Out and About in LA: Family Reunion II

A while back my sister (along with her boyfriend’s family) visited me to see my new digs in Los Angeles. Well now it is time for my parents to get into the mix! While my dad helped me move from New Jersey to Culver City, this would be the first time my Mother ever went to California. So we had a lot of big things planned both on a micro and macro scale. For the next couple of weeks you’ll see what those areas were in full. But for now enjoy a series of photos of me and my family enjoying the time we had together.

Out and About in LA: The Getty Villa

Way back when I first moved to LA I went to The Getty. A gorgeous  piece of real estate that holds some pretty impressive artwork.  I’ve gone back a few times because not only is the art gorgeous to look at but the views around the estate are a sight to behold as well. Little did I realize that The Getty has a second, separate location down the Pacific Coast Highway. Deemed ‘The Getty Villa’ this museum houses very specific treasures of Ancient Rome and Greece.

Out and About in LA: 1 Year Anniversary

A little over a year ago I started a journey. I was asked by a major television company to move on from New Jersey and live in Culver City. Two dreams were FINALLY given to me by not only working in the industry I desperately wanted and also getting to live out in the city where my dreams can hopefully come true. It has certainly been a wild ride since moving on out to the west coast. I’ve made a lot of friends, networking pals, and worked in a variety of jobs I never dared thought was possible.

Out and About in LA: Mulholland Drive

It is surprising how many scenic drives Los Angeles has. Yes, it has the feel of a cramp city filled with celebrities and tall buildings. What’s AROUND the city though showcases the true beauty it has. Slightly up north there is an iconic piece of road called ‘Mulholland Drive’. Apart from being the name of an amazing David Lynch movie, the titular road has given the industry a bevy of gorgeous scenery to showcase. I wonder if it was a happy accident that the founders of this city knew they had prime real estate when they noticed this chunk of land. Now Mulholland Drive is LONG and what you are about to see is probably half of the journey. The other half the road turns a bit more ‘extreme’ with the mountains & road and honestly my 2010 Ford Focus can handle only so much.

This stretch of road needs to be seen by one’s own eyes though. While I am proud of the pictures you are about to see this is an experience many should have themselves. Like the Pacific Coast Highway there is not a bad angle of all the overlooks and the road itself. Hopefully posts like this will show that there is more to this incredible city than the bright lights and stars. 

Out and About in LA: ‘Round Grand Park

While this isn’t the first time I’ve ventured into Grand Park, this is the first time I’ve stayed there for a long period of time. It’s weird how Grand Park is designated as a park because it doesn’t remind me of any  park I’ve ever seen. Well actually I guess my hometown of Philadelphia has something a little similar with LOVE Park. But at least this park in LA has some sort of grass and places to play with the kids. Anyways, it was a bit of a cloudy day when this was taken but please enjoy these series of pictures out and around the park.

Out and About in LA: Rodeo Drive

If any of you know me the idea of Rodeo Drive is laughable. I honestly don’t understand why clothing has to be so expensive despite the “name” value. Give me a few bucks and I’ll grab what I want at Target or something of that range. But Rodeo Drive is one of the more iconic roads of Los Angeles so despite my better judgement I decided to take a walk. Now I have to state that I didn’t take a picture of EVERYTHING and considering what I wore (ratted jeans and a Houston Texans hoodie) I doubt I would have been allowed inside any of these stores. But it must be said this is a gorgeous strip of land and with a strict rule on littering/smoking it would be nice if a lot of places looked like this. So to all of you (I’m gonna assume mostly ladies) enjoy a taste of what there is to offer.

Out and About in LA: The Petersen Automotive Museum

You know what? I’m not a car person. Which is a weird thing for me to say because my dad works in the car industry. Maybe there is no correlation with that information but as a twenty-something male you’d think I would be into automobiles more. That isn’t to say that I don’t find some cars pretty too look at or can’t see the value in them. Which is why I decided to go to the Petersen Automotive Museum on the Miracle Mile this week. Honestly if you are not a huge fan of cars or appreciate the craft of how vehicles are made this is not the museum for you. But in general this is a very interesting building to walk into and see a great sampling of what makes cars so darn cool to look at.

Out and About in LA: Redondo Beach

Last week you saw my many adventures, and many pictures, of Manhattan Beach. This week I decided to venture further South by hitting up Redondo Beach. Now Redondo, as far as I can tell, is immensely  bigger and is a much better beach than Manhattan. No offense to the people of Manhattan Beach but there just isn’t enough variety like Redondo. Anyways, with my new friend in Brian we both walked a good portion of the beach for your (and our) enjoyment.

Out and About in LA: Little Tokyo

Welcome back to our second straight week of enjoying the Asian side of Los Angeles. Last week was Koreatown and this week we are going to the aptly named Little Tokyo. (Don’t forget I visited Chinatown way back when last summer.) I honestly was not prepared for how incredibly tiny this neighborhood is. Considering how close we are, or relative anyways, to Japan I expected a neighborhood solely dedicated to the Japanese be much bigger. But to be honest it is about maybe two blocks wide and long so it is honestly not as impressive as I thought it was gonna be. But hey, I still had fun walking around the neighborhood and as you’ll see there is just enough here to enjoy a light afternoon. Or if you want hit this place up and go to one of the many other locales right smack dab in this area of LA. For now enjoy what Little Tokyo has to offer below:

Out and About in LA: Koreatown

You guys might remember last summer I went to Chinatown for a hot afternoon. It was a fun experience but it is not the only, Asian-centric neighborhood in Los Angeles. So that’s why these next two weeks I will be exploring the other neighborhoods that have an Asian flare to them. Today I explored Koreatown which is just southeast of Hollywood (as you’ll see it’s closer then you expect). Koreatown is known for it incredible food and nightclubs; the former I tried while the latter is a no chance in hell situation. (You’ll never see this booty bounce.) Anyways, there is more to K-Town then just the food so let me give you some of the sights that populate this area: