jeepneyjinggoy: LA

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LONG before it reached the Durian City, I got to sample the boiled crustaceans swimming in a bag of sweet, spicy sauce in the City of Angels-the Boiling Shrimp at 5112 Hollywood Boulevard.

The Boiling Shrimp at 5112 Hollywood Boulevard, LA. I read it’s now called Shrimp Lover.

However, from the time I've had my sumptuous dead-hunger (my term for "patay gutom" aka "so hungry that I can eat a horse") repast the name of the place has changed to Shrimp Lover. It may have been an issue with the other joint that also serves crustaceans-in-a-bag-in-Cajun-sauce- the Boiling Crab-that (maybe) came to scene first.

I never had the chance to visit the latter but the according to the reviews, "it's normal to wait about 2 hours to be seated. It's even worse if you arrive during prime meal hours" which "horrible" to many. They still go anyway.

No 2-hour waiting to get a table here. With good friends & hosts- Nenette B. & Vince L.

To those who have tried both restaurants, "the food at Boiling Shrimps is just as good as Boiling Crab minus the waiting time to get a table." If that's the common review, then I'm glad my friends and hosts took me to Boiling Shrimp during that starving moment for I turn into a monster if not fed immediately. We found a table as soon as we stepped in the graffiti-filled walls of the establishment.

All guests are encouraged to “vandalize” the walls.

Spotted: Pinoy jersey!

Run by Thais, Boiling Shrimp (I will refer to it by its previous name, if you don't mind) offers Thai cuisine along with its crustacean specialties. "Surprise me," was my reply to what I want to eat.

The food was served quickly-several pounds of shrimps and crab legs in mildly spiced Cajun sauce (the "very spicy" will make you cry, I was told), and a Thai dish (that seemed to have left untouched. Not that it wasn't good, it was just all eyes were on the seafood). The seafood was good, succulent and sweet (fresh, obviously. Frozen seafood will be bland) which blended perfectly with the spicy Cajun sauce.

A bag of sweet shrimps in Cajun sauce, medium spice.

plus a bag of crab's legs.

Of course, "more rice" was in order. As to how many I finished, I don't even want to remember.

Extra, extra rice was in order. Seen here: Before devastation…

We must have beaten the speed of a super typhoon in clearing what was served on the table. If you can call the shrimp and crab shells the debris after a tempest, then it was that.

…and the "debris" after the “dead-hunger” storm.

What I can recall is stepping out of the place with a bloated stomach, which made it difficult to breath. The calories needed to be burned -- immediately, and where we went after still evades my memory. Only the sweet and spicy flavors of the dishes remain in my mind. I know that I will return to that place when I make back to LA, or try Boiling Crab. That is, if I won't mind waiting for a couple of hours to be seated. I will make sure I am not starving.

For more travel & lifestyle stories, visit http://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com/ and http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com/

Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on March 27, 2014.

The Griffith Observatory at night. The facility that was built in 1935 & was recently renovated sits on top of Mount Hollywood in Los Angeles, California.

Stepping into Griffith Observatory brought back memories from the shorts-sporting school kid that I was going to a science fair. While the projects back then were presented in cardboards, plastic balls and wires recreating the solar system and planetary orbits, this place holds the Star Trek-ish (or Lost in Space whichever you can relate to back in the 70s) version of those presentations.

My hosts & guides- Nenette & Vince

But no matter what age you are, Griffith Observatory’s extensive lineup of space and science-related displays will be fascinating, and perhaps elicit that kid-like “wow” from you. If you ask me, it is still Star Trek-ish (because the movie is constantly remade with more out of this world gigs and gadgets).

This is still Star Trek-ish to me…. :)

From the time it opened in 1935, admission to this popular tourist attraction in Los Angeles is free (though tickets are sold to view the special show- Centered in the Universe). Through Col. Griffith J. Griffith’s generosity and foresight, the observatory, exhibit hall and planetarium were built through funding and land he bestowed to the city. He wanted the public to have access to astronomy, unlike conventional observatories erected in remote locations and restricted to scientists.

Nenette & the Hall of the Eye.

“To inspire everyone to observe, ponder, and understand the sky”, Griffith Observatory encapsulates its mission in these exhibit halls:

The Hall of the Eye illustrates the nature and progress of human observation of the sky and the tools used for that exploration.

Tools for exploration at the Hall of the Eye.

The Hall of the Sky establishes each person's connection to the primary objects in our sky: the Moon and the Sun. One of the largest public solar telescopes in the US is in this hall.

The Seasons exhibit at the Hall of the Sky.

The W. M. Keck Foundation Central Rotunda celebrates the intersection of science and mythology, earth and sky, and the man whose vision brought the Observatory into being. The Foucault Pendulum, one of the first exhibits, is found here.

The Foucault Pendulum at the Central Rotunda, is one of the facility’s first exhibits when it opened in 1935.

The Cosmic Connection provides the transition from ground-based and more familiar astronomy to a new realm of cosmic perspective. The main element in this passageway is a 150-foot timeline of the universe whimsically composed of celestial-themed jewelry in the glass case that lines the corridor.

The Richard and Lois Gunther Depths of Space exhibit gallery is activated by the recent transformation of cosmic perspective that began when people first ventured into space. No longer is observation and understanding of the sky bonded to the ground and framed by the horizon. Illustrated here are The Planets, Our Earth, Our Solar System, etc.

The Edge of Space provides visitors with an experience that bridges the more familiar Earth-bound orientation toward the universe with a more cosmic perspective informed by the most sophisticated astronomical instruments ever built. The zone showcases samples of the universe that come to Earth from space or that we acquire through space exploration.

The Scientific Table in 3D.

Hey, that one's empty!

“Cool,” “awesome,” and “wicked” are just some of the words I kept hearing along the galleries, and I can relate to them. It is an amazing facility, which I can say the same to what is offered outside of the observatory’s walls. With Griffith Observatory sitting on the slope of Mount Hollywood, it commands a panoramic view of the Los Angeles Basin, which includes Downtown LA, Hollywood and the Pacific Ocean. At night when the star-filled sky is as bright as the city below it, you can say that today, nothing is unreachable.

The LA Basin as seen from the deck of the observatory.

This time with me in the frame…harhar.

Griffith Observatory is at 2800 East Observatory Road Los Angeles, CA.

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For more travel & lifestyle stories, visit http://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com/ and http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com/

Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on March 20, 2014.