October 16, 2017

Trader Joe’s, USC Village, Los Angeles, CA USC

How many broken TV’s does it take to create an integrated TV display wall? Too many! All jokes aside, setting up our new retail location at USC was a feat that took many hands many hours. Hot heat, cramped spaces, bright ideas and a low budget – that’s how our buildout went at USC. And […]

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September 17, 2017

Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point, CA USA

What’s the best 5 star resort within driving distance of LA? That question has several answers with many opinions. And perhaps after a few more years of living in LA, I’ll come to a conclusion… but for now, Monarch Beach Resort was our stop of choice. Family friendly to the max. I’ve never seen a […]

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August 27, 2017

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 […]

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July 4, 2017

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. […]

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June 15, 2017

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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June 7, 2017

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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