The Great American Southwest (Part 4): Los Angeles City

- December 28-30, 2015, Monday to Wednesday.

- The day has finally arrived when our family would have the chance to explore downtown Los Angeles on our own. For the most part of our vacation, we joined a land arrangement package tour to see the famous theme parks (click here for part 1,) then to the bright lights of Las Vegas and the deep Grand Canyon with the local Hualapai people in Arizona (click here for part 2,) and to the sloped roads of San Francisco (click here for part 3.) As mentioned in part 3, we decided early on that we wanted to extend for 3 days in downtown Los Angeles, because the tour that we joined did not cover Los Angeles apart from the theme parks. Since downtown Los Angeles is not only a haven for some American pop culture, but also a haven for a multitude of ethnic enclaves, we realized that there was much to see in downtown LA that we wouldn't have the chance to experience if we won't have an extension.

- On that chilly morning, we walked around four small blocks to 7th Metro Station. This is perhaps the most convenient station in the LA metro system, because the four main metro lines (out of 6) pass through this central station. We all got a day-pass Tap Card, which allows us unlimited rides on buses and metros for the day until 3am the following day. (After that, we may use the same Tap Card as a regular Tap Card by reloading a certain amount of money, or we can reload it and avail a day, weekly, or monthly pass.) A day pass costs 7 USD, which is equivalent to 4 single journey rides (so you'll get more for your money's worth if you'll ride the metro or buses more than 4 times that day.)

- From 7th station we rode the purple line to Wilshire West Station, and from there, we took photos first of the Wiltern Theater, which is connected to the Pellissier Building. The Wiltern theater, a combination of "WIL"shire and Wes"TERN," was built in 1931 in the Art Deco style. This old theater is still being used today, and remains to be one of the prides of Wilshire Western. Wilshire Western, where the building is located, has evolved to be part of LA's Koreatown.

Wiltern Theater.

Had to take a photo from right across the street.

- After taking photos we rode on the metro buses to Wilshire-Fairfax and got off. The metro buses are special kinds of buses since they work as extensions of the metro trains. However, metro train extensions are currently in the works, so probably one can ride until Wilshire-Fairfax visa metro purple train in the future.

- The Wilshire-Fairfax stop is home to two important museums - the La Brea Tar Pits and the Los Angeles Country Museum of Art (LACMA.) Since the La Brea Tar Pits had an earlier opening time, we headed to the tar pits first. The La Brea Tar Pits is a group of special natural tar pits that has been in the area since the age of the dinosaurs. Many fossils were discovered in the tar pits, and now, a dinosaur museum (Page Museum) with fossils retrieved from the tar pits was built right beside the tar pits. The museum also serves as a research institute where paleontologists and other scientists study the tar pits and the extinct animals that they got from the pits. The tar pits are located outside the museum, and can be visited even without paying the entrance fee, though there's nothing much to be seen apart from the pits of black tar; some excavations can be visited though, if one is lucky. There are also fat squirrels running around the area, and my dad had a nice time chasing  trying to chase them so he could take photos of them.

I am loving the logo.

Saw this museum right across the La Brea Tar Pits. It's the Craft and Folk Art Museum.

The tar lake with a dramatic rendition of a drowning ancient pachyderm and its helpless family.

- My family got the basic ticket from the ticket booth, though other people may pay more if they wish to see the 3D shows screened inside the movie. Since my family and I were quite in a hurry, we opted not to see the shows anymore. The basic ticket also has free access to the excavation tour, and it was what we really wanted to experience anyway.

- Pit 91 is the usual open excavation, but since the scientists were in a rush to finish Project 23, the open excavation tours would lead people to Project 23 instead. Project 23 is  name as such because the the paleontologists from Page Museum received 23 fossil blocks (eventually stored in big wooden crates) of tar with fossils from the neighboring LACMA, when LACMA was supposed to work on an underground garage. The scientists would take more than a month to work on each crate. Since the crates are more susceptible to forces of nature, as compared to Pit 91 which is not in a roofed and enclosed area, the scientists opted to work on Project 23 first.

Notification from Pit 91.

Tar pit 91.

Prehistoric sloth.

Ancient bison.

Large earyly camel.

