for the LA County Art Museum--40 years I believe. I got to visit it and check out the stuff. There were alot empty areas and some cute art. After traipsing all over Europe, heading out to the Art Institute (Chicago), MET (NYC) and even MFA of Boston, it does pale in comparison. But it was still good to check out anyways as I am spoiled east coaster with access to great art.
One interesting sight, is the Walt Disney Concert Hall. I was able to take advantage of the one hour self guided tour (right now from 10am-2pm with options for a guided one or express one hour audio tour--available on some days). This silver , bright and metal building does stand out when you near it. It was interesting to hear that the building was supposedly originally designed to be all stone. But after getting alot of feedback, metal was the way to go. According to my friend, some changes were done not to polish the metal (exterior) as in warm weather the glare and heat projected from the building is HOT and neighbors do NOT love it. I found the acoustics interesting, or the garden on top of the building with the cool delft porcelain rose contraption (the designers gift to Mrs. Disney). In comparison to the Budapest Opera house, Boston Symphony Hall and Vienna Opera House (tours I all took) this one had the most modern design and is the newest as well. I enjoyed it.
The rest of the time in LA, I was just chilling. I got to catch some good flicks---old Sammi Cheng films (a Hong Kong singer and actress). One is "Needing You" with Andy Lau (my first fave HK actor/singer) and Sammi along with another classic "Feel 100%" based on a Japanese Manga. One movie I was looking forward to was Johnnie To's movie "PTU" but I ended up yawning alot. I did catch one he made two years ago called "Breaking News" with Kelly Chen (another Canto pop singer /actress) and Richie Ren (his Cantonese has been improving) that has alot of ridiculous gun play scenes. (A Johnnie To signature I guess????)
I love people watching. I know I am not in Boston anymore just observing the people. I think it is funny that it is in the 50's or 40's F and people are FREEZING. I guess the blood thins after living out in the warm weather, for us in the North East (these temperatures are completely balmy when dealing with 10-20 degrees F). The attitude is very laid back here and casual. I do crack up at the drive through mail box drop offs. (Akin to seeing the drive through coffee houses I saw in Seattle). Such a car society out here, lots of nice cars are co mingling with lots of vintage cars (do not see that much in the North East with our bad weather, corrosive sea air and bad roads are recipes for disasters for people's cars.)
Los Angeles is such another beast compared to Boston, sometimes I do not know what to make of it.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Los Angeles over the years...
Ten years ago, I made my first adventure on a plane and it was to Los Angeles. The city of angels, I am so glad that I have come out here a few times since that fateful flight. I recall I was very goal oriented and my patient friend Sheri was a consummate hostess and patient with me at that time.
I managed to do alot while spending four nights and five days in LA (plus my other great friend and buddy Jennifer too who was another great hostess). I even got to stop by UCLA to see and crash one night with Wendy too.
Since then every time, I always try to see all my good friends here. Along the way I have visited some of the museums---LA County Art Museum, Japanese American Museum, La Brea Tar Pits, The Getty, The Huntington Gardens, MOCA to name a few. I even got to see a show at the EAST WEST PLAYERS , I had to after hearing it is the premier Asian American theater (do not have alot of those in the North East). Or even take day trips to Catalina Island, Santa Barbara, San Diego along with strolls around Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Downtown, Chinatown, Japan town, Old Town Pasadena were lots of fun. I even visited the requisite Universal Studies, Magic Mountain (Six Flags) but not Disney Land (surprisingly enough) as well as the Halloween celebration at Knotts Berry Farm. I did take the VIP Warner Brothers Studio Tour which I thought was cool and my hostess begged the guy to allow me on the tour as it was full. Thanks to her powers of persuasion, I am indebted to her!
Oh the food, I love the cheap, good and accessible ethnic food. Korea town is a haven for delicious Korean BBQ (Kalbi, Bulgogi YUM!), Monterrey Park (Taiwanese and Cantonese Fare abound---also San Gabriel, Alhambra has some good eats too), OC (Vietnamese food is the bomb here---seven courses of beef or fish as well as the standard Pho, fresh spring rolls), Japan town (shabu shabu, sushi can be had everywhere, curry, ramen) or even Thai town (fabulous tom yum soup, curries, pad thai etc). Burgers abound in the land of many gyms---from the local fave In'N'Out (no matter what style you want from "animal" to "protein wrap") to recently listed on GQ magazine top 20 burger joints to try COUNTER in Santa Monica (they even have burger in a bowl, their onion rings (more like onion strings) were fabulous!
My first time at Cheesecake Factory (the chain that satisfies many people's cravings), before it hit the east coast by storm I went to one at Fashion Island in Irvine. Or of course, many go shopping at South Coast Plaza where lots of expensive shops and boutiques reside (if you want to avoid the uber snooty Beverly Hills).
I adore karaoke in Ktown, lots of fun and many choices to sing songs and to choose from DIGITAL format. The only place that I go for Asian karaoke in Boston (actually Allston, MA) is Do Re Mi, a classic place but using the LD format and taking forever to correct mistakes is NOT fun. There has been an influx of new places, I need to check them out. But the best memories of karaoke for me are in Asia and LA.
