Eat. Travel. Eat!

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...

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...

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! ...

Wishing all a merry Christmas and a happy holiday! All the pictures in this post were taken at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia, California; the grounds have been closed since early December due to the windstorm, but on Monday, December 26, 2011, the Arboretum will be open to the public again. Workers and volunteers (like me) have been working hard to bring back the Arboretum's splendor. Go visit and take lots of pictures, just like I did a month ago for these pictures. I have more pictures of the Arboretum which you can see by CLICKING HERE .  (Disclosure: This post was written on my own interest and for your information. Besides, we need some holiday-like pictures on the blog.) Thanks for visiting. This week's post is on Bistro Boudin in San Francisco , if you have not read it already. 

After reading David Ng's article on Boudin , I reminded myself to visit the Fisherman's Wharf location on a future trip to San Francisco. So, after visiting UC Berkeley, we promptly went back to San Francisco for a late lunch at Boudin. The Fisherman Wharf's location is a prime tourist spot; its glass windows and prominent logos make it distinctive among the other buildings in the area, and it houses five different sections: Peet's Coffee and tea, Baker's Hall, Bistro Boudin, Boudin Museum & Bakery Tour, and Bakery & Bakeshop. There is plenty to see and do in just this confined area! We skipped viewing most of the building and went upstairs to Bistro Boudin, a full-service restaurant. One will pay a premium at Bistro Boudin for its full-service capabilities, dining environment, cutlery, and additional items on the menu. Several selections, however, are the same as those of Bistro Boudin, but  presented in a more casual manner. Paper or ...

Our second full day in San Francisco started with a side trip to University of California- Berkeley. Stepping afoot on the west side of campus, our own self guided tour began by walking up the slope to Sather Tower. Had we known better, we would have entered the campus through its own parking lots, but instead a student employee told us to park in the public parking spots outside of campus and we followed his advice. Walking up we were primarily met with buildings, like the Life Sciences building in the picture above, that probably were built near the beginning of Berkeley's existence; these buildings were really grand. Like the older buildings at Stanford, these buildings had many ornate details! And soon enough, we reached Sather Tower. It's fun seeing how the perspective of a building changes as one gets close and closer to it! Reaching Sather Tower rewarded us with a picturesque view of the campus below, but also a view of the water. Not ma...