Big Sur and Back Home

"Coastline" Big Sur, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/200 sec, ISO200
“Coastline” Big Sur, 2017

こんばんは。

Today we headed down the coast to Big Sur for breakfast at Big Sur Bakery. The scenery along PCH was breathtaking, and because of the road closure farther down the coast, the traffic was very light. When we arrived at the bakery, there were only a couple of others there so it was a relaxed and carefree meal.

After fueling up our bodies with coffee and pastries, we drove back up the coast to Monterey, then across to the highway and on to our next stop, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. We wanted to check out the campus, but since it was holiday break, the school was empty and the buildings were locked. So we walked around a bit before continuing our journey back to Southern California. But it was neat to finally see the campus where I almost went to school back in the ’90s.

My brother and his fiancee were having an ugly sweater party, so we went straight there, ate dinner, and partied for a bit before returning to my parents’ house in Torrance.

It was a long day, but filled with cool sights, tasty treats, and fun times. The best kind of travel!

おやすみ!

"Coastline" Big Sur, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/340 sec, ISO200
“Coastline” Big Sur, 2017
"Hallway" San Luis Obispo, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/125 sec, ISO800
“Hallway” San Luis Obispo, 2017
"Party Fujimotos" Redondo Beach, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/60 sec, ISO3200
“Party Fujimotos” Redondo Beach, 2017



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Monterey Day

"Mambou" Monterey, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/70 sec, ISO6400
“Mambou” Monterey, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today we grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel then headed down to Cannery Row and the main attraction: the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

We had been once before when the kids were small and enjoyed it a lot, so we wanted to visit again and experience the aquarium now that the kids are older. The aquarium is still the same, which is a good thing. The exhibits are all excellent, with the otter feeding and kelp forest feeding being very popular and fun. But I had never seen the feeding at the Open Ocean exhibit, which has tuna, sunfish, a sea turtle, sardines, etc. It was amazing to see how fast the sunfish could actually swim. When the food was thrown into the tank, that sunfish zipped across at lightning speed! It was incredible!

The feeding of the 20,000 sardines was fantastic as well. The giant mass of silvery fish rose like a hurricane to the food and with the sunlight coming down from above, the sight was truly dazzling. I think that was the highlight of the visit for me. Really awesome.

In the evening we visited the Dali museum for a bit and checked out the extensive collection of lithographs. Some were beautiful, and some were bizarre. Very Dali!

I hope you had a nice day.

またね~

"Cannery Row" Monterey, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/680 sec, ISO200
“Cannery Row” Monterey, 2017
"Looking North" Monterey, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/850 sec, ISO200
“Looking North” Monterey, 2017
"Jellies" Monterey, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.5, 1/125 sec, ISO640
“Jellies” Monterey, 2017
"Beach" Monterey, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO250
“Beach” Monterey, 2017
"Dali" Monterey, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2000
“Dali” Monterey, 2017



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Drive North

"Lunch Stop" Santa Barbara, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/6.4, 1/220 sec, ISO200
“Lunch Stop” Santa Barbara, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today we drove up north to being a three-day trip to Monterey. It takes about 6 hours to travel by car from Torrance, but it’s a very scenic drive, and we stopped at a couple really cool places along the way.

In Santa Barbara we had a nice lunch at The Shop Kitchen, which is a cool cafe/restaurant attached to a auto-shop. Our avocado toast, chilaquiles, and salmon eggs benedict were delicious, and I sipped on the cold-brew coffee on the drive up to Paso Robles. But before hitting the highway again, we stopped at Renaud’s Patisserie for some snacks and gifts.

"Cafe" Santa Barbara, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/350 sec, ISO200
“Cafe” Santa Barbara, 2017

Our next stop was Paso Robles, to visit Sculpterra Winery for a tasting and shopping. It is a pretty cool winery with lots of sculptures to look at in the garden, and a yummy wine-tasting.

"Arrow" Paso Robles, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/120 sec, ISO200
“Arrow” Paso Robles, 2017

After that, we drove straight up to Monterey, and had a somewhat disappointing seafood dinner before finding our way to the hotel where we conked out big-time. It was a long drive, but we’re thankful to make it safely and we’re excited for tomorrow!

おやすみ

Day Downtown

"Stealing a Kiss" Los Angeles, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/6.4, 1/100 sec, ISO320
“Stealing a Kiss” Los Angeles, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today we woke up to a wonderful Fujimoto traditional breakfast: bagels, lox, pastrami, corned beef, roast beef, etc. It’s a tradition that started many years ago when my Aunt and Uncle would come down from San Francisco with a big bag of bagels, meats, and a block of cream cheese. Ever since then, this has been our holiday breakfast, usually on Christmas morning.

After getting fueled up, it was time to head to downtown Los Angeles to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art, both the main gallery on Grand and the Geffen installation near Little Tokyo. It was cool to see the art, but also a lot of fun to walk around downtown, including taking a ride up Angels Flight, which is the shortest incorporated rail line in the world.

We also went to Grand Central Market for lunch which is always fun and delicious! This time I shared a burrito with Koa, Thai food with Mariko, and Salvadorean food with my brother. I can tell I am going to gain a few pounds during this vacation. 😆

We returned home to my parents’ house and celebrated the family being together by eating an amazing Jamaican feast. Scroll down to the last picture to see the gigantic crab claw in rundown sauce. It was delicious. 🍴

"Bagels and Fixings" Los Angeles, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/90 sec, ISO3200
“Bagels and Fixings” Los Angeles, 2017

"Art Viewing" Los Angeles, 2017Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/60 sec, ISO800

"Art Show" Los Angeles, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/70 sec, ISO3200
“Art Show” Los Angeles, 2017
"Quartet" Los Angeles, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
“Quartet” Los Angeles, 2017
"Glow" Los Angeles, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/15 sec, ISO6400
“Glow” Los Angeles, 2017
"Sentiment" Los Angeles, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/300 sec, ISO200
“Sentiment” Los Angeles, 2017
"Busy Market" Los Angeles, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
“Busy Market” Los Angeles, 2017
"Giant Claw" Torrance, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/6.4, 1/10 sec, ISO3200
“Giant Claw” Torrance, 2017