Mammoth with a large tusk.

Dire wolf skeleton.

What a dire worlf could have looked like.

You can see what goes on in the lab through the lab's glass window.

They're looking through microfossils - fossils of small animals like small insects, shells, bones, etc.

Wow!! A semi wet-folded origami saber-toothed tiger.

Origami mastodon!!

Saber-toothed tiger skull.

Moving models of an ancient jaguar taking a bit of an ancient sloth.

Migration of animals and early humans.

Wooly mammoth.

Vulture skeleton.

Plenty of dire world skulls. It's said that the dire wolves wanted to eat animals that slowly got caught in the tar pits, only to get themselves stuck in the tar as well.

Saber-toothed tiger skeleton.

A derpy model of an saber-toothed tigerstatue.

A paleontologist showing us the team's latest find in Project 23 - another dire wolf.

- After going around the La Brea Tar Pits, we headed to LACMA for an early lunch, and headed to see the big museum afterwards. LACMA, built in 1961, is composed of a number of buildings, and it could take a full day to see everything, especially those who are very enthusiastic about art. I realized that my family wouldn't be able to see everything, since we had more to do that day, so I led them to the more important galleries that contained art not easily found in my country, or types of that that we don't have much exposure to. LACMA contains art from the ancient to the contemporary times, and can be described as a smaller version of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) and Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) combined. One famous contemporary artwork is called "Urban Light" (2008) by Christ Burden, and is installed outside the museum, and can be visited by everyone, not just the museum goers. It is an artwork made of rows and rows of street lights.

Hello LACMA.

While getting lost wthin the Urban Light installment.

Different kinds of street lights.

Inside the South Asian portion of LACMA. Mandatory shot with the Shiva Nataraja statue.

Gandhara art, forever one of my favorite Indian art forms. It's Indo-Greek art actually.

I should have this sign at my cubicle in the faculty.

Athena.

Art restoration.

Assyrian reliefs from Nimrud.

Cuneiform.

Egyptian mummies.

Yucatan deities.

Urban Light from afar.

- I did no feel bad about skipping much of the Asian art in the museum, since I've seen far more extensive collections in the Met in New York City (click here for my trip to the Met) and the Smithsonian galleries like the Freer and Sackler Galleries in Washington D.C. (click here for my trip to the art galleries of Washington D.C..) Also, my sister was more interested in the European art sections of the museum, so we spent more time in those parts; she wasn't interested in Asian art. (This is one example of how my sister is my total opposite. We don't even agree on tastes in art.)

- Just before leaving, my dad saw some food trucks right across LACMA, and told us that he wanted to try eating food truck food. Fortunately we had some spare time, so we were able to grab a bite. However, I told them that we had to choose one museum out of the two supposed ones schedule for the afternoon - either the Museum of Natural History, or the California Science Center. My sister chose the science center since natural history museums everywhere are almost the same (and I agreed on that too.) By the way, the LA Museum of Natural History is located right beside the California Science Center. Both are right beside the Expo/Vermont station of the light blue metro line.

Part of the Berlin Wall, across LACMA. Spotted while getting in line for the food truck.

- Since we were rushing after eating, we opted to take a cab instead of taking the train, since the train station was a bit farther away. We arrived at the California Science Center (spelled as "California ScienCenter") an hour and a half before closing time, and because the museum was small, it was easy to go around. The museum is free, though tickets are needed to see the space shuttle "Endeavour," and other shows. The California Science Center reminded me of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (click here to see) since the "science" museum focused on aviation and space voyage, even though small sections on ecology and the human body can be found in the museum.

LA Museum of Natural History.

California ScienCenter.

Big jet in front of the museum.

Solar car.

A replica of the Wright Brothers' plane.

Another old plane.

A smaller version of the Hubble Space Telescope.

I've seen the actual Hubble Space Telescope in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

A Mars rover. 

Astronaut's suit.

Two jets hung from the ceiling.

Outside.

Another view of the jet.

- We were not able to buy tickets to see Endeavour because we found out that we needed to buy tickets for it at almost closing time. still it was great to see all the other old planes and replicas of rockets and satellites in the museum.

