#CHENCHALLENGES

Accommodations

Sorry, only helpful if you’re an SPG member with points. However, you can still try to find hotels around these two areas, as I picked these two due to location for East and West LA.. and points value; it seemed to work out pretty well for me.

Four Points by Sheraton LA Westside (Culver City) - 10,000 SPG pts a night (It was 7,000 in August 2015, so I thought that was a good value, but maybe with the point increase, double check other SPG properties around)

The hotel itself is only alright. Four Points are not known to be new or nice (at least not the ones I’ve been to) but it wasn’t terrible. Didn’t spend that much time in the hotel anyway, so it was fine for a few nights. Location was key for me, as it’s only a ~15 min drive to Santa Monica.

Parking on-site ($14/day) BUT if you are a SPG Platinum member (not sure if Gold has this), you can waive the $14 parking ticket as your Platinum member check in gift. I still hope that’s true today, since that was an awesome perk.

Very conveniently located next to a huge indoor mall that has a Target and other clothing stores, just incase you need something. 

Sheraton Pasadena - 10,000 SPG pts a night.

Again, what I expect from Sheraton. Old and average. They did upgrade me to a suite, which I appreciated, but had to turn down since we had a party of 4 and the suite only had one king bed.

They have a club lounge, though, but very average food. They also didn’t have snacks out 24/7, like other Sheraton’s I’ve been to.

Parking is $18/day (I think). I could not get this waived as the parking lot was not owned by Sheraton.

Location was pretty good. Pasadena is a pretty nice neighborhood, great to stroll around if you have time.

Meals (Lunch or Dinner)

LA is awesome for food. I would say, LA is the only place (that I’ve been too so far in the US) on par with NYC’s diversity and deliciousness of food finds, especially with Asian cuisines.

Tsujita LA Artisan Noodle (Yelp: $$, 4 stars) 2057 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

There are two locations right across the street from eachother. We went to the corner one both times, as it has more seating and less wait. Apparently, the menus are slightly different, but each has the Tsukemen Ramen, which is what I wanted to try. I came here from my parent’s recommendations when they went to LA. My dad is very conservative when he rates dishes and he told me I definitely had to try it. I’ve seen Minca in East Village serve Tsukemen, which I’ll have to try eventually.

Pictured is the Tsukemen with Char Siu. I think it was $14 when I went. Tsukemen is cold, thick noodles, that are dipped into a hot, thick broth, then eaten. Nor, can you really drink the broth since it is so thick (they do thin it out later, so you can drink it). The waiters are happy to show you the proper approach to eat Tsukemen.

Porto’s Bakery (Yelp: $, 4.5 stars) Multiple locations but I went to the following due to proximity to WB Studios: 3614 W Magnolia Blvd Burbank, CA 91505

Very very very busy. There is a lot of seating available, but I can see people definitely not finding any seating, since it is so popular. Although my brother told me that he loves their potato balls and meat pies, I opted for a more “lunch” option - had to try their Cuban sandwich with plantain chips (pictured on the bottom.. sorry - don’t remember which the top sandwich was.. along with a delish pina colada)... and it was fabulous! One of the best cubans I’ve ever had. AND the plantain chips are addicting. Not too expensive either. Will need to come back to try their other goodies plus pastries.

Hae Jang Chon Korean BBQ Restaurant (Yelp: $$, 4 stars) 3821 W 6th St Los Angeles, CA 90020

I’ve heard about the existence of cheap and delicious AYCE KBBQs in LA from my west coast friends. In my neighborhood, we have only one decent AYCE KBBQ but upwards of $35/pp for dinner (before tax...) Getting a cheaper version in LA’s K Town was a must for me. I found this place through a Yelp search “Korean BBQ AYCE in Los Angeles”, and chose it ultimately because my other Yelp friend went here already and said it was good. With almost 3000 Yelp reviews and a 4 star rating, I didn’t think I could go wrong. We arrive around 8:30PM on a Thursday or Friday night and had to wait about an hour. $18.99, at the time. This place was interesting, as it wasn’t a typical KBBQ grill in front of you, but rather a hot stone. I would come again; it was pretty good. Just long waits.

Ohana BBQ (Yelp: $$, 4.5 stars) 11269 Ventura Blvd Studio City, CA 91604

We ended the Conan show taping around 8ish (I think), and was starving.. I thought, “What is something that we don’t have in NY, or not that I know of to be good?”... and my hunger luckily prompted me to think of Hawaiian/Korean BBQ in Hawaii. I tried my luck in yelp typing hawaiian and score. 4.5 stars with over 200 reviews only 10 min drive away? Done. Glad we went, it was DELICIOUS!! I had the Waikiki Special (two combo plate) of the bbq chicken and beef short ribs + Hawaiian macaroni salad. OMGAAAH. $13.90 of HEAVEN. (i’ll be honest that my tastebuds might have been biased by my hunger at that moment, but 4.5 stars in LA? Most likely real.)

The Cow’s End Cafe (Yelp: $, 4 stars) 34 Washington Blvd Venice, CA 90292

We planned to spend our day in Venice Beach (bf really wanted to go surfing, and of course I never can turn down time at the beach..) so I yelped for breakfast around the area we were in.

The culture in this cafe was so typical beach town LAX. For breakfast, I got the Acai Bowl and bf got a Peanut Butter, Banana and Honey sandwich. While both were great, I think we ended up waiting like 20 minutes for it. Not sure if they’re just way too busy, or because of their LAX culture, they were kind of slow moving. Anyway, my inner New Yorker was raging at the wait. If you just wanted something pre-made and coffee, this place is fine just for that.

The Boiling Crab (Yelp: $$, 4 stars) Many locations around LA, but we went to the following due to the proximity from our hotel: 33 W Main St Alhambra, CA 91801

I’m a huge fan of The Boil in LSE here in NYC. It is without a doubt, one of my favorite restaurants. That said, I know they probably got their concept from the OG of Cajun/Creole Seafood scene from The Boiling Crab in West Coast. My friends from California say that The Boiling Crab is better than The Boil, but I’m a loyal The Boil fan. See my review here.

