Cinco de Mayo 2024

Cinco de Mayo is the day when Mexico won over France at the Battle of Puebla. The celebration is more popular in the U.S than in Mexico. The festivity I attended was off of Olvera Street in downtown L.A. I got there last Sunday around 1:30 p.m which was way too late. Google map took me to the Union Station parking where the attendant said that they were full, and directed me to the next street lot in a brown building. That was a big mistake because the upper-levels were taken, and I ended up going way down. There were no employees working, the elevator did not function, and the stairs, well, no one was taking them. I ended up climbing up along the same path as the exiting cars.

Once on the street, the choice was to walk under a dark eerie bridge or go across the street and ask how to get to Olvera Street. After much confusion, I went through the Union Station, exited the other end, and crossed the street to get to the festivities.

Do not let my pictures fool you. If you don’t like crowds, you will not like Cinco de Mayo in downtown L.A. See that railing in the video, that too was full of people behind it, waiting to get ice cream. I had to wait a longtime for the crowd to disperse for a split second before sneaking in a photo. No matter where I turned, I was in someone’s way. I ended up standing at a corner for thirty minutes to adjust to the crowd passing through, before figuring out what to do next.

After taking in a deep breath, and getting used to the locals, I began moving. You see, I was not prepared to be on a foreign soil because that's how it felt. I was expecting lots of shoving and pushing, but to my surprise, people were kind, patient, and accommodating. One interesting thing was that there were small food stalls in between retail booths.

I ended up buying the above handmade  bowl at a candle shop. I mean, I think it was handmade. That's what the vendor told me.

The lines to get food are long, but if there is just one or two of you, there is no wait time. You can sit at the bar.

The staff working at El Paseo de Los Angeles are super busy, and pretend that they can’t hear you when you ask a question. But eventually, they come around, and take your order. The cheese enchilada is yum, and can easily be shared or taken home.

 

The sound of music comes from everywhere – the food trucks, stalls, street singers, the performers on the stage, and on and on. It’s chaotic. When you first get there, you cannot hear a thing because each person is playing something different. I wanted to take a photo. The audience staring at the stage, and the dancing couples in the crowd, did not want to let me in, thinking I wanted to steal their spot. I squeezed in, took a short video, and left.

The DR. Pepper truck was giving away free Dr. Peppers.

Heading back once again through the Union Station.

Planning to go next year? It’s best to ignore the 12-6 time frame of Cinco de Mayo, and arrive as early as possible, perhaps around 10:00 or sooner, and look for street parking.

 

The Grand Central Market and The Bike Shed Moto Co

Yesterday, I was at the Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles. My friend had not been there before, but I had a bunch of times because I lived in DTLA for about 2 ½ years. It has an entrance off Broadway and one off Hill Street.

I like this place because it feels homey. The atmosphere is super casual and there are locals and tourists from everywhere. Some people are oblivious of the patrons around them them and may knock you over; some are more polite and excuse themselves. So, be prepared for anything. There are plenty of kiosks that offer all sorts of food from breakfast to ice cream, to Latin, Asian, Italian and American food. I have tried couple of the kiosks in the past and they were meh. My friend liked their woodfire pizza. It’s best to get something small and test out the food first.

When I lived in the area, I used to walk everywhere and never had to pay for parking. They have a parking lot off Hill street. I suggest you take it, because it’s cheaper than other lots. Just make sure you hangout for less than 90 minutes and pay your 5 bucks. Stay longer like us, and you’ll end up paying much more.

Across the street is Angels Flight Railway which takes up to Grand Avenue. Walk around on Grand Avenue and you will find the Walt Disney Concert Hall which has complimentary daily tours worth taking.

We left our car there and walked around for about an hour or so. Hill street is the Jewelry district. My mom loved jewelry and knew a couple jewelers here.

My friend was looking for a special Mediterranean place recommended by someone, and she couldn’t find it. We crossed Hill Street, and lo and behold we found it. Apparently, many people order takeouts from Z Falafel. They are supposed to have the best falafel. I bought a few and brought it home. I don’t know if they’re the best, but they are good. It’s a bit spicy. I ordered a vegetable side, and the owner was kind of stingy and stuck me with fried potatoes which I did not want. So, make sure you hang around and watch what he puts in your takeout. Also, ask for sauce or he will not give you any. This place is located between 7^th and 8^th on Hill, and worth checking out.

Someone had a photo of this place on Instagram and since I live in L.A I just had to check it out. I’ve been in this area many times, but have never paid much attention to the Bike Shed Moto Co. So, I pulled into their lot and noticed several riders with their cool motorcycles, donning their helmets.

We parked, went up a ramp, and walked into a roomful of motorcycles. My brother used to ride a motorcycle when he was younger, but my mom kept complaining about how dangerous they were. So, he sold it. My uncle in Iran had a vintage motorcycle with a side car. When I was little, he begged my mom to let him give me a short ride. I do not know how he got her to agree, but I had a lot of fun riding in it.

We went in through a hallway, and landed in their restaurant. The atmosphere reminded me of the older Hard Rock Café in London. Hard Rock Café has changed a lot since then. Our server told us that the Bike Shed Moto is owned by a husband and wife and the one in London was their first.

