Getting cultured, increasing stomach diameter, and becoming tired! Los Angeles was coming off to a great start, as we managed to tackle a lot this day. Whether it was from one restaurant to the next, or one art gallery to the next, the day was never boring. Let’s take a dive into downtown LA, and get lost in the city.
Never letting go
15, March 2019
Melvyn and I woke up bright and early, making sure we had everything packed up from the hotel room. We had to drop off the convertible, as well as filling up the tank before the return. Naturally, I had to have my photo taken with the car, even if it meant it was at a gas station (was way too tired from yesterday to take photos!) Once we parted with the car, we took an Uber to Los Angeles, which was a very pleasant drive. The most common comment we got from Uber drivers was how we came to LA at a good time; I honestly found it hard to believe everyone when they said that LA was raining last week. With little to no traffic on the highway, we managed to reach our next hotel close to 11AM that day.
All white for the goodbye
We stayed at the Westin Bonaventure, a large hotel with a number of movie appearances - this one popular location. Aside from its Hollywood power, it’s interesting to view such a size of the hotel, especially when you take the elevator that springs you out to the LA scenery. The hotel room was a bit dated, but I did hear that there are some towers that have been renovated (I hope to see next time). On the upside, the view could not be beat, we even got to see the Hollywood sign from our room. After we settled down and dropped the bags, we were ready to eat – the only thing that I wasn’t ready for was the amount of food we wanted to eat that day. Walking in Los Angeles isn’t necessarily complicated, but everything is far apart from each other. According to the map, the instructions said to walk through the tunnel, which also had a sidewalk (the first time I’ve seen such a concept). We managed to reach the restaurant when it opened, and luckily, we got the last table; I didn’t realize that everyone wanted sushi first thing in the morning.
There was a lot of food that we wanted to try in Los Angeles, with Kura Revolving Sushi Bar being at the top of Melvyn’s list. I’ve always wanted to try this restaurant ever since I first saw this on the Food Network, the concept is simply amazing! Taking food from a conveyor belt, ordering off a tab, and collecting enough plates to win a prize, it’s fulfilling fun in one place. Fortunately, we came during Japan Fair, offering dishes such as Wagyu Beef, Hokkaido Scallops, and much more. Being a little too stimulated, I wanted to try a handful of items, from the ramen to the spicy tuna, and this sushi doughnut. By the time I reached the doughnut, I was overly stuffed! Both of us managed to consume about 20 plates, where we received a lanyard and a miniature lunchbag from tokidoki (it’s a good incentive, when you think about it).
After lunch, we walked around Little Tokyo, where we saw even more food. We went into a Japanese grocery store, thinking of what snacks we might need for our upcoming road trip. So we got ourselves some bite-size snacks, as well as some chips that Melvyn said were delicious. For Melvyn, the grocery store was an exciting experience, he doesn’t have much access to Asian groceries (I’m simply spoiled, living in a metropolitan city that is Vancouver). Right beside was a store that I wanted to try, Mikawaya Mochi Ice Cream. Other than the typical matcha and chocolate flavours, they also offer plum wine and red bean, which were delicious. We both had two flavours, as our stomachs couldn’t handle any more food – at least, that’s what we thought. Walking around Little Tokyo, we saw a few cute stores, including the Sanrio store, home to your beloved characters Hello Kitty and my personal favourite, Keroppi. The only thing that caught my attention in the Sanrio store was the penny souvenir, which I got one for myself. There was also an indoor shopping centre, filled with art collectibles and other interesting knickknacks. Artists ranged from Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam, taking their aim on pop culture with unique styles.
Just outside of Little Tokyo, we spotted another food destination: bubble tea. Being a lover of bubble tea, I really wanted to try Boteaga for the aesthetically-pleasing drinks with a different take on the beloved classic. While the menu was small, the selection was hard. From Moji-tea to Dragonfruit, I settled with the Pinky Strawberry, while Melvyn went with the Dirty Boba Milk Tea. When I received my drink, I found myself enjoying the little leaf on the lid – it also acts as a stopper (brilliant). My drink had a very rich strawberry taste, with matching pink pearls and real strawberry slush on top. Melvyn had a coffee-like taste to his drink, with cookie crumble pieces to give it an interesting texture. This would have been the last stop for food, as we were ready to head to the next destination.
Walking to the next stop was not impossible, but very difficult when your stomach is about to burst; I didn’t even finish my pearls, which saddened me. On the agenda, we met up with our new friend Anthony, who took us to The Broad. Anthony recommended to reserve tickets, which we didn’t, but the line-up went by quickly. I believe on Friday, most art galleries are free for the public, which was something we couldn’t refuse. I wasn’t familiar with the Broad, but apparently, there was an Infinity Mirror room which got heavily booked, the waiting time was about an hour to enter the place. We instead went into the exhibit, where artists depict history, have large installations, and display pieces that make you take another thought on life. One interesting gallery, there was so much to see – and we were just getting started.