Anyway, I had to check out The Boiling Crab, as I’ve heard about their crazy popularity. Just to tell you how popular this chain is, I went on a Wednesday afternoon at 3:30PM (they open at 3:00PM), and I had to wait 45 minutes for a table for 2. I’ve heard ridiculous wait times of up to 3 hours. They do not take reservations either. I went the day before, trying to go to the one in K Town. Arrived at 9PM (closing at 10PM), and they told me that they cannot guarantee me a table, because there were already too many people waiting, and there was a wait list to essentially, “wait”. lol. The hostess also told me that people start lining up 15-30 min before the restaurant opens. Wow. (Don’t worry, it’s not pretentious at all inside)

My tip, to try Boiling Crab and minimize your wait time, is to do what we did.

Try to go to a less popular location (meaning, don’t try the Beverly Hills one or K Town... the east LA ones near Pasadena might be better as there are multiple locations in one area)

Go on a weekday.

Go early when it opens or a little after it opens.

If you don’t want to wait and have a viable place to eat this stuff, they do have a Take Out option where they will supply all the paper, gloves, etc.

Golden Deli Restaurant (Yelp: $, 4 stars) 815 W Las Tunas Dr San Gabriel, CA 91776

If you have great tasting Viet food at your local city, you don’t need to go here but if you’re craving Viet in LA, this place is a solid stop for Pho. The spring rolls here are pretty good. Although in NY, we call spring rolls the fried roll (cha gio). But in LA, they call it egg roll. Just make sure the viet equivalent title is Cha Gio. We got pho and my favorite dish, Bun Thit Nuong & Cha Gio (Grilled Pork & Egg Rolls with Rice Vermicelli).

Sushi Show (Yelp: $$, 4 stars) 957 W Arrow Hwy San Dimas, CA 91773

I’m a sushi aficionado, and it’s very hard to find a good sushi all you can eat (AYCE) place (that is not going to kill your budget). My brother said this is one of his favorite places (and he loves sushi too) and I definitely had to try it out. They have ton of rolls and nigiri. They do not do sashimi, but their rice to fish ratio is small (THANK YOU!). Fish and rolls are delicious. Their service is also pretty good, which is really hard to find at any buffet/AYCE. I think we had to wait about 1 hour for a table of 6 on a Friday night around 7:30PM, but well worth the wait. In August, I believe it was $24.99 per person for AYCE, but note that they do a la carte here too (but i doubt anyone does that here). It is a bit far out of main LA area (I think it was about a 30 min drive from the hotel).

Dessert

Blockheads Shavery (Yelp: $, 4 stars) Multiple locations but we went to this one as it was next to Tsujita Noodle: 11311 Mississippi Ave Los Angeles, CA 90025

I never had shaved ice cream before but because of Blockheads, I’m a fan. A similar place opened in NY called SnowDays but I don’t think it’s as good as Blockheads was. Pictured on the left is black sesame with cookies & cream bits (I THINK?) and on the right is green tea with rice cake and condensed milk. YUMMMMMMMM!!!

Half and Half Tea Express (Yelp: $, 3.5-4 stars depending on location) Many locations but chose this as it was closest to our hotel: 3007 Huntington Dr Pasadena, CA 91107

Famous for the short, fat cups and their “honey boba”, had to try their bubble tea, or boba tea - as I believe the west coast calls it. I don’t like tapioca/boba but this honey boba was amazing. So chewy and slightly sweet. Their milk tea was awesome too. They have a very extensive list of different drinks and even some snacks. I heard the lines get long on nice days, but luckily we went around 7ish in the evening, right before the lines started.

Mikawaya (Yelp: $, 4 stars) 2 locations, but went to the one in the plaza: 118 Japanese Village Plaza Mall Los Angeles, CA 90012

This place is known for their mochis. They have a variety of flavors. And I think a 3 for $5 deal so you can sample multiple ones. I honestly thought their mochi was good, but not much better than the Maeda-en Mochi sold in Asian supermarkets. Still a good treat if you’re in the area. Pictured clockwise from top left: Red bean, green tea, chocolate, matcha.

85°C Bakery (Yelp: $, 3.5-4stars) Multiple locations but went to the one down the street from the hotel: 61 S Fair Oaks Ave Ste 120 Pasadena, CA 91105

Bakery full of baked Asian goodies. Smellllls soooo good in here. The pastries itself are good, but nothing super amazing. I think I got overhyped from it, but it’s a fine stop for some baked breads if you’re in the area.

Things to Do

Shopping at Daiso Japan Discount Store (everything is $1.50!) Multiple locations around LA, but I went to the one near Tsujita Noodle and Blockheads 2130 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Okay, I discovered my love for Daiso my first time in San Francisco maybe a few years ago. I also have a love for Dollar discount stores. Daiso is, I would say, the emperor of discount stores as it’s quality (I think) and decent-looking materials only at $1.50! I bought a few home-stuff here to take back to NY. 

Santa Monica Pier 100 Santa Monica Pier Santa Monica, CA 90401

I’ve played Grand Theft Auto V (which is based in LA), and I never made so many comparisons than I did at this pier. Rockstar did an amazing job. Obviously, Santa Monica Pier is high on the list for tourists to visit, but cheap parking is a bit challenging. They have a public parking lot $1/hr on the side near the pier, but it’s very busy... because it’s a $1/hr parking. If you follow signs along the beach, there is additional public parking lots too, just a little farther away from the Pier.

Warner Brothers Studio Tour 3400 W. Riverside Drive, Burbank, CA 91522

I’m a huge Friends fan and once I found out I could have a picture sitting on the legendary couch in Central Perk, I was sold. The tour itself is very interesting; the tour guide was very knowledgable and friendly. There are many sets you could be visiting, but it all depends on if they’re shooting/using it and, what your tour guide decides to bring you on. To be fair, they do ask the group what shows or movies they like/want to see. I was a little aggressive in saying “FRIENDS” “FULL HOUSE” but unfortunately, the famous studio Friends was shot in, was being used to shoot Fuller House (which is a great Netflix spin off of Full House). We got to walk in an actual set of Pretty Little Liars, which was cool.. unfortunately I don’t watch that show, but the other girl in the group was super excited. This is a pretty cool tour that I would totally recommend people going on if they have any interest in how shows/films are made or WB shows/films.

