Travel: New York City - Midtown East

Itinerary:

• Day 1: B and I flew LAX >> JFK (New York City). As we were about to buy our subway passes, two women gave us their week-long passes that had yet to expire (it was safe to say that they weren't New Yorkers). We stayed in Midtown East at the Roosevelt Hotel. It's a classy (what a lobby space!), older hotel that has very thin walls. And, the rooms (as expected for NYC) are tiny! Since we arrived very late, we only had time to catch a late dinner near Grand Central Station, before turning in for the night. 
• Day 2: We had Sunday brunch at a cute, French place called Le Bateau Ivre Cafe. It is small, but it had a live jazz band. I had a salmon omelet, toast, orange juice, and cappuccino. It was quite good. Anyway, it rained most of the day, but we managed to take in a few sights, including seeing random Hello Kitty sculptures, Fifth Avenue (Trump Tower, Disney Store, FAO Schwarz, etc.), the Met, and the Guggenheim. Later that evening, we met up with B's brother who was in Connecticut for business. He took the train down and we met up in Grand Central Station. At first, we tried to have dinner at Sparks (but it was closed) and Morton's Steakhouse (which was hosting a private event), before we settled for drinks at an Irish pub near Pershing Square, followed by dinner at a Brazilian restaurant (where we got free deserts!) on Restaurant Row.

• Day 3: We ate lunch at Soba Nippon (as recommended by our Lonely Planet book) where we had moderately priced sushi with patrons in business attire (it was near Madison Ave on a Monday). Since B was busy that day, I checked out the New York Public Library and returned to the Met. I, then, met up with him at Social Bar to have drinks. Later that night, we went to Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and the Empire State Building.
• Day 4: JFK >> LAX.

Travel: San Diego - USS Midway

In San Diego, we scored free tickets to the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier/Museum. There, we looked at old planes, helicopters, and the interior and exterior of the boat (aircraft carrier). We took an audio-guided tour, had coffee at the cafe, shopped for coffee mugs at the gift shop, and listened to veterans give a history of what their experiences were like in the military. Fun day.

Movie: Duplicity

T, B, and I went to see Duplicity at the Grove. It was pretty good. I was more excited by the fact that I had been to many of the places mentioned (including Zurich Airport).

Travel: San Pedro

L, I, J, B, and I all went to San Pedro for a mini reunion. At first, we had a late, outdoor lunch in Ports O'Call at the Alaska Seafood restaurant. We ordered fresh seafood from the market and the restaurant cooked it for us. We all decided to share raw oysters and fried fish. The food was just okay -- nothing special, overpriced, if anything. We then, fittingly, went to the Korean Friendship Bell and practiced jumping shots. :)

Travel: Las Vegas (Sahara)

We scored free rooms at the Sahara (sorry, no picture of the hotel) in Las Vegas for New Year's Eve . It's what you'd expect for a 3-star hotel. The decor and furniture was not modern and the smell of smoke was very strong, despite our rooms being of the nonsmoking variety. There are lower stakes blackjack tables at this casino (which was a nice change from the 5-star hotels' gambling floors). In addition to staying there, we had complimentary passes to their New Year's eve celebratory feast which had a photographer on hand as well as an giant "2009" ice sculpture. Overall, it was a decent experience. I wouldn't pay to stay at this hotel, though, if I had a choice.

LA: UCLA Botanical Garden

After discovering this garden, I find it hilarious that I passed by it often (on Hilgard) and never knew that it existed! It's so easy to miss. The meandering paths and the idyllic streams make it an ideal escape from the urban chaos surrounding it. I even spotted the wandering turtle that lives there! I decided to do part of my UCLA shoot here and saw this odd looking plant floating in a tree stump. I'm not actually sure what it is, but I liked the lighting conditions on it and shot it.

LA: UCLA

I did a final photography assignment on UCLA. I always found the campus to be quite beautiful and it provides an endless array of photographic opportunities. Throughout the semester, I actually ended up shooting quite a few projects here, including environmental portraits, architectural shots, and even botanical life photos. My teacher loved the one below. I still don't understand what she looks for in photographs, but I'm apparently doing something right.