Josie’s, Winchester, England UK

I hadn’t been back to England in 9 years. That sounds like a really long time. But since my father now has a home in Winchester, just outside of London, it only seemed right to visit on “our way back” from Iceland. Winchester is the quintessential London suburb, an epitome of British culture. I jested […]

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Hilton San Gabriel, Los Angeles, CA USA

“Anywhere except Chinese food,” Jake told me as we made dinner plans. A tourism industry veteran, Jake was traveling for business and staying in the heart of Chinese-American culture in Southern California: San Gabriel. If you’ve heard of gentrification, imagine Chinification. Nearly every restaurant, café, store, establishment, etc, was created by and for the Chinese […]

Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, Santa Monica, CA USA

LA is a massive city. Less of a city, it’s simply a massive area. I live and work in Pasadena, and while Santa Monica is an easy 30 minute drive with no traffic, this time can double, triple, or even quadruple based on traffic. So I take my trips out to Santa Monica very seriously. […]

Starbucks, Shinbashi, Tokyo, Japan

Our last day – Rachel wanted soba for breakfast. I was kinda Japanese-fooded out. Last night we had ramen, oyster, scallops, sushi, and green tea everything. Rachel was staying for another week and loves soba for breakfast; I was running around trying to get everything sorted before my flight home… a nice relaxing Japanese meal […]

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Suiran, Kyoto, Japan

Soooooo much sightseeing. Our feet were aching from miles and miles of walking through the narrow streets of Kyoto. Halfway through our trip and at least 12 solid Japanese meals in, my body (and mind) needed something satisfying in a different way. Our first day away from Hokkaido, I used points to book us at […]

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Royal Park Hotel Shiodome, Tokyo, Japan

It was Rachel’s fourth time in Japan this year. Fourth time staying at this hotel, the Royal Park Hotel Shiodome. And she raved about everything at the property… except their food. She was right: ignoring her advice, nearly every item I tried from their café was a letdown. While the Japanese creations in the exclusive […]

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