If I can’t make it to “Little Saigon”(Westminister), Alhambra or El Monte for this delicious soup. Than I go to local Pho’ restaurant near where I live. Pho 2000. They have several locations. The one I would frequent moved due to the high rise condos being built on Western and Wilshire. So I go to Pho’ 2000 other location which is on Vermont and 7th. It isn’t as busy as the Western and Wilshire location when it was opened. But nonetheless, is a good place to get a deceint bowl of your favorite type of Pho’.

Pho’ is a basic broth and noodle soup. One may have ox tail, steak or seafood as the meat of choice. When the bowl of soup arrives to you at the table, you smell the fragrance of the broth, meat, onions, anise seed, ginger and nuc mum(fish sauce). You may add some additional things that the waiter/waitress brings to your table. Usually, you may fresh sweet basil, green chile and bean sprouts. Some others may offer cilantro and thinely sliced onions as well. As far as condiments go, one may hoisen(a sweet thick soybean sauce), nuc mum(fish sauce) and siracha chili sauce. My favorite Pho’ is the Pho’ Tai, than the Pho’ Chicken, than the Oxtail.

I also do like ordering on ocassion the egg rolls with romaine lettuce and nuc mum dipping sauce.I also like ordering the “Bun Thit Nuong and Cha Gio”. Which is grilled pork chop, egg rolls and vermicilli noodles. For those who are crazy about coffee, I would recommend drinking the cafe’ su da. Which is the Vietnamese Iced Coffee. Patience is the key with this drink. It is recommended to order the coffee at the time of your pho’ order. By the time you are finished with the soup, the coffee would have finished dripping into you coffee cup from the Vietnamese coffee maker. At the bottom of the cup is a spoonful of condensed milk. Once you have the amount of coffee. Stir and add the coffee mixture to your glass of ice and stir again to get the full taste.

Having Pho’ is a wonderful dish to experience. If you ever get a chance to sample or eat some. Go for it. It is worth the taste and experience.

Here is how some Los Angeles neighborhoods are doing:

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher practices in corporate transactions, labor and employment, litigation, public policy, real estate, and tax. The firm has about 900 lawyers and 14 offices, including Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., Orange County, San Francisco, Palo Alto, London, Paris, Munich, Brussels, Dubai, Century City, Dallas and Denver.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
333 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90071-3197
+1-213-229-7000 (Phone)
213-229-7520 (Fax)

He was always surrounded with lot of controversies related to his face appearance, behavior and scandals. He was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993 and 2003. In May 1994, Jackson married singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley. The great artist took his last breath on June 25, 2009. Jackson died due to a sudden cardiac attack. Death of such a great musician and singer came as a shock to his family and fans.

M.J. lost his breath on June 25 but he is still alive in the hearts of his fans. Even after the death of Jackson his songs are good enough to keep him alive. He is being remembered at every single place when we talk about music. Many honoring events held in the memory of Jackson. One such memorial was held in Los Angeles on July 7, 2009 and Jackson’s children shared some of their father’s memories with the people present there. Jennifer Hudson and many more stars paid homage to the king of pop in L.A’s Staple’s Center by means of his music. Jackson’s family got reunited to pay him tribute on July 11, 2009.M.J was also remembered at the BET awards held in the year 2009. In the award ceremony the entertainers were awarded as a tribute to Jackson. Beyonce, the singer present at the evening paid tribute to Jackson by referring him as her Teacher and hero. That’s not all where M.J. was remembered, he became the part of every magazine, newspaper, concert and everything. M.J. has not died, he just stopped breathing, but still his music breathes for him in his fans’ hearts.

Reserved seating is sold one way and in select cities on specific schedules. The reserved seat upgrade must be purchased in person at the departure terminal, even if you bought your ticket online. Priority seating may be reserved from 30 days in advance to 45 minutes prior to departure, but you must be present at the gate no fewer than 20 minutes before departure.

