Spice Station

You know why I love Silver Lake? Because it is populated with so many honest, independent shops, cafes, and specialty stores that deliver quality and hard-to-find items. Take Spice Station, for example. If I had the time, I would spend hours here learning about and sampling their huge spice selection.

They have it all. Every spice you've ever heard of and those that you never knew existed.




Rubs, salts, seasonings, and more. I wish I could take home one of each! And this is just the spice room. There's a separate tea room that is equally as impressive.

Can we get one of these in Downtown? ::sigh::

Academy Awards Sunday

Did you watch the Academy Awards? We don't really keep up with the latest movies and actors, but we did catch parts of the show including Natalie Portman winning best actress. I loved her performance in Black Swan! I think it comes as no surprise that she won the Oscar for that role. And how cute is she as a pregnant woman!
Anywho, I snapped this picture of an oversized Oscars statue a couple days back. I'm not convinced that I like it, but I thought I'd share it in honor of the big event tonight.

After the Rain

After a stormy night, we woke up this morning to sunshine, beautiful blue skies, and perfectly puffy clouds. It was a gorgeous, albeit cold, day in LA.

Metal Man

These street performers always freak me out. They get a kick out of catching unsuspecting passers-by, like this kid on his bike. Poor guy could have fallen off his bike from the scare.
Not gonna lie though, I sort of chuckled in the inside when I witnessed this.

Dance Teacher

Believe it or not, this dude right here has taught me some valuable life lessons. Like how to fake confidence even when you think you don't have an ounce of it in you. And how to werk a pair of 4 inch heels.

Mo-Chica

Last weekend husband and I got a chance to try Mo-Chica, a modern Peruvian restaurant. We took advantage of our free Saturday night to make a trip to Mercado la Paloma where the restaurant is located.

The menu is not huge, but based on what we ordered (and from what I hear) everything on their menu is delicious and well prepared. They also have daily specials that are announced on a small blackboard to the side.


We ordered the ceviche del día and causa del día as appetizers.

The ceviche del día was sea bass. It was served with maiz kernels, seaweed, yams, red onions, and was perfectly seasoned. Delish!

The causa del día was crab. We learned that a causa is a Peruvian potato salad. In this case, the bottom layer was a creamy cake of crab meat. The top layer was similar to mashed potatoes. Awesome.

For our main courses, we ordered the lomo saltado (marinated beef) and Sea Bass. The lomo was tender and topped with huge chunks of perfectly baked potato. The sea bass sat on carapulcra, a potato based sauce.

The chef, Ricardo Zarata, really has a good thing going on with this place. He's even in the running for CNN's eatocracy Best New Chef 2011. (we voted- yay!) Everything was amazing and fresh and soo yummy! Even better were the prices. The prices here really can't be beat for the quality of the food. I couldn't believe we hadn't been here sooner. But then again our "must-visit restaurants" list in Los Angeles is ever growing, so I'm glad we finally made it out to Mo-Chica. I assure you that it won't be the last time.

Fiesta

I love when you happen across a street in downtown and feel like you just about walked into a party. Cumbia music blasting from loudspeakers, little kids running around in circles, the smell of grilled meat and onions (er, "heart attack dogs") from the street vendors.
Oh, and the piñatas! The seemingly endless rows of piñatas just complete the scene.

Funnies

We found this laughing Buddha secured on a street sign overlooking a busy intersection. What a funny, unexpected detail. I can't even begin to imagine the things this Buddha has seen on that busy street corner.

Two Bits

Two Bits Market recently opened in downtown. It's a mini market and sandwich shop that offers a good selection of dairy products, wine, cheeses, breads, and (limited) produce. We're really happy to see these types of establishments coming to our 'hood! It's nice to finally have a market that sells local and organic products within walking distance. Although I'm still waiting for the day that Whole Foods or Trader Joes announces they are coming downtown. That would be nice too...