A short walk across the street was The Museum of Contemporary Art, an art gallery with two buildings. While this gallery was not free, you do purchase a ticket to access both places. The pieces at Contemporary Art were not easy to understand, it’s abstract art with a lot of definition. From monochromatic pieces to a collection of bicycles, the pieces were rather political. A smaller exhibit, I was looking forward what the next gallery had to offer.
Before heading to the next gallery, Anthony suggested that we check out other points of interest, as the gallery was the farthest destination. Calling the Uber, we headed to the Bradbury Building, a historic and charming building that is easy to miss. Melvyn and I passed by this place while walking to Little Tokyo, and didn’t notice the brick building until we arrived at the destination. The Bradbury Building caught my attention when it was used as a setting in “500 Days Of Summer,” and again in “The Artist” (movies I recommend to watch). The architecture is absolutely stunning, even with limited access to the upper floors. To my surprise, we saw the elevator in full working condition, and it was fascinating to see how an older elevator works.
Architecture at its finest
Next on the list was one Instagram-worthy place, The Last Bookstore. Close to the Bradbury Building, we walked about two blocks and entered a security check where we had to leave our bags at the front. This book store contained music pieces, rare first editions, as well as every genre of book you could possibly think of, set in their own spot. While the main floor has an open-concept, the second floor is a maze of its own, welcomed by a rainbow of books with pages flying all over the room. The one spot that I needed to take a photo was the circle of books, the one photo every Instagram wannabe wants a snapshot. You could easily spend a day in the store, exploring subjects you normally don’t think about (there’s a book for that, I’m sure). From comfy seats to vending machines that deliver their business card, the Last Bookstore is one for reading lovers.
We finally arrived at the last art gallery, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. The entrance seemed confusing, taking that the arrow pointed to around the corner, when it was actually pointing at the door in front of the drop-off area. Entering a long hallway, the big space brings you to the artwork of Laura Owens, an artist with a unique style of squiggly marks that make it her signature piece. I quite enjoyed Owens’ pieces, especially the first one at this blog entry – it must be difficult to emphasize pieces in those squiggles. Complex yet simple, Geffen Contemporary had to be one of my favourite galleries that we visited for its dynamic and interesting layout. While I may not have understood every piece (such as the tree), the gallery as a whole contained simple yet striking visuals.
dis + re
Before heading back to the hotel, we made a pit stop the Grand Central Market, a food fare where we went to have a beer. Anthony showed us some of his favourite places to eat, and I noticed a few spots where “La La Land” was shot (it was during a montage piece). One of those spots included Angels Flight, a small railway with a lot of personality. While the train was not functioning, it’s always a sweet surprise to see that these landmarks are relatively close to each other. After reaching the top of Angels Flight, we made one more stop to Precinct, a dark club with a wide balcony. While I was sobering up from the one beer I had, Anthony was on his way to drinking whiskey; he had a stiff one. I would like to see Precinct at night, it’s a neat space and I imagine it would be packed on a Friday night – however, we had other plans for the evening.
We met with another new friend of ours for dinner, Jerrin. We were suppose to meet up with Jerrin on Saturday, but fortunately, Friday night was available for him. Getting out of the city, we went to Jitlada, a Thai restaurant with a number of famous celebrities who dined here. Recently, cast members from “Crazy Rich Asians” dined at this restaurant, and Matt Groening, the creator of “The Simpsons,” is a regular customer. The food we ordered was absolutely delicious, from the beef to the pineapple fried rice. Some of the dishes were spicier than others, but what else would you expect from a Thai restaurant? I was surprised by the size of the prawns, taking the size of the whole plate and drenched in mouth-salivating sauces. With more than 200 dishes, it is possible to try something new every time. By far, one of the tastiest foods during our vacation.
To end off the evening, Melvyn and I got ready for Rage nightclub, settled in West Hollywood, where it was St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Not familar with St. Patrick’s Day traditions other than green beer, the states go all out for St. Patrick’s Day. I have never seen so much green before, but it shows that Irish Pride people got, even though it was Asian night at Rage. Little tidbits of fun was sprinkled around the club, from green lights flashing to promoters handing out green glow sticks and temporary tattoos. While Melvyn went out to have his fun, I met up with Anthony again, and danced the night away. A few things caught my attention with nightclubs in Los Angeles: they close at 2AM (way too early, in my opinion), and the music cannot be compared. The DJ plays songs that everyone can sing along, and Rage also had the music video playing. To top things off, there is another room that would play different music, with a unsuspecting KPop song to come out of nowhere. And the go go dancers, they could dance all night long if they wanted to! Needless to say, we all had a good time that night.
Melvyn was quite the character, as he ran away from the club once it closed. Anthony and I tried to follow him, but was way too fast to catch. Eventually, we managed to track him down, and fortunately his friend Ryan brought all of us back to Anthony’s car. With a quick drop off to the hotel, we parted ways from Anthony, as I helped Melvyn get into bed. Being the day and night we had, we slept well. We await for tomorrow to do it all over again.
Happy St. Daddy’s Day
And to think, the weekend has just started. Who knows what other kind of havoc we can do to the city. Only one way to find out…
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