Tickets can be purchased online. I believe right now it is $62 per person.. Before buying any sort of ticket, I always do a quick coupon search just to see if there are any additional savings out there. (literally typing: “WB Studio Tour Coupons”. I got -$5 each ticket from RetailMeNot.

Take a pic of the Hollywood Sign

There are multiple places you can get a good view/pic with it. I did some research and based on this article, we went to Lake Hollywood Park. I didn’t get the same results as the article did there, so we continued up the hill. Again, didn’t get the same results but I guess we were pretty close... didn’t look like that in the pics though! haha.

Conan Obrien Show 6564 Forest Lawn Dr Los Angeles, CA 90068

Tickets are free. All you need to do is sign up and request tickets online in advance at http://teamcoco.com/tickets. It’s fairly easy. You create an account. Request tickets online. They email/notify you if you’ve tickets are available to you. You’ll need to quickly log in and confirm your tickets, then you have “tickets”. They overbook tickets, to ensure each seat is filled in the audience, so the day you really need to pay attention to time is the day of the taping.

I read a lot of Yelp and Tripadvisor reviews about the Conan show process. What I picked up, and I did, to ensure seats (we got lucky and sat like CENTER FRONT of CONAN!!.. the interview portion was obstructed by cameras though).. On the day of the show...

Depending on the check in time on your ticket, you’ll want to “check in” to the show (and guarantee your seats) generally around 3 hours before the check in time. Our check in time was at 6PM (taping at 7PM), and we just finished the WB tour, so we got there around 2:30PM, and we were Group #12, 12th in line. Don’t worry, after you check in, you can leave but just make sure to be back by check-in time. We went to lunch at Porto’s Bakery!

You can park for free at Gate 8, right by the check in area.

Once checking in, it was a relatively easy process. Just follow what they say. It’s a very fluid process as they do this every night. Make sure to use the restrooms before going to the studio as there are no restrooms once you leave the check in area.

There are more detailed reviews at Yelp telling you the whole process here.

I’ll definitely want to return to see more free tapings for shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live and 2 Broke Girls.

Venice Beach

Went on a Thursday afternoon and it wasn’t very crowded. Nice to walk around, there is a little “strip” separating the stores and the sand. Watch the skateboarders do some tricks.

Bunch of surfboard/bike rental places around too.

Little Tokyo

333 S Alameda StLos Angeles, CA 90013

There’s a few shopping centers/plaza this is split up to. It’s cool to walk around. There’s a cool Sanrio store, that I was really tempted to buy some of these HK t shirts.

Old Chinatown

We wanted to go to New Chinatown just to check it out, but accidentally ended up at the Old one. Nothing really to check out here, so I won’t write much about it.

Griffith Observatory 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Parking may be a little far, as it’s all on a hill, and if it’s busy.. guess what, you’re parking farther down the hill and walking up to the observatory. Everything is free to check out inside and outside the building, except I think for the Planetarium exhibit. It’s pretty cool, and you get to see a cool view of the city.

Rodeo Drive

I believe this is the grand daddy of all rich-kid-shopping districts. I only got to stroll down Rodeo Drive in a car, and unfortunately didn’t see any celebrities, but this is supposedly where all the rich people shop for their luxury goods.

Beverley Hills

I think we just drove through it to see nice houses, and see what kind of neighborhood it was.

Walk of Fame + TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd

We parked nearby, luckily found some street parking by the residences nearby. We strolled hollywood blvd, looking at the stars on the Walk of Fame and also passing the TCL Chinese Theatre. We didn’t spend too much time here, as I was just looking for a souvenir magnet to add to my collection.

I would gladly visit LA again, just to eat, LOL, and go to the beach. And maybe try to catch some free show tapings. But other than that, I think we did the major tourist stuff (there isn’t that much to see). If you’ve been to LA, let me know which sights/restaurants I’ve missed!

Bon voyage!

We “left” San Francisco around 10:30AM, meaning we tried to get to RTE 1 from Chinatown (I had to run a last minute errand), and might have hit some traffic getting out of SF. Anyway, our first stop was Monterey, to grab some lunch. Ideally, we wanted to eat at a restaurant, but ended up at going to a Compagno’s Market & Deli, which had 4.5 stars on yelp. I believe I just got a pastrami sandwich and it was very good - I don’t know if it was 4.5 stars, but the meat was fresh and I was starving. And they let me use their restroom, so I give them props. Even though hungry, we decided to wait to eat our sandwiches at our next stop, with the thought of a “scenic lunch”. So, we drove to Carmel’s 17 Mile Drive, which is a (you guessed it) 17 mile scenic road that goes through Pebble Beach (famous golf courses), ridiculous mansions, Lone Cypress tree, and Pacific Grove, in the Monterey Peninsula. Unfortunately, it was super cloudy for us that afternoon, so I don’t have any super-cool pix, but it was still a cool drive. There is a $10 gate fee (refundable if you spend $30+ at restaurants/gift shops) and they give you a map of all the scenic spots.

After finishing the 17-mile drive, we continued down RTE 1 to our next major point of interest, Big Sur. I thought Big Sur was like one point on a map, but it’s actually an area of the mountain. We stopped a lot of times on our way to Big Sur, and through Big Sur. The cool thing is that they have designated places to stop (and you’ll see other cars there too), and sometimes, we just stopped if we saw there was enough space not to cause a traffic jam/hazard. The weather also got a lot better! Still a bit cloudy, but at least there was sun.

During Big Sur, you’ll hit the famous Bixby Creek Bridge. You can’t miss it, because there are a ton of people out of their cars taking pictures of this bridge.

There will often be signs telling you of a scenic or outlook coming up. Our next major stop was seeing the Elephant Seals. It was really cold by that point (I think we got there around 7:15PM.) but still amusing. They just lay there on top of each other. Cute.

