12 of 12: When I was hallucinating in LA
I've been doing 12 of 12's for quite a while now -- all the way back to 2009 (though I did one entry in 2007) so it's been 7 years of this meme and somehow I'm always home~ so to speak or at the office so it's the same photos all over again, even if I try my best to make it different.
So one of my goals in life (shallow, but true) was to have a 12 of 12 while I was on a trip. I've been on trips before but never one that falls on the 12th. And so while I was planning this California trip, I said, I'm going to be there for the 12th. And literally, I was. The next day I flew back to Singapore but on the 12th, I was in not as sunny as I thought it would but be I'm glad for it, Los Angeles.
Guidelines
Take 12 photos on the 12th of each month
Post the pictures chronological order
Indicate the time, location, and a small comment
Taken from Chad at 12 of 12
01. 09:14am, Pershing Square
I had just arrived in LA the evening before and had way too much fun with friends from high school that I could not find my eyeglasses the morning after. And so I trek up north in search of my eyeglasses and to trade in the bag that my friend had somehow left with me. It sounds very hangover but very kid-friendly.
02. 09:34am, Running Shop
Rog and I found the running shop! And our friend Dino was just finishing up a shift. Dino stayed out way later than I did and somehow still made it to work the next day. He is amazing. and he works for a running store. These are all omens that I should start jogging again.
03. 11:20am, Farmers Market @ Santa Monica
I've seen paparazzi photos of Jennifer Garner leaving this market but today she was not there. I only actually wanted to see Santa Monica, Venice Beach and a couple other places so it's but coincidence that Rog lives in that area with his aunt! Success, done and done.
04. 11:36am, Palisades Park
And I'll dive more into my preconceived notions of the West Coast in my trip post but this Park is beautiful and we walked along the coast and got hungry so there was some East Coast representing in the form of slightly spicy but very throwback-feeling, Halal Brothers food truck. Good lunch is good.
05. 12:28pm, Santa Monica Pier
It's pretty crazy to believe I'm actually here and this was a feeling I felt the entire trip but the pier was packed with people and the sand was very hot but it was beautiful and just very take a mental photo (and physical photo) even if I was sweating profusely. I love carnival rides.
06. 01:00pm, Abbot Kinney Boulevard
And it pays to read GQ magazine, because I discovered this street on Venice Beach that was just briefly mentioned in the guidebook that I wouldn't have been interested to go to it. But I'm glad we did because it started with a pretty mural (or at least the point we started from) and it spawned into so much more awesome.
07. 01:02pm, Abbot Kinney Boulevard
And still more awesome shops (be it clothes or food or just accessories and stationary) and both Rog and I kept stopping ourselves from going in but giving in anyway because they were too cute. I'm not a big shopper but I was tempted many times.
08. 01:12pm, TOMS Venice
So I love my own pair of very sad looking TOMS shoes and I didn't realise they had a cafe too! It was a really pretty interior complete with a GIVE mural where I had a shameless shot (there weren't many this trip so forgive me) and it was very hipster but that was the entire Abbot Kinney anyway!
09. 01:24pm, Intelligentsia Coffee
I planned my trip down to the hour but as you'll find out more off in my next entry, it all went out the window. I did list a LOT of coffee and ice cream places (mutually exclusive and sometimes not of each other) and so it was great to stumble on this very hipsterific example because we didn't even see a sign for it but just saw how cool it looked from across the street. Cold brews on a hot day? Yes please.
10. 02:23pm, Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Just an example of how adorable the facades are of all the pretty stores we passed by. I didn't even go into this store but it was yellow and had really cute flowers outside that I had to take a photo. This street wins at life.
11. 03:26pm, The Getty Center
And though there was probably way more street to discover, my hours in LA were also dwindling and so it was off on a Uber to the Getty Centre to be blown away by the sights and views from high up perched on a mountainside of LA. I like museums and almost always go but it was nice to take a chill version of it and just appreciate the sights.