GreyHound Bus Tickets amy be purchased at the follwoing location in Los Angeles:

Greyhound Bus Lines Hollywood
1715 N Cahuenga Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 466-6384

Priority seating initiative is available across the United States on the following routes:

Atlanta-Orlando; Atlanta-Charlotte; Atlanta-Savannah; Atlanta-Tallahassee; Baltimore-New York; Boston-New York; Charlotte-Richmond; Chicago-Memphis; Chicago-Milwaukee; Chicago-Minneapolis; Cincinnati, all schedules; Cleveland, all schedules; Dallas-Houston; Dallas-San Antonio; Detroit-all schedules; Houston-Dallas; Jacksonville-Charlotte; Jacksonville-Tallahassee; Las Vegas-Los Angeles; Las Vegas-Phoenix; Los Angeles-Las Vegas; Los Angeles-Phoenix; Los Angeles-Sacramento; Los Angeles-San Francisco; Minneapolis-Chicago; New York-Baltimore; New York-Boston; New York-Philadelphia; New York-Washington; Omaha-Chicago; Orlando-Atlanta; Philadelphia-New York; Phoenix-Las Vegas; Phoenix-San Diego; Richmond-Dallas; Sacramento-Los Angeles; San Antonio-Dallas; San Francisco-Los Angeles; San Francisco-Sacramento; Savannah-Atlanta; Seattle-Portland; Seattle-Spokane; Seattle-Vancouver; Tallahassee-Atlanta; Tallahassee-Jacksonville; Tallahassee-Montgomery; Tampa, all schedules; and Washington-New York.

Olvera Street dates back as early as 1877. The street is named after Augustin Olvera. The first LA County Judge. He also owned a house at the end of the street as well. Within the street is the Avila Adobe House(built 1818) which still stands. Francisco Avila was one of LA’s first mayors. You may visit the Avila Adobe, roughly between the hours of 10AM – 4PM. Admission is free. Olvera Street also housed many Olympians during the 1932 which was hosted in Los Angeles. Many famous and important people would visit or frequent the street. Such as: Ronald Reagan, Charlie Chaplin, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, Selma Hayak, Penelope Cruz, Ceasar Chavez, Oscar de La Hoya as well as many others.

In between touring the street and the Avila Adobe you can find some restaurants and sidewalk cafes to eat at. Many of the plates range between $4.00 – $15.00. You may be so lucky to hear live Mexican Folk to Mariachi music. Each group has anywhere between one to five singing and playing accordias and acoustical guitars.

At the end of Olvera Street is the plaza. One may be entertained by Aztec dancers and Peruvian music. During Cinco de Mayo(May 5th) there is always a festival that last 3 days. With pinatas, food, Mariachi music and more. The Plaza also has another festival Mid September in remembrace of Mexicos Independance from Spain, You may also find one of many other Olvera Street festivals. Anything from the Blessing of the Animals, Dia de Los Muetros(day of the dead is around Halloween), to the Annual celebration of the founding of Los Angeles(In 2008 it will be 226 years old). And the mural of the Blessing of the Animals was done by an Angeleno by the name of Leo Politi. The mural can be found on the Biscailuz Building in El Pueblo which is at the end of Olvera Street, across the street from the plaza. Politi was an artist as well as an author.

Here’s one of the reviews from Los Angeles Citisearch:

Forget the $9.00/bowl chi-chi hipster junk and try this authentic little joint. The extensive menu offers much more than just pho and the meals are true-to-form with a distinctly Vietnamese taste (as opposed to a more Americanised or Pan-Asian spin). The noodle bowls and hot seafood dishes are a treat. And although I have yet to try it, the “Beef 7 ways” meal is offered for those into the more elaborate end of the menu. I’ve been coming here for years and it’s always consistently outperformed the competition in town.

Although this place gets mixed reviews, I just love how comforting the food tastes for me. We did tried their “7 courses of beef” menu once and it was ok, but I end up ordering the same thing each time, as you will see in the video. The food is delicious, cheap and we used to go there almost once a week and never got tired of it. To me, that says a lot.

So…check out my first posted cellphone flick (shakey, but I am going to get better!) and meet David, my former boyfriend.

Pho 999

6411 Sepulveda Blvd # 1K1L
Van Nuys, CA 91411

see you on the freeway…

Elephant Rides at Santa Ana Zoo Photo By: Stephen Zopf

The zoo has a lot of exciting rides and activities that will keep children very interested. One of the best rides that children and adults enjoy within this park is the elephant rides. As you all know elephants are large species of animals and they can carry you on their back easily. This is one of the best attractions of the place. The elephants are well kept and fed by the zoo keepers, so they are always ready for fun and action. These elephants are very lovable and they love people, because they are trained with people around, so they do not panic especially when there are lots of people watching them. The zoo keepers ensure that these elephants are safe around lots of people.