We would’ve also liked to visit the Hearst Castle but that will be for next time. When I was planning the trip, I knew I wanted to stay a night in the middle of the route (as it’s no fun and no views driving in the dark). It was either Cambria, San Luis Obispo, or Santa Maria. Due to point values, I used my Marriott points to stay at a Fairfield Inn & Suites Santa Maria. We did however, stop in Cambria to just view the little town (and use the restrooms). We were planning to eat dinner in Cambria or San Luis Obispo, but we actually had half of our sandwiches from lunch left over so we just ate that.

We got to Santa Maria around 9:30PM. Fairfield Inn in Santa Maria was great. Comfy, clean, and free breakfast! Woo! Perfect for just a one night stay.

The next morning, we left Santa Maria and continued down RTE 1. We ended up driving through the cities of Ventura and Malibu, before we arrived in Los Angeles. Again, beautiful views (luckily the day was sunny!). It was very interesting to drive through Ventura and Malibu. Just as I expected from tv and video games -- complete beach town, and I loved it. Even though I was inside the car, I could just feel the relaxed nature of the towns. Ton of that “ya surfer brah” vibe, but it’s all good. Next time, I’d like to do some beach time.

We arrived in LA around 1:00PM.. which will be another post! :) Again, this was the most beautiful drive I’ve been on (okay to be fair, I haven’t been on that many drives outside of the tristate area..), but next time I plan to do a reverse LA -> SF drive back up the PCH.

Until then..

Ingredients for Cauliflower Bun

1 cup of uncooked cauliflower “rice”

1 egg

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder (Optional)

1/4 tsp italian seasoning (Optional)

How to Make Cauliflower (Uncooked) Rice

Here’s a good recipe: http://www.everydaymaven.com/2013/how-to-make-cauliflower-rice/

Here’s my version: Cut the cauliflower into florets. To clean the cauliflower, I soak the cauliflower with cold water for 10-15 minutes. Then I drain and rinse with some water again. Throw the florets into your food processor and chop chop chop until it’s fine, like rice. The cauliflower will have a lot of water still in them, and extra water will make it very mushy. SO, take a cheese cloth or whatever cloth and squeeeeze the water out of the cauliflower rice.

How To Make Cauliflower Buns

1. Combine and mix cauliflower rice, egg, salt, and spices in a bowl.

2. Split the mixture in half, to make two “buns” or “wraps”, depending on how thick you’ll want the “bread” to be.

3. Normally, recipes like http://empoweredsustenance.com/cauliflower-wraps/ (what I used for inspiration) want you to bake it. I decided to try pan-frying it as my oven is not as easily accessible. Slightly oil up and heat your frying pan to medium heat.

4. Use your hands to sort of “ball” your “bread” to form a circle. Choose how thick you want it. I would say, it has a higher chance of the cauliflower mixture sticking together the thinner it is, but then it’s also harder to flip it over in one shot (which can also cause the “bun” to fall apart).

5. Place your “bread” on the frying pan. I wanted it to be thinner/smaller, so I made it into 3.

6. Occasionally check if the bottom of your “bread” is browning. Once it looks pretty decently brown, flip. As you can see, one of my breads fell apart! This is because I tried flipping it too early and it wasn’t brown enough.

7. Once the other side has browned as well, turn off flame.. and your bread/buns are now complete!

Turkey Burger

I just threw some pre-made spice mix (Perfect Pinch Salt Free Southwest Sweet 'n Smoky Seasoning) onto an eye-balled 4oz of ground turkey meat. Made it into a patty shape and threw it on the frying pan (slightly oiled with olive oil) to cook. Cut into the middle to check if the meat is cooked (not red).

After the turkey burger is done, slab on some of your favorite dressing onto the buns. My healthy alternative is spicy mustard. Assemble turkey burger in between buns and bon appetit!

Accommodations

Getting from SFO Airport to Fisherman’s Wharf: Uber seemed to be the easiest, cheapest option for us. If anyone has any AMEX reward points and can’t redeem it for $$ off their bill (or its a corporate AMEX), Uber has a great redemption value. On par with all the $10 to 1,000 point ratio.

Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf 2500 Mason St, San Francisco, CA 94133 Location is SWEET. I loved living in Fisherman’s Wharf. Walking distance to the pier obviously and has a lot of stores/restaurants around. Great for night strolls! It was a bit pricey though in August for my usual budget. However, I used my SPG points from my old #consultantlife to stay there. Pretty clean; but don’t expect luxury.

Eats

Quick List: (Must Go) In N Out, Delicious Dim Sum, Mee Mee Bakery, Hollywood Cafe (Pretty Good) Fog Harbor Fish House, Darren’s Cafe, Bi-Rite Creamery (Okay) Ghirardelli Chocolate Marketplace, Cool Tea Bar, 3 Potato 4, Tartine Bakery, Taqueria Cancun 1. In N Out (Fast Food, Burgers) 333 Jefferson St, San Francisco, CA 94133 LUNCH. My favorite fast food restaurant. So sad it’s only found in West Coast so every time I visit a city where there is an In N Out near me, it’s a must go. Pictured: neopolitan shake (strawberry, chocolate, vanilla) + vanilla shake + two cheese burgers + extra well done fries. Check out their not-so-secret menu that’s not normally listed in their very brief menu board: http://www.in-n-out.com/menu/not-so-secret-menu.aspx 

2. Delicious Dim Sum (Dim Sum, Takeout) 752 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133 LUNCH. They do it by weight here. Only one small table in the back so don’t expect to be able to eat there. Luckily, someone just left when we were paying. We actually were planning to go walk to a nearby park to eat. Several options of typical dim sum stuff. I would say what was awesome was the har-gow (shrimp dumplings). The sieu-mai (that yellow stuff with meat) and fong-jow (chicken feet) were pretty good too. Skip the turnip cake. That was average.

3. Mee Mee Bakery (Bakery) 1328 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94133 DESSERT/GIFTS. Known for their fortune cookies and “cow ears”, grabbed a few bags of the cow ears as gifts for my family. Apparently these are the only good known “cow ears” available. Also grabbed a bag of broken fortune cookies for the roadtrip down PCH! (Awesome snack!) Pictured: yum yum during the PCH drive.

