DTLA, Getty, & Griffith

I was in LA this past weekend. Went without too much of a plan. Gave a few friends a heads up that I was coming, made a few notes of things to eat/see/do, and flew out. The first day I met up with my friend, A, from BU and hung out in Downtown LA and Echo Park. We went to this very cool sausage place, Wurstküche, where I had a pork and alligator sausage. More or less immediately after, we headed to Cole's, which is allegedly the originator of the french dip sandwich. We sat in the darkest corner of the bar for a while to escape the midday heat having a few drinks. Cole's was actually my third lunch that day - before those two I went with another friend, J, to Din Tai Fung. I was told it was the best Taiwanese food this side of Taipei, but I can't say that I could tell the difference. Shanghai Cafe for me any day. Don't judge me.



After my superfluous lunches, we went and hung out in Echo Park, where A used to live. We got super hipster coffee from Intelligentsia, where almost every worker wore a ridiculous hat and looked like they were dressed as Hemingway characters. We wandered a bit, in and out of record and comic shops. Eventually we found ourselves at a Spanish bar, the name of which escapes me. Over some giant margaritas, we witnessed what appeared to me some old Spanish high rollers partying with old Spanish prostitutes while a live mariachi band played in the corner. It was surreal.

The next day, I went to check out the Getty Center. It was beautiful. I always find that it kind of takes the wind out of my sails when I try to photograph something so iconic with 100 other Asian tourists around me with cameras. This is part of why I love nature photography. Photographing a landscape, iconic or not, after a hike feels more earned. Either way, I took a few shots and browsed the galleries. Eventually I took a nap in the shade of a column on the veranda. It was warm and quiet. A humming bird flew by my ear, weaving in and out of the tall stemmed flowers in an adjacent planter. I haven't seen many humming birds in my life. I watched its precise, punctuated movements until it flew away.



That afternoon, J and I went up to the Griffith Observatory. It was right around sunset and the views were breathtaking. The sky was clear and there was a cool breeze. J pointed out that one downside to such a beautiful day was that everyone has the same idea. The observatory was teeming with families and couples



When the sun dipped below the horizon and the lights of the city grew brighter, I couldn't help indulging in some bokeh.



That evening, I linked up with another friend, C, from back home. We went to Pizzeria Mozza for dinner and it was pretty damned good. I had read that Mozza made the best crust in LA and, though I didn't have anything to compare it to, I'd be inclined to agree. C and I caught up over our pizzas and wine, after which, the both of us pretty tired, we crashed relatively early.

The next morning I got up early and flew home. It was a good weekend. Back to the grind in the morning.