dad

the met and shake shack

An amazing must see is the rooftop of the Met, which offers a panoramic view of Manhattan.  If it wasn't so humid, I would have enjoyed a spring picnic along with the sculptures. 

The views of the city are not to be missed @ the Met.

Here is the famous the Flatiron Building, which I found the curves and the perspective unique.  The sculpture we found in Madison Square Park was surreal sight.  It's like an elephant in the room and people still go about their business with this massive head in the park. 

 I just love the randomness at it's finest.

A stop at the Shake Shack is a must before heading back to L.A.  They rave about their burgers being better than In & Out, so we had to compare with our own taste buds and found the Shake Shack burgers to be more greasy.  Also, In & Out is more affordable to any body's pocket book, unlike Shake Shack.   It's still a very good burger, especially the Shack Stack, yum!

A short trip indeed and enjoyed NYC's hot spots, until next time!

nyc in the summer

When you want to feel the heat of summer, travel to NYC and experience the humidity.  It was sticky hotness and getting around the underground was not my cup of tea.  Nevertheless, I did enjoy my short time of wandering aimlessly around the city and getting in some art and fashion too.

My sis and I stayed at this hip place the Ace Hotel.  We would never consider staying at this hotel since it's so darn pricey, but Gilt has these amazing deals that you can't pass up.  The place fit the mood of NYC by the bold mural on the wall to the little details of the iron board and desk accessories.  It's not a bad set up since Opening Ceremony is right next door and Stumptown Coffee Roasters, yum!

I love these odd rings and bracelets from Opening Ceremony and coffee art.  It's also refreshing to find random things that make a neigborhood stand out, like this beer drinking shark.  While taking a breather from the heat, we went to this bookstore to read some mags and flying books were on the ceiling, inventive, yes!

We also stopped by at Dean and Deluca and sampled a selection of cheese and Owl beer.

I channelled the 80's when the subway was passing by and brunch food @ Cafe Gitane.  The dish of kous kous with hummus and sausage on the side, delish.

A trip to NYC would not be complete without some cocktails with our friend K_la @ the lobby of our hotel.  I also adore the decor of the place from the comfy leather couches, taxidermy and cow rugs.

Chin chin!

To be continued...

bloomfest festival

There has been an upsurge of festivals during this summer season.  I can't complain because it's free and I get to enjoy some decent music, yummy food trucks and beer gardens on a Saturday afternoon.  The Bloomfest festival was held in the Arts district in DTLA and the area manages to change and gentrify every time I visit.  I wonder where the real artists are now because the place is surrounded with luxurious loft spaces and high end condos.  Maybe the artists recieve a discount in living in the art commune because their making the murals or stamping their graffiti on the concrete floor, like the owl above, or defacing telephone poles with stickers, who knows?

It was tons of fun to soak in the sun, eat my Korean bbq and listen to some free music.  I finished my meal with a Coolhaus sammy (red velvet ice cream swirl + chocolate cookie), yummy!

I also did some window shopping from the various vendors, such as the American Apparel flea market.  There were some cute skirts and dresses, but there were defective items with holes and stains, and a bit overpriced.  I also saw some silkscreen prints and while walking about, stumbled upon dry spilled paint on the sidewalk...loved it.

To get everyone excited about art, they had random artists painting on the side walk and displaying their original art for purchase on a stop sign.  There was a section where anybody can grab a paint brush and finish a painting if they desired.  The event was a hodge pod of fun randomness.  Bring on some more festivals to fill in my summer weekends.

a crafty sunday

The mayor of Los Angeles decides to allow free rides on the metro during Carmageddon; we surely took advantage of on anything free and hopped on the Gold line from Pasadena to Chinatown for the Renegade Craft fair (RCF).  It was a nice change from driving around in our air conditioned cars and partake in the fun adventure of public transportation.  The weather was sunny and the temperature was not blistering hot, so it was a great day to be outside for our trip to DTLA.  
The RCF was being held at the historic park, conveniently located off the Chinatown metro stop.
The craft fair had all sorts of handmade jewelry, plush toys, silkscreen posters, canvas bags and a photobooth for kicks. 

