Travel Guide | A Day in LA

outside LACMA

It has been so long since my last post, and I have missed blogging so badly! I just started as a college freshman this fall, and life has seriously been so much fun but also very busy at the same time. I absolutely love university life whether it be hanging out with my hall mates or getting "breakfast" at midnight with my church friends. I won't go into college life too much because I plan to devout a future post to this exciting topic! Now that I have settled in and just taken my first midterm, I wanted to put up a post on my exciting day in Los Angeles last Saturday. Also, picture credit to Emily Sugiyama for a few of these pictures along with a huge thanks to her for letting me use her wonderful camera!

FOOD

Brunch at Republique | For some stellar ambiance and french inspired architecture, Republique is the perfect place to have a nice brunch. You won't be disappointed with any of their pastries, especially their bombelini's! 

Coffee at Alfred Coffee and Kitchen | Talk about hip, the Melrose location of Alfred's is at the center of all the high-end (read as: Emily can't currently afford) stores. If you're lucky, you might even spot a celebrity here! I really enjoyed their iced caramel latte if you're looking for a midday pick me up. 

Dinner at Grand Central Market | Since the two places mentioned about are quite pricy, dinner at Grand Central Market is a great choice. They have everything from Egg Slut to cheap and delicious Mexican food for you to devour. 

Dessert at The Pie Hole | If you're a pie fan like my friends and I are, you will loveee The Pie Hole. Located in LA's Art District, The Pie Hole features some of the most unique pies around. If you're a fan of earl grey tea, give their earl grey pie a sample!

beautiful French architecture in Republique

the bombelini's are a must try

so much love for the seniors

creme brulee cheesecake

Alfred's

midday coffee and devo break

THINGS TO DO

LACMA | If you're a tourist and you're looking for the classic lamp post photo op, LACMA is the place to go! Only one of us actually went inside, but it's a classic museum to check out if you're an art addict. 

Muji | Muji is literally stationary heaven. They sell everything from minimalistic pens and notebooks to acrylic cases for makeup. I'm seriously in love with this place. 

The Broad | If you're into modern art, The Broad is museum to go to. Their exhibits featured everything from giant sized table and chairs to chromatic tulips. 

Kirbi and Elise are so cute!

"The Emily's" 

The Broad

the seniors are too cool for me

 Have you ever been to Los Angeles? If so, what do you like doing there?

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-Emily

Travel Guide | San Diego, California

Earlier this summer, my best friends and I took a short road trip to the beautiful San Diego. It's about a two to three hour drive from Los Angeles and it's a great coastal destination for a road trip. I remember coming here quite often as a child, so it was wonderful to visit with my best friends.

FOOD 

After hearing countless friends talk about the famous Phil's Barbecue, we knew this was a place we had to try. Let's just say the long line at 2 p.m. was a testament to its popularity. We waited for about 50 minutes before we could order and sit down, but my oh my were the ribs filling and delicious! The barbecue sauce was a bit on the tangier, spicier side, but the overwhelming amount of meat on each rib sure made up for it.

Tips: They serve huge portions (even from an American's standpoint,) so I would definitely recommend splitting a dish with another person. Also, the line seemed to die down a bit at 4 p.m., so if you want to dine in, I would recommend going there at that time. You can also order on the phone and pick it up (thereby skipping the long line) which can be a great timesaver.

Now on to the part everyone wants to hear about, dessert. We didn't go to Extraordinary Desserts on the road trip, but I was able to go a week later when I went to my church's retreat held in San Diego. They certainly earn their name as they are one extraordinary place. These top tier desserts are both beautiful in appearance and exquisite in taste. They have a large seated area where you can order drinks and desserts, but since my dad and I were on our way home, we opted to grab a mini clipboard and pick out our desserts. Every dessert is decorated with some type of beautiful flower, gold leaf, or fresh fruit. I promise you that there will be something to your liking. We chose the apple strudel and strawberry scone this time around, but I hope to try many more desserts next time!

this is a little over half of the dish

the beautiful interior inside Extraordinary Desserts

the apple strudel and the strawberry scone with glaze

THINGS TO DO

The San Diego Zoo is a great place for both young kids and giddy adults. We had such a great time looking at all of the animals, and it was even one of the panda's birthday that day! The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is also a great place to visit if you are interested in taking some safari tours or going zip-lining.

Tip: AAA members get a discount, so make sure to bring your card if you have one.

A gorgeous location to end your day is Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. Everything is so nice and serene by the water and watching the sun set over the ocean is beyond gorgeous.

Tip: Make sure you arrive there a couple hours before sunset or else you will have trouble finding parking. Be warned, there are no bathrooms anywhere within walking distance, so empty your bladder before parking! (We learned this the hard way and walked in circles looking for a bathroom.)

It's so much fun to go down the cliffs (the safe parts of course), so be a bit adventurous! (I bravely joined my friends down there a little after I took this picture.)

We wanted to take a picture with our college sweatshirts!

Have you ever been to San Diego?

Enter my Nature Holistics Pamper Night Giveaway! (U.S. only)

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-Emily

My Perfect Breakfast Trio

Oh how I missed you all! Thought I doubt anyone noticed, I am so sorry for not posting this last week as I have been buckled down in my own little world studying for AP tests. Luckily, three out of four of them are done now, so I just have one more to go next Friday!

I am not a morning person. I love staying up late and sleeping in late, so breakfast usually turns into brunch for me. But on those days when I feel like getting up at a socially acceptable time, I like to start off my day with a delicious and nutritious breakfast. For me, that includes a handful of strawberries with a drizzle of agave nectar, a bowl of vanilla greek yogurt with a generous portion of granola, and a 95 calorie chai latte (link to my recipe here).

I am head over heals in love with this light blue bowl from Anthropologie, and I could talk ages about it but we're here for what's inside. I poured a cup of the delicious Trader Joe's Fat-Free Vanilla Greek Yogurt into the bowl and topped it off with a generous sprinkling of Nature's Path Hemp-Plus Granola.

You know the weather is warming up when strawberry season arrives, and I personally couldn't be happier! A light drizzle of agave nectar makes these so delicious and irresistible to me.

What would be your perfect breakfast?  

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-Emily

Spring Break 2015

If I could sum up my spring break in one word, it would be the beach! My family and I took a trip to Monterey, California, a beautiful coastal town. The weather was perfect, nice and cool with a slight breeze. We ate lots of delicious seafood and enjoyed walks along the coastline. I also spent a few days visiting colleges, and I am so happy that I have finally decided where I will be going for the next few years as that hurdle is now over with. To finish off spring break with a bang, I went with some of my senior friends to Corona del Mar Beach on the last night to celebrate this whole college decision process finally coming to a close. We ate yummy steak kabobs and other types of Greek food from Olive Pit Grill as well as some delicious Sprinkles cupcakes (best red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting ever.) I literally dropped mine in the sand and still tried to eat the pieces with no sand in it. It was really that good. Oh, and as you can probably tell, I finally have a season appropriate profile picture! That was one successful spring break.

pacific grove, california, united states of america

corona del mar, california, united states of america

pc: mr.lee

What did you do over spring break?

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-Emily