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Showing posts from 2014

Asiana Airlines OZ 203: LAX - ICN Travel Class

Earlier in 2014, I went on a trip to Asia, namely Beijing (some of the posts already written are: McDonald's China: Sweet Taro Pie , Wuyutai Tea- Wangfujing, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China: Jasmine and Matcha Soft-Serve Ice Cream (and a comparison to McDonald's version) ). Asiana proved to be the most cost effective option at the time of booking, with only Eithad as the only other choice that was less than $2000 roundtrip! This was initially shocking to me and travel agents, who were surprised that Chinese carriers had an exorbitantly high cost for the dates I wanted. With Asiana and the costs that I wanted, I ended up with two flights in order to get to Beijing: LAX-ICN, and ICN-PEK, with a seven hour layover at ICN! (shock, but also a good opportunity to do some fun things) This blog post covers the LAX-ICN sector.

Chinese Food Truck- Los Angeles (University Park), CA

Previously, authentic chinese food options were quite limited in the University Park neighborhood. Bamboo Express in the former University Village food court offered some authentic options if you knew how to read the chinese only menu, as well as how to pick options from the steam tray that were not geared for the typical Americanized Chinese palate. However, now Bamboo Express no longer exists, with the demolition of the University Village for the new USC Village. Thankfully, this fall, a new food truck offered some authentic Chinese options: the Chinese Food Truck. The Chinese Food Truck offers quite a lot of authentic Chinese options previously unavailable in the area, from potstickers, dumplings, and wontons to noodle dishes, like the spicy and sour rice noodles and sesame sauce cold chicken noodles. Some options are also only written in Chinese, so it would probably be best to translate them yourself or bring a friend who can read Chinese for some assistance. Most of the

McDonald's China: Sweet Taro Pie

One of the items that I always make sure to get when visiting McDonald's in Asia is the Sweet Taro Pie (in China, 2 for 9 RMB). There are several differentiators to McDonald's China pies: 1. As its outer appearance suggests, it is a fried, not baked product. Thus, the exterior is fragrant and crispy, while the interior of the dough is tender, slightly chewy and elastic. 2. The flavor! Taro, pineapple, and banana were the flavors I saw while I was on my trip, but all of these flavors are not available in the United States. Taste wise for the sweet taro pie, it all comes together: a lightly sweet, tender taro filling with an slightly savory exterior and chewy interior covering. It isn't particular heavy either, for the taro filling consists of pieces of taro in a sweet purple colored syrup; you are not eating mashed taro in each bite, but rather a more fluid filling with the fried pastry dough. No, it might not be the healthiest dessert around, bu

Wuyutai Tea- Wangfujing, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China: Jasmine and Matcha Soft-Serve Ice Cream (and a comparison to McDonald's version)

During the summer, in the touristy shopping area of Wangfujing, one will quickly notice two things: 1. Lots of people are enjoying ice cream cones. At least half, or greater, have green tea flavored soft-serve ice cream in them. 2. There is one place that sustains a long line at its storefront throughout the day: Wuyutai Tea. But what is this line for? And more importantly, why are people waiting for about 5 minutes to reach the storefront for? Ice cream! More specifically, soft-serve jasmine tea and matcha ice cream for 6 RMB/CNY/yuan, or approximately 1 USD, with a per person limit of only two cones. That may sound cheap, but you need to compare to its local competitors. McDonald's green tea ice cream (offered as is or with a swirl with vanilla ice cream) cone costs 4 RMB each, and if you get two, the second is currently 50 percent off, making each cone worth only 3 RMB. Or in other words, you could get two McDonald's ice cream cones for the same price as one

Sagami-Irvine, CA [2]

Our last visit to Sagami went so well that we recently visited it again. This time, we were just as satisfied, and ran into a great special item!