- My family and I had to split for the evening after visiting the museum, since I was scheduled to meet a friend for dinner. My family on the other hand decided to have dinner at LA's Little Tokyo. I met my friend Katherine, who was a batchmate from a neighboring school, before she moved to the US. We had dinner in California Pizza Kitchen near my hotel - what better way to enjoy CPK than eating in CPK in California, right?

Hi Katherine!! We had our tequila chicken pasta and our almost vegetarian pizza. It has avocados apart from garden greens.

- After having a fabulous dinner and catch-up session with Katherine, I had to go back to my hotel and rest for Tuesday's itinerary. That Tuesday was probably one of the days that I looked forward to the most because it had all the things that I wanted to see the most; the first day was more of my sister's day, although I had arranged the itinerary for that day. Actually, I arranged my family's itinerary for our 3-day extension in Los Angeles City.

- The next morning, my family and I headed out quite early, as per my instructions the night before, and headed to the Hollywood & Highland (both the mall and the metro station are named as such; the metro station is located right beside the mall.) Hollywood and Highland (I'll shorten it to H&H from here) is perhaps the most convenient place to directly see the Hollywood sign, although the sign can be quite small since the mall is still quite far away; we did not want to rub elbows with the battalion of tourists that H&H sees everyday, so we had to go earlier. Other places where people can see the sign are the Griffith Observatory, and various drive points nearer to the mountains; although these may provide a closer view of the Hollywood sign, they are harder to access by public transportation as compared to H&H. H&H is also home to the Dolby Theatre (aka The "Kodak Theatre") where the Academy Awards is held. Part of H&H is the TCL Chinese Theater that we saw during our first leg (click here for part 1,) as well as the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

- Another interesting building within H&H is the Ishtar Gate, which acts as the observation deck of H&H, where people go to take pictures with the Hollywood sign. The Ishtar Gate was fashioned after the Gate of Ishtar, originally found in Iraq and dedicated to the Ishtar - the Babylonian goddess of love, war, and fertility; the Gate of Ishtar also has a replica made in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Speaking of the observation deck, it is accessible to the public even before the stores and restaurants at the mall open. Since we arrived early and with less people around, we were able to take more photos of the Hollywood sign in a more relaxed manner. Less than half an hour after taking photos with the Hollywood sign, the tourists started to flood the observation deck.

Uneven lighting is forever a problem at the Ishtar Gate observation deck.

Teeny tiny Hollywood sign from afar.

RuPaul's shop!!

Hello Jimmy Kimmel!!

- After taking photos, we explored the Hollywood Walk of Fame more, and went back to H&H to have lunch. Restaurants in H&H open around 11 or 12, while retail stores open around 10am. The mall is quite small, but it's a good place to hang around.

TCL Chinese Theater, we meet again.

Director John Woo.

Going along the Star Wars hype, though I'm not really a fan; I have some idea about the movie series though.

The legendary Steven Spielberg.

Harrison Ford.

The "Voice of God": Morgan Freeman. 

Eddie Murphy, Dr. Doolittle.

Nicolas Cage - the celebrity of 9gag. 

Chuck Jones, the father of Looney Tunes.

Sesame Street!!

Peanutssss.

'Nuff said.

Rhapsody in Blueee.

Hello Hollywood!!

Move aside, One Direction.

Elvis!! The King of Rock!!

The Holywood Walk of Fame has 5 categories represented by 5 symbols, and these symbols are located below the names of the celebrities: TV, film, music, radio, and theater/live performance. 

The "Four Ladies of Hollywood" gazebo. 

90s!!

Every comic geek's daddeh!!

Signed, sealed, delivered!!

HEUHEUHEUHEUHEU, HEUHEUHEUHEUHEU, E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E!!

Ain't no one gon' pick a fight with him. 

LA LUCEEEEE CHE TU DAIIII~~~~ NEL CUORE RESTERAAA!!!!

The Cosby Show!!

Someday, her prince will come.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!!

Dolby Theatre.

OMGGGGGGG THE TWILIGHT ZONE!!!!

With a matching tiptoe.

Ishtar Gate.

There was a better view of the Hollywood sign out in the street. 

What about me?? Haha.

Star Wars everywhere.

Say my name, say my name.

The next American Idol!!