4. Hollywood Cafe (Breakfast/Brunch Foods) 530 North Point St, San Francisco, CA 94133 BREAKFAST/BRUNCH. Long lines and long waits but TOTALLY WORTH IT. I’m sad I didn’t get to take a pic of my food but you can find tons on Yelp. I got the Marilyn Monroe (French toast and fresh fruit). So much fruit. Filling. Amazzzzinggggg!!! French toast and fruit is soooo good. What do they put on it? Crack? So fresh. I’ll definitely hit this up again when I’m in the area.

5. Fog Harbor Fish House (Seafood) 39 Pier 39 Concourse, San Francisco, CA 94133 DINNER. We wanted to do a good seafood place. Luckily this was close to our hotel and rated 4 stars on Yelp so we chose this one. Plus, made a reservation on OpenTable 10 minutes before the res time, so that worked out really well! No wait! We (my bf and I) got the Shellfish Platter for 2 - $58 and clam chowder ($6). Skip the clam chowder. It’s not the best. The shellfish was pretty good! Service was phenomenal. Not too overly pricey for a great view of the pier!

6. Darren’s Cafe (Breakfast/Brunch, Vietnamese) 2731 Taylor St, San Francisco, CA 94133 BREAKFAST. Honestly don’t remember what kind of omelette I got but I did try the Pho here as well. Pho is average. Omelette was decent. We came back due to the okay-pricing and the minimal wait for seating (after trying Hollywood Cafe, wait was too long for our itinerary so we ended up here). 7. Bi-Rite Creamery (Dessert, Ice Cream) 3692 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110 DESSERT. My friends have all told me to try this place out. We had to drive to Mission, but it’s a short walk from Tartine Bakery and Mission Dolores Park, so we hit it up! I don’t like hard ice cream, but people rave about it. There are two lines. One for the actual hard ice cream and next door, is a little window for the soft serve. I had their salted-caramel soft serve and it was pretty good, but not amazing for me. Their soft serve schedule is different every day so check out their website. Pictured: the salted-caramel soft serve (kid size).

8. Ghirardelli Chocolate Marketplace (Dessert) 900 North Point St #52, San Francisco, CA 94109 DESSERT. Tourist trap, I should’ve known! The desserts are overly sweet and too rich/heavy. One dessert can be easily shared by 3 people so don’t make the mistake we did by ordering one per person! We had the Crissy Field - Cookie Bits Sundae and Treasure Island - Warm Brownie Sundae. Do come to explore/walk around/and get a free sample of chocolate. Do not come for dessert. Pictured: the Cookie Bits sundae. My smile turns upside down in about 2 minutes digging into this sundae.

9. Cool Tea Bar (Drinks, Bubble Tea) Location I went is now closed. DESSERT. Was only decent anyway. Got standard bubble tea. Expensive and average. 10. 3 Potato 4 (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Snacks) 2800 Leavenworth St, San Francisco, CA 94133 DINNER (ish). It was okay... but definitely not worth the wait and expense. The dipping sauce was okay. Skip. Cool idea for vegan/gluten-free option. Pictured: Sweet potato waffle fries.

11. Tartine Bakery (Bakery, Dessert) 600 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA 94110 DESSERT. I’m sorry. I really wanted to like this place. Great yelp reviews, friends rave about it. Didn’t do it for me. Long line, but I think we only waited for 25 minutes on a Tuesday afternoon around 3PM. Expensive! We tried the chocolate hazlenut tart ($6.50), Cocoa Nib Rocher ($1.50), and Chocolate Croissant ($4.20). Nothing was better than “yeah, it’s not bad”. Pictured: Chocolate Croissant and Chocolate Hazlenut Tart.

12. Taqueria Cancun (Mexican, Tacos) 2288 Mission St, San Francisco, CA  DINNER. Appreciate that it’s open late night. I’m pretty sure that we got carne asada and chorizo (pictured). Eh, it was only okay for me. Flavors were not coming through as I was expecting. The tacos I’ve had in Tuscan, Arizona were waaaay better.

Things to Do

We wanted to do Alcatraz. Didn’t book tickets early enough. We tried to wake up early and do the same-ticket line. There are same-day tickets that are sold daily on a first come, first served basis when the ticket office opens at 7:30 a.m. but I hear people start lining up at 4AM. On a Sunday, we got there around 5:30AM and it was already too late. We’ll just have to come back to SF! ;) Here’s more info on last-minute tickets if you want to try: http://www.inside-guide-to-san-francisco-tourism.com/alcatraz-tour-tickets.html

Day 1 - (all walkable in distance within each other from Fisherman’s Wharf where our hotel was)

Fisherman’s Wharf / Pier 39 (Walk around, shops, street performers)

USS Pampanito (We walked around outside but didn’t actually go in the sub for a tour since we previously had toured a sub in Hawaii)

Musiquee Arcade (old school arcade games!)

Lombard Street (we walked up and down it)

Ghiradelli Square

Day 2 - (all possible to walk in distance rom Fisherman’s Wharf where our hotel was... but A LOT OF WALKING)

Exploratorium Museum (i loved it! so interactive. for kids and adults! student ID discount FTW!)

Chinatown

Union Square

Ghiradelli Square (again... I think this time, we went to get dessert. Not worth it, as noted up there)

Day 3 - (Rented a car from Hertz... I would suggest just renting a car for one day in SF and doing all the car-activities in one day to minimize expenses)

Golden Gate Bridge (we drove on it to get to Sausolito, Muir Woods)

Vista Point 1 /2 (to take pics of the bridge)

Muir Woods (nature is cool! be prepared to walk a lot)

Panoramic Highway (loved the view!)

Sausolito (stopped for a quick lunch here at Bayside Cafe. Not reviewed above, but decent and quick lunch spot.)

Full House, House (classic childhood chills!)

Lombard Street (previously walked, but wanted to drive down it! Fairly difficult and heavy traffic getting to Lombard Street. Be careful of the hills and definitely leave space in between the car in front of you! The two cars in front of us got into an accident because the car in the back didn’t leave enough space for the car in the front to accelerate forward (when you accelerate up a hill, it goes backwards a little bit first)

Dolores Park (In Mission. Lots of hipsters/young adults hanging. Like a very concentrated Central Park.)