Rainy Days

Los Angeles got hit with another storm this weekend, so we're spending most of our time indoors where it's warm and dry. We did manage to step outside for a quick stroll through the wet streets of downtown. The rain calmed down for a bit, but by the time we started to head back home it came pouring down full force. Here's hoping for better weather soon!

Rocky

Did you know about the Rocky Balboa statue? You probably did, huh? Guess who had no idea about this statue and its popularity. Yep, me! I'm pretty sure I fell asleep last time I tried watching Rocky.
Thankfully I have nice friends who don't mind filling me in on this type of common knowledge.

Love, Philly Style

Philadelphia at night. Cold, but stunning.

Cold

I had to travel to Pennsylvania for business aaand it's effing cold out here. I met some friends for dinner last night and they laughed at me because all I brought to cover up with was a Northface jacket and a scarf. I guess I should have brought a big winter coat? Oh well, I'm surviving. The good news is that I brought my camera (yay!) Except that I left the dang SD card reader at home (weah.) A camera phone picture will have to suffice for the photo of the day: a picture of the frozen pond in front of my hotel. It's actually been pretty sunny out here, but the snow ain't melting.

love

...because we should celebrate love. Every day.

Día del Amor y la Amistad

Happy Valentine's Day! May you enjoy a day filled with love & friendship.
xoxo

Sunday Afternoon

We are so lucky to have been able to enjoy such beautiful weather lately. Today was the perfect day to take a casual stroll through Larchmont Village, pick up some fresh bread from the Sunday farmers market, and enjoy a tasty breakfast with the family. I'm looking forward to a busy week ahead after such a relaxing weekend.

Dim Sum

This morning when we woke up, husband announced that he was craving dim sum. Ummmm what a coincidence because I was just talking about dim sum with my coworkers yesterday. It was a sign!

Guess what we had for breakfast today...

Friday Night

It's Friday!

¡Salud!

USC

I spent the day at the USC campus for a work activity. It was such a nice day out. Couldn't help but snap a picture of one of my favorite spots in LA.

star

(an image from post-dinner photo snapping at the Indian restaurant)

Night Lights

These overhanging lights showed up over Main & 4th Streets several months ago. I thought they would take them down after the holidays, but nope. Still there. I'm loving the look.

Power

Nothing exciting today. Just some random power lines that caught my attention.

AntiGravity

It's no secret that the husband and I are very much into yoga. So when I found out about this antigravity yoga class a while back, I was immediately interested. The class is described as a mix of yoga, pilates, sculpting, and acrobatics: 4 of my favorite workouts combined into one class! Hellz yea!

I've only gone a handful of times since I don't technically have a membership to the gym where the class is offered. This weekend, though, I took the husband along. While it wasn't exactly his cup of tea, we both agreed that it is a great workout.

The hammocks act as your "wings" during your practice.

If you happen to have a membership to Crunch Gym, love yourself some good yoga, are not afraid of heights or hanging upside down, then I totally recommend the class!

Comedy

Husband and I enjoyed a show at the Downtown Comedy Club tonight. It has such a laid back and unpretentious scene. We enjoyed everything about it. I'm constantly surprised by the hidden gems that we keep finding in our community.

Mas Malo

A new hot spot in downtown LA. Interior design is awesome. Food is...well...I'll have to blog about it later.

Postre

Dessert at Bottega Louie: one of the best things to have happened to downtown.

Palm Trees

The signature palm trees of Los Angeles. Although they aren't native, they belong here.

Lanterns

Happy first of the month! January felt so long. Must have been because there was a lot going on. I hope February is as equally exciting, but I'm also hoping that it goes by quickly cuz we got some big travel plans coming up next month.

And can you believe that I'm actually sticking to this whole posting-once-a-day plan? I know, me neither! For the first picture of the month I thought I'd share some hanging paper lanterns I came across during a stroll though Little Tokyo.

Enjoy!