Los Angeles is so spread out and I find that there is ALWAYS traffic. It was the place where I heard more profanity than anywhere else, I guess the traffic really gets to you here. I found that very interesting indeed.
I managed to do alot while spending four nights and five days in LA (plus my other great friend and buddy Jennifer too who was another great hostess). I even got to stop by UCLA to see and crash one night with Wendy too.
Since then every time, I always try to see all my good friends here. Along the way I have visited some of the museums---LA County Art Museum, Japanese American Museum, La Brea Tar Pits, The Getty, The Huntington Gardens, MOCA to name a few. I even got to see a show at the EAST WEST PLAYERS , I had to after hearing it is the premier Asian American theater (do not have alot of those in the North East). Or even take day trips to Catalina Island, Santa Barbara, San Diego along with strolls around Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Downtown, Chinatown, Japan town, Old Town Pasadena were lots of fun. I even visited the requisite Universal Studies, Magic Mountain (Six Flags) but not Disney Land (surprisingly enough) as well as the Halloween celebration at Knotts Berry Farm. I did take the VIP Warner Brothers Studio Tour which I thought was cool and my hostess begged the guy to allow me on the tour as it was full. Thanks to her powers of persuasion, I am indebted to her!
Oh the food, I love the cheap, good and accessible ethnic food. Korea town is a haven for delicious Korean BBQ (Kalbi, Bulgogi YUM!), Monterrey Park (Taiwanese and Cantonese Fare abound---also San Gabriel, Alhambra has some good eats too), OC (Vietnamese food is the bomb here---seven courses of beef or fish as well as the standard Pho, fresh spring rolls), Japan town (shabu shabu, sushi can be had everywhere, curry, ramen) or even Thai town (fabulous tom yum soup, curries, pad thai etc). Burgers abound in the land of many gyms---from the local fave In'N'Out (no matter what style you want from "animal" to "protein wrap") to recently listed on GQ magazine top 20 burger joints to try COUNTER in Santa Monica (they even have burger in a bowl, their onion rings (more like onion strings) were fabulous!
My first time at Cheesecake Factory (the chain that satisfies many people's cravings), before it hit the east coast by storm I went to one at Fashion Island in Irvine. Or of course, many go shopping at South Coast Plaza where lots of expensive shops and boutiques reside (if you want to avoid the uber snooty Beverly Hills).
I adore karaoke in Ktown, lots of fun and many choices to sing songs and to choose from DIGITAL format. The only place that I go for Asian karaoke in Boston (actually Allston, MA) is Do Re Mi, a classic place but using the LD format and taking forever to correct mistakes is NOT fun. There has been an influx of new places, I need to check them out. But the best memories of karaoke for me are in Asia and LA.
Los Angeles is so spread out and I find that there is ALWAYS traffic. It was the place where I heard more profanity than anywhere else, I guess the traffic really gets to you here. I found that very interesting indeed.
Pacific Northwest Adventures (part one)
Pacific Northwest Adventures (part one)
Currently I am in the Pacific Northwest visiting my dear brother who is living in Tacoma. I must admit actually in Parkland area (not far though from Tacoma proper about 10-15 minutes depending on Interstate5 traffic.
I adore the lush tall green trees that line the highway but I notice people do not really drive fast here. All drive the same speed for all lanes. You have to be careful which lane you are in as some exits the whole two lanes are split up (my brother and I found that out too late when behind a big truck).
Tacoma is a port city, save for the Tacoma Dome and two art museums--the Glass and the Art Museums, there is not much going on there (in comparison to nearby Seattle (a good 40-60 minutes away depending upon traffic). I found out from my brother there is a big Korean contingent in the area. There are some superb Korean supermarkets nearby (I wish we had in Boston).
As I went into the Korean market, I ogled the great rows of frozen thinly sliced up short ribs (kalbi), tons of prepared side dishes, Asian veggies and fruits, marinades, sauces and other snacks I was in heaven. Since we went there for a quick snack, we grabbed the pollack dipped into egg and bulgoki kim bop (yummy--mashiso). My brother and I enjoyed the pizza flavored snacks or the new "light" flavored BBQ flavor (a far cry American BBQ flavor--so subtle that I would not associate it with BBQ flavor at all.
Over the weekend I met up with my good friend Felicia. I had a great time bonding on many issues with her. It is great to have great conversations with her. She and her boyfriend Nien were great hosts.
First we stopped by Felicia's place of work CRANIUM. Very cool place. Dinner we grabbed in the University District at Thai Tom (4543 University Way Seattle-206-548-9548). This place is a small hole in the wall that seats 15 people. Those who are on the hot seat (bar like area in front of the cooks) two guys masterfully handling four pans on an oven creating culinary magic. Be careful on how spicy you want your stuff, medium is pretty hot (unlike Thai places in Boston). Their pad thai is AMBROSIA for the gods! At only $6 a steal and delight for the senses given a scoop of rice, the thin needles are riddled with flavor and I love the crispy bits found from the cooking pan. To die for and the sauteed chicken with Chinese egg plant was superb as well. On a Friday night, our wait was minimal for only 10 minutes (usually it is about 30-1 hour) but it is WORTH the wait. To be more efficient, they give you a menu (while you are waiting outside) and you order when outside before you are even seated.
