The Line Hotel

 The Line Hotel in Koreatown, Los Angeles.

Commissary @ The Line Hotel

Commissary, a restaurant at The Line Hotel.

 

 Clam chowder and bok choy.

Venice Beach Boardwalk

I'd never been to Venice Beach before, but I'd seen it immortalized in music videos and movies. Despite not really knowing much about the area, I realized I could tell where it was supposed to be by the mustard yellows and ketchup reds that make up the Venice Beach color palette. 

It's said that Venice Beach is the artsy, more hippie cousin to the comparatively affluent Santa Monica Beach.

I wasn't surprised by the outlandishness of the boardwalk, but I was surprised by the obvious seediness of the area. For a place that seems to welcome the whole family, it doesn't seem especially safe.

People in Yoyogi Park in Tokyo have the exact same pastime, but of course American bubbles are bigger.

There was a smattering of these on the boardwalk.

Muscle Beach

Muscle Beach, right by Venice Beach in California. Much like Santa Monica Beach, there is a huge set of athletic equipment, generally filled with buff men.

This guy was pummeling like he meant business.

There was a group of kids nearby heckling this poor hoola-hooper.

A Chronology of the Sun Going Down at Venice Beach

Third Street Promenade on Labor Day

 On my walk from the Santa Monica Pier to the Third Street Promenade, a looooong stream of cyclists passed me by.

British iconography in LA.

The mismatched time on these clocks drove me crazy. How blue and how beautiful is that sky?

I could recognize that face everywhere. Unfortunately, this was not a sequel to Ghost World.

This woman had the thinnest, hugest hoops in her ears, and was gorgeous to boot.

Baby cacti.

A Japanese want ad in LA, with some specific requirements that will probably make hiring easy for them:

-Someone who is looking for a new experience.
-Someone who is a little interested in cooking.
-Someone who is in need of money.
-Someone who is energetic, motivated, and friendly.

Dinosaurs line the Promenade, for some stylistic reason.

LA Strays

Uni (sea urchin) shooters at a Japanese restaurant, with a raw quail egg. Delicious, and not findable in Tokyo.

A disappointing 7 am breakfast near the Santa Monica Beach. Everything was frozen: the acai, the bananas, the strawberries.

A heart-shaped rip makes a construction site prettier.

A store display of wall-to-wall Singer sewing machines at Santa Monica Place.

A painting of a shadow.