- For the rest of the afternoon, we headed to Union Station to go to Olvera Street. Union Station is the end of the red and purple lines, and is the hub for the red, purple, and gold metro lines, and interstate commuter lines (i.e. Metrolink and Amtrak,) and the Metro Liner bus line. Just across Union Station, one can find himself in the oldest part of Los Angeles - El Pueblo de los Angeles Historical District. This part of LA was founded by the Spanish in the 1700s during the Spanish rule, and later ruled by the Mexicans, and lastly (until now,) by the Americans.

Union Station from afar. Don't be deceived by its looks, it's MASSIVE inside.

- The historical district is home to many old houses and buildings from the 1700s and 1800s. Many of the buildings from the 1800s were built and used by the first Chinese immigrants during the Gold Rush era. Among the remnants of the historical district, the liveliest and most interesting is Olvera Street. The short and narrow Olvera Street was once home to the first Spanish settlers in the area. Today, Olvera Street now serves as a cultural street, where many Latin Americans sell souvenirs from Latin America (mainly Mexican,) and authentic Latin American food. It was the closest that I've been to Mexico (since I haven't gone to Mexico, which by the way is just separated from California by a border,) and so I wanted to experience every bit of Latino culture in Olvera Street.

La Plaza Methodist Church.

Olvera Street cross.

"Olvera Street."

Lucha Libre masks.

- Apart from the souvenirs stores, Olvera Street is also home to some of Los Angeles' oldest adobe houses. The oldest one, and perhaps the first house in Los Angeles is the Avila House from 1818; it was owned by Francisco Avila, who was a wealthy cattle rancher. The house is now a small museum, and is free of charge.

Oldest house.

Dining room.

Office.

Bedroom. I noticed that the houses seem to have small/narrow rooms.

Cactus as large as a tree.

- I spent the rest of the early afternoon buying Latin-American clothing that I could wear casually, though if only I had enough luggage space and a reason to use them, I would've bought the traditional Mayan, Incan, and other Yucatan Indian costumes for men (complete with golden headdresses!!) Those Mayan, Incan, and other ancient ritual costumes can cost quite a lot by the way. Speaking of shopping, most of the vendors there may have stayed or lived in the US for a long time, and some might have even been born and raised there, so they usually talk in perfect American English. I did encounter some aunties and uncles who could speak less English, or had difficulty speaking English, so encounters with them were the only times when my telenovela-like Spanish came out.

GIANT PINATA.

With Emilianao Zapata, the hero of the Mexican Revolution.

Mexican houses converted to stores.

I love the design.

Rows and rows of shops.

King Carlos III of Spain.

Olvera Street again.

Playing Mexican songs.

- For the late afternoon, we went back to 7th Station, and left my family in a shopping area where they can also have dinner; there was a small branch of Target there too. I, on the other hand, went back to the hotel, and met up with my high school batchmate and orgmate Michelle. She came with her fiance, Dan. Initially, we had schedule a dinner at Olvera Street, but because the shops and restaurants there close quite early (around 8pm,) and that I had spent the whole afternoon there, we decided to have dinner at Little Tokyo.

- We had a short drive to Little Tokyo, and had a lot of time to walk around the area before having dinner. Little Tokyo was first inhabited by migrant Japanese professionals in the Meiji Era (late 1800s to early 1900s,) but immigration laws soon halted further immigration by foreigners, not only by the Japanese. Later on, Little Tokyo was almost abandoned because the Japanese were relocated in camps during the Second World War. The Japanese-Americans' return to Little Tokyo, and further immigration commenced after the Second World War, and Little Tokyo was rebuilt until it became the busting hub for all-things-Japanese that it is today. One more interesting thing about Little Tokyo - it's where the California Roll (aka California Maki) was born!!

With Michelle in front of the Little Tokyo watchtower.

The watchtower up close.

Tada!!

- While roaming around I was able to buy some Japanese things that I needed for my rather colorful and cultural daily life (I semi-literally bring the world to my students in my Asian history class for example.) I also got to see a store that mostly sold super sentai toys (the series of shows that the USA has turned into the Power Rangers series.) I went mad when I was in the store, and I had to ask Michelle to drag me away before I mindlessly buy the whole store dry. (I didn't buy anything though.)

