Time in Los Angeles

For the last of the AX/LA post, I’m gonna talk about my time roaming around bits of the city itself. Hopefully some of you might find something interesting to take note of whenever you decide to pay a visit to this awesome city ^^.

The Staples Center next to the convention center where they have sporting events and such. One thing I find contrasting about this area is that on one side the buildings are highly renovated and modern then you look across the street on the other side…

And you see rundown buildings, closed shops, bums on the street and stuff you can probably say is fitting in the ghettos.

Turn your head again, and this is what you’re faced with. This is all in the same area!

Phail.

The night life

The Expo’s so-called laser spectacular show or whatever outside on stage… it was quite unspectacular ^^;. What I did like from it were the hotblooded remixes of Kageyama Hironobu’s DBZ songs… they were awesome and I wanted to know how I can get my hands on them!

LA has many tall and neat buildings.

Wish I have a better lens to take landscape photos…

Took this shot inside a car hence it looks a bit dirty… ^^;

Cool structures too

I thought it was a dog when I first saw it through the window…

I’m guessing road workers in LA have a sense of humor? And that’s my first time seeing “tire slashers” on a driveway. There was even a warning that driving through it will cause “severe tire damage” xD

The lobby of my second hotel stay. Due to poor planning, I booked my first night in LA at a cheap hostel ($30 a night!) where the rooms were shared… I didn’t mind but I didn’t like the idea of leaving my luggage around when I’m out to the expo.

My room at The O (I wonder if the hotel owner’s name is Scirocco…). Small but very cozy, with working AC and wired internet. The best part was that it was only about ten minutes away from the convention center so it made things very convenient for me.

That one Disney concert hall… forgot its name…

Apparently this is the front… The building has more angles and sides than the design of the Turn A…

I’ve been longing for good (and most importantly, REAL) Chinese food since leaving NYC. Met a fellow DC comrade at the meetup, and we decided to go out for food later that night. I LOVE how restaurants stay open so late in LA!

Ginseng soup

Roast duck, baby bok choy, Mongolian beef, some variation of sweet and sour chicken… Everything was sooo tasty and without the puddle of grease! I wanted to let out a tear of joy! TToTT

Oh don’t forget that boiled shrimp too. There was so much food and so little of us… I don’t think any of the plates got finished ^^;

Cringas at a Taco truck the next night…

This is also awesome! inside is filled with grilled beef, a slice of ham, melted cheese and pineapple chunks. You might think the pineapple is random but it actually works! Some of the best and cheapest food are only found in food trucks!

Ramen Row. Got dropped off at Little Tokyo before parting with my new friend and stayed at Miyako Hotel for my last night in LA. Wait wait… let’s rewind a few hours back…

Walking around the Japanese Village Plaza.

Construction is ruining the scene a bit…

Many tourists (including me I supposed…) and Japanese people as well.

So many nice shops! so little time! so many delicious looking food! so little room in my stomach!

Arthur Nakane. I missed his performance as I was just walking by. Talked to him later that night though when I came back though. He was a nice guy and wondered why some people were dressed up as if it was Halloween already so I told him about Anime Expo and how he could’ve rocked the house if he had went :D.

I had already planned on visiting Little Tokyo and Chinatown for the my last day so thought It’d be better to just stay at my destination so I don’t have to walk around with my luggages.

My room at Miyako. It’s way roomier and upscale than The O for about $10 more but… the internet was piss poor, no controlled AC (but it was cool that night so didn’t matter), and the toilet paper felt like sandpaper. However…

They do have a washlet ^^. I didn’t bother using it though…

The heat-up seat was nice though… hehe. It warms up faster than the seats in my car!

Lipton Tea Sparkling… yes, it’s carbonated tea. Anyway, going back outside to check out the Japanese Village Plaza again…

Mm… display window full of delicious looking food replicas…

Some much more peaceful now than earlier…

Nakane-san is still around. I’m taking a stroll to plan what shops I want to check out tomorrow morning.

Shot of part of the city from my room before checking out. LA’s mornings always seem to be cloudy/foggy then as the day goes on, it becomes bright and sunny without getting too hot ^^. I love the weather here!

More food replicas.

A temple. My memory card was still having memory issues so I couldn’t keep some of the shots I wanted and had to delete as I went along.

My first time having a melon pan and it was from the Yamazaki bakery. They had a lot of bakery goods but I only bought this because I was saving my stomach for something else later ^^;. This melon pan’s texture was just bakery perfection… semi-crunchy/crispy outside, but soft and fluffy inside. Not to mention fresh… oh what a treat it was.

Shuttle monument

I must remember to come back here if I ever have the chance to go back to LA again!

Stumbled upon Weller Court as I strolled aimlessly around LA. There’s a few ramen shops, cafe, all-you-can-eat(!!!) Korean BBQ and curry house in this area that all look so good! There was also a very cool Japanese supermarket on the first floor too (if you’re in Oregon or Seattle, think Uwajimaya but way better). Oh yea… and a Kinokuniya.

Very nice artwork outside too. Good place to go on a date, no?

A family mart with a “DVD – Adult” neon sign. WIN!

I saw a few street performers as I traveled toward Chinatown. This was near the Union Station I believe… the guy was playing “My Heart Will Go On” and it was pretty sweet. Had to drop some money for that ^^. No pics of Chinatown from me though… I put my camera away after this as I was too tired from walking around while carrying all my luggage. My neck was about to snap and my shoulders were about to break. Sorry ^^;.

One of the oldest sweets shops in Little Tokyo. I bought three boxes from here as souvenirs for family and friends back in Boredland.

So pretty… I didn’t want to eat them!

This was the meal I’ve been waiting for. I was told this ramen shop has the best ramen and the number of people waiting outside for a seat was a testament to it. I think I stood in line for about 20-30 minutes before I got a seat ^^. “Grandmother said this, ‘It is enjoyable to eat something delicious, but the greatest joy comes from the time spent waiting for it.'”

As I was waiting outside, I noticed something bright yellow behind me drove up… turned around saw a 360 Modena. The driver was also here for some ramen.

Pretty sweet… I’ve seen the F430 and 612 in Portland many times. This is a first for a 360. Hmm… The Lambo I spotted was also yellow…. LA folks like yellow on their sports cars? I supposed it is an attractive color…

I also noticed the plate… SHORYUKEN?!

Inside the shop. Still very crowded inside.

At long last, my bowl of LA-men! The shop’s special… Daikoku LA-men!

Let’s take a look at it from another side.

Tonkotsu, green onions, cha shu (no, not the Chinese stuff), bamboo  shoots, special boiled egg, bean sprouts and of course… the noodle.

Heavenly… just heavenly. The broth was bold and flavorful yet not salty. The meat was well marinated. The noodles were firm and cooked just right. Compared to this, ramen from Portland… TASTE LIKE PIG FOOD!

Well I certainly had a blast in LA. It sure was wonderful meeting new people, trying great food, and enjoying a new atmosphere. Since I was from NYC, I felt right at home in LA. The landscape wasn’t anything too new as I’ve seen similar things in the past… such as all the so-called “sketchy” areas. I even intentionally roam into such areas during various times throughout the day by myself, even after midnight. I did it because I was more curious about the normal lifestyle in LA than the tourist stuff. Yea… there were some strange people and a few homeless… but not exactly “dangerous”. For the most part, the people were actually really nice to me. Those who said they felt “unsafe/insecure” probably lived a sheltered life. Wished I had more time to stick around! So many more things I wanted to do! Oh well… Anyway, Thank you, Los Angeles! I certainly will miss the city and the food! Everything was great (except sales tax)! Will definitely find a way to come back next time!