spring break photo diary

Playing: Hurricane-MisterWives
Reading: Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck (Amazing book!)

Instead of heading back home over spring break, I took a trip along the East Coast with a group of friends, stopping off at Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Unfortunately, I was sick for most of Washington D.C. and Baltimore. However, I really enjoyed Philadelphia. It wasn't my first time there as I've been there twice before, but I had just forgotten how beautiful Philadelphia can be. On the second day we were there, we visited the Philadelphia Art Museum and walked along the Schuylkill River Trail and wow, it was beyond stunning. The classical style of the Fairmount Water Works and museum buildings contrasted with the modern skyline is just a beautiful sight to see. Baltimore has a more subtle sense of beauty and wonderment than Philly has. Its landmarks and tourist spots aren't as well known and obvious in terms of importance to American history, but it was rare jewels like the American Visionary Art Museum that made me enjoy my time there. The AVAM felt like a collection of relics from my childhood, represented by glittering objects and animated folk art.

Picture: 1-DC War Memorial, 2-Fort McHenry, 3-AVAM, 4-Fairmount Water Works, 5-Honeygrow, 6-Meeting Kazuo Ishiguro at the Free Library, 7-Philadelphia City Hall

New York Photo Diary: Part 2

Playing: Hard to Explain-The Strokes
Reading: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Other than spending inordinate amounts of time shopping and eating, I did manage to fit in a trip to MoMa and the Guggenheim. MoMA is definitely worth visiting, while the Guggenheim can be rather dull other than its fun spiral design. Pictured above are 30 Rock (where Holden Caulfield went ice skating with Sally Hayes), a church near Washington Square Park, a raspberry cronut from Mille Feuille, and some shots taken at MoMA.
In case you were wondering why I was in New York, I was out there visiting NYU, which I will be attending in the fall. That means that I will be moving to the city that Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Simon Doonan, Anna Wintour, etc. call home, which is pretty exciting. If you could give me tips on how to survive winter time, it would be much appreciated. What clothes do I wear? Is it possible to look cute in a puffy coat? Am I going to survive? Will I get stabbed on a subway? The world may never know, but maybe you can help.

New York Photo Diary: Part I

Playing: Anna Sun-Walk the Moon
Reading: Forrest Gump by Winston Groom

New York has always been one of my favorite cities and I've always had this dream of moving there one day and working there before getting married and moving to Los Angeles. One of the things that I love about the city is how busy it is and how it has pockets of history hidden between sleek skyscrapers. New York makes you feel important when you're there unlike LA, which as much as I love it, can feel a bit suburban at times due to the fact that LA is spread out over a vast area of land. Over break, I had the chance to visit New York and pictured above are a few of my favorite shots of buildings I took and the ricotta pancakes at Maialino, a cute albeit pricey cafe.

a life's work

Playing: A Shell Across the Tongue-The Drowners
Reading: A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro

A couple of weeks ago, I took a trip out to Watts Towers, which I've been wanting to go to for a long time now. I saw it in a book a few years ago and couldn't get it out of my head since then. A friend of mine, Naomi, and my APUSH teacher also recommended it to me last year. Since both of them generally have good taste, I knew I had to make it there eventually.

The artist, Simon Rodia, spent over 30 years building these towers in his backyard and even let his neighbors climb them for fun. The city of Los Angeles wanted to tear them down at one time, but luckily they're still there. From far away, it looks like a few grey spirals, but up close, it's a colorful mosaic similar to the work of Gaudi. (The major difference is that Rodia did this by himself, while Gaudi had many people to help him.) Even though it's in a dangerous neighborhood, I felt perfectly safe as long as I stayed by the Simon Rodia Art Center. Also, I highly recommend paying for the tour otherwise I don't think you can go through the gates that surround it.

Have I ever told you what a random and eccentric city Los Angeles is? If not, I thought you should see this photo. While I was heading towards Koreatown for lunch, I saw this man patiently sitting there with a large head. It didn't seem like he was waiting for a bus or anything, just sitting there, enjoying life.

