Thanksgiving Hike and Food

After a day full of turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie with ice cream, I decided to spend black Friday going on a hike at Chantry Flats then spend the day in Arcadia.

On one of the few days that it rains in LA, I started my day early and met up with one of my really good friends Manny, whose from the area.  We drove over to Arcadia where there’s a breath taking hiking trail called Chantry Flats.  The rain definitely cooled the air down but also kept the streams running alongside the hike, thus making an awesome waterfall just at the end of one of the trails.

Waterfall

Afterwards, Manny gave me a tour of the Arcadia/Pasadena area through old town and quaint friendly streets lined with shops, boutiques and some excited late midday black Friday shoppers.  We stopped by one of the best coffee shops: Intelligentsia.  Warming up from the hike with Cappuccinos and pastries we walked around the town, looking through the stores and trinkets.

Coffee

Ready for lunch we drove over to Din Tai Fung, which is a famous Taiwanese dumpling restaurant.  Both reminding me of home and serving as a delicious meal, the dumplings were steaming and authentic.

with Manny

Then still in the spirit of feasting during thanksgiving, we headed to another good friend of ours for more turkey and a second Thanksgiving type meal.  Experimenting with cooking: I’d say we made a pretty successful “Turduken” — a chicken within a duck within a turkey.