- We finally had dinner at Maruya, and I had grabbed the opportunity of tasting sake. Sake is the typical Japanese rice wine, usually served warm. In Maruya, they serve it in either big or small "vases;" I only had a small one since Michelle and Dan didn't want to share with me. Compared to sake's Korean counterpart, soju, which also happens to be one of the alcoholic drinks that I like (and I rarely like drinking alcoholic beverages,) sake seemed to have a stronger kick. Since I am not an expert on alcoholic drinks, I am not sure if sake being served warm contributes to sake having a strong kick compared to the chilled Korean soju. It should also be noted that there are many kinds of sake, and some kinds of sake are served chilled.

Enjoying sake. See that little vase??

With Michelle and Dan.

- After dinner we went to Glendale City, just up north of Los Angeles City. I had a short look around Michelle's place before they drove us to the corner of San Fernando Road and Elm Street for some REAL tacos. At the street corner stood a small taco stall with some Mexican/Latino music rocking the quiet night from the small radio. The stall is called Texis Tacos (aka Tacos La Morenita; click here for their Facebook page,) and I was told that this small stall is popular with long lines especially on the weekends. They can make any kind of taco or burrito, and I had the best tacos of my life. If only I were not full from my Japanese dinner, I would've eaten a whole bunch of tacos!! Their guacamole was also perfectly made. I had an ox tripe tacos and a pork taco. Michelle also introduced me to horchata (silent h, like in all romance languages,) a sweet drink from the hispanic world (not just Latin America,) made from almonds, rice, barley, and other seeds.

My tripe taco with guacamole.

From Michelle's camera. That's how much I loved my taco.

HOT HOT HOT HOT. (Straight off the pan.)

My horchata and my half-eaten tripe taco (taco de tripa.)

Nothing fancy, but amazing.

Getting some guacamole from the condiments section.

Pork taco.

- Since it was getting late after "dinner number two," Michelle and Dan drove me around Los Angeles to see some of the other places that I might want to see on the way to my hotel. They drove me through Little Armenia, which was supposed to be where I'd be bringing my parents the following day, but I decided not to after seeing what LA's Little Armenia was like. I was told, and I have later read too, that Glendale's Little Armenia has surpassed LA City's Little Armenia, and the Little Armenia in LA is now part Filipinotown, part Thaitown, part Koreatown, with little "Armenian stuff" left. Some small Armenian grocery stores and churches are just scattered within the now multicultural district. I was glad that they showed me around, and at least I could change the itinerary for my family's last day in Los Angeles.

- Scrapping Little Armenia, I decided to take my parents back to Little Tokyo while my sister spent the whole morning and early afternoon with her LA-based friend. All of us have been to Little Tokyo -  me the night before, and my parents (with my sister) on our first night in LA - but my parents told me that they did not have the chance to stroll around Little Tokyo unlike me with Michelle and Dan the night before. I told them how great Little Tokyo was, and how it was a small area that was packed with cultural things, the plan to visit Little Tokyo seemed fine to them. I also told them that I wanted to see the Japanese American Museum, which, of course, is located in Little Tokyo. Little Tokyo is accessible by the Gold metro line, but a short walk from Union Station can bring people to Little Tokyo; walking was not a problem since it was chilly and so I did not have to sweat a lot.

We saw this statue everyday on the way to metro station from our hotel.

This is an office building by the way.

- My parents and I arrived in Little Tokyo around 9:30 in the morning, when shops were just starting to open, and when the Japanese elderly were sitting quietly in the small garden or plaza having coffee or reading the morning paper. Almsot everything I heard around me was Japanese, and not to mention the rather traditional Japanese appearance of Little Tokyo that added to the Japanese "feel" of the place. It immediately reminded me of my trip to Japan a few years ago (click here, here, and here to see my Japan trip.) Since I'm usually the type of guy who can get affected by his surroundings, all my basic survival Japanese came out naturally when asking for directions and certain items that I may want to buy; the elderly Japanese speak Japanese to each other most of the time instead of English. (Needless to say, I automatically switch to English when talking to a young Japanese, since they most have most likely lived in the US for most or all of their lives.)    

Ohayou gozaimasu!!

The watchtower in the morning.

Am I in Japan or what.

Wishing tree.

- My parents and I first went to Koyasan Buddhist Temple. The Shingon Buddhist temple was founded by Reverend Shutai Aoyama in 1912, with the help of the local Japanese community. The temple has a special connection with the Tokugawa shogunate, as the Tokugawa mon (family emblem) can be found throughout the temple. By the way, no photography is allowed inside the temple, but people can freely take photos of the temple from the outside.

Outside the temple. My big head is blocking the door.

Statues and plants outside the temple. The temple is larger than you think. I was really surprised when I entered.

- At around 11am, we visited the Japanese American Museum, which showed the history and life of the early Japanese migrants, as well as the different incidents of discrimination that they faced especially during the Second World War. A part of the museum is also reserved for temporary exhibits; during our visit, that area was filled by artworks by contemporary Japanese-American artists.

GORANGER!!!! THE FIRST SUPER SENTAI EVERRRRR.

Luggages from the first Japanese immigrants.

Some of the first Japanese professionals who migrated to the US.

Old Japanese stores.

They were stil able to practice their heritage despite being Americans.

WWII article on how to different Chinese from Japanese people.

A small luggage with a few things - usually the only things most early migrants could take with them.

Tada!! 

The original Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. I love the "old look" of the temple; the temple has since relocated to a nearby location in the late 1980s.

- For lunch we headed to Olvera Street once again, so I can introduce my parents to real Latino food. Based on my research the night before, all restaurants in Olvera Street had good reviews in the net, so deciding where to eat was hard. I ended up choosing La Noche Buena, because it had the highest number of reviews (all of them good.) La Noche Buena is one of the smaller restaurants located at the heart of Olvera Street. It's easy to miss this restaurant from all the souvenir stores that surround it, but the netizens say that La Noche Buena has some of the best food around Olvera Street.

The LA City Hall.

Old and new.

I was so hungry that I forgot to take a photo of La Noche Buena's food. It was just so good!! At least I got to take a photo of the name.

- After lunch, we headed to Garnier Building, which is located within the old district. This building from the 1800s now houses the Chinese American Museum; we weren't able to visit it the day before because we arrived after 3pm, which is when the museum closes. At first I found it strange for a Chinese museum to be located within the Mexican/Latino/hispanic theme of the historic district. It was during my visit to the museum - which is free of charge by the way - that I found out that a large portion of the historic district (not including Olvera Street) became the (old) Chinatown in the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Due to a string of events that affected the people of old Chinatown, and most significantly the construction of the Union Station that stands across Olvera Street today, the Chinese of old Chinatown were pushed to the northern part of the city. This northern part is now recognized as the current Chinatown of Los Angeles. (Our family decided not to visit Chinatown anymore since we didn't have much time to spare, and we thought that we went to the USA in the first place to experience something that we wouldn't be likely to experience back in Manila.)

Old buildings from the 1800s in the LA Historical District.

Here we are.

Such a quiet street. It was a charming street too, perfect for making music videos or doing photoshoots.

Tada!!

- The early Chinese, similar to most Japanese, emigrated to the USA during the California gold rush. Since then, they were also subject to discrimination and unfair laws. Most migrants came from Guangzhou, since it was closest to one of the open ports of China in those days - Hong Kong. Eventually, the Chinese spread in many parts of the US, mainly in the east and west coasts, and formed many Chinatowns.

Chinese immigration report.

American Chinese who worked for the navy.

Old Chinese costumes.

Creepy doll at the bottom shelf.

Old majorette costume. This must be an itchy costume.

"Chinatown."

- Just before leaving the LA Historical District, we caught a show performed by two Latinos performing an ancient folk dance, though I wasn't sure which ancient civilization the dance was from. It was a public performance at the plaza, and if only I had the chance, I would've danced with them too.

Look at all those feathers!!

I wonder what kind of ritual dance this is, and for what purpose.

I also want to know where this originated.

- Finally, we passed by the Old Plaza Firehouse within the historical district. It is the oldest firehouse in LA, being builti n 1871, and now serves as a museum (free of charge.) They have displays of old firetrucks, helmets, alarms, and other things used by some of the first firemen of Los Angeles.

