Best of Los Angeles I: From Theme Parks to Boulevards

Los Angeles - the city of angels, famous for its beaches, theme parks and celebrities. Known to be the third richest and fifth most influential city in the world, the capital of the entertainment world, L.A is the place to be for lovers of the big and small screens, with directors, actors, screenwriters and many other personnels literally plastered all over town.

Arguably the most famous sign on Earth

Planning the itinerary (given that we had only three and half days) was pretty straightforward - Universal Studios, 6 Flags, Hollywood Boulevard and the beaches of Santa Monica. Unless you are a huge nut for celebrity spotting or parties, there isn't much to do or see around here as compared to other tourist-hot cities like New York or San Francisco.

Read on to see the star attractions that we visited

Final moments in Boston: Whale-watching and yet another Lobster Sandwich

On our last (half) day in Boston, our plans was simple - Whale Watching and Lobster Sandwich.

Let's start with our lovely whale-watching trip. The trip itself started pretty early in the morning (8+ a.m if I can recall), took us out into the Atlantic Ocean where they guaranteed we will be able to spot whales. We were skeptical at first (the price was around S$60), given the fact that none of us had been to anything similar.

Whale-spotters

The journey to the whale-spotting site was around 1 - 1 1/2 hours and unfortunately for me, it was a bumpy ride there. I got hit by a huge bout of sea-sickness and was basically incapacitated for the remaining journey (Credits to Dawn for the photographs). After a chat with the rest of the group, I found out that the ride was indeed worse than usual (we were riding against the wave and going at a really fast speed). So anyone who wants to go through this, remember to take your seasickness pills before embarkment.

An opportunity to catch the city line of Boston

The journey into the sea wasn't really exciting (except having to entertain my sea sickness). It was a straight journey without any incidents or sightings. From a conversation that I overheard from one of the staff, the way they are able to ensure 100% sightings is that they have a network of ships (be it fishermen or whale-watching crew) and boats that will give live updates on where the school of whales is spotted. So the moment any activities are reported, the boat would rush there and hopefully get there in time before the activities ceases or the whales have moved on.

Approaching the whale watching site

Read on to check out more pictures of our Whale-watching experience and the excellent lobster sandwich that followed.

Freedom Trail II & Lobster Galore

We started the day with the continuation of the freedom trail, this time going backwards, starting from the end of the trail.

The official last stop for the freedom trail is the USS Constitution (the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world). However, due to time constraints, we had to skip that one and went straight to the last inland site instead. The Bunker Monument was built between 1827 and 1843 to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Bunker Monument

New Hampshire Gate

Col. William Prescott

After the Bunker Hill Monument, we got a little "lost" with the lines (some of the lines seemed to go missing after certain roads) and went into several sites. At this point in time, I had no idea what they were leading to. Therefore, I'll just leave you with some of the photos of the sites that we went on our way back to Boston Central.

The signal lanterns Paul Revere displayed

At the end of a hectic day, we all felt that we needed a well-deserved meal. What else can be more deserving for us than the famous Boston Lobster! So we headed down to the historic Union Oyster House for our fill of oysters and lobsters.

Old signboard

The place itself was bigger than it seemed from the outside. We entered the oyster house through what we thought was the front door, but ended up right in front of their pub. With oysters and beer in hand, the patrons all gave us a weird look which prompted us to head out again to find the right entrance.

Oyster Bar

Going around the building saw us entering the Oyster Bar area -- A quick and easy way of enjoying your oysters. With plenty of attentive "oyster shuckers" around, I wonder how many oysters are shucked daily!

After we were seated and ordered our share, we were given the famous lobster bib. Cute way to start a meal!

Neat, tidy and ready

First up - the Fresh Oysters. This is as simple as a review can get - a lovely fresh piece of work. It tempted Dawn and myself to order more but a gentle reminder of the price (on a tight budget) and my awaiting lobster stopped me.

Next up was my order of Union Special Lobster - baked medium lobster with New England Seafood Stuffing, topped with its claw Lazyman style. This was awesomeness on a plate. The stuffing itself was average but the lobster was succulent, fresh and well worth getting dirty for. The meat came right of the shell easily and the serving was big enough to satisfy a hungry man like myself.

Union Special Lobster

The others ordered the Lazyman Lobster (Basically lobster peeled off the shell) and the Lobster Scampi (medium lobster sautéed in garlic butter, tomatoes, fresh herbs and white wine served on a bed of linguine). The lazyman lobster itself was equally good (without the stuffing), just that there wasn't the "kick" of having to peel it off the shell yourself. The Lobster Scampi provides a little less meat to the dish but gives more in terms of accompanying flavors.  It was a good mix but I would rather dive straight into the lobster.

Lobster Scampi

Lazyman Lobster

Overall, it was the perfect meal to end the day. The lobsters were all fresh and huge enough to whet our huge appetites and it was wonderful experience to dine in such a historic place. Lovely food and terrific ambience, just that it might be a little pricey. Then again, its definitely worth a trip (if not two) even if you are on a tight budget.

Visit them at 41 Union Street or at their website here.

More pictures can be found on my facebook page: Marcus Facebook

The Price of Freedom: Boston Freedom Trail & Havard University

Boston, Massachusetts - where the heart of America history lies. One of the oldest city in the United States, this city-by-the-bay is famed not just for its historic roots, but also for its splendid seafood selection. The New England Clam Chowder has now become synonymous with Boston and its lobsters-one of the best in the world. Food and history, the perfect combination for a historic foodie like me!

First up - Quincy Market. This is the Number one place anyone would recommend for any newcomers to Boston. Although critics might say that this place is over-touristy, over-priced and you can probably find better chowder elsewhere, Quincy Market is still one those locations that you have to see for yourself.

Quincy Market

For those who have no idea what Quincy Market is - it is basically a historic marketplace near Faneuil Hall with two rows of food stalls on each side of the market. You can get a huge selection of food, ranging from burgers to sushi and Mac 'n' Cheese to Rice 'n' Vegetables. Obviously, the main fare people always go for is the New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Roll, which can be found throughout the entire market.

Long aisle of food

We started with the one that was recommended to us by our friends - the award winning Boston Chowda Co. No prizes to guess what we ordered.

Boston Chowda

So how what was the verdict of our first-ever Native New England's Clam Chowder - Read on to find out...

Final Moments in the Capital - Washington DC

Day 3

The last day at Washington DC saw us going our separate ways, only to meet again in Boston later in the evening. Andre went off for his morning flights, while the rest of us headed to the Eastern Market for breakfast.

Eastern Market

The Eastern Market, like most markets, is where you can get all your basic produces, including your meats and vegetables, fruits and cheese. Personally, I'm not too sure if the prices there are actually cheaper than most, but its definitely a place worth visiting regardless if you are staying or visiting DC.

Take a walk down Eastern Market

Besides groceries, DC's oldest communal market also serves as a venue for periodical flea markets. From time to time, the outside space will be converted to host Art & Crafts vendors, food vendors or even flower vendors. Check out their schedule on their website before going to see whats going on.

Read on to find out what we had at the Eastern Market