Anyways, the main reason for going to Koreatown is to get my favorite fried rice from Mannaria, the Special Shrimp Fried Rice. I love how its topped with Kewpie mayonnaise, katsuobushi and smelt roe. It just has a very interesting creamy/smoky flavor to it and I appreciate the large portions at this restaurant. I also tried Bopioca for the first time and got the Kiwi Green Tea, which was suspiciously neon and artificial. Even though my drink tasted a lot like kiwis, it tasted more like flavored syrup and lacked any sort of tea flavor, so I will not be purchasing from them again in the near future. Hope you have all been doing well! (Do you guys know of any places in Southern California that are worth visiting? I'm starting to run out of ideas and only have five more places on my list of places to go.)

je t'aime plus qu'hier moins que demain

Playing: Young Blood-Birdy
Reading: The Tempest by William Shakespeare

It's been six months, or half a year, since I was in Paris yet I still miss it tremendously. Rarely do I miss people or places, so the fact that I miss Paris so much is still a strange sensation for me (and comforting to my parents that I do in fact have human emotions). I miss waking up to a magnificent view of La Tour Eiffel, starting off the day with a buttery croissant, and walking along the River Seine. I expected Paris to be completely overrated, but I found myself to be completely in love with the city more so than other places I have visited. Other than San Francisco and New York, Paris is the only other city that I have visited that I would like to live in one day. Ideally, I would like to go back to Paris as soon as possible, but without knowing which college I will be attending in the fall, I am currently unable to purchase plain tickets there. Until then, I will continue to oggle over Rumi Neely's Paris photo diaries and wish that I was back in the city of lights.

Paris Day VII

Playing: When It's Time-Green Day
Rereading: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

On the seventh day of my vacation to France with my family, we started out at the Place Vendôme. For some reason, everyone there was lined up along the corners in a checkerboard fashion, so I decided to blend in and stand in one of the empty corners with them. Afterwards, I walked along La Rue de Faubourg Saint-Honoré to look at all the designer stores that I don't have in California along with taking a side trip to the most famous Chanel store on Rue Cambon.

The Palais Garniére is fairly close by and since I'm a fan of Phantom of the Opera, we decided to visit it before finding lunch. It's absolutely splendid inside and the building is very intricate with its internal decorations. Like Versailles, it would be a complete dream to have a huge ball here with everyone going about in their ball gowns and tuxedos. Even though it was hard for us to find a time when the opera house was open, I highly recommend checking up on it whenever you walk by because it's really something you should see.

Since the Galeries Lafayette was close by, we stopped there for lunch at the cafe, which had a lovely view of the city. Out of all the restaurants I had been to, this cafe offered the widest arrange of drinks including Blood Orange Orangina, which I have never seen before. Both the Tarte aux Fraises and the Pates au Carbonara were good, but pretty standard. It was extremely filling and if you like bacon, the carbonara is probably something you'd love.

Next on our trip was the Centre Pompidou and just for the record, the area around this museum is kind of sketchy and smells like weed. However, the museum itself is a lot of fun and is like one big fun house only you can't touch anything...It's definitely a place that focuses on fun art and modern stuff that my parents usually interpret as "bullshit," so it may not be your cup of tea. I loved it though and would highly recommend this to people interested in all that's quirky, fun, and a bit wonky.

Despite the general no touch rules in most museums, the Centre Pompidou had some interactive art that you could literally walk into. This one from Jean Dubuffet called "Le Jardin d'Hiver" was a particular favorite of mine. With uneven, black and white surfaces, it felt like you were in some cave meant for a Tim Burton film.

While walking back to our hotel, we ended up in the general area of all the designer stores we had visited that morning and decided to get dinner at Cuisine&Confidences. Unfortunately, the menu was kind of vague, so I ordered something from the portion titled "You Can't Go Wrong" and got La Grande Zaza. It was described as roasted chicken with marinated peppers, cheese, and prosciutto with a side of fennel scented pickled vegetables. I was expecting an actual chicken breast or something topped with cheese and peppers, but it ended up being more like a deli plate. This was probably the only mediocre meal I had in France unfortunately.

Since I was still hungry after the deli plate for dinner, I stopped by a deli to grab some pate baked within bread, which was surprisingly good. I tried some pate breads from several places and for the most part, they all tasted the same with the exception of some jam in the middle of some, while others had nuts mixed in. It would've been nice if the bread was more evenly mixed throughout it, so that it was a roll because the center portion of pate was very rich on its own.