Such a charming firehouse.

Old firetruck (wagon?)

An old fire enginge.

A 19th-century bell no notify firemen about a nearby fire.

Firemen's hats.

Fireman's pole!!

- I sent my parents back to the hotel after our visit to the historical district, since they needed rest before our airport transfer service. I told my parents that I needed to drop by a shop, but since it would be too far for my parents to talk, I told them that it would be best if they stayed at the hotel to rest and warm up. I on the other hand got off at Pershing Square station, a station before 7th, and walked all the way to Santee Alley. It was then that I realized that I was in LA's fashion district!! Well, it made sense too since I was looking for a Nepalese-Tibetan shop that sold traditional clothes and accessories from Nepal and Tibet. The walk from Pershing Square station to the exact store was quite far - around 8 big blocks - and since I needed to unleash my full speed (since I was running out of time,) I knew sending my parents to the hotel first was only proper; I was in such a hurry that I wasn't even able to take any photos of the fashion district. LA's fashion district brought me back in time, because of the buildings that must have been built around the early 1900s. Old theaters and old office buildings are used until today, some still being used as theaters, and others being used as shops for clothes or restaurants. It reminded me of New York's Manhattan and Manila's Recto/Avenida area at the same time. It wasn't touristy, yet a place that can interest tourists as well. The stores there were a mix of branded outlet stores, and small privately owned stores that sold regular clothes, fabric, formal wear, costumes, accessories, and everything fashion related; it is a fashion district after all. The internet says that the whole fashion district is around a hundred blocks total, but I don't know if it's a fact, or just a hyperbole. However, one thing is for sure - LA's fashion district is huge!! In the end, I wasn't able to buy anything, and instead of walking back to Pershing Square station, I walked directly to 7th Station, which is a couple of blocks more than walking to Pershing Square. I ended up buying a shirt from Target, since I had been looking for a shirt in that exact color and style (and it miraculously showed itself to me in Target,) and literally ran back to the hotel as if the cops were chasing me for shoplifting. (NO I did not shoplift, and it's just a figure of speech.) I walked and ran so fast that I had quite a lot of time to rest at the hotel before our airport transfer service arrived to send us off to the airport.

- We left LA around 9pm that night, on the 30th of October. Because of the time difference, we somehow "skipped" the 31st of October, and spent New Year's Eve in the plane. The stewardesses came out with shot glasses of champagne, but too bad I wasn't in a very celebratory mood. I was in the middle of watching a really emotional movie that I regretted watching in the plane, on New Year's Eve, when everyone's supposed to be very happy and excited. The plane was above Fukuoka, Japan when the clock struck 12 in the Philippines. Since Japan is an hour ahead of Manila, I guess Japan was long finished with the fireworks since I did not see fireworks while we were above Japan. I was also too tired to celebrate, as I was trying to adjust my body once again to the Philippine timezone to minimize the annoying effects of jetlag.

- We arrived in Manila around 4am of January 1st, feeling really tired and sore from the 13-hour plane ride, without stopovers. I did not feel as tired as the rest of the family probably because I had some time to catch up on sleep during the days when we'd have long bus rides during the days when we were still part of the tour. I also had to significantly slow down my pace, since I was with three other people during the days that we were alone; I'd normally go too fast when I'm alone, which usually shocks many people (who aren't used to walking/traveling with me) since I get to go to many many places in one day, and I almost always had to end up looking for more things to do since I had finished my originally-planned itinerary way ahead of schedule. Despite having some boring moments, or not being able to see everything that I wanted to, or not having more time in some places that interested me more, I was generally happy with the whole trip to the American Southwest. It was perhaps more laid back than New York and Washington D.C., which is one of the things that I wasn't too comfortable with (I'm not a laid back person,) but this charming area has a lot of historical and cultural treasures that are waiting to be understood by everyone. Thanks to the 10-year multiple-entry visa that the US Embassy in the Philippines usually hands out to Filipino tourists, I really hope that I'd get to discover more of the USA in the future, most especially the native American Indian societies, cultures, and traditions. (Don't forget to read parts 1 here, 2 here, and 3 here!!)