In search of...

Last weekend my sister invited my mom and I to downtown. Usually when we go its because we are in search of something. This particular instance we were in search of a spoon. I'm not talking about any regular ordinary spoon, that would be crazy. See my sister was in search of spoon that would be long enough and wide enough to reach the bottom of a huge pot of posole. A spoon that would scoop the ideal proportion of hominy, meat and juice. So on Saturday around 11:00 a.m. we jumped on the freeway and headed to downtown. I'm never one to object to a downtown trip so I was ready to go as soon as it was suggested. 

In search of this special spoon our first stop would be 9th Street.  This street is know for endless options of party supplies, cooking supplies and food vendors. Knowing that their would be a wide variety of street vendors, we skipped breakfast and decided to eat on 9th Street. The trouble would be deciding on what to eat.   

Fruit in a cup, maybe for a snack? We'll circle back. 

Ice Cream? We should probably have food first. 

Garbanzo beans? Hmm that's an interesting option. 

Shrimp and Cheese? That's an interesting combo. 

Fruit juices, to quench your thirst?

Still need food before dessert. 

I would normally go for a hot dog, but with so many options I decided to skip it this time. 

I think Ice cream is a favorite on 9th Street. 

Annnnd... I think we have a winner! We went with this vendor she had a wide selection of tacos, pupusas, quesadillas, gorditas, hot dogs and fruit juices. 

I went with a Gordita! The lady gave me the option of putting whatever I wanted, so I picked carne asada as the meat, nopales, grilled onions, lettuce, green salsa, cheese, and sour cream. For a drink I had strawberry juice. It was the PERFECT meal!!! Insert drooling emoji. 

My mom went with a pupusa. 

My sister went with pupusa, taco and for a drink she had the spinach pineapple juice. Needless to say we were all happy! So our spoon search continued. 

Yes, those are reindeer piñatas on top of a crate of toilet paper. 

See.

If you are planning a Mexican theme party, 9th Street is the place to go!

Or if you are having any type of party that requires a piñata, 9th Street is the place to go! 

Once we found the special posole spoon we went to the fashion district and did some shopping and then headed home. On our way home we saw the most beautiful sunset. It should be noted that the sunset photo has no filter. 

If you would like to see my other downtown post check these out:

1. My DTLA Favorites

2. CicLAvia

3. Heritage

4. Night on Broadway

5. Flower Mart Finds

6. Museum Day

7. ...when it was in the 80's & not a cloud in the sky.

8. Stainless Steel Curves

9. Lucky

P.s. These photos were taken on my iPhone and edited with a Color Story app. 

CicLAvia

Last Sunday I participated in my first CicLAvia event! Your'e probably wondering what is CicLAvia, I'll tell you.  According to the CicLAvia website, CicLAvia catalyzes vibrant public spaces, active transportation and good health through car free streets. Basically, you get to ride your bike in the middle of the street with out the fear of a car hitting you. It's free, it's fun, it's a community event and it's a must! 

Before you scroll down, I should mention this post is picture heavy. Also, have you ever seen that movie Yes, Man? In that movie, Zoe Deschanel's Character plays an instructor that teaches a photography class while running. Bizarre right, and you can only imagine what the photos would look like. I felt like that during this event. I snapped these pictures while riding my bike, so forgive me if some are not as crisp, centered or clear.

We

We started our path down Broadway, went above the freeway and headed towards China Town. Got a quick glance of a parade that was happening and returned back towards second street street tunnel. Riding a bike through the tunnel was probably one of the coolest things of the event. 

The path through the tunnel led us through Echo Park and eventually to Mc Arthur Park. Now, I know a lot of my post consist of flowers or plants, and I was really trying to do this post without flowers, but come on! How can I skip these beauties.   

After the park we jumped back on 2nd Street and went through the tunnel one last time. This time instead of turning on Broadway we kept going straight and headed towards Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights. The road towards Boyle Heights led us through the arts district and through the 4th Street Bridge. 

The murals in the Arts District are amazing, definitely worth a visit. These are just some of the ones I was able to get a quick snap of. 

Around noon we arrived at Mariachi Plaza, we decided to stop and eat lunch. Ordinarily I go for a hot dog when I'm in DTLA but this time I went with tacos, they were delicious and spicy just the way I like them! I was hoping to see actually Mariachis playing but that was not the case, I just saw some walking by. There was however a DJ spinning some English and Spanish classics that made me want to get up and dance.

The views and the access to typically busy streets were pretty awesome. The art and the community feeling was pretty awesome as well. But I think my all time favorite was the people watching. If there is something I love to do, it's people watch and this was an awesome place for just that!