Saturday,we did a day trip to Vancouver. (They usually go in the summer). We did the truck route at the border (to avoid the 25 minute wait). The wait was not too bad for a Saturday morning and the weather ended up sunny and nice (not bad as the forecast had included rain). All of use were told to talk to border patrol. We showed our passports, had to exit our car, be searched, asked about our relationship to each other, why we were going to Canada (for the dim sum in Richmond---which is SUPERIOR to Seattle's) and for how long. We saw another three car loads of Asians disembarking as well. Very interesting.
The whole process was quick not even 20 minutes and we were on our way. We started out in Richmond on the main drag--No 3 Road. This road is where all the many Hong Kong restaurants/shops and malls are located. Many more sprouted up since my last visit back in 2002 with my mom and brother. Based on some on line research I wanted to go to Shiang Garden. Seems like a ritzy chi chi place as we enter seeing many chandeliers and all the chairs are covered in fabric. No regular dim sum push carts are to be seen. We are told to write down our order on a scan sheet with pencil. For those who do not read/write Chinese, ordering is problematic. Luckily I can hold my own (the accompanying small menu has English translation---which would be good to have on the order sheet too--HINT HINT). After waiting 30 minutes and noticing others who came later were served before us. I asked the waiter where our food was as I was famished. One orange at 7am (that time being 1pm) did not help matters with my frustration. The waiter said the food takes time. Then after a few more moments I asked again. Turns out I my order did not get processed. I gave it to someone wearing a suit jacked. We decided to leave. Not impressed at all. The assistant general manager personally apologized, asked who took the form and wanted that person to apologize. Then he said he would make sure the kitchen would get our order. Since everything is cooked to order, it would take a long time. We just left. We had ordered a bowl of hot and sour soup (after the alleged ordering of dim sum) and that came and went. So we were told our soup was on them. They hoped we would come again.
I really wanted to try this place but the principle of the situation led me to leave and go to a fave---Sun Siu Wah Restaurant. Here we had to wait for 15 minutes, by this time it is the height of dim sum attendance. When we were finally seated, we got to eat reasonably well with the carts coming by. Occasionally we asked the waiter for help. I must admit, the variety was not as much or good as the location outside of Chinatown in Vancouver (from my memory of four years ago). The pan friend dumplings were excellent--my friends recommended it. The staples of siu mai, har gao, chang fun are good. Overall an enjoyable meal and much cheaper than Shiang Garden would have been.
Off to the nearby Buddhist Temple in Richmond, it is big compound. The outdoor area has a pond, tons of gleaming gold and red. I was impressed of the size of the temple.
Then off to Vancouver proper to Robson Street (the shopping street in Vancouver---a la Newbury Street in Boston). My friends had to go to Jacobs, Esprit and of course the Spanish store Zara (I adore their stuff too but the closest ones for me are in NYC and Philly). The line to try out stuff was very long.
Then we headed to Granville Island (not really an Island) and visited the "biggest North American Public Market" according to some of its advertisements. Lots of cool fruits/veggies, gourmet foods and crafts. Then surrounding the main market area are craft shops galore. Very cute place indeed to spend an hour or two. There are cute ferry buses you can take to go to the Aquarium or over to Vancouver city.
Then we head back over to the city to Chinatown to get a snack of baked goods. This one bakery (takes US dollars too) had good chicken bao (white steamed chicken buns) and a steamed sponge cake only set us back a little. It satisfied our small hunger pangs.
Off back to the USA, by this time it is 6:45 and before the border we are stuck waiting in line for an hour. But the sign before hitting the line did not say how long the wait was, it only listed "N/A" which now we surmise as "not available" as opposed to "not applicable".
At the end of a long day, we got back late. Grabbed some burritos to nosh on (must say not the best but boy were they big).
This morning, went to for brunch in Capitol Hill at Julias. Cute place decorated with posters of Moulin Rouge (later I am told that the posters change with different movies during different weeks.). My brother got the healthy egg whites with turkey sausage, black beans and honey wheat toast, I got the lemon poppy seed buckwheat pancakes (big stack--three huge plate size pieces) and a side of fruit. The side of fruit at $6.95 was not a bargain. Got 4 slivers of grape fruit and 2 of orange, some pieces of banana, tiny center bowl filled with 5 chunks of honeydew and pineapple chunks, four grapes not worth the price. The $2.95 small fresh squeezed orange juice was good.
The pancakes are not bad. My brothers eggs was ok and over all the food was not bad but not great. I adore the brunches in Boston more. Zaftigs (around the Coolidge Corner area on Harvard Street in Boston) can teach a thing or two at this place. Plus the menu had some interesting offerings (substitution of tofu for egg possible etc).
To walk off our big brunch meal (the portions were big, our server was nice but the taste was mediocre at best) we head to Jimmy Hendrix's statue. Though he had not lived in the Capitol Hill area.
Later on, we head to the downtown area again, I want to check out the pretty new dutch designed Central Public Library, Pikes Market Place and do some window shopping.
Currently I am in the Pacific Northwest visiting my dear brother who is living in Tacoma. I must admit actually in Parkland area (not far though from Tacoma proper about 10-15 minutes depending on Interstate5 traffic.
