Saturday, February 26, 2011

26 Feb- Peggy Sue's + Calico Ghost Town

It was the day when snow fell in LA.
Usually, only the mountains experience snow.
But thanks to screwed up weather everywhere, very light snow fell in LA.

On the way to the Ghost Town, stopped by Peggy Sue's Diner for lunch.



















Its a really cute 50's diner



































































































Sinful lunch















The beef was really great. Better than any of the fast food around.
Cute signs around















































They even have a souvenir shop


















Calico Ghost Town after.
It used to be a very happening town, but then slowly, the population dropped to about 80. Something about an abandoned mine. What's left are just shops. It's really deserted except for random tourists.






















































Interesting notice board


















Interesting notice
























If I ever become a hermit, this is where I would stay.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

22 Feb- 2 month anniversary

Woke up at 2.30am to catch a morning flight back to LA.
We have been really blessed X10000
All day today in LA, we've been hearing news that its snowing in Seattle.
And will continue to snow for a couple more days.
Our timing is just perfect!
Avoided rain snow slush, the weather was unbelievably good, way beyond our expectations.

As of today, we have lived in US for exactly 2 months.
And it scares me, cos that means SEP is almost half over.
Once you cross the halfway mark, it means the end is approaching.
It may be inevitable, but I still want to prolong this as much as I can.
We have explored almost the entire West Coast. Places that are worth visiting, we've all been there, done that.
East Coast trip is coming up in 3 weeks.
We've had our fair share of breathtaking scenery, which you definitely cant get in Singapore. So much mountains and deserts that we are now immune to them as we drive.
Learning how to reply to the American greetings of 'How's it going?' and 'How are you?' Ok fine, actually, I still dont know what the correct reply is. I pretty much just say wtv I want to depending on my mood.
Saying 'To go', instead of 'Take away'
Calculating the correct amount of tips.
Getting used to the high level of service here, where the servers are smiley, attempt to make small talk and constantly check on your table to make sure you're satisfied.
Writing 2/22/11 instead of 22/2/11
My name is SY Ong instead of Ong SY.
Colour is color. Honour is honor.
Americans are so used to dishwashers they hate to do dishes. Similarly, they are so used to dryers they dont have to hang their clothes up to dry.
They make the effort to separate the recyclables, from plastic bottles, to cereal boxes and empty milk cartons. This one makes me really happy btw!
Getting used to EBIT (Earnings before Interest and Tax)
Learning that Spaniards speak Spanish, and Mexicans also speak Spanish (not Mexican).
Hispanic community here is large and growing. Walk into any grocery store or fast food restaurant, at least 90% of the workers are Hispanic. No wonder Spanish is such a common 2nd language in the States. I always wondered about that.
And so much more.....
Gahhh 2 months!
So fast!!

Not-so-happy anniversary to us!

21 Feb- Seattle Day 4 Downtown and arounddd

And for the 4th consecutive day, sunshine!!
We heard a local on the street commenting that its so rare to get such a long stretch of good weather, and that such a day must be spent outdoors.
Really chose the right time to go Seattle.
Several days here, and we hadn't really explored the city that much, so it was time to do so.


































Slope, reminds me of San Fran.
The first Original Starbucks


































Seattle is really Starbucks town.
Every corner you turn, there'll be a Starbucks.
Close your eyes and randomly point at someone, 90% chance of that person holding a Starbucks cup.
And despite the high density of Starbucks stores, each store is still filled.















Not overflowing with customers, but reasonably occupied with customers.
Really strong Starbucks-drinking culture here.
My guess is that, Seattle itself is really cold, and the people need warm coffee to feel better.
So they go in, grab a coffee, and walk around. After awhile when the coffee turns cold, they duck into another store and grab another coffee and so on.
As long as this keeps up, Starbucks doesnt have to worry about going out of business. In Seattle at least.
Even I, a person who hates the coffee taste and only drinks Starbucks once in a blue moon, succumbed and got myself a hot chocolate.
Holding the cup, feeling the steam emit from it, enjoying the warmth, just sooooooooooooooooo comforting.
Russian bread for breakfast






































Seattle Art Museum















More naked trees















Cleanest city I've been to so far.















And of course, Chinatown






























Had lunch at a Malaysian store, where we got very chummy with the owner and his son.
He gave us free dessert and free upsize of soup.
Xing zhou mifen, bak kut teh, curry chicken, and best of all, sambal kangkong















Re-ignited my desire for kangkong.
Bo bo charchar!!!















Really great meal which ironically led me to realise that....I really dont miss Singapore food that much.
Sure, hokkien mee and char kway tiao would be good.
But I can survive without it.
Haha, lets see if this mentality will persist till the end.
Another plus point of Seattle.
Free train rides.
On certain days, everyone gets to hop on the train for no cost at all!


































What a great system!!!
The train is very much like the MRT, just that its less crowded here.
Later in the day, we went down to visit some dead people.















Alot of famous people are buried at this cemetery.
Bruce Lee is one of them.
Unfortunately, it was closed :(
Dinner was more Chinese food, at a place called Kau Kau.
They supposedly serve the best char siew in Seattle.















Too pork-y for my liking, as usual.
And too much fats. I really hate fats on food.
More meat















Wonton soup















Fried rice, which I think I can cook better. This one had too much fatty charsiew.















Chinese restaurants in the US never fail to have huge portions.

Random shot of the day: outside Little Darlings.















What's Little Darlings?
To quote their neon signboard, its an 'intimate Gentleman's Club'.
Which in layman's terms probably means 'sexy lap dances and other services by strippers'
Heh heh, located opposite our hotel, where we had a full view of the entrance everyday.
And next to Little Darlings was a sex shop selling kinky stuff.
Complementary goods.

20 Feb- Seattle Day 3 Pike Place Market

Again, woke up to sunshine.
Woohoo!
Due to the wind, it was still cold, but as long as theres sun to heat up things abit, its pretty bearable.
These are the kind of trees you'll see around Seattle.



















Bare naked trees.
Adds to the gloom of the city, especially if it happens to be a cloudy day.
Headed down to Pike Place Market, kinda like a major pasar malam specialising in fresh seafood and fruits.






























Huge fish head.















Funny balloon man



















Apple coated with caramel and M&Ms



















Trust them to turn something healthy into something so sinful :X
Very cute cheesecakes that tasted as good as it looked.















Lunch of shrimp bisque (which looks like coffee idk why)....















.....and seafood broth















There were salmon, oysters, shrimps, clams, calamari and some other fish.
Really my kind of food.
Abit too salty for my liking though.
I keep telling myself, that its so fresh from the sea that the salty seawater had nowhere to escape to.
Really tasty gelato.



















We asked this couple in front of us for recommendations, and they replied that all the flavours were good O.O
Was in the mood for some fruits, so....
Chocolate and caramel covered apple!



















Feels like some food expedition yum.
Second half of the day was spent at Portland, Oregon.
What else is there to do but to shop!!
The drive there was around 3 hours, but why go all the way there???
Because Portland is tax-free!!
Which spells cheaper shopping!
Branded goods at half its usual price, coupled with President's Day sale, and now, added bonus of being tax-free!!!!
Awesome deals and bargains!!
Receipt for dinner.
Look at it, whats so special about it?



















Ans:
No tax imposed, thats what!!
Dont miss out on Portland if you ever head to Oregon.
Get a taste of tax-free life.