Nobu (Caesar's Palace | Nobu Hotel) - Las Vegas, NV

Caesar's Palace has quickly become famous for their Bacchanal Buffet, which is now the top-rated buffet in Las Vegas. Yet, during the holiday season, wait times were hours long, and prices were at their highest. Moreover, a quick visit inside the buffet did show lots of good options and a nice design (the same designers designed Cafe Too as well), but this experience was hampered by loud catwalk music from the speakers. the Given these factors and our limited time in Las Vegas, we decided to pursue another option: Nobu, located next to the Nobu Hotel lobby inside Caesar's Palace.

Two Bedroom Penthouse Suite @ The Mirage Hotel and Casino- Las Vegas, NV

This trip to Vegas was slightly different from our previous trips; namely, getting to the destination was quite different. We had left on Thursday, hoping to beat the weekend traffic rush. Instead, we hit three major traffic jams, caused by interesting asphalt machines that were a cool sight when switching to the 15 freeway, one minor traffic accident, and one to stare at Nevada's "No Tolerance" signs at Primm (meaning, no driving over 70 miles per hour). Only to soothe us during our first traffic jam was a call from the Mirage-- a worried VIP concierge wondering about our transportation plans to Vegas, for the Mirage offers complimentary limousine rides from the Las Vegas McCarran Airport as part of the Suite Life Package. But we said no, and she ended the call stating: we'll see you here soon! Soon was three hours later than we had anticipated (making for a seven hour drive, including a one hour lunch break). After all the driving, difficulty in finding a sp

VIP Lounge (The Mirage Hotel and Casino)- Las Vegas, NV

In a a wall of frosted glass and an exterior from the Mirage's French Polynesian theme (now being transformed to a simple, modern feel with dark colors and pinks) sits the Mirage's VIP lounge, situated between the check in area and the main port cochere's entrance into the hotel. Like the Bellagio's VIP lounge , it sits unadorned with any signage outside, but unlike the Bellagio, is marked on the hotel maps with VIP. And after closing time (approximately 9pm), there is a sign stating that the VIP lounge is closed. The inside of the Mirage VIP lounge is small and intimate. The check in area, encased in white marble and topped with chandeliers, dominates as one walks inside to the lounge. This aspect--brought due to the smaller square footage of the lounge--however, detriments people from actually staying inside the lounge during their stay, for throughout the day, the check in area is busy with people checking in, only to be a small distance away from the rest of

The Mirage Hotel and Casino- Las Vegas, NV: Public Spaces

Exterior: New LOVE Banners The Mirage Hotel and Casino recently celebrated its 24th anniversary, and with its anniversary came additional tinkering to the hotel's public spaces. Here's a look at changes we noticed on our last visit to the Mirage. Outside, many of the elements that were with the hotel when it opened have stayed, like the Mirage Volcano and the many water and landscaping elements. A people mover to Las Vegas Boulevard, however, has been removed, and replaced with just a modern walkway with simple railings. Also, the LOVE banner has been updated to feature the Beatles more so. Ironically, a 3D rendering of the Mirage for advertising doesn't feature this banner, however. Inside, check-in and check-out has finally been changed to a single line queue, which is much more efficient than the previous system. It's quite surprising though, how big this line was during check-out (mornings)--it was filled to the queue entrance!

Cravings Buffet (The Mirage Hotel and Casino)- Las Vegas, NV

We happened to visit Las Vegas recently to update ourselves in all the changes that have been made over the recent years. After arriving at The Mirage and completing our check-in process, we headed for dinner, only to find limited choices, for many of the fine fining establishments were closed. So, we looked to the Cravings Buffet, a place we had visited five years ago . What's changed so far with Cravings? Many Las Vegas hotel dining establishments (including Cravings) now have electronic touchscreen monitors featuring information about the restaurant, as well as menus, at the entrance. With enticing items like osso buco, eel and tuna nigiri, and brown butter salmon, we went into the queue. (Unfortunately, as we would find out later in the meal, the digital menu isn't 100% accurate) Though we did happen to have VIP access to the line, the regular line happened to be shorter, being 8PM when we visited. Yet, even with the shorter lines, it still took ten minutes unti