Twin peaks (we went at night when it was too cloudy... apparently it has great views of the city when it’s not cloudy!)

Here’s some more pics!

Exploratorium - i was thirsty!

Panoramic Highway - First breathtaking scenic view of just hills I saw!

At Pier 39 (I believe)

Look at those steep hills!

Full House, House!

Muir Woods!

I googled how to make cauliflower rice but didn’t have a food processor so I used one of those magic bullet things to chop the cauliflower up (luckily it worked! Just cut up the cauliflower in smaller pieces and only put two or three pieces at once). I also saw that there are instructions out there of how to chop up the cauliflower with a knife so if that’s what you fancy, go for it.

I used a half a cauliflower, frozen peas, egg, about 8 oz of diced chicken and soy sauce.

Oil up your frying pan (or wok if you’re being legit Asian)- I use Virgin olive oil for my cooking as i heard it’s better for you. Put on high heat.

Crack and egg and scramble it up against the pan.

Add veggies (not cauliflower). In my case, frozen peas. Stir around. Some ideas (I wanted to buy but my grocery store didn’t have in stock or on sale)- carrots, string beans.

Add your protein! I used diced chicken. Try to marinate this in soy sauce or oyster sauce before you add in.

Add your cauliflower rice.

Add a tsp of soy sauce at a time as it’s very salty! You rather go slow and taste test each added tsp of soy sauce. Don’t add too much as soy sauce is full of sodium!

Stir around.

Enjoy your healthy dish!!

I also made cauliflower pizza with the other half of the cauliflower head. It’s not bad either!

I won’t spend much time posting about it as there are a TON of cauliflower pizza recipes on the internet. Sorry, don’t remember which recipe I followed, but all very similar.) Cauliflower- you’ve done and changed the game!! Will definitely look to try to substitute grains with cauliflower in the future.

Bon appetit.

Sources for Places To Go

I always do basic searches for the most popular spots to hit up aka tourist spots.

TripAdvisor - This is usually one of the first websites I go to. I really like checking out the different day itineraries that users put together plus they have descriptions, locations, prices, and how long the activity would take.

Literally googling “Best things to do in (INSERT CITY HERE)” or “Top things to do in (INSERT CITY HERE)” or some kind of iteration of those.

Yelp - I’m a huge yelper, but usually it is when I get to my destination that I’ll start resulting to Yelp. But if you know the area you’re going to be in, doesn’t hurt to look.

Friends, Family, Coworkers, Friendly Strangers - Luckily, I had a few friends who were familiar with SF/LA to give me a few recommendations. Also, I even met a guy named Osama at a magazine launch event who was from SF and he gave me some sweet recommendations. Most people love to travel and that’s definitely an ice breaker/good conversation starter for people you don’t really know.

Flights

I went on my trip in the beginning of August but bought my plane tickets end of April (so about 4 months before my trip). I did different searches (one ways, multi-city) and found that it ended up being cheaper doing two different airlines with one ways. I bought Virgin’s Friday 7:30am - 10:30am from JFK -> SFO for $259 and Delta’s Saturday 11:05pm - 7:28am LAX -> JFK for $271, to bring me to a total of $530 per person. There are better deals out there I’m sure, but this was decent enough, especially since I didn’t have much flexibility with the timing. But I knew I wanted to get in early and leave late (red eye from west coast to east coast) so I felt like I wouldn’t lose as much time. I used Expedia.com but used the actual airline’s website to book it. I think I heard somewhere that it’s easier to do changes/cancellations (if needed) if you just book with the airline.

Hotels

I’m not much of a help in this space unless you’re a SPG member with points to spend. This is when the perks of my job comes in handy... I was able to use my points for all of my hotel stays.

San Francisco: Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf - 12,000 pts/night Santa Maria: Fairfield Inn Santa Maria - 25,000 pts/night East LA: Four Points by Sheraton West Side - 7,000 pts/night West LA: Sheraton Pasadena - 10,000 pts/night

Trip+ Essentials

I found having these items to be so handy for my trip in SF, the drive, and LA.

1. External Battery - I have an Anker 16,000 mAh external battery and it came super useful, especially in SF when I didn’t have a car and would be gone from the hotel for hours (and using a lot of phone battery to take pics). I never used more than one charge but if you’re traveling with multiple people, they’ll love you more for it! I got mine on Amazon for $36.99. Anker has a pretty good reputation and I’ve been satisfied with both of my Anker batteries and iPhone lightening charger.

2. Small Backpack - I got my LongChamp Le Pliage backpack for Christmas; haven’t found a use for it extensively until this trip! This backpack looks small but you can pack so much in it. I’ve always been a fan of LongChamp as my work bag so I knew I would like this backpack too. I liked being hands free the entire time while carrying all my essentials with me, especially when I didn’t have a car. $125 at LongChamp

3. Light Jacket (with hood)- SF is windy! and LA gets cooler at night. I got a utility jacket from Forever 21 that worked perfectly. It was $21! (on sale); if I lost it, I wouldn’t worry about it. I couldn’t find a link of it online.

4. Selfie Stick - Okay, people might judge but THIS IS AN AWESOME INVENTION. Since I was traveling with only my BF and sometimes, especially on the PCH drive, if there was no one else there, selfie stick to the rescue! But even if people were there, I would still use it over asking strangers to take my photo. They were all jealous.... Heh. I got my selfie stick for free from one of the SlickDeals deals but you can find one that has bluetooth capability for like $10 on Amazon. Here’s the one I got: Dreamcatcher Bluetooth Selfie Stick ($15.99 on Amazon).

If I think of anymore, I’ll keep adding.

Boring Background: Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always wanted to go to California. Maybe it was all that Hollister/PacSun brainwashing but I always thought Cali was the most raddest place (right after NYC, of course). So much Cali brainwashing. The OC, The Hills, Laguna Beach (yes - my TV selection was fabulous). I’ve been in LA when I was like 8, but all I remember was Legoland being awesome and then a lot of family time not doing touristy things. I’ve been to SF two years ago but only for a brief time with my family (in which they chose to only eat Chinese food and not go to as many places I wanted to). So this was my third chance to do it right! Plus, my traveling companion - the boyfriend, had never been to California.

