Hill Grill, Los Angeles, CA USA

Setting up for the LA Auto Show is always exciting… and tiring. This year we had three locations, all excellent, with new products being launched, which meant more everything to set up. Halfway through the day, Daniel and I caught ourselves needing an injection of energy. With the food venues at the convention center closed, […]

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Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA USA

My mother chose the destination: Terranea Resort for a weekend staycation getaway. About an hour from our home in Pasadena, Terranea offers an incredible escape from the traffic plagued streets of greater Los Angeles. Mom chose well, and wisely in advance, as during Thanksgiving weekend it seemed all of LA wanted to stay with Terranea. […]

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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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