12. 07:00pm, LACMA
And it was one more museum under my belt, after the Getty, I UBER-ed my way to LACMA just to see this installation outside the museum. It feels very iconic of LA to me, or at least what I think it to be and it was nice to just sit outside with a whole ton of tourists (some doing their engagement photos) and decompress before heading back to my sad airbnb and packing before I left for Singapore. Not a bad 12 of 12 edition after all.
So one of my goals in life (shallow, but true) was to have a 12 of 12 while I was on a trip. I've been on trips before but never one that falls on the 12th. And so while I was planning this California trip, I said, I'm going to be there for the 12th. And literally, I was. The next day I flew back to Singapore but on the 12th, I was in not as sunny as I thought it would but be I'm glad for it, Los Angeles.
Guidelines
01. 09:14am, Pershing Square
I had just arrived in LA the evening before and had way too much fun with friends from high school that I could not find my eyeglasses the morning after. And so I trek up north in search of my eyeglasses and to trade in the bag that my friend had somehow left with me. It sounds very hangover but very kid-friendly.
02. 09:34am, Running Shop
Rog and I found the running shop! And our friend Dino was just finishing up a shift. Dino stayed out way later than I did and somehow still made it to work the next day. He is amazing. and he works for a running store. These are all omens that I should start jogging again.
03. 11:20am, Farmers Market @ Santa Monica
I've seen paparazzi photos of Jennifer Garner leaving this market but today she was not there. I only actually wanted to see Santa Monica, Venice Beach and a couple other places so it's but coincidence that Rog lives in that area with his aunt! Success, done and done.
04. 11:36am, Palisades Park
And I'll dive more into my preconceived notions of the West Coast in my trip post but this Park is beautiful and we walked along the coast and got hungry so there was some East Coast representing in the form of slightly spicy but very throwback-feeling, Halal Brothers food truck. Good lunch is good.
05. 12:28pm, Santa Monica Pier
It's pretty crazy to believe I'm actually here and this was a feeling I felt the entire trip but the pier was packed with people and the sand was very hot but it was beautiful and just very take a mental photo (and physical photo) even if I was sweating profusely. I love carnival rides.
06. 01:00pm, Abbot Kinney Boulevard
And it pays to read GQ magazine, because I discovered this street on Venice Beach that was just briefly mentioned in the guidebook that I wouldn't have been interested to go to it. But I'm glad we did because it started with a pretty mural (or at least the point we started from) and it spawned into so much more awesome.
07. 01:02pm, Abbot Kinney Boulevard
And still more awesome shops (be it clothes or food or just accessories and stationary) and both Rog and I kept stopping ourselves from going in but giving in anyway because they were too cute. I'm not a big shopper but I was tempted many times.
08. 01:12pm, TOMS Venice
So I love my own pair of very sad looking TOMS shoes and I didn't realise they had a cafe too! It was a really pretty interior complete with a GIVE mural where I had a shameless shot (there weren't many this trip so forgive me) and it was very hipster but that was the entire Abbot Kinney anyway!
09. 01:24pm, Intelligentsia Coffee
I planned my trip down to the hour but as you'll find out more off in my next entry, it all went out the window. I did list a LOT of coffee and ice cream places (mutually exclusive and sometimes not of each other) and so it was great to stumble on this very hipsterific example because we didn't even see a sign for it but just saw how cool it looked from across the street. Cold brews on a hot day? Yes please.
10. 02:23pm, Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Just an example of how adorable the facades are of all the pretty stores we passed by. I didn't even go into this store but it was yellow and had really cute flowers outside that I had to take a photo. This street wins at life.
11. 03:26pm, The Getty Center
And though there was probably way more street to discover, my hours in LA were also dwindling and so it was off on a Uber to the Getty Centre to be blown away by the sights and views from high up perched on a mountainside of LA. I like museums and almost always go but it was nice to take a chill version of it and just appreciate the sights.
12. 07:00pm, LACMA
And it was one more museum under my belt, after the Getty, I UBER-ed my way to LACMA just to see this installation outside the museum. It feels very iconic of LA to me, or at least what I think it to be and it was nice to just sit outside with a whole ton of tourists (some doing their engagement photos) and decompress before heading back to my sad airbnb and packing before I left for Singapore. Not a bad 12 of 12 edition after all.