On Thursday, I stood in this Hotel Figueroa line for a very long time hoping to buy some type of valuable memento. Like many, I have a bunch of memories at the Hotel Fig. Most recently, mom and I spent the night here on her February birthday…obviously not knowing she would pass away the following month. Continue reading
Elysian Park Plaque along Portola Trail
On August 2, 1769, Gaspar de Portola’s expedition camped alongside the LA River and named it in honor of the feast day “Our Lady of the Angels of Porciuncula.” On this day, 245 years later, I stepped deep into the Los Angeles river for the first time, kayaking down the river in the Sepulveda Basin. While the river has lost much of its original beauty, this stretch makes one forget all the concrete further down and imagine how it must’ve looked when Portola first laid eyes on it. Continue reading
When I approached 
the Police Academy’s Revolver Café (drenched from the pouring rain), I wondered, “What strange lighting they have…” And by strange, I meant “what very very dark lighting they have.” Disoriented, I wandered into the darkness, as a couple of male voices yelled “Welcome to the party!” Continue reading
One highlight of Valentine’s Day in Los Angeles was speed dating along Metro’s Red Line. I’m not much for speed dating but couldn’t resist experiencing our transit system’s attempt at playing cupid. Kudos to Metro for its innovative thinking around the role of transit in a city. Continue reading
A belated but heartfelt wish for the new year. Thank you Grand Park (and the LA County powers that be) for hosting a public celebration that didn’t require a $30 cover charge that was easily accessible by public transportation. Sure there were some hiccups which hopefully will be improved upon December 31, 2014… but it really was a pleasure to ring in the New Year with 20,000 of my closest friends.
So, dear Grand Park, considering I’ve celebrated your grand opening, your first birthday, Dia De Los Muertos, I look forward to more Grand Park celebrations in 2014!!
I not only indulge in the amazing feast spread out over 
Thanksgiving but I relish in the family stories shared over a long weekend with the family. Stories shared over Thanksgiving have more time to soak, marinating over multiple nights so that the next day’s conversation is richer (…almost as rich as the soft warm cinnamon rolls my aunt made for breakfast :). StoryCorps has dubbed the day after Thanksgiving a “National Day of Listening.” I’m glad StoryCorps has given a name to this unspoken holiday tradition in my family. This year’s Turkey Day shed light on my great aunt Jan, my grandmother’s sister. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine anyone bossier than my grandmother, but her younger sister just might qualify. Continue reading
I finally finally walked all around Echo Park Lake today! I live on the lake and was heartbroken when I broke my foot a week before the lake reopened in June. All summer, I’ve watched from my window everyone paddle along the new cleaned-up lake…feeling like a kid sequestered in summer school while friends frolic away their summer vacations. Continue reading