PS I'm wearing an Ann Taylor LOFT tank top, an Ann Taylor LOFT sweater, a Marc Jacobs necklace, Converse Sneakers, silence+noise shorts,Givenchy earrings, and a Coach purse.

Paris Day V

Playing: Good News For People That Love Bad News (Full Album)-Modest Mouse
Reading: World War Z by Max Brooks

My family and I took a day trip to the Palace of Versailles, which is surprisingly easy to do. All you have to do is buy a ticket for the SNCF and stay on the train until the last stop. The Paris Pass worked for Versailles too, but you had to stand in line for around two hours anyway, since everyone buys their ticket ahead of time. The palace itself is splendid and there are many incredible works of art inside. However, there are only two food options inside: an expensive cafe and a cheap sandwich place. Therefore, I suggest getting through the palace before lunch and eating in the gardens.

The garden was my favorite part of Versailles. Normally, the Paris Pass covers this too, but during the summer, they play classical music, so you have to pay. The garden itself is beautiful and very well kept. It made me feel like I was in Pride and Prejudice or in Anna Karenina, so basically, I felt like I was in a very wonderful Keira Knightley film. I heard that there is a masquerade ball held yearly at Versailles, so any boy that is willing to take me to it is welcome. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is the type of place that makes you want a huge ball gown.

Within walking distance from the gardens are Marie-Antoinette's Estate and the Grand Trianon (pictured above). I'm not sure how much it costs to go inside of them, but I got in for free because of the Paris Pass again. I wouldn't recommend visiting Marie-Antoinette's Estate, if you have to pay because the estate is pretty much empty and it's just like a cement block. I do recommend eating crepes by the lake though. The Grand Trianon however is worth visiting, since it's decorated nicely and the gardens are beautifully done. Also, the checkered floor reminds me of Mr. Darcy's home in Joe Wright's version of Pride and Prejudice.

Before heading back, I stopped by a McDonald's and French McCafe is so much better than what I have in the states. Their McCafe serves lemon tarts, caneles, crème brûlées, cheese cakes, molten chocolate cakes, and of course, macarons. Since they were fairly inexpensive, I got two of each flavor: vanille, framboise, pistache, chocolat, fraise, and what I believe to be pistache chocolat. I actually got a box before my trip to Ladurée and thought they were rather good, but after the Ladurée ones, I found the ones from McCafe to be a bit chewy and heavy. The insides were either strongly flavored jams or overly whipped and fluffy creams. However, they're still better than a majority of the macarons I've had in California.

For dinner, we ate like total tourists along the Champs-Elyseés at Café di Roma, where I ordered the Thon et Asperges. Overall, the pizza was completely average, but I give them credit for trying different toppings from your common pepperoni and cheese. The tuna was stronger than all the rest of the flavors, so that you didn't taste the asparagus, dried tomatoes, or pesto very much. However, the Orangina made up for everything. There was a boy around my age drinking wine and he reminded me that I could legally drink there, so from then on, I started ordering beers and wines. Note to self: champagne is the most tolerable.

Paris Day III

Playing: Oxford Comma-Vampire Weekend
Reading: Atonement by Ian McEwan

Before going on the trip, I made breakfast reservations at Ladurée, which were rather unnecessary. If you want to eat in the cafe part of Ladurée, you can pretty much walk right in and they have a table ready. I ordered Le Pain Perdu Tiède Ladurée with the Chocolat Chaud Ladurée. Le Pain Perdu Tiède Ladurée was some of the best French toast I've ever had. It was light and fluffy without being too sweet. Originally, I was skeptical of its plain appearance, but I highly recommend it. The hot chocolate is intensely rich and worth trying, but by my second cup, it was too much. 

Of course, I had to order some macarons at Ladurée before leaving. I ordered the Framboise, Marie Antoinette, Citron, Petal de Rose, Sel du Caramel, Fruit Rouge, Cafe, Vanille, Chocolat de Ghana, Fraise Menthe, Pistache, and Melon. Vanille was by far the best macaron I have ever had, but the Citron is very good too. After having a macaron at Ladurée, I have to admit that all the macarons I have ever had just don't even come close and I find it hard to eat macarons in California now.

After breakfast, my family and I walked to Le Petit Palais, which was absolutely incredible. The building itself was beautiful and completely lit by natural light, while the inside housed some lovely paintings, pottery, and sculptures. Inside the courtyard is quite pretty and would make an amazing area to sit around in for afternoon tea.