I adore the lush tall green trees that line the highway but I notice people do not really drive fast here. All drive the same speed for all lanes. You have to be careful which lane you are in as some exits the whole two lanes are split up (my brother and I found that out too late when behind a big truck).
Tacoma is a port city, save for the Tacoma Dome and two art museums--the Glass and the Art Museums, there is not much going on there (in comparison to nearby Seattle (a good 40-60 minutes away depending upon traffic). I found out from my brother there is a big Korean contingent in the area. There are some superb Korean supermarkets nearby (I wish we had in Boston).
As I went into the Korean market, I ogled the great rows of frozen thinly sliced up short ribs (kalbi), tons of prepared side dishes, Asian veggies and fruits, marinades, sauces and other snacks I was in heaven. Since we went there for a quick snack, we grabbed the pollack dipped into egg and bulgoki kim bop (yummy--mashiso). My brother and I enjoyed the pizza flavored snacks or the new "light" flavored BBQ flavor (a far cry American BBQ flavor--so subtle that I would not associate it with BBQ flavor at all.
Over the weekend I met up with my good friend Felicia. I had a great time bonding on many issues with her. It is great to have great conversations with her. She and her boyfriend Nien were great hosts.
First we stopped by Felicia's place of work CRANIUM. Very cool place. Dinner we grabbed in the University District at Thai Tom (4543 University Way Seattle-206-548-9548). This place is a small hole in the wall that seats 15 people. Those who are on the hot seat (bar like area in front of the cooks) two guys masterfully handling four pans on an oven creating culinary magic. Be careful on how spicy you want your stuff, medium is pretty hot (unlike Thai places in Boston). Their pad thai is AMBROSIA for the gods! At only $6 a steal and delight for the senses given a scoop of rice, the thin needles are riddled with flavor and I love the crispy bits found from the cooking pan. To die for and the sauteed chicken with Chinese egg plant was superb as well. On a Friday night, our wait was minimal for only 10 minutes (usually it is about 30-1 hour) but it is WORTH the wait. To be more efficient, they give you a menu (while you are waiting outside) and you order when outside before you are even seated.
Saturday,we did a day trip to Vancouver. (They usually go in the summer). We did the truck route at the border (to avoid the 25 minute wait). The wait was not too bad for a Saturday morning and the weather ended up sunny and nice (not bad as the forecast had included rain). All of use were told to talk to border patrol. We showed our passports, had to exit our car, be searched, asked about our relationship to each other, why we were going to Canada (for the dim sum in Richmond---which is SUPERIOR to Seattle's) and for how long. We saw another three car loads of Asians disembarking as well. Very interesting.
The whole process was quick not even 20 minutes and we were on our way. We started out in Richmond on the main drag--No 3 Road. This road is where all the many Hong Kong restaurants/shops and malls are located. Many more sprouted up since my last visit back in 2002 with my mom and brother. Based on some on line research I wanted to go to Shiang Garden. Seems like a ritzy chi chi place as we enter seeing many chandeliers and all the chairs are covered in fabric. No regular dim sum push carts are to be seen. We are told to write down our order on a scan sheet with pencil. For those who do not read/write Chinese, ordering is problematic. Luckily I can hold my own (the accompanying small menu has English translation---which would be good to have on the order sheet too--HINT HINT). After waiting 30 minutes and noticing others who came later were served before us. I asked the waiter where our food was as I was famished. One orange at 7am (that time being 1pm) did not help matters with my frustration. The waiter said the food takes time. Then after a few more moments I asked again. Turns out I my order did not get processed. I gave it to someone wearing a suit jacked. We decided to leave. Not impressed at all. The assistant general manager personally apologized, asked who took the form and wanted that person to apologize. Then he said he would make sure the kitchen would get our order. Since everything is cooked to order, it would take a long time. We just left. We had ordered a bowl of hot and sour soup (after the alleged ordering of dim sum) and that came and went. So we were told our soup was on them. They hoped we would come again.
I really wanted to try this place but the principle of the situation led me to leave and go to a fave---Sun Siu Wah Restaurant. Here we had to wait for 15 minutes, by this time it is the height of dim sum attendance. When we were finally seated, we got to eat reasonably well with the carts coming by. Occasionally we asked the waiter for help. I must admit, the variety was not as much or good as the location outside of Chinatown in Vancouver (from my memory of four years ago). The pan friend dumplings were excellent--my friends recommended it. The staples of siu mai, har gao, chang fun are good. Overall an enjoyable meal and much cheaper than Shiang Garden would have been.
Off to the nearby Buddhist Temple in Richmond, it is big compound. The outdoor area has a pond, tons of gleaming gold and red. I was impressed of the size of the temple.
Then off to Vancouver proper to Robson Street (the shopping street in Vancouver---a la Newbury Street in Boston). My friends had to go to Jacobs, Esprit and of course the Spanish store Zara (I adore their stuff too but the closest ones for me are in NYC and Philly). The line to try out stuff was very long.
Then we headed to Granville Island (not really an Island) and visited the "biggest North American Public Market" according to some of its advertisements. Lots of cool fruits/veggies, gourmet foods and crafts. Then surrounding the main market area are craft shops galore. Very cute place indeed to spend an hour or two. There are cute ferry buses you can take to go to the Aquarium or over to Vancouver city.