I’m for sure a planner. While stressful at times, I love planning and getting all hyped for a trip. My first trip that I had to plan by myself since I was not traveling with my family was Rome and literally wrote out everything I wanted to do, day by day. When I met up with a few of my best friends in Europe for a trip 2 years ago, they taught me to plan but also leave flexibility so for this trip, I just wrote down a few things I wanted to do (in no order) and decided either the night before or the moment of to do stuff. Majorly for LA, though, which was my big foodie stop, I did plan out all the food places/some activities I wanted to go to since LA is huge + traffic headaches and I was trying to split up what spots I needed to hit up-- this helped me decide which hotels to stay in. I used TripIt.com to map it all out and essentially split it into West LA and East LA with two different hotels.

Looking back, I think I could have done all I wanted in San Francisco in 2 full days with a car (minus the Alcatraz tour) and Los Angeles in 3 full days. But we took our time with everything, and it was way more relaxing spreading out activities. Plus, my stomach can only handle so much food (unfortunately) so I needed those days to fit all the meals I wanted. :D

Hope this all will help you plan your trip! I apologize for the rambling I’ll do.

I was a huge latin buff in high school. Thanks to my high school latin teacher. Loved Roman history and was so excited to visit Roma, the location of our textbook (that had gone on way too long)- Ecce Romani! Sextus, you silly puer. Why were they stuck in the ditch for so long? #latinnerdhumor

This was my plan for the trip. I’m sure I tried to follow it as much as I could (I am a planner, I admit it and it over-stresses me that I am!) but I probably moved some stuff around. Please note that this guide was made in Summer 2013 and may totally not reflect what it currently is (location, prices, etc.). Note, I was also on a budget! This was my first trip I ever paid for just by myself (just graduated college and used my internship money to cover this trip) so I was kind of cheap :D

My general tip is to try to buy tickets online whenever possible. Do your research to see which options are cheaper but usually online, it’ll be cheaper and/or you’ll save time not being in line to buy tickets. 

Words in parentheses and italics are my thoughts.

Day 1 - Thursday

Things to See/Do

Piazza del Popolo

Trevi Fountain - (FREE) - visit at night as well!

Spanish Steps - (FREE)

Piazza Navona - really nice square to walk around in, artists... go to Gelateria Del teatro (FREE)

Pantheon - (FREE - go inside is free) Mon-Sat 8:30-7:30

Villa Borghese - (FREE)

Lunch

Il Giardino Romano - www.ilgiardinoromano.it 00186 Roma | Via Portico d’ Ottavia, 18 What was recommended to me: Pizza but any food here is good. What did I eat: I got Proscuitto pizza. Huge! All pizza, I believe, are personal sizes, but it’s still pretty big.. very thin crust though so totally doable for one person. My pizza didn’t have marinara sauce. Didn’t expect it. But it was interesting. My boyfriend got the margherita pizza. That would have been a good transition pizza (my first meal in Italy) into a different country!

Dinner

Fluid - www.fluidventi.com Via del Governo Vecchio, 46 What I was recommended: Aperitivo - Eat mini dishes (all you can eat) and get a drink (Fluid Special - Mango/Pineapple drink) 8.50 euros, no pizza here. What I ate: I did the 8.50 euro all you can eat. It’s all little appetizers but I thought it was pretty good. Boyfriend thought it was average food. The drink I got was very good. I don’t know if I got the fluid special.. I believe I got a strawberry daquiri-like drink. Frozen strawberry slushie, kind of.

Dessert (I do not remember where I went for dessert.. possibly gelateria del teatro. That place was decent. Expensive and not my favorite place.)

Gelateria Del Teatro - gelateriadelteatro @ FB Via di San Simone 70 (closer to IES)

Lungotevere dei Vallati 25 Window Making of Gelato (Natural Ingredients) If you love chocolate, truffle flavor (make sure it’s chocolate truffle) Mint chocolate chip, Cheese fig and almond/walnut?, Sicilian almond, Lavander and Peaches, Pistachio

Pic of the day: Trevi Fountain (Have a Lizzie Mcguire moment and take a cliche “Throw a coin into Trevi Fountain” pic.

Day 2  - Friday

Things To Do/See

St. Peter’s Square (Obulus and columns) - free

Castel S. Angelo (Bridge with Statues, Entertainers) ($10.50 euros)

Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel - $8 euros if line (check online) --> (Definitely purchase your tickets online before you go.)

Basillica is free to see but if you want to climb, 5 euros if walking (500 steps), if elevator half way is 7 euros. (I am pretty sure I went to see this. I paid the 5 euros to walk cuz it’s good exercise! Plus I’m cheap. haha)

Sistine Chapel/Climbing to top of Basillica - 4 hours ($)

Lunch

Duecentogradi (200 degrees) - (This was my favorite place!!! I loved loved loved loved loved their paninis. This is one place I would recommend going right after the Vatican visit.) P.zza Risorgimento, 3, 00192 Rome, Italy What I was recommended: Paninis, Sandwiches What I ate: The best best best paninis I ever had here.

Lunch Dessert/Snack

Gelarmony (Sicilian Gelato) - Gelarmony.it Via Marcantonio Colonna, 34 Via Oderisi da Gubbio, 201/203/205 Viale dei Colli Portuensi, 330 What I was recommended: Don’t get the stuff all the way on the right (whipped cream/too sweet).... Get Pistachio (Don’t remember if I ever got this)

Dinner

Pizzeria Dar Poeta Vicolo del Bologna 45-00153 What I was recommended: Margherita, Pesto Pizzas (split), Calzone ricotta cheese and nutella Gets crowded, get there 7:00PM (This was extremely true. I got here like maybe 7:30 or 8:00 and had to wait till 10PM to eat!!! But I did get to bump into one of my sorority sisters there, totally random but cool) What I ate: Margherita, Pesto Pizza (I couldn’t find it on the menu but I ordered the one that had pesto on it). Good pizza but not amazing. Definitely not worth the 2 hour wait! I may or may not have got the calzone but it wasn’t memorable.

