Blog

A Quick Night Out in Los Angeles

Ari was in town so I took her to the Griffith Observatory and Fred62 diner. It was a good time! I tried to take some night photos with my Fujifilm x100. It was a challenge…the camera seems to “search” a lot in low light. The metering is pretty accurate but certainly limited. But of course, this camera isn’t meant to perform like the super fast and sharp Nikon D3s…that is a very unfair comparison. With that said, it’s a fun camera to use – it’s stylish, light, and super quiet. Here are some shots that turned out OK :)

    

Ssamziegil, Insadong

Insadong is a famous shopping area known to carry many traditional and cultural Korean souvenirs/gifts. You can also find a lot of street food vendors in Insadong selling Korean snacks. Ssamziegil in Insadong is somewhat of a departure from this – the Ssamziegil “building” is filled with floors and floors of more modern or urban shopping. There are a couple of street food vendors within Ssamziegil, such as “ddong bbang,” pictured below, which boasts more of a humorous approach to food. Ssamziegil also boasts many indie artists and shops. The walls are covered in graffiti – there seems to be no limits to where or what people can put on the walls. Many of the notes or drawings on the wall are not just from locals but tourists from many other countries.

  

Tosokchon’s Samgyetang is Amazing

Samgyetang is a traditional Korean chicken soup. You have a whole or half of a chicken in the soup. Usually a game hen is used. The chicken is filled with sweet rice, jujubes, ginseng, and other ingredients for a healthy, filling, and homey dish. It’s one of my favorite dishes.

This particular samgyetang restaurant is famous – it’s called Tosokchon Samgyetang – located next to the Gyeongbokgung station. The broth is a bit thicker than what I’m used to but it’s full of flavor and isn’t heavy. I felt surprisingly healthy after eating here. But as you can see, there is a long wait. Apparently there’s always a wait but to avoid the crowds, try a visit after lunch hours.

First Day With the Fujifilm x100

I feel really lucky – I got the Fujifilm x100 as a gift recently. We took it out to Little Tokyo, Los Angeles for a test run. It was really enjoyable and I got a few comments like “Hey, that’s a cool camera!” It really is a beautiful looking piece of hardware. For its size, it takes lovely photos and the camera is actually fun to use. It’s nice to not lug around a full DSLR! I can’t wait to take more photos with it. Here are some to start…