Then we head back over to the city to Chinatown to get a snack of baked goods. This one bakery (takes US dollars too) had good chicken bao (white steamed chicken buns) and a steamed sponge cake only set us back a little. It satisfied our small hunger pangs.
Off back to the USA, by this time it is 6:45 and before the border we are stuck waiting in line for an hour. But the sign before hitting the line did not say how long the wait was, it only listed "N/A" which now we surmise as "not available" as opposed to "not applicable".
At the end of a long day, we got back late. Grabbed some burritos to nosh on (must say not the best but boy were they big).
This morning, went to for brunch in Capitol Hill at Julias. Cute place decorated with posters of Moulin Rouge (later I am told that the posters change with different movies during different weeks.). My brother got the healthy egg whites with turkey sausage, black beans and honey wheat toast, I got the lemon poppy seed buckwheat pancakes (big stack--three huge plate size pieces) and a side of fruit. The side of fruit at $6.95 was not a bargain. Got 4 slivers of grape fruit and 2 of orange, some pieces of banana, tiny center bowl filled with 5 chunks of honeydew and pineapple chunks, four grapes not worth the price. The $2.95 small fresh squeezed orange juice was good.
The pancakes are not bad. My brothers eggs was ok and over all the food was not bad but not great. I adore the brunches in Boston more. Zaftigs (around the Coolidge Corner area on Harvard Street in Boston) can teach a thing or two at this place. Plus the menu had some interesting offerings (substitution of tofu for egg possible etc).
To walk off our big brunch meal (the portions were big, our server was nice but the taste was mediocre at best) we head to Jimmy Hendrix's statue. Though he had not lived in the Capitol Hill area.
Later on, we head to the downtown area again, I want to check out the pretty new dutch designed Central Public Library, Pikes Market Place and do some window shopping.
Currently I am in the Pacific Northwest visiting my dear brother who is living in Tacoma. I must admit actually in Parkland area (not far though from Tacoma proper about 10-15 minutes depending on Interstate5 traffic.
I adore the lush tall green trees that line the highway but I notice people do not really drive fast here. All drive the same speed for all lanes. You have to be careful which lane you are in as some exits the whole two lanes are split up (my brother and I found that out too late when behind a big truck).
Tacoma is a port city, save for the Tacoma Dome and two art museums--the Glass and the Art Museums, there is not much going on there (in comparison to nearby Seattle (a good 40-60 minutes away depending upon traffic). I found out from my brother there is a big Korean contingent in the area. There are some superb Korean supermarkets nearby (I wish we had in Boston).
As I went into the Korean market, I ogled the great rows of frozen thinly sliced up short ribs (kalbi), tons of prepared side dishes, Asian veggies and fruits, marinades, sauces and other snacks I was in heaven. Since we went there for a quick snack, we grabbed the pollack dipped into egg and bulgoki kim bop (yummy--mashiso). My brother and I enjoyed the pizza flavored snacks or the new "light" flavored BBQ flavor (a far cry American BBQ flavor--so subtle that I would not associate it with BBQ flavor at all.
Over the weekend I met up with my good friend Felicia. I had a great time bonding on many issues with her. It is great to have great conversations with her. She and her boyfriend Nien were great hosts.
First we stopped by Felicia's place of work CRANIUM. Very cool place. Dinner we grabbed in the University District at Thai Tom (4543 University Way Seattle-206-548-9548). This place is a small hole in the wall that seats 15 people. Those who are on the hot seat (bar like area in front of the cooks) two guys masterfully handling four pans on an oven creating culinary magic. Be careful on how spicy you want your stuff, medium is pretty hot (unlike Thai places in Boston). Their pad thai is AMBROSIA for the gods! At only $6 a steal and delight for the senses given a scoop of rice, the thin needles are riddled with flavor and I love the crispy bits found from the cooking pan. To die for and the sauteed chicken with Chinese egg plant was superb as well. On a Friday night, our wait was minimal for only 10 minutes (usually it is about 30-1 hour) but it is WORTH the wait. To be more efficient, they give you a menu (while you are waiting outside) and you order when outside before you are even seated.
Saturday,we did a day trip to Vancouver. (They usually go in the summer). We did the truck route at the border (to avoid the 25 minute wait). The wait was not too bad for a Saturday morning and the weather ended up sunny and nice (not bad as the forecast had included rain). All of use were told to talk to border patrol. We showed our passports, had to exit our car, be searched, asked about our relationship to each other, why we were going to Canada (for the dim sum in Richmond---which is SUPERIOR to Seattle's) and for how long. We saw another three car loads of Asians disembarking as well. Very interesting.
