Compared to the more travel-heavy past 3 months, January was pretty stationary. I don’t think I intended on staying in the U.S. for so long, but I’m really glad I stayed through January. This gave me one more month to see friends, eat good food, and create memories. Since this was my last month before going off to travel again, I made sure to see as many people and visit as many LA spots as possible. I’m happy I got to spend this…
Best pizzas of New York City
I’m throwing out this bold statement: New York had the best pizza in the world. By the time I left New York, all my clothes were feeling much much tighter. Poor Ray and Carmela, they felt the weight gain too, and it’s probably mostly because of me. All I wanted to eat was pizza. Pizza is one of my biggest guilty pleasures. I love a good pie. But I’m super picky about it, so it’s hard for me to find…
December 2017 travel re-cap: from the snow to the desert
Yay for the last monthly recap of 2017! December turned out to be amazing. I didn’t have anything planned but it ended up being pretty action packed. One more week in New York I was scheduled to leave New York and return to LA in the very beginning of December. The day of my flight, I packed up all my stuff, stripped my bed, and prepared to say bye to Ray and Carmela. We were all feeling sad that I…
Top 5 Foods I Ate in NYC
I’ve thought long and hard about how I was going to write about all the food I ate in New York. Should I organize it by categories? By days? For now, before I overwhelm you with all the food talk, I’m going to start on a high note with my top 5 favorite things I ate in New York City. Oh New York – why is the food so good there?! Seriously, I ate some of the best food OF…
3 weeks in New York by the numbers
Despite the fact that I grew up in the States (with several years of it on the East Coast – did you know I lived in Pittsburgh as a kid?), I’ve never been to NYC. I know… I can’t believe it! It’s such an iconic city and everyone raves about how amazing it is, so it’s been high on my list of dream destinations. So when Ray and Carmela invited me to visit, how can I pass that up?! Technically, I stayed…
October & November 2017 travel re-cap: back in the U.S.A.
At the beginning of October, I said bye to my family in Beijing and flew back to Los Angeles. It had been exactly two years since I’ve set foot on home soil, so I was feeling equal parts nervous and excited. What would it be like? Would I feel at home or would I feel like an outsider who no longer belonged? Would I pick up with my friends or would I be like a stranger now? http://www.instagram.com/p/BZ1MiVrFtDj/?hl=en&taken-by=slightlyastray The big…
Top 5 destinations to revisit
You guys, we have a problem. Almost every time we leave a place, practically as soon as we’re out of the city limits, we sigh and exclaim that we must return someday and find a way to live as locals for a while. At this point, we’re starting to rack up quite a long list of potential future homes. Sometimes, it’s because we didn’t get to see everything there is to see. Sometimes, it’s because we didn’t get to eat all the…
Sun, fun, and mud at Glen Ivy Hot Springs
I hope you will forgive me for jumping around a bit on the blog. I thought I’d interrupt my adventures abroad to talk a little about adventures at home. And hey, that keeps things interesting, no? After 3 months spent in the beginnings of a chilly South American winter, I was ready for some of our famous Southern California sun. I was also ready to catch up with one of my best girlfriends. Our requirement was someplace relaxing and pampering (as…
The Ultimate Guide to Koreatown – the Coolest Neighborhood in Los Angeles
After almost a decade of living in/around Los Angeles, I still haven’t made up my mind on whether I love or hate the city. However, I have come to the conclusion that Koreatown just may be the coolest place in LA. If you are looking for a night out in downtown Los Angeles… let’s say the kind of night where you eat good food, channel your inner rockstar, and maybe even chat up a cute girl (or guy)… and if…
10 Things to do in Downtown Los Angeles (on a walking tour)
Sometimes on a weekend when D and I find ourselves without any plans, we ride the train up to downtown Los Angeles. We mainly go to eat at one little Mexican stand called Rodolfo’s. Rodolpho’s is situated smack in the middle of the bustling and ever so colorful Olvera Street, a charming little brick-lined alley inducing visions of old Mexico. It also has an interesting history of being the oldest part of downtown Los Angeles. Olvera Street is conveniently located…