UCLA and Dodger Stadium

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 1.55mm, f/2.4, 1/560 sec, ISO25
“Dodger Stadium” Los Angeles, 2021

Today was “Los Angeles Day” for us, starting with a trip up the 405 to check out UCLA. Just like UCI was a nostalgic for me since that is where I spent four years, UCLA brought back many memories since I worked there for a couple of years. It didn’t have quite the magical feeling of my UCI visit though. I guess it’s because my UCLA days were when I was a working adult, whereas my UCI days were from a much different time of my life.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/5.6, 1/3000 sec, ISO2000
“Bruin” Los Angeles, 2021

We walked around for a while, and Koa liked the campus (the weather in California is so nice as compared to Texas!). It’s so fun to go to each campus and imagine the different versions of the future for him.

And being a graphic designer, I had to admire and photograph a poster that I really liked:

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/350 sec, ISO32
“Social Distance” Los Angeles, 2021

In the early evening, we headed east to Dodger Stadium to watch the Dodgers host the Cubs. It was the first time for Koa to see a game at Dodger Stadium (Bay has been a couple of times before). We sat in the right field pavilion, where we could see Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger. It was not a good day for the Dodgers as they were no-hit by the Cubs, but it was a beautiful evening at an awesome stadium, rooting for our team along with a capacity crowd. Super fun!!!

I haven’t sat in the bleachers since 1988, but it was awesome – definitely a different vibe from sitting closer to the plate. Although farther from the action, the energy is higher (most waves start out here) and you feel more connected to your fellow fans. I recommend it!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/5.6, 1/1100 sec, ISO2000
“Mookie” Los Angeles, 2021
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/45 sec, ISO2000
“Dodger Dog” Los Angeles, 2021

I hope you had a great day!

Eating Los Angeles

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO800
“Yummy Eggs” Los Angeles, 2019

Today we had a bit of an excursion up to Los Angeles, for some eating, with a little shopping thrown in. First up was République Café and Bakery where we had This Morning’s Bread, Smoked Salmon Benedict, and a number of different coffees. The food was delicious, and the restaurant was really cool. I had never heard of République before, but it’s apparently very popular – I saw many selfies being taken there.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO1250
“Okinawan Latte” Los Angeles, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO1250
“République” Los Angeles, 2019

After République, we did some shopping at The Last Bookstore in downtown, then drove back over to Korea Town for some Korean barbecue at Song Hak. The meat was so yummy and tender. The side dishes were also delicious and the soju hit the spot. I definitely recommend Song Hak!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO250
“Song Hak” Los Angeles, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO2500
“Meat Plate” Los Angeles, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO2000
“Korean BBQ” Los Angeles, 2019

To close out our day in Los Angeles, we stopped by world famous Randy’s Donuts to pick up some dessert. Even though I grew up in SoCal, I had never been to Randy’s, so this was a special treat. Unfortunately, I thought the donuts weren’t very good. Our matcha donuts didn’t taste like matcha at all, and my churro-topped donut was a bit stale. I’m guessing since it was evening, the donuts weren’t as good, but still, it was pretty busy so I would have thought they’d be a bit fresher. I’m happy to finally try Randy’s, though!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/4, 1/75 sec, ISO3200

Spending the afternoon and evening with family eating out was fun and we had a lot of laughs. Exactly what a family outing should be like. 😄

Visiting the Getty Center

"Irises" Los Angeles, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/25 sec, ISO800
“Irises” Los Angeles, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today I visited The Getty Center for the first time, which is kind of surprising since it has been around for over 20 years. I was blown away by the architecture, and also the paintings from their permanent collection. Seeing more paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, and Cezanne was pretty mind-blowing. I loved it.

We were fortunate to visit on a super-clear day (due to the gusty winds) so the already-amazing views were absolutely breath-taking. You could see downtown, the San Bernardino Mountains, Long Beach, Palos Verdes, and Catalina. It was awesome!

"Los Angeles Panorama" Los Angeles, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/6.4, 1/600 sec, ISO200
“Los Angeles Panorama” Los Angeles, 2018

Admission to the Getty Museum is free, but parking in the lot is $15. I recommend arriving early at the lot because it gets super-crowded. We got there at about 9:45 am (the museum opened at 10 am) and we were able to go right to our parking space, then hop on the tram that took us up the hill to the museum. But when we left at around 1 pm there was a huge line of cars trying to get into the lot. It looked like a nightmare. So go early!

Here are a few more photos from the grounds. The Getty Center is a definite must-do if you visit Los Angeles for a few days.

"Garden" Los Angeles, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/550 sec, ISO200
“Garden” Los Angeles, 2018
"Garden View" Los Angeles, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/640 sec, ISO200
“Garden View” Los Angeles, 2018
"Sunburst" Los Angeles, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/14, 1/300 sec, ISO200
“Sunburst” Los Angeles, 2018

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