The whole process was quick not even 20 minutes and we were on our way. We started out in Richmond on the main drag--No 3 Road. This road is where all the many Hong Kong restaurants/shops and malls are located. Many more sprouted up since my last visit back in 2002 with my mom and brother. Based on some on line research I wanted to go to Shiang Garden. Seems like a ritzy chi chi place as we enter seeing many chandeliers and all the chairs are covered in fabric. No regular dim sum push carts are to be seen. We are told to write down our order on a scan sheet with pencil. For those who do not read/write Chinese, ordering is problematic. Luckily I can hold my own (the accompanying small menu has English translation---which would be good to have on the order sheet too--HINT HINT). After waiting 30 minutes and noticing others who came later were served before us. I asked the waiter where our food was as I was famished. One orange at 7am (that time being 1pm) did not help matters with my frustration. The waiter said the food takes time. Then after a few more moments I asked again. Turns out I my order did not get processed. I gave it to someone wearing a suit jacked. We decided to leave. Not impressed at all. The assistant general manager personally apologized, asked who took the form and wanted that person to apologize. Then he said he would make sure the kitchen would get our order. Since everything is cooked to order, it would take a long time. We just left. We had ordered a bowl of hot and sour soup (after the alleged ordering of dim sum) and that came and went. So we were told our soup was on them. They hoped we would come again.
I really wanted to try this place but the principle of the situation led me to leave and go to a fave---Sun Siu Wah Restaurant. Here we had to wait for 15 minutes, by this time it is the height of dim sum attendance. When we were finally seated, we got to eat reasonably well with the carts coming by. Occasionally we asked the waiter for help. I must admit, the variety was not as much or good as the location outside of Chinatown in Vancouver (from my memory of four years ago). The pan friend dumplings were excellent--my friends recommended it. The staples of siu mai, har gao, chang fun are good. Overall an enjoyable meal and much cheaper than Shiang Garden would have been.
Off to the nearby Buddhist Temple in Richmond, it is big compound. The outdoor area has a pond, tons of gleaming gold and red. I was impressed of the size of the temple.
Then off to Vancouver proper to Robson Street (the shopping street in Vancouver---a la Newbury Street in Boston). My friends had to go to Jacobs, Esprit and of course the Spanish store Zara (I adore their stuff too but the closest ones for me are in NYC and Philly). The line to try out stuff was very long.
Then we headed to Granville Island (not really an Island) and visited the "biggest North American Public Market" according to some of its advertisements. Lots of cool fruits/veggies, gourmet foods and crafts. Then surrounding the main market area are craft shops galore. Very cute place indeed to spend an hour or two. There are cute ferry buses you can take to go to the Aquarium or over to Vancouver city.
Then we head back over to the city to Chinatown to get a snack of baked goods. This one bakery (takes US dollars too) had good chicken bao (white steamed chicken buns) and a steamed sponge cake only set us back a little. It satisfied our small hunger pangs.
Off back to the USA, by this time it is 6:45 and before the border we are stuck waiting in line for an hour. But the sign before hitting the line did not say how long the wait was, it only listed "N/A" which now we surmise as "not available" as opposed to "not applicable".
At the end of a long day, we got back late. Grabbed some burritos to nosh on (must say not the best but boy were they big).
This morning, went to for brunch in Capitol Hill at Julias. Cute place decorated with posters of Moulin Rouge (later I am told that the posters change with different movies during different weeks.). My brother got the healthy egg whites with turkey sausage, black beans and honey wheat toast, I got the lemon poppy seed buckwheat pancakes (big stack--three huge plate size pieces) and a side of fruit. The side of fruit at $6.95 was not a bargain. Got 4 slivers of grape fruit and 2 of orange, some pieces of banana, tiny center bowl filled with 5 chunks of honeydew and pineapple chunks, four grapes not worth the price. The $2.95 small fresh squeezed orange juice was good.
The pancakes are not bad. My brothers eggs was ok and over all the food was not bad but not great. I adore the brunches in Boston more. Zaftigs (around the Coolidge Corner area on Harvard Street in Boston) can teach a thing or two at this place. Plus the menu had some interesting offerings (substitution of tofu for egg possible etc).
To walk off our big brunch meal (the portions were big, our server was nice but the taste was mediocre at best) we head to Jimmy Hendrix's statue. Though he had not lived in the Capitol Hill area.
Later on, we head to the downtown area again, I want to check out the pretty new dutch designed Central Public Library, Pikes Market Place and do some window shopping.
Currently I am in the Pacific Northwest visiting my dear brother who is living in Tacoma. I must admit actually in Parkland area (not far though from Tacoma proper about 10-15 minutes depending on Interstate5 traffic.
I adore the lush tall green trees that line the highway but I notice people do not really drive fast here. All drive the same speed for all lanes. You have to be careful which lane you are in as some exits the whole two lanes are split up (my brother and I found that out too late when behind a big truck).
Tacoma is a port city, save for the Tacoma Dome and two art museums--the Glass and the Art Museums, there is not much going on there (in comparison to nearby Seattle (a good 40-60 minutes away depending upon traffic). I found out from my brother there is a big Korean contingent in the area. There are some superb Korean supermarkets nearby (I wish we had in Boston).
As I went into the Korean market, I ogled the great rows of frozen thinly sliced up short ribs (kalbi), tons of prepared side dishes, Asian veggies and fruits, marinades, sauces and other snacks I was in heaven. Since we went there for a quick snack, we grabbed the pollack dipped into egg and bulgoki kim bop (yummy--mashiso). My brother and I enjoyed the pizza flavored snacks or the new "light" flavored BBQ flavor (a far cry American BBQ flavor--so subtle that I would not associate it with BBQ flavor at all.
Over the weekend I met up with my good friend Felicia. I had a great time bonding on many issues with her. It is great to have great conversations with her. She and her boyfriend Nien were great hosts.
