Wedding Blog
Nov 21: Wed
I went to bed at 1:30am and had to get up at 4am. Our flight was at 6:30am. Man, all I can say was that we was tired as a mofo. For reals son. We got to LA at 11am.
Ok honestly, and don’t get mad but LA was whack. Hahaha What?! Who said “You’re whack!” I heard you ya big hooch in the back! I’ve been to LA before to visit family so it’s not like I’m basing this comment on one trip. I wasn’t like wowed. I remember the first few times I went to NY I was wowed. I was wowed when I went to San Francisco. I will say that I was impressed by Koreatown in LA though. That place is huge. Where do we eat? Which Korean restaurant? Omigod there’s so many to pick from! What to do, what to do?! And I also loved the really tall palm trees. They reminded me of Dr. Seuss like trees. No?
So we just got to LAX and now we’re picking up our car and we stood in line behind this big dude. Not big obese but big like juiced up. I told Mr. Ladybug to flex but he was being a little too discreet. I am disappointed in your flexing skills babe. I expected more from you.
I honestly didn’t take that many photos in LA. We drove straight to Koreatown to get some grub and hit this Gamjatang place. Pretty good I must say. Afterwards we drove to our hotel. We stayed at the Hyatt in West Hollywood on Sunset Blvd. As soon as we checked in we passed out and didn’t wake till past 4ish. In the evening we drove through Beverly Hills and down Rodeo Drive. I thought Rodeo Drive looked pretty lit up with all the lights in the evening. I said “Omigod, this street is like a rich girl’s shopaholic dream come true.” But since I is broke I was thinking “Effin rich people. Hate yous.” Hahaha…. Afterwards we drove to Santa Monica and walked on the Promenade. It was getting a bit chilly so we headed back to the hotel.
Nov 22: Thu / Thanksgiving
We got up early and walked over to Starbucks. Ok so here’s something that we found amusing. There’s a lot of homeless people in LA. I know there’s a lot in NY too but for some reason you just notice them more in LA. At least we did. Ok so back to the amusing part - as we approached Starbucks, we noticed 3 homeless guys sitting at one of the outdoor tables. No biggie.
ALL 3 OF THEM WERE DRINKING STARBUCKS COFFEE! Just sitting and sipping enjoying their morning. 
What da?! How much money are you Cali people giving away to the homeless?! They can’t just go to a local 7-11? Mr. Ladybug was like “Yo! The homeless people out here are highbudget! WTF?! Let’s quit our jobs and become homeless too.” I was like “Mmmm hmmm word. Yeah. No.”
Afterwards we drove to the Chinese Theater.
Then we hit downtown LA because I really, really wanted to see the Walt Disney Concert Hall. I love Frank Gehry! I’m a sucker for beautiful architecture.
Haha I love our dorky jumping photos. The one I took of Mr. Ladybug came out blurry. MAN! I need a new camera. It took him like 6 shots to get one of me. That’s a lot of jumping man.
Afterwards we grabbed lunch in K-Town again and then drove out to San Bernardino to meet up with my relatives for Thanksgiving. I was so excited to see my grandmom! She’s so cute. I could just eat her. She’s turning 93 this month I believe. She’s still in really good health but her memory is going. She didn’t remember me. I would tell her my name and when I would ask her 1 minute later she wouldn’t remember. It’s okay though. It makes me a little sad but at least she’s in good health and that’s more important to me.
My Grandmom. Sooo cute. She’s studying an old family photo taken back in Japan where she used to live and she’s trying to remember everyone’s names. We call it “homework” to keep her mind active.
Nov 23: Fri
Got up, checked out, and drove out to Santa Monica.
I look like a little boy.
Then we drove to Venice Beach
We also checked out Marina del Rey but there was nothing much to do out there so we drove out closer to LAX and went to stall time at some stores near by. We’ve been looking for arm floaties for me. Shut up. I can’t swim okay. I think we hit every sporting goods store in LA but we couldn’t find them so we eventually gave up. Our flight to Papeete was leaving at 10pm. We finally boarded and now it was time to pass out till we arrived at 4:30am.
