After my internship ended, I had about two weeks free to relax before my final exam on May 16th. After my class on Monday night, I left for Los Angeles early Tuesday morning to visit my brother and sister-in-law. It was a great trip, and we got to do so many fun things! My traveling was smooth, too, which is always great. Below I'll outline my trip with each day's activities.
May 3, 2011
I arrived in Los Angeles at around 3:00PM on Tuesday. After settling in my brother's apartment, we all went out to eat at a great Italian restaurant called
Micelis. Not only was the food delicious (especially the bread), but there is a piano player and the waiters sing. Although it was a bit weird that the pianist was playing Christmas tunes a few times, the music was fun to listen to during the meal.
After Micelis, we went to Scoops for dessert. It's a small ice cream shop that makes its own ice cream in flavors you've never seen before! I wanted to try the Earl Grey Tea, but they were all out since we went at the end of their business day. Instead I tried chocolate hazelnut and chocolate vanilla. Both were really delicious.
May 4, 2011
For my first full day of the trip, my brother and I went to
Disneyland. I had been once before, but it's always fun. Since we went on a Wednesday, there were barely any lines! The longest we waited was for the Indiana Jones ride, and we had gotten a Fast Pass for that one, too. We pretty much went on everything in the park, except for a few that we chose not to ride. I loved the Captian Eo Tribute show with Michael Jackson. It's a 3D film made in the 1980s that they brought back after he passed away. Definitely check it out if you're in Disneyland. You can also meet Mickey Mouse if you take the tour of his house in Toontown! We took a picture with him for fun:
May 5, 2011
On Thursday, my brother and I went to the
L.A. Zoo. The heat was quite tiring, as the zoo is huge and you do a ton of walking. The animals and exhibits were really cool, though. The zoo was doing a lot of construction when we were there, so some of the animals weren't out. I still think we got to see a lot while we were there. Here are some photos I took:
May 6, 2011
When we went to the zoo, we purchased a combo ticket that gave us a discount price on the
Aquarium of the Pacific, so we headed over on Friday. Although not as big as the New England Aquarium, the Aquarium of the Pacific still had some cool exhibits. You could pet sharks and sting rays, and feed lorikeets. Here are some photos from the aquarium:
After the aquarium, we decided to stay and look around the Long Beach area where it is located. For $12, we took a 45 minute cruise around the harbor. It was so nice outside, and the cruise was a great time to relax and learn more about the area. We got to see the Queen Mary, sea lions, and more. Check out the pictures:
May 7, 2011
On Saturday, my sister-in-law was off from work so she could come do fun things with my brother and I. First we headed to Olvera Street, a Mexican area with lots of cool shops and restaurants. For lunch I had tacos with rice and beans, and a churro filled with chocolate for dessert. Olvera Street is a great place to walk around and look at a different culture.
Later on, we went to Melrose, a shopping district. There were lots of little boutiques and a creepy store called Necromance. My favorite place was called
Crossroads Trading. Crossroads is a store that buys and sells gently used clothing from great brands. Sometimes you can even find new clothes hidden in the racks. I got a new shirt from Urban Outfitters, a new shirt from Naked Zebra, a Betsey Johnson t-shirt, and a scarf for under $48. Not only was it a great deal, but my sister-in-law and I had lots of fun shopping together. We even got our nails done while on Melrose. My poor brother was so bored!
We ended the day by having Indian food for dinner. I had never had it before, and I admit it was quite good. I really enjoyed it. The bread was great. My favorite part of the day was going to
Menchies, though. It's a frozen yogurt bar. You pick whatever flavors of fro-yo you want, put on whatever toppings you want, and then pay by weight. They have unique flavors, and lots of toppings to choose from. Please come to the East Coast now!
May 8, 2011
Sunday was my last day in Los Angeles before my travel day on Monday. My brother, sister-in-law, and I went to a couple antique malls to look around. It's always cool to see what old treasures you can find. I didn't end up buying anything, but it is fun to look. We also went shopping in another store much like Crossroads called
Buffalo Exchange. The prices were a little more expensive, but I did find a cute top for around $10.
After shopping, we went to an awesome mini-golf place. They had three different courses, and we played them all. The weather was nice and it was great fun. My sister-in-law even got 3 holes-in-one! The place also had a pretty cool arcade, where my brother and I played air hockey. Overall, it was a great end to a wonderful vacation. I hope I can visit again soon!