First we stopped by Felicia's place of work CRANIUM. Very cool place. Dinner we grabbed in the University District at Thai Tom (4543 University Way Seattle-206-548-9548). This place is a small hole in the wall that seats 15 people. Those who are on the hot seat (bar like area in front of the cooks) two guys masterfully handling four pans on an oven creating culinary magic. Be careful on how spicy you want your stuff, medium is pretty hot (unlike Thai places in Boston). Their pad thai is AMBROSIA for the gods! At only $6 a steal and delight for the senses given a scoop of rice, the thin needles are riddled with flavor and I love the crispy bits found from the cooking pan. To die for and the sauteed chicken with Chinese egg plant was superb as well. On a Friday night, our wait was minimal for only 10 minutes (usually it is about 30-1 hour) but it is WORTH the wait. To be more efficient, they give you a menu (while you are waiting outside) and you order when outside before you are even seated.
Saturday,we did a day trip to Vancouver. (They usually go in the summer). We did the truck route at the border (to avoid the 25 minute wait). The wait was not too bad for a Saturday morning and the weather ended up sunny and nice (not bad as the forecast had included rain). All of use were told to talk to border patrol. We showed our passports, had to exit our car, be searched, asked about our relationship to each other, why we were going to Canada (for the dim sum in Richmond---which is SUPERIOR to Seattle's) and for how long. We saw another three car loads of Asians disembarking as well. Very interesting.
The whole process was quick not even 20 minutes and we were on our way. We started out in Richmond on the main drag--No 3 Road. This road is where all the many Hong Kong restaurants/shops and malls are located. Many more sprouted up since my last visit back in 2002 with my mom and brother. Based on some on line research I wanted to go to Shiang Garden. Seems like a ritzy chi chi place as we enter seeing many chandeliers and all the chairs are covered in fabric. No regular dim sum push carts are to be seen. We are told to write down our order on a scan sheet with pencil. For those who do not read/write Chinese, ordering is problematic. Luckily I can hold my own (the accompanying small menu has English translation---which would be good to have on the order sheet too--HINT HINT). After waiting 30 minutes and noticing others who came later were served before us. I asked the waiter where our food was as I was famished. One orange at 7am (that time being 1pm) did not help matters with my frustration. The waiter said the food takes time. Then after a few more moments I asked again. Turns out I my order did not get processed. I gave it to someone wearing a suit jacked. We decided to leave. Not impressed at all. The assistant general manager personally apologized, asked who took the form and wanted that person to apologize. Then he said he would make sure the kitchen would get our order. Since everything is cooked to order, it would take a long time. We just left. We had ordered a bowl of hot and sour soup (after the alleged ordering of dim sum) and that came and went. So we were told our soup was on them. They hoped we would come again.
I really wanted to try this place but the principle of the situation led me to leave and go to a fave---Sun Siu Wah Restaurant. Here we had to wait for 15 minutes, by this time it is the height of dim sum attendance. When we were finally seated, we got to eat reasonably well with the carts coming by. Occasionally we asked the waiter for help. I must admit, the variety was not as much or good as the location outside of Chinatown in Vancouver (from my memory of four years ago). The pan friend dumplings were excellent--my friends recommended it. The staples of siu mai, har gao, chang fun are good. Overall an enjoyable meal and much cheaper than Shiang Garden would have been.
Off to the nearby Buddhist Temple in Richmond, it is big compound. The outdoor area has a pond, tons of gleaming gold and red. I was impressed of the size of the temple.
Then off to Vancouver proper to Robson Street (the shopping street in Vancouver---a la Newbury Street in Boston). My friends had to go to Jacobs, Esprit and of course the Spanish store Zara (I adore their stuff too but the closest ones for me are in NYC and Philly). The line to try out stuff was very long.
Then we headed to Granville Island (not really an Island) and visited the "biggest North American Public Market" according to some of its advertisements. Lots of cool fruits/veggies, gourmet foods and crafts. Then surrounding the main market area are craft shops galore. Very cute place indeed to spend an hour or two. There are cute ferry buses you can take to go to the Aquarium or over to Vancouver city.
Then we head back over to the city to Chinatown to get a snack of baked goods. This one bakery (takes US dollars too) had good chicken bao (white steamed chicken buns) and a steamed sponge cake only set us back a little. It satisfied our small hunger pangs.
Off back to the USA, by this time it is 6:45 and before the border we are stuck waiting in line for an hour. But the sign before hitting the line did not say how long the wait was, it only listed "N/A" which now we surmise as "not available" as opposed to "not applicable".
At the end of a long day, we got back late. Grabbed some burritos to nosh on (must say not the best but boy were they big).
This morning, went to for brunch in Capitol Hill at Julias. Cute place decorated with posters of Moulin Rouge (later I am told that the posters change with different movies during different weeks.). My brother got the healthy egg whites with turkey sausage, black beans and honey wheat toast, I got the lemon poppy seed buckwheat pancakes (big stack--three huge plate size pieces) and a side of fruit. The side of fruit at $6.95 was not a bargain. Got 4 slivers of grape fruit and 2 of orange, some pieces of banana, tiny center bowl filled with 5 chunks of honeydew and pineapple chunks, four grapes not worth the price. The $2.95 small fresh squeezed orange juice was good.
