The Return to California 2020: Day 2

In the last post, I recounted my experiences in Little Tokyo, District Market, and Round One.

Now, I will tell you more about Day 2 of my California trip!

The first thing we did in the morning was travel along the downtown area for some French-dipped sandwiches. My friend, who recommended Anime Jungle to me in the first place, told me about this place called Philippe's. As far as I can recall, I haven't tried French-dipped sandwiches before. So when the opportunity to try this food item came, I was excited.

To our dismay, an unknown event, along with frustrating maze-like directions led by traffic guards and police cruisers prevented us, from reaching Philippe's. Instead of zigzagging along the road, we decided to return to Little Tokyo for Brunch. At Cafe Dulce, there was an overwhelming variety of baked goods to choose from. So when the time came, I chose one of their delicious, but spicy breakfast wraps and a sweet Fruity Pebbles donut.

Return to Little Tokyo! Also, Cafe Dulce in the background!

After our quick food break, we traveled to the Los Angeles Natural History Museum. At the time, I haven't been to a museum in California. Not a surprise considering I usually go to LA for the amusement parks and zoos. The only museums I've been to are in Chicago, New York, and North Carolina. Funnily enough, my brother told me to go to the LA Natural History museum days before my trip and now, here we are. Where the Field Museum has a replica of a Brachiosaurus skeleton, LA has a T-Rex fighting a Triceratops near the entrance! I was in awe looking at the sculptures of two prehistoric beasts engaged in combat. It was like seeing something out of the Discovery Center in Jurassic Park! Actually it reminds of a scene in my favorite arcade game, The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

Welcome to Jurassic Par- err, I mean the Natural History Museum!

Hmmm, deja vu.

As a fanatic of dinosaurs, this museum exceeded my expectations. Their collection of various dinosaur species is incredibly impressive. Best of all, they have a complete and pristine skeleton of my favorite dinosaur: Carnotaurus! Aside from the prehistoric section, there are other awesome exhibits to explore. A couple of areas that stood out were the history of Los Angeles and a Godzilla display. I was amazed by the shrine of artifacts and a scale model of Los Angeles. No joke, like Anime Jungle, I could spend a whole day in this particular museum. There is a lot to explore and I wish I went in to some of their temporary exhibits, like the Natural History of Horror. Before leaving, I gave a donation to the museum and acquired a couple of souvenirs, a plush Stegosaurus with a glow in the dark skeleton outline and a Velociraptor claw replica.

Behold! The Carnotaurus!

Two prehistoric rivals locked in combat for others to see.

Hi Marcus!

A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

When it came to dinner, we ordered Deep-dish pizza nearby my friend's house. Afterwards, we got some ice cream, watched a couple of movies, and ended the night with hilarious stories and conversation.

So that was Day 2 of my California 2020 trip. Next week will be my last day and final entry of Christian's LA saga!