Whenever I think of Los Angeles, I picture tree-lined streets. Funny how when I needed these trees to protect me from the blazing summer sun in L.A., I managed to not walk along any of these tree-lined streets. Regardless of being drenched in sweat, I enjoyed my second, but super short L.A. trip. Here are some of the things I saw and did in Los Angeles, California (while sweating….the entire time):
Food!
Neri’s. Filipino restaurant in KoreaTown. I had the tocino that came with garlic rice, marinated slaw, and an egg. I wanted the cassava cake, but I was pretty full. If you get the cassava cake, definitely think of me (and then tell me about it!)
Cafe Bora. It is so difficult (for me) to find cafes that serve bingsoo for one person, so I was pretty excited to have bingsoo that was not in a giant bowl for sharing. I got the goguma sweet potato bingsoo. It comes with extra sweet potato sauce, if that’s the right word, walnuts, and sweet potato chips. To get here, I walked through Gaju Marketplace (it says California Marketplace on the outside), took the escalator up and walked to the outdoor shopping area, and took the stairs (there’s an escalator) up to the top floor. When you reach the top floor, you’ll probably see signs for “Square Mixx”. Cafe Bora is next to a children’s playground area.
Izakaya Osen. Japanese food off of Sunset Blvd. I had the miso glazed eggplant and the karaage (Japanese fried chicken) from the starter menu.
Activities
Daiso. Does this count as an activity? Anyway, there’s never a time that I travel to a city with a Daiso and not go to said Daiso. It’s a great opportunity to stock up on random kitchen knick knacks and stationery. This Daiso is on the bottom floor of the MaDang Courtyard of Koreatown. Also, Somi Somi, the soft serve filled taiyaki place is in this shopping center.
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. I was here for at least 2 hours admiring the trees, plants, and flowers, and making friends with the peacocks that roam free. There’s a cafe that provides snacks, sandwiches, etc, and it’s a great place to have lunch outside. There’s a $9 USD entry fee and it is located in Arcadia, CA.
FIDM [Fashion] Museum. Small and free museum located on FIDM’s campus in Downtown LA. I spent about an hour total at the museum and at the gift shop. The museum currently displays television costume designs from shows such as: GLOW, The Santa Clarita Diet, The Amazing Mrs. Maisel, and more.
