On 23rd Dec morning, I embarked on my virgin trip out of Asia!
to Hollywood's hometown, LOS ANGELES
to Hollywood's hometown, LOS ANGELES
In total, I flew 18 hours ALONE
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| stopover at Narita Airport, Tokyo |
In an attempt to avoid jet lag syndrome, I adjusted my watch and spammed movie after movie
sleeping only when it is time for bed in LA
sort of helped I must say, was pretty energetic the next day though I still crashed early
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| 1st glimpse of America's city lights |
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| You know you are in California when you see palm trees everywhere |
Had my first meal in the states at the famous Cheesecake Factory in Beverly Hills!
Debut photo of this handsome boy, Yuhua
He had been on school exchange in University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign for the past 5 months
and we maintained our relationship through Skype!
God Bless the inventor of webcam
Connection was pretty shitty though, only till the end did I discover the magic of Google Hangouts
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| many of the restaurants here has an open kitchen totally love this concept. cos this way we can watch how the chefs prepare our food all the hassle and bustle in the kitchen |
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| and basically there's always a bread basket at every table in a western-cuisine restaurant |
the bread came warm and fluffy but contain the excitement about free food people
gotta keep the carbs down and save more calorie space for even better food!
My first encounter with the legendary large portion sizes here
Got a Moroccan chicken with barley drizzled with pesto off the healthier choice menu
but woah the portion sizes are HUGE still
though more protein is always welcomed for me
vegetables were very sweet and fresh especially the juicy tomatoes *-*
Yuhua ordered grilled salmon with mash potatoes and bacon
You can never go wrong with salmon
and what's a trip to the Cheesecake Factory without trying out their cheesecake!
ordered the best-selling house specialty Sour Cream Cheesecake
the mix between sour cream, sweetness and umami cheese is amazing
the crumbly crust wasn't too thick and held the cake well together
advise you to leave the whipped cream alone though
never understood the usage of whip cream in food other than for decoration purposes
Remember to always give a tip or Gratuity (the formal term) in addition to the amount stated on the bill!
As a general guideline, it's about 15%-25%. Give more if your group is big.
Seems alot but the service standards are seriously much better here
Staff are always smiling and friendly, and really try their best to cater to your preferences
Answering with a "of course" instead of a straight no
and most of the time they do deliver what you asked for
which I really appreciate
because I always tend to ask to substitute carbo sides like rice and potatoes to vegetable options
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| the other cheesecake options available |
Had a nice walk around Beverly Hills area after the meal
catching up on all the lost time from the past 5 months
so glad to visit US during the christmas/new year period
coloured lights dolled the already pretty city making it even more dreamy
like how I pictured US to be from the dramas and movies
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| the 1st day approaching its end as the sun sets |
walked abit further down the street to meet the rest of the exchange students
who were in the same group as Yuhua to UIUC
Tip: Download the Yelp app to find places to eat/visit/shop
it simply has everything you want to find, plus reviews and location settings
Dinner at a Sushi Bar
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| woah angmoh chef |
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| and the sashimi fanatic in me continues her legacy |
this was freaking good! especially the salmon and hamachi (2nd from the right)
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| the dragon roll in the background is gorgeous. didn't manage to get a good photo though ^^" |
ending my post on the 1st day of my 14 day-trip with a group shot!
Really enjoyed the time spent with my new friends made and especially yuhua
p.s. Thanks for the roses darling <3