Traffic in LA was actually not that bad at all when we were out there, but we were annoyed by how many bad drivers there were. I can say that was probably Mr. Ladybug’s biggest complaint. Some asshole almost rammed into us and I think it was the final straw. I was waiting for him to go all ape shit on me but he was just in shock by the incident that he was unusually quiet. Would we come back? Maybe to visit family but I don’t think we could live out there. I don’t think LA is for everyone just like I don’t think NY is for everyone. I know this is random but I also forgot to mention that we got lost at one point and ended up on Mulholland Drive. Well I thought it was pretty random.
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Share this post: Honeymoon: Part I - Los Angeles, CA
Mrs. Ladybug, you crack me up!
I agree, LA.. not my favorite city.. it feels too.. fake? everyone is an aspiring model / actor.. even if it means porn..
Funny! I think LA’s greatest and possibly its only redeeming quality (since I’m not a big shopper or in touch with pop culture) is the huge ethnic communities which means fantastic food! It’s not just the Korean food that kicks ass, but also the other ethnic food in general!
Is there going to be a Part II? This entry is labeled Part I!
Haha! LA - I’m from LA County but don’t live in the city, I live (well my parents) in small city about 20 mins east of L.A.. I now live in Orange County which is a bit nicer, but I have to admit L.A. is so diverse!
LA is my homeee- and i LOOOOOVE it down to the beautiful smog distorted sunsets. but i have to admit - its not much of a tourist city..
tho ny is my home now, i will always love la. and i’m an awesome tourguide! 
i’m not a big fan of la, but what can i say, i’m a bit biased to my norcal/bay area roots. is that funnel cake? i
lived in so.cal for 7 years and loved k-town and visiting my family in laguna beach…but it’s just a place for me to visit now. i’m back in the bay area & lovin’ it! enjoyed my time in LA, but my heart has always been in san francisco…yay area! 
I’m a NYC transplant in Orange County. I can’t say I love LA but I do love the OC! However, I love the weather in So Cal…it’s December and I’m still in my tshirt! I love the beaches and all the nature stuff we can do here.
Mrs. Ladybug, you’re the best!!
I live out here and I have been to all those places you mentioned– you definitely picked some fun spots to visit! I hope you enjoyed it out here. I definitely agree about the bad drivers; we have a TON of them. Glad you survived okay!
As someone who grew up in SF (and was taught to hate LA like every good NorCal kid) but now lives in LA, I would say that LA is a terrible place to be a tourist. San Francisco and New York are much more accessible (both transportation-wise AND experience-wise) to visitors. The best things about LA are places and experiences you would be introduced to by a local or discover yourself by living here over time. And like other posters said above, it is a very diverse place so there are several sides to the city. Not everyone here is trying to be an actor/porn star/screenwriter, though if you hang out on Sunset it might seem that way.
I’ve lived in LA for most of my life, and one of the big difference between LA and other big cities is the amount of city pride (or lack thereof) between Angelenos and other big city residents. When someone says they are from NYC, SF, Chicago, its with pride. You’ll never here someone say they’re form LA in a boastful manner. I have to admit, that when you said “LA is whack” that it stung a little, but I didn’t disagree with your reasoning. LA is too sprawling to make a visitor that’s just landed at LAX feel like they’ve come into a special city. Most people’s first impression of LA is of LAX and the 405 freeway, and most angelenos avoid both when possible. You have to drive everywhere at risk of life and limb (I’ve seen 2 accidents in 3 days) to get to any place that is considered an LA sight to see, then you have to get back into your car to get to the next place. You have to plan very carefully, you can’t just step out of your hotel and walk somewhere or catch a cab or subway.
But I love LA, man. #1 is the weather. I just walked around the corner to get lunch today wearing flip flops and a short sleeved shirt. I don’t own a pair of gloves or a coat. I can go to Hermosa beach in the morning and go for a hike in the Hollywood Hills or Topanga Canyon in the afternoon. The Mexican food in LA is the best (it kind of sucks in most other cities). The food in general is comparable with or better than most if not all big cities. Can’t beat the celeb siting, one night out on the town I saw Jude Law, an Olsen twin, Mike Meyers, Jared Leto, and bunch of super models, while sitting in the lounge of the Chateau Marmont.
People say that since no one in LA is actually from LA, everyone is a transplant, that no one takes pride or ownership of the city. If you had said Boston sucks I’m sure you would have gotten some death threats by now, but I’m not mad at ya. LA is a work in progress, its the youngest of most big city. I’m not sure where I wanted to go with this, but the pride I have for LA compelled me to speak up. Peace out.
damn. did i actually just go off and write that much? sorry for the typos.
