Best of LA II: Fun day at the Beaches topped with a BBQ Ribs special

The LA leg to our US tour ended as soon as it started and we were left with half a day before heading for our 4 hour long drive to Las Vegas (Exciting!!!).

Our last destination was the famous Santa Monica Pier and for lunch (after days of Amusement park food and In-and-out Burgers), we decided to have a go at the famous Californian Ribs.

Santa Monica Pier

This 100-year old landmark is one of the most iconic (other than the Hollywood Sign) symbols of Californian beaches. This place is built for families and youths, with (even more) amusement park rides and a huge load of beach activities happening around. 

View from Atop

Unfortunately, this place is a nightmare to drive into during the weekends. The jam that led to the pier effectively cut our time there into half. All we could do (to make it before sunset into Las Vegas) was to get to the end of the pier, take a few photographs, chill for a while before the ribs called out for us (our lunch).

Family-Themed Pacific Park

Despite the short time, this place still left a pretty deep impression on me. I can't exactly put my finger to why, but I simply feel that this is how all beaches should be like. The clean sandy beach, the beautiful sea view of the pacific, the nicely filled pier and the absence of irritating tourist touters made this one of the best beaches I have been too. Obviously, the hollywood movies made this place even more glamourous, adding more glitter to an already beautiful place.

Simple Nice Beach Fun

Boardwalk to the Santa Monica Pier

Read on to check out our fantastic meaty lunch...




Mofia's Ribs & Pies

Our last meal in Los Angeles (for now) - Mofia's Ribs and Pies. Basically, it was only the ribs. Throughout the LA leg, we were all hankering for good ol' American ribs, but all we had were fast food and Asian food (we had Korean and Japanese food consecutively). So it was (how ironical) a good change to have good American food instead.

Mofia's Ribs & Pies

 First of all, I have to admit that this place doesn't look like a place any tourist will stop for a meal. In fact, you would probably miss it (we missed it--twice!), given the inconspicuous location and the "run-down" look of the place itself (its signage is simply a banner pasted over an original signboard). But trust me, this place is at least 10x better than it looks.

Simple Decor

Obviously, we had the ribs. As the portions were pretty huge, sharing was a good idea. When the ribs came, it was evident that we made the right choice. The thick juicy sauce was dripping from the bones of the ribs and the meat was chunky and looked delicious. It was time to get our hands dirty!

Oohhhhh-La-La

The ribs was as good as it looked! It was good ol' heavenly BBQ ribs. It was really unhealthy but the 'good kind' of unhealthy sort - the kind where after the first bite, you won't even mind if that were to be your last meal on earth. Lovely stuff! Another testament to the wonderful ribs - our plates were ALL wiped clean and we left satisfied.

Proof of Good Ribs

I feel that I'm not doing the place justice if I only introduce the ribs because the sides were equally amazing. Sadly, (for some reason still unknown to me) I didn't take any picture or note on the sides that we ordered. All I can remember is that their greens was fabulous (I ordered an extra bowl) and their potato-based sides were pretty awesome too. Check them out at 4077 Lincoln Blvd Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 (around Venice Beach).

Food Trails

As I mentioned above, other than fast foods and amusement park food, we also went to two Asian restaurants for our dinner. However, I won't dwell on it too much as neither was really impressive and I'm sure there are better ones around the neighborhood.

Korean BBQ Soowan Galbi

This was better of the two. The ala carte styled Korean BBQ (yes, there is no buffet) located right in the heart of Korean town is a good place to go if you have a hankering for Korean food in LA. In fact, there is a large Korean population in LA, so finding good Korean food will definitely be easier than locating good Chinese food. 

Soowon Galbi Korean BBQ

Our Dishes

Our Dinner Cooked at Our Table

Nobu 

One of the more posh restaurants in Los Angles, this place is well known for the chef that opened it - Chef Nobu Matsuhisa. We headed there for Hannah's birthday celebration and went for a specially "tailored" menu recommended by our server. 

That turned out to be the mistake of the night as it turned out the choice of dishes presented was the most unsatisfying part of the meal. The quality of the food and the skills of chefs is unquestionably good (they do have a standard to upkeep), but the server somehow thought that we never had Yuzu before and decided to spam all the Yuzu dishes. So it was basically Yuzu this and Yuza that, such that at the end of the meal, we were pretty much sick of that word. Still, this place is really good for a upscale japanese meal and I wouldn't mind giving it another shot (I'll do my research beforehand this time).