My friend had the beef sandwich, and I had a truffle veggie burger. It was okay. We both agreed to try something else the next time we go. The staff were friendly, and the service good.

We walked around. Inside, there is a barber shop, a tattoo parlor, and a retail store. Downstairs leads to a patio.

Many of the merchandise is high quality and worth the cost. I wanted to buy a top, but they only had it in 3X which was too big for me. They also have tops with race car events printed on the back.

 

Wine Tasting in DTLA

My cousin texted me and said that on Wednesday there is wine tasting in Downtown LA at 7th and Figueroa, and I should look into it. So I did. The host was Summer Taste Downtown LA. The price included benefit to T.J. Martell Foundation and Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Wine, raising funds for a charity, a social event, all sounded good to me. I invited my cousin and a friend to join me.

When I first walked down to the front table, they asked me to sign a release form - fair enough since I wasn't driving, none of us were planning on losing our faculties and we had all had dinner before the event. After trying at least one sample from each table, I thought the wines were decent.

I'm not a wine connoisseur or a snob, but my taste buds recommend that if you ever want a fantastic glass of wine and get a chance to travel, try Saint-Émilion in France; even the least expensive wine from there tastes great. Here the appetizers were mediocre: two kinds of cheeses, crackers and chocolate. They even had popcorn, but wine and popcorn? Hmmmm…not exactly my cup of tea.

The event was for a good cause, the atmosphere warm, the crowd friendly and the people working there wonderful and helpful. I think this is a fun event everyone should try at least once. So cheers and here are a few more photos.

Labor Day Weekend

Friday Labor Day weekend, I walked over from my place with some friends and had dinner at Bottega Louie. The food was good, but the two tiny pastries were dry and way overpriced. I suggest Viktor Benes at Gelson’s for higher quality, reasonably priced deserts. 

Saturday, I was sitting in my apartment, thinking I should take a picture to keep as a memory. Below are some pix. Sorry about the blur, shadows and etc. I really need a good camera and photography lessons.

 View from my apartment

Before moving to downtown, I used to panic when I got lost here because there are some scary areas. But now when I get lost while driving, I just look up and see the couple of tall buildings I recognize and I just drive in their direction. So easy…

  Click on the photo to see the chopper that landed on this roof with an American flag. About 8 people got off shifting back and forth for a longtime. Of course I didn't have any binoculars to see exactly what was going on and have no idea what is this building but will find out later.

After having dinner Saturday night at BJs with my brother, his in-laws and the family of his in-laws, I was given the task of keeping my nieces overnight so that my brother and my sister-in-law could get a break. So there we were the three of us at my rented apartment which feels more like a hotel than a home. We stayed up until 3:00 a.m, watching Pretty Little Liars as my nieces oohed and awed over the hottest guy followed by watching and talking about Miley Cyrus’ disturbing behavior at the MTV video awards.

Time spent with my nieces is rarely uneventful. They always ask the inevitable question - what’s next - before we have even finished with what we have been doing. Sunday, my older niece wanted to go to the Staples Center at The LA Live because it reminded her of the night we went to see Justin Bieber. My younger one insisted on going to see The Walt Disney Concert Hall. I kept explaining to her that there is no mickey, mini or any other characters there, but she didn’t believe me. She said that they have a wall made of Lego. No idea from where she got that idea, but I decided to indulge her. First we walked from Figueroa to The LA Live.

 

Touching the surface of the statue to see what it feels like.

Unfortunately, many places were closed, but at least there wasn’t a huge crowd and we were able to take some pix.

 It was a hot day. Sodas at the JW Marriott were a must. We then headed in the opposite direction toward the Disney Hall until the two were just too tired to walk. We stopped by the Westin Bonaventure – beautiful inside by the way – and took a short cab ride.

We went in and signed up for a guided tour - highly reccommended

She was telling us that even with all the materials they used, there is still some echo in this area where musicians play.

The architecture is breathtaking.

The organ pipes were simply amazing. It was so peaceful here. The guide told us that during the concert you are able to hear the smallest noise. They hand out cough drops so that people won’t cough. She said at one time the conductor stopped the entire orchestra because someone’s phone rang! 

The Blue Ribbon Garden – on Disney’s rooftop tribute to Lillian Disney. It is a gift from individual members of blue ribbon, an organization of women devoted to the support of music center and its resident companies. To join this organization, not only do you have to give $2500 every year, you have to be approved by the board of directors! Hmmm...

The Large rose is made of Royal delft broken porcelain vases and tiles.

The guide said that they had to sand down some of this because the glare from the sun was bothering the nearby drivers.

By this time, my younger niece wanted to go home. She said she had no idea there was no Lego here :)

 

The back of the structure

The view from the top

We headed back after this and had a late lunch. The girls went shopping and later for a swim on the roof followed by a dip in the jacuzzi. I wish I had an aunt like me who spoiled me the same, but unfortunately my aunts were not so nice. In fact, I never spent a day alone with either one of them let alone a sleepover.