Afterwards, we visited Les Invalides, which had a very impressive WWII exhibit. My brother and dad have been subjecting me to war museums all my life, so it's gotten to a point, where I'm rather content at one and actually enjoy it. Napoleon's tomb is right behind Les Invalides too, so you should definitely check that out. Le Musée Rodin is worth visiting, since it's so close to Les Invalides. Also, it's set up in an old hotel and surrounded by beautiful gardens. However, the museum has a really creepy sound track of people wailing and moaning going on at all times.

Recommended by my friend, Katrina, Cafe Constant was our next stop for a very late lunch. The waitress forgot to give our order to the chef, so we sat around for about 40 minutes before our meals even came. The Foie Gras was good, but considering how much we paid, I felt a bit ripped off that we only got one slice of it. The bread it was served on was buttery and fluffy, which was preferable to the plain toast we got at other restaurants.

Katrina recommended the Roasted Chicken with Herb Butter and Mashed Potatoes specifically, so I had to try it. I enjoyed the crispy skin on the chicken and it was nice having some fresh red onions and tarragon to top off the potatoes. The main problem I had with this place was the slow service, which was probably an abnormality on their part, and the small portions. The food was good though and they made up for the slow service by offering complimentary dessert.

We could see Le Tour Eiffel from Cafe Constant, so we just kept on walking towards it. It was so crowded at the base of Le Tour Eiffel that I quickly ran off to the park by it for better photos. Since it was so crowded, we decided against going up it. Afterwards, we walked around the River Seine and by then it was close to dinner time, so we started to look around for a place to eat.

We ended up at Le Wilson, where I ordered the Quiche Avec Legumes et Saumon. Somehow Le Wilson managed to get a ridiculously creamy texture out of the broccoli they put in their quiche and I don't even like broccoli, but this was really good. I liked how every bite of the quiche came with a large chunk of salmon too. Overall, a great day and I wish I could go back to Paris right away.

joyride

Playing: Burning Pile-Mother Mother
Reading: Exclusive: John Galliano, in First Interview Since Firing, On Addiction, His Outburst, and His Future in Fashion by Vanity Fair 

Yesterday marked my last day of real school. The next few days will consist of final exams and yearbook signing, not to mention the mourning of all my favorite seniors graduating. Sophie and I celebrated by going on an adventure throughout Southern California. We first stopped by Sprinkles, which Sophie has never been to before. Normally, I don't like Sprinkles, but their Chai Latter flavor was actually pretty good.

Afterwards, we drove right down the street to the Newport Beach Public Library, which is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever stumbled upon in Orange County. If you like clean lines and modern architecture with big open spaces, this is the place for you. They're opening a cafe within the library soon, so it'll be a great hangout area one day. Plus, it's within walking distance to the shopping center that has Sprinkles, so you can grab lunch in that shopping center.

Since we were so close to Corona del Mar, we decided we might as well go visit it anyways. We spent a lot of time exploring the tide pools and looking at all the cute houses down there. Corona del Mar has two popular beaches, one for tide pools and one for swimming and having bonfires. I'm hoping to have a huge bonfire over summer here, but all the fire pits are taken by 10 a.m. so I probably won't be able to get one.

Our next stop was South Coast Plaza because we were running low on non-food places to go to. Sophie wants to be a design student, while I hope to work in the fashion industry, so window displays are the perfect thing for us to look at together. I can't get over how perfect Louis Vuitton displays always are. They're like works of art all on their own. Their displays always make the clothes look great, but also manage to be whimsical and beautiful at the same time.

We ended the day by going to Diamond Jamboree because we couldn't think of another place to do purikura in Orange County. I haven't been to Ajisen Ramen in so long, so I forgot how good their Premium Pork Ramen is. The pork manages to be juicy, fatty, and a tad crispy, while the soup is really creamy and flavorful. However, I still think the noodles taste kind of odd and Santouka Ramen is still at the top of my list for great ramen. After dinner, we ran out of money and didn't end up doing purikura, so we'll have to plan another day for that. Sorry that I have been missing from the blogosphere. I've been busy studying and being sick, so I haven't been up to much at all. Hopefully, summer will bring about a boatload of better posts.