The Santa Ana zoo that was located inside the Prentice Park at Santa Ana, California is about a 20-acre zoo, so it is really perfect for the whole family. You kids can personally pet the animals and learn about real farm life. This is the best way for you to teach your kids how to care about animals and other species around them. If you want something that will keep your family busy this weekend, then why not visit the Santa Ana zoo for a change.

Aside from the elephant rides, your children can also enjoy all miniature rides, the Crean family farm and the children zoo. If you are already tired strolling the park. You can rest and relax for while at the garden while the kids enjoy climbing on the play area and the snack bar. This is the best way for all parents to introduce their child to all the wonders inside the zoo. They will learn to care and appreciate animals and their environment.

The whole visit to the Santa Ana zoo will take you about three to four hours or more. The more time you spent inside the Santa Ana, the more your children will surely enjoy. If you are looking for real fun and excitement for your children, then Santa Ana Park is worth visiting. The parking is for free and the admission to the zoo is very affordable for the whole family. The place is both for the little ones and for the grownups, so both children and adults will surely enjoy the place. You can give your children the best weekend every without the need to spend huge money from your monthly budget.

Riding Zoo Elephants
Adults and children pay $5 for an elephant ride at the Santa Ana Zoo from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The rides are available from October through April.

Santa Ana Zoo Information
Zoo Address: 1801 East Chestnut Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Zoo Office Phone: (714) 836-4000
Recorded Zoo Information: (714) 835-7484

General admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children ages 3-12, and children under 2 are free; visitors age 60 and older pay $5. After 2 p.m. on weekdays (non-holidays), the entrance fee is half price. Free admission for Santa Ana residents is on the third Sunday of every month.

For more information on directions to and from the Santa Ana Zoo, visit http://www.santaanazoo.org/visinfob.htm

For more information on public transportation to and from the Santa Ana Zoo, visit www.octa.net.

Now, one may wonder if this is in Pasadena, what does this have to do with Los Angeles other than the close proximity. Well this year for the 2008 Rose Bowl the beloved Trojans of USC will be playing against University of Illinois. USC is located in downtown Los Angeles.

So of course I will have to say something other than GO TROJANS!!!!!!!!!!! Right? Ok maybe not so loud. I will try and be a little unbiased and be fair. Ok maybe, NOT. GO TROJANS!!!!!!. Besides my niece goes to the esteem University of Southern California. And my son goes to high school directly across the street from USC and has about two classes on the campus as well. So it can very hard not to a wee bit biased. Sorry. Besides how many times has USC Trojans appeared in the Rose Bowl in the 105 year history. 31 times. Yup. A whopping 31 times including this 2008 year. Out of the 30 appearances. USC has won 22 of the 30 appearances. So Illinois is going to really want the ring pretty bad and work real hard to get it. The action starts at 2:30 PM(PST).

But for those who are strictly Rose Parade fans you can either reserve bleachers at certain locations of the parade route. Or you can be one of thousands who camp out the night before for a spot in the front row(curb side seating of course). The parade starts around 8 am in the morning and roughly lasts two to two and half hours. The Rose Bowl theme this year is “Passport to the World’s Celebrations.” The length of the Rose Parade route is 5 1/2 miles.

Many people are being encouraged to take the Metro system to the game and or parade. One can get there either by bus and or the light rail system(Yellow line from Union Station). The Yellow runs roughly every 8 – 12 minutes. The traffic is crazy so I would highly recommend parking at Union Station for $6 and paying the all day fare for $5. Which is much easier on the wallet and less of a headache of remembering where your car is and paying high priced parking fees. And for those who have missed the Rose Parade, you can view the floats after and on January 2, 2008. You can get a direct service to where the floats are wherehoused. For more information on Metro transportaion for the Rose Parade/Bowl festives.

Some of the Regulations that you can learn about as as follows:

Stay Clear of Pilot Operating Areas.

Don’t Impede Vessels in Narrow Channels.

Maintain a Proper Lookout.

Maintain a Proper Radio Watch.

Vessels operating too close to a large vessel and impeding their safe passage are considered to be negligently operated.