Eat. Travel. Eat!

Back in May, I attended the UC Irvine Undergraduate Research Symposium , an annual symposium featuring undergraduate research. Although I only attended the afternoon session, there was still much to see and to learn--I was unable to visit all the presenters' posters or oral presentations! This research symposium featured undergraduate research from the entire university, meaning that one could find research in computer science, engineering, humanities, biological sciences, and more in the same spot! There were also two parts: oral sessions, where presenters discussed their projects with projected presentation slides to a small audience in one room, and poster displays, where presenters discussed their projects next to their posters outside. The research was quite diverse; a few of these topics discussed at the symposium include home automation, car security, dorm design, autism, solar stove, literature, autism, chemically powered modeled cars, solar airplanes, and rockets...

In November we stayed at the St Regis Monarch Beach to compare and contrast it to our experience at Pelican Hill . Unlike Pelican Hill, we had gone to the St Regis in person previously, enjoying brunch at the Motif almost 10 years ago. This visit, not only did we visit Motif again , but also we made sure to tour most of the facility.

After having lunch at Bistro Boudin- Fisherman's Wharf and visiting the Golden Gate Bridge, our next stop was Chinatown. There, we were immersed in scenes full of color and culture. Even banks followed a theme of having Chinese style architecture. A window display of baked goods prompted me to stop at Eastern Bakery. It is located right next to the Wok Shop , but we were not able to visit the Wok Shop as it was already closed for the day. Eastern Bakery, however, was still open and inside, it seemed as if some organization was having a meeting there while enjoying various baked goods.

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...