The pancakes are not bad. My brothers eggs was ok and over all the food was not bad but not great. I adore the brunches in Boston more. Zaftigs (around the Coolidge Corner area on Harvard Street in Boston) can teach a thing or two at this place. Plus the menu had some interesting offerings (substitution of tofu for egg possible etc).
To walk off our big brunch meal (the portions were big, our server was nice but the taste was mediocre at best) we head to Jimmy Hendrix's statue. Though he had not lived in the Capitol Hill area.
Later on, we head to the downtown area again, I want to check out the pretty new dutch designed Central Public Library, Pikes Market Place and do some window shopping.
This is me
This is a photo of me taken by a good friend this past January, it was one of those shots that were taken (I was not expecting at all). But it came out pretty decent. Nessa and I were waiting for our dinner in this Korean/Japanese restaurant in Chinatown in Boston. The food was ok but the company was superb.
New on this site
New on this site, I have been posting on my FRIENDSTER and MYSPACE as well as XANGA accounts.
I guess I can transfer that stuff to over here. LOL.
Right now meandering around the Washington State and Oregon State area in the Pacific Northwest.
Everyone asks me what I plan to do as my next steps in terms of employment. I am still figuring it out but getting better ideas. All this time of introspection and more ideas about myself have been good. I have been lax on some goals (which have been constants) but still working on it.
Will be back in Beantown next week in time for the Spoonful of Ginger event!
I guess I can transfer that stuff to over here. LOL.
Right now meandering around the Washington State and Oregon State area in the Pacific Northwest.
Everyone asks me what I plan to do as my next steps in terms of employment. I am still figuring it out but getting better ideas. All this time of introspection and more ideas about myself have been good. I have been lax on some goals (which have been constants) but still working on it.
Will be back in Beantown next week in time for the Spoonful of Ginger event!
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Another year has flown...
This past week marked another bday for me, this time I decided to leave Boston and celebrate away from home. It was a lovely day, I go to hang out with my good friends thus far during my trip in the Los Angeles are.
My buddy Thai treated me to a needed hair cut (cut off a good 3-4 inches) in the OC. I also got to help her make a bachelorette photo album for her friend (the first time I was commissioned to help. Also a first for me to make an album for someone I had not met yet either). I had fun doing it though.
Time sure flies, I cannot believe it. It seems like yesterday I was still at SMITH and just hanging out with college pals and partying it up in Boston. But the reality is alot of my friends are now married, expecting their first or second child or in very serious relationships. Such is the circle of life and responsibilities etc.
Last year on my bday, I got to hang out with colleagues from my last job. I also met my dear friend YuJin who is also ex roomies with an excollegue. This year, I hung out with my college friend Lisa and her lovely children Zoe and Vincent. We had great Japanese curry and saw the LA Kings get badly beaten by the Dallas Stars at the Staples Center. (It was too painful to continue watching after half time).
This year, I got alot of voice mails, ecards and it was nice to hear voices of good friends. I appreciate everyone's tidings and well wishes. It is the small things in life that I appreciate. I had a big grin on my face, not because I am turning older. It made me grin to hear everyone wishing me well. Cheesy, I know but that is moi.
I got a HUGE fruit tart my hostess Sheri and her husband got me. Plus even her sis got me a present too. She is just a sweetie and too much.
I was sick earlier part of this trip from my house guest Oktarinah. GOSH it rots to be sick. I heard she is better. I am finally better and no more sore throat, chills and all that other bad stuff. It was bad enough that last weekend was cold and had some rain. This weekend there is some rain but not as cold. (But no matter how cold, not as chilly as in Boston).
My buddy Thai treated me to a needed hair cut (cut off a good 3-4 inches) in the OC. I also got to help her make a bachelorette photo album for her friend (the first time I was commissioned to help. Also a first for me to make an album for someone I had not met yet either). I had fun doing it though.
Time sure flies, I cannot believe it. It seems like yesterday I was still at SMITH and just hanging out with college pals and partying it up in Boston. But the reality is alot of my friends are now married, expecting their first or second child or in very serious relationships. Such is the circle of life and responsibilities etc.
Last year on my bday, I got to hang out with colleagues from my last job. I also met my dear friend YuJin who is also ex roomies with an excollegue. This year, I hung out with my college friend Lisa and her lovely children Zoe and Vincent. We had great Japanese curry and saw the LA Kings get badly beaten by the Dallas Stars at the Staples Center. (It was too painful to continue watching after half time).
This year, I got alot of voice mails, ecards and it was nice to hear voices of good friends. I appreciate everyone's tidings and well wishes. It is the small things in life that I appreciate. I had a big grin on my face, not because I am turning older. It made me grin to hear everyone wishing me well. Cheesy, I know but that is moi.
I got a HUGE fruit tart my hostess Sheri and her husband got me. Plus even her sis got me a present too. She is just a sweetie and too much.
I was sick earlier part of this trip from my house guest Oktarinah. GOSH it rots to be sick. I heard she is better. I am finally better and no more sore throat, chills and all that other bad stuff. It was bad enough that last weekend was cold and had some rain. This weekend there is some rain but not as cold. (But no matter how cold, not as chilly as in Boston).
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