Nightlife

Walk around Trastevere, huge place for Bars. Very crowded!

Pic of the day: Vatican City, where the pope does his pope-ing!

Day 3 - Saturday

Things To Do/See

Colosseum - ($ - Tour … ) (I was so excited to see the Colosseum so I had to buy a tour with a tour guide. I bought it online and thought the tour was great. Man, if I ever remember which tour group I used, I’ll list it here but I’m sure I used tripadvisor to figure it out. Again, I loved Roman History so I had to get a tour here. This was my favorite activity in all of Rome.)

Roman Forum - ($ - Tour ...) (My tour’s ticket included Roman Forum/Palentine Hill. I remember they are about a 5 or 10 minute walk from each other. I believe that any Colosseum and Palatine Hill combo ticket also includes admission to the Roman Forum and it’s valid for two days. Check the website for updated details as that could have changed.)

Palentine Hill

Piazza Venezia (honors unknown soldier, first king, pretty building) - (FREE)

Lunch

(Pretty sure we just grabbed whatever was close. I left this section blank in my guide)

Dinner

Nonna Betta (Kosher Style - Jewish ghetto area) - www.nonnabetta.it Via del Portico d’Ottavia, 16 Roma Pasta, Fried artichokes, Eggplant Parmesan, no pizza make reservation (I know I did not go here but I heard great things about it)

Dessert

Fatamorgana - Gelateriafatamorgana.it _(This was my favorite gelato place! Favorite flavors: Rose (Thumbalina) and Pistachio!! _Via Roma Libera 11 (P.zza San Cosimato - Trastevere) Via Lago di Lesina 9/11 (Trieste Salario) Via G. Bettolo 7 (Prati) Piazza degil Zingari 5 (Monti - Colliseum) What I was recommended: Unique flavors here - Rose (Thumbalina), Blueberry Cheesecake, Almond, Basil, Honey Lemon

Pic of the day: My favorite site in Rome was the Colosseum, so much history!

Food Tips People Told Me

Order breakfast at a Bar. (I still don’t know what Bar means. Oops.)

Order a croissant (”Cornetti”) and a cappuccino for breakfast. (bread in italy was always super good... mmm)

Order fresh orange juice as it is delicious (this was true)

Don’t go into Blue Ice Gelato. It is a disgusting chain. (I never went in! My favorite was Fatamorgana which I frequented a few times..)

They don’t have tap water like in the States. They’ll give you bottle water/still water for a charge if you get water. (Tip: They have a lot of drinking water fountains scattered around the city. Carry a water bottle or one of these foldable babies and you’re solid.)

Straciatella gelato flavor is vanilla and chocolate chip (I’ve tried it. It’s not my favorite gelato flavor.)

Don’t eat the bread on the table. It’s not free! (I didn’t do this either but I’m assuming this is true.)

Original Recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/chicken-parmigiana-recipe.html

I love the Food Network. Always wanted to make the food I’ve seen on it. I’ve also eaten at Bobby’s Burger Palace but that wasn’t as great as anticipated. I trusted the reviews to see if Bobby’s Chicken Parmiagiana recipe was legit. Luckily, it was. Okay Bobby. I see you. I see you. Followed the recipe more or less, except for the cheese part. I even watched the video that accompanied the recipe. I also listened to other reviewers saying to use less flour and eggs. I halfed it and still used way too much flour. I also did not make the tomato sauce and didn’t buy parmesan cheese. I’m not about buying a whole container of it and only using a little so I knew I can probably skip that.

Ingredients:

~1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper (generously)

1 cup all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper (okay this was still way too much flour for me. I think probably next time I’ll take it 1/2 a cup at a time to see if that’s enough. I shouldn’t have been aggressive).

2 large eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon water and seasoned with salt and pepper

1.5 cups panko bread crumbs (I only had that much left but worked out fine)

1 cup vegetable oil or pure olive oil

12 OZ Tomato Sauce - store bought (used half a jar of Francesco Rinaldi’s Original Pasta Sauce (24 OZ))

America’s Choice Bag of Sliced Pepper Jack (12 slices.. 8 OZ)

a little italian seasoning (can’t go wrong, this is italian food right?!)

Used the rest of the jar of pasta sauce on the spaghetti. woot. no waste!

Directions

1. Make your assembly line (great tip from da flava flay). (1) Meat (2) Flour (3) Eggs (4) Breadcrumbs (5) Pan

2. Get your pan ready. Put ~1/2 cup of oil in a large pan (or I guess if you want to split it into 2 large pans then split the cup of oil among the two). Heat on high until smoking.

3. Add 2 chicken breasts each to the pan(s). I only had one pan so I was able to fit 2 onto one. My rhythm was to do the assembly line with one meat, put that aside. Make the second meat across the assembly line and then add both to the pan.

4. Cook until golden brown on both sides or about 2 minutes per side.

5. In the mean time, I tried getting ready the next 2 meats. My dad was there to help me cook so I could do the assembly line prep of the meat so that was a ton easier on me.

6. After the meat is golden brown, transfer to a baking sheet.

7. After all meat is on the sheet, top the meats with some tomato sauce and pepperjack slices.

8. Top off with salt and pepper and some italian seasoning if you want.

9. Bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted, about 5 to 7 minutes.

10. Remove from the oven and garnish with basil or parsley leaves. (LOL i dont have any of that stuff so I didn’t do that.)

Lessons Learned:

Read the reviews! Sometimes the tips other reviewers give really helps you save time and money.

Don’t be too aggressive with the measurements, especially when other reviewers are saying that it’s inaccurate. Next time, I would use maybe 1/4 of what is recommended and keep adding as needed until I’m done so I have a better idea of how much it really takes.

Keep the cheese in the fridge until the very last step. I kept it out and it was kinda soft due to the heat in the kitchen... it was fine but still might have been slightly easier to rip apart if it was harder.

Bon appetit!

Ease: 5/5 Time: 4/5 Taste: 5/5 Total: 14/15