Ending words

Well, this concludes the first city of the West Coast. Apart from the glam and glitter, Los Angeles has been pretty monotonous and laid back. It doesn't have the excitement New York brings or historical roots that both Washington DC and Boston provide. However, this is a good place for one to take a step back and just chill out. For someone who doesn't like to party, Los Angeles pretty much ends after nightfall. If I'm ever back here (though highly unlikely), I wouldn't mind a stroll down Venice/Santa Monica beach or to go up the Griffith Observatory to see the City of Angels lighted up at night.

Santa Monica & our group

Oh and last but not least - A great HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our dearest Hannah :). Hope you had fun on your special day in LA (especially with the all-day K-pop) with us!

Happy Birthday!

Best of Los Angeles I: From Theme Parks to Boulevards

Los Angeles - the city of angels, famous for its beaches, theme parks and celebrities. Known to be the third richest and fifth most influential city in the world, the capital of the entertainment world, L.A is the place to be for lovers of the big and small screens, with directors, actors, screenwriters and many other personnels literally plastered all over town.

Arguably the most famous sign on Earth

Planning the itinerary (given that we had only three and half days) was pretty straightforward - Universal Studios, 6 Flags, Hollywood Boulevard and the beaches of Santa Monica. Unless you are a huge nut for celebrity spotting or parties, there isn't much to do or see around here as compared to other tourist-hot cities like New York or San Francisco.

Read on to see the star attractions that we visited

View from Universal Studios

Universal Studios Hollywood

The last time I stepped through the gates of Universal Studios in LA, I was only 10 and barely made it pass the height limit. After 15 years, so much have changed - I have developed a general disliking for roller coasters and Singapore has her own Universal Studios up and running. Yet, this place still retains a sense of familiarity, with iconic rides like Jurassic Park and old icons like Jaws and King Kong still standing strong. All in all, I'm really glad to be back here!

Hurray to Hollywood!

Obviously, changes had been made to the studio since I was last here. The Back to the Future 3-D ride and E.T  adventure ride has been replaced by The Simpsons ride and The Revenge of the Mummy respectively. On the same note, the famous Back Draft special effect shows was gone and replaced by the up and coming Transformer: The Ride.

The Iconic Universal Ball

Studio Tour with King Kong 360 3D

The Studio Tour went through a major revamp, with the Encounter with King Kong portion changed from the usual mechanical rides to a spectacular 360 degrees 3-D ride. It added the old-school mechanics with the latest 360 degree 3-D technology. I would recommend going for this ride straightway as the afternoon queues for the studio tours are horrendous.

The New...

... and the old

Overall, this is still one of my favorite theme parks in the world. The magic of this place comes not from the intensity of the rides (I actually dislike/fear roller coasters) but from the fact that it lives up to its name as a THEME park. With both classical and modern movie icons featured in the park, the theme park draws a sense of familiarity for people from different walks of life.

I have to admit that the rides are definitely not the most intense, but the variety of the intensity and focus of the rides would ensure that the park goers aren't bored at any time. I would recommend this place for any group to go, especially if its your first time in LA. A 10/10 score for the Universal Studios.

6 Flags Magic Mountain

Unfortunately, I can't say much about this place. Like I have aforementioned, I have a general dislike for roller coaster rides and this place is all about intense roller coaster rides (It seems as though each ride is built to challenge the riders even further than the previous). However, judging from how much fun my companions had, I would say this is the place to be to seek your thrills.

Sneak preview of 6 Flags

One of the not-so-exciting ride

According to them, this is one of the most exciting ride.

My favorite part of the day - Funnel Cake

Hollywood & Sunset Boulevard

Before we headed down to the famous Boulevards, we made a stop at the famous Hollywood Sign for photo taking. For the best vantage point, be sure to check google for the various good locations. Some places that would come out of the search would include Canyon Lake Drive (which we chose) & Mulholland Drive.

Hollywood

Canyon Lake Drive

Having fun with THE sign :)

Next up was the walk down Hollywood Boulevard. Here, we have two famous buildings and the iconic stars-ladden pathway in between. The Kodak Theatre (now known as The Dolby Theatre), features the famous red-carparted stairways flanked by the list of past winners (and blanks for future winners) of the Academy Best Picture Award. The Grauman's Chinese Theatre, host to 3 Academy Awards ceremony, features the popular foot and hand prints of celebrities encased in concrete in front of the theatre's entrance.

Kodak Theatre

Grauman's Chinese Theatre

Star Spotting

Leaving your footprints behind

Past Academy Best Picture Winners

Last thing on the agenda, we took a drive down Sunset Boulevard and Rodeo drive. Both pretty normal streets (except for the property values) made famous by the big screen.