Bar Marmont, Griffith Park Observatory, and Getty Museum would have all been good places to go for tourism-type activities as well.
I have to say, as a transplant to LA from NorCal, I’m not in love with the area. I’m sure it would suck even more to just be a tourist since things are so spread out. I’ve gotten to appreciate the city more just by virtue of living here and spending more time finding those tucked-away places that make all cities so fab.
Hahaha I’m glad that all the LA people spoke out. I knew you would. And Katy, I love that you went so into detail. hahahaha
You mah girls!
Having lived in LA, SF, Chicago, NYC and various other US cities, I have to say that LA is still my favorite. As other folks have mentioned above, LA is not a very tourist friendly city unless a) you have family here and they can show you the good spots, b) you love Hollywood and all that is dealing with the film industry, c) you came for the sunshine. Ultimately, LA doesn’t have the feel of a compact city/people walking on the streets feeling that the other cities have, but it is THE place to live. Everyone complains about the traffic, but seriously, it’s nothing compared to the downtowns of Chicago and NYC. Streets are bigger, you’ll never have to drive in slush, and you are much more likely to find parking. The diversity in LA is unreal, even when compared to NYC- and I say that because not only is LA diverse in terms of mere minority population numbers, LA is not as ethnically segregated as all the other major cities in the US into separate communities. You can’t beat the variety of food found here either! I will always call LA home, even though I’m currently in Chicago at the moment. I’m glad you had a good time, but really, I hope you get a chance to stay longer next time so you get a chance to experience what LA really is about.
Welcome back Mrs. Ladybug! I love your posts - nothing like a good laugh to start a morning off at work (Mrs. Ladybug - yay! work - boo!).
I just got back from LA tooooooooo! I had the same weird reaction to it you did. I really wanted to love it there, but felt like I was having culture shock!
LA is just one of the best cities out there hands down. It’s fairly sprawling but that’s one of the reasons that it can be so diverse. Where else can you get traditional ethiopian food and a few blocks down get crepes to die for and then hit up a wine and cheese bar that has rarities most people don’t even know exist? Then you have the architecture that ranges from the Gehry’s work to Frank Loyd Wright Ennis Brown House and the Getty museums? Shopping gems like Rodeo Drive, Melrose, not to mention the stores where you can buy the outfits that stars wore once on their shows for a fraction of retail costs. What about the spas like Glen Ivy that are feature underground grottos for mud bathing and the Malibu spa where you can overlook the ocean while you sunbathe with no tan lines? Just thinking about LA wows me. But that probably has more to do with living in it than coming to visit it.
I’ve lived in NYC, Boston, DC, and L.A. While I love NYC and Boston, L.A. is where I ultimately chose to stay. I’ve also lived in San Bernardino before. That area is NOT a part of L.A. and should not be taken into consideration in your opinion of L.A.!
I’m thinking you need to give it another chance. You need to do L.A. right with someone who loves L.A.
hahaha- great post..you always make us all laugh!
thanks for sharing your great trip!
so here’s the thing about the Starbucks bums - LA is such a horizontal city and I don’t like to give cash, so I’ll usually just buy some food from whatever is closest. As opposed to NYC, where you can buy anything from any corner. I used to carry around McD’s gift certificates to give out, but LA is humongo and there might not be a McD’s within walking distance. It would be so mean to give them that and expect them to find a McD’s, you know? Anyway, a regular coffee at Starbucks is like 1.50, which hardly a huge sacrifice. But I do find your observations hilarious! If they were out there drinking venti frappucinos, I would been like HMMM. =0
jaycee: seriously. things that make you go “hmmmmm”
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Mrs. Ladybug (formerly Miss Ladybug), New York/Philadelphia
Age and Occupation: 31, Full-time blogger from 7 pm to 12 am
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Playing video games while I blog from 7pm to 12 am
Engagement Date: August 2005
Wedding Date: April 15, 2006
Venue: Ballroom at the Ben, Philadelphia
About Me: I am the 2nd of 5 girls. Yes, you read that right, 5 girls. I don't know if there's anything interesting about my wedding that I can tell you but I was proposed to twice.
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