On Dia De Los Muertos, I headed into downtown Los Angeles after work. I didn’t go there to celebrate the holiday, I went to assist a friend with lighting techniques.
The test photo shoot took place at the LA County Courthouse–my first time there. There are tales of it being haunted but I didn’t get any strange vibes from the building. I just thought it was interesting how it was like stepping back into another era. There were all these phone booths but no phones in the actual booths. It would have been fun to dress up in period clothing, maybe from the 20s, and do a photo shoot inside the booths. Maybe another time.
After working on lighting techniques, we decided to take the Metro into the Boyle Heights area for dinner at Guisados. My friends Mike and Ida have been there many times but this was my first trip there–and most likely my last. It’s not that the food was bad. The food was really good (a little pricey for me) but it surpassed my spice threshold. My mouth was on fire and still burning for some time after we left the restaurant. If you like super spicy Mexican food, this is the place for you but if you are very sensitive to spices (and have stomach issues), you might want to avoid Guisados. Though they did have some interesting beverages, like the Armando Palmero, the latin take on an Arnold Palmer.
Ida suggested we go for ice cream to cool down my burning taste buds. Who could possibly say no to ice cream? So we hopped back onto the Metro but this time headed into Little Tokyo for mochi ice cream at Mikawaya, located inside the Japanese Village across from MOCA. Since this place is known for its mochi ice cream, of course that is what I had to order. At a buck a piece, I ordered the Red Bean and Green Tea mochi ice cream. Mike and Ida opted for Gelato (portions are larger than you would think). I was extremely happy with my mochi, especially the red bean (the green tea was pretty sweet). It was exactly what I needed to cool down my sensitive palette.
Then it was back to the Metro and back to the courthouse to pack up the photo shoot gear. It was really cool being there at night. I want to take a few pictures but my phone died and my camera was locked up in Mike’s office. Next time.
Define Normal 