the little big women in dtla

A day filled with art and good company is a day well-spent. 

This is Aida!

Today, Aida and I started off our day at a really sketchy-looking building that even our Uber driver was concerned. But all was well and the owner buzzed us into the art gallery that we were looking for: Little Big Man Gallery. As we walked in, we were greeted by a badass dog and a beautiful collection by Nobuyoshi Araki. This is definitely a gallery that I want to visit again as new exhibits come in. It was previous located in San Francisco, but has now just recently moved here in Los Angeles. Their gallery was also unique because the exhibits are actually extensions of their book publishing company. So while we were there, we were able to look through other books that the owner had published as well. 

For lunch, we stopped by the Grand Central Market. There were so many vendors to choose from and also so many tourists! First, we needed our coffee fix, so we got G&B. In front of the place it said "New York Times: Best Iced Lattes," so you know your girl had to try it. We ordered the Iced Almond Macadamia Latte and it was amazing. I mean, it better have been for $7- but it was worth it! The flavors were distinct and it was strong but not too bitter. All in all, very pleasant. For food, we got Ramen Hood. 1. Ramen sounded bomb but 2.  Mostly because the name was cool (LOL). It was 100% vegan and at first I was a little worried about what would a vegan egg would taste like, but it did not disappoint! We ordered the "OG Ramen"  and it was actually really good for vegan food. It wasn't bland (not saying all vegan food is bland) and the broth was A+. Y'know that after-ramen oily feeling? I didn't feel that here.

The art didn't stop at the gallery. After filling our bellies, we headed to the MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art). I didn't take many photos mainly because I was enjoying the art too much. My experience at the MOCA vs The Broad was very different. Whereas The Broad was very interactive and upbeat, I felt like the MOCA was more thought-provoking, textural, and "in the moment." There is not one that I preferred over the other, but the MOCA is smaller and has a different vibe.

Besides these places, we also went to Little Tokyo. We went to the bookstore: Kinokuniya Bookstore, where was a huge selection of Japanese books, stationaries, and other cute things! 

Here are the things I bought along the way. A cute notebook from the bookstore and pins from the store at the MOCA. I plan to keep this notebook in my backpack incase something small makes my day and the pins I plan to add onto my adventure backpack. 

Overall, today was a great day.
These kind of days keep me sane: days full of exploring, conversation,  and great food.