 The RCF felt like I was online shopping at Etsy, but minus the shipping and handling.  I ended up purchasing a silkscreen poster of a bicycle @ Strawberry Luna.  The bicycle design reminded me of my trip to Amsterdam and how much fun I had biking all over the city.  They have some amazing designs and the color treatments are vibrant and engaging.  The price tag is not bad either considering it's hand made silkscreen.

Here is moi after my purchase in front of this colorful school bus.  I believe more children would take the bus to school if it looked like this!

carmageddon on a saturday

The scare of bumper to bumper traffic and impending doom due to the 405 closure was more hype than real.  Surprisingly, the roads were clear and it felt like a normal weekend kind-of-traffic.  It was my weekend off, and was I going to be stuck at home twiddling my thumbs? Nope!  The most logical thing was to partake in the Eat Real festival in Culver City because it was free and the majority of Angelenos were scared to drive on a freeway, hence the traffic was smooth and stress free.  I had a great time learning about fresh foods, seeing a hen lay eggs and food coma.  I indulge on a tasty dessert, which consisted of a freshly baked waffle and homemade strawberry ice cream.  The well drinks were yum as well.

bazaar

The Bazaar by Jose Andres @ the SLS hotel has been my favorite dining experience to date.  My sisters and I went to the Bazaar during Dine L.A. a few months ago and I am still nostalgic.  There was so much to see from the unique chairs and a gift shop filled with one of a kind necklaces and art books.  I love the chairs in various lengths, shapes and sizes.  The table settings were off the wall as well; the whole restaurant was filled with these bizarre objects.  The food were like art pieces and tasted so unique too.  Let's go back to the Bazaar!

A group pic @ the gift shop area.

What a cool candle and to have these hands as jewelry holders, how cool that would be?

The bartender making my liquid nitrogen caipirinha and our various tapas.

My liquid nitrogen caipirinha, oh so yummy.

A unique take on empenadas and cotton candy foie gras, delish I might add.

??? and organized cesar salad, with quail egg on top.

pika pika

While roaming around Japanese town in SF, my sis and I stumbled upon these unique photobooths and voila, our pika pika pics.  It was a bit disorienting to pose for these pics because everything is in Japanese and while your posing, disco music is pounding in ears.  Of course we had help from the lovely staff of pika pika pics.  My favorite part is editing the photos and adding borders, glitter and everything from the kitchen sink.  

Lots of fun.

sf, sausalito

My latest trip to SF was suppose to be amazing since I was going to hear Adele sing her broken heart out in Berkley. She has been on my play list since I heard "Right as Rain" @ F21 and her latest album 21 has been cathartic. I was disappointed she cancelled her tour due to laryngitis.

Listen Adele, can you stop smoking? Not cool. My sis and I were determined to make lemonade out of lemons and enjoy one of my favorite cities. The city didn't disappoint and we enjoyed some Balenciaga and Spain exhibition at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate park, a day trip to Sausalito, a speak easy bar in the heart of the city and food coma in Mission St. I heart SF!

I stumbled upon a mural while walking about in Union Square on our way to dinner, luv it.

Blue bottle coffee, yum! I hate to say this, but better than Intelligentsia, but I have not been to the one in Silverlake, only the one in Pasadena, so I'm still giving Intelligentsia a chance.

Our smart drinks from the speakeasy.

Bi-Rite creamery in Mission St., oh so yummy too! I heart these flying books near City Lights Books.

Saying hasta luego to the Ferry building on our way to Sausalito.

The magic bus in SF that transport you to the 1920's, similar to Midnight in Paris, LOL.

My sister walking about in Haight St.

One of my favorite structures in Golden Gate Park, Conservatory of Flowers.

The Balenciaga exhibit was refreshing to see since I haven't been to a museum in a while and I also love all the Spanish inspired couture dresses.

Is this a Banksy or yes?

Here are the boathouses in Sausalito, which are cute, but not has cute as the homes in the Venice beach canals.

My favorite boathouse. It must be the tear drop shape and the round curves.

I also adore the lumberjack feel this boathouse exudes.

The most colorful boathouse in the community and how cute are these mailboxes.

What a life, to live in a boat, carefree, happy and simple.

The more I visit SF, the more I fall in love with the city. It seems I'm ready for a change in scenery, just for a bit, nothing permanent. Nah, I just can't stand the weather. It's gloomy and wearing a parka in the summer just doesn't seem right.