LeLand Stanford Mansion in Sacramento

I was fortunate enough to make a trip to Leland Stanford Mansion twice this month. I never been to the state historic park before. I actually never heard about it until my first trip there, which was organized by my volunteer outing. I believe there was at least 15 of us at the volunteer tour. When I went on the tour with my friend, the group was only 4 people total. What I found most surprising about the tours are that they are free of charge. I just find that incredible.

I was so surprised that we were able to walk to the Stanford Mansion from the California Museum. It was less than a 10 minute walk! I was surprised that I didn't notice the mansion before. I probably drove past it a dozen times and didn't really think of it as a place to tour. Also, the mansion isn't anything very extravagant, so it didn't strike me. I also never heard about it from any friends.

When we arrived at LeLand Stanford Mansion we were shown some videos to understand some context and history of the mansion and the Stanford family. Afterwards, we headed inside the mansion and saw the ball room first. I couldn't take any photos inside, but I'd definitely say the tour was worth a visit. Afterall, I did go to the tour twice. We didn't get to see every room in the building, but I'm glad that we got to see the majority of the rooms. I been to Hearst Castle before, so Stanford Mansion reminded me of it in a more modest form. I love seeing the interior of old buildings and priceless or very old items. I love that every room in the mansion told a story.

Visiting the Stanford Mansion made me feel quite intrigued. I grabbed one of the brochures in the visitors office of sightseeing places in Sacramento. If I missed out on Stanford Mansion all these years I might be missing out on more hidden gems around the area. Now, I'm quite excited to visit Stanford University even more. I'm also anxious to go back to Hearst Castle.

First San Francisco trip of the year

So, I made my first San Francisco trip in January when Lily came to visit California for a business trip. The first place we went to was the Walt Disney Museum. It was my first time there, but I been meaning to go since last year. And, I recently got free admission to many museums due to my Explorer membership to the California Museum. Yay, for volunteering :). I was able to get me, Chen, and Lily in for free.

The museum was really nice. There were some spots that were pretty interactive. I like it told some stories I never heard of before.

I liked the view of the Golden Gate bridge from the museum!

My favorite thing at the museum was the the mini model of Disneyland. It was really cute!!

After the museum, me and Lily wanted to eat Burmese food since it doesn't have it where we live. And, San Francisco has some popular spots for Burmese food. I ordered a pork dish, but it wasn't as good as the last Burmese restaurant I went to.

I forgot the name of the noodles we ordered, but they were pretty good. But, the noodles were cold and not warm like what I was used to.

Afterwards, we went to Union Square for shopping. We went to our usual shops. For some reason it's hard for me to go clothing shopping outside of Sacramento because I hate carrying my stuff and having a car to put it in. I also feel that I can get most of those clothes at home. But, I think it's because the way I shop is that I find something I really like then I will buy that.

Boba guys was alright. I ordered the horchata drink. But, I felt that horchata was better at Latin American restaurants. My friend's cousin's place is probably the best I've had.

I hope that Lily returns soon, so we can go hang out. I do also want to visit her at New York, so hopefully one of those happen soon.

My Visit to Vancouver

I haven't been in Vancouver since 2011 and I went back there this month for a few days. Every time I go there, I always visit family. I didn't know more of the reasons why we wen until we arrived, but it's all good since my I was glad I was able to go in the first place.

This time around we all flied all the way to Vancouver. That was easier. However, when we arrived in Vancouver, my mom noticed that her package had blown up. She then told us that one of the things she put in their was in the freezer. I just thought the whole situation was just hilarious.

When we finally reached my uncle's house, the first thing we did was walk to a Chinese restaurant down the street to eat. It was open at 12am apparently. I also noticed a 24 hour pho place was that less than 5 minute walk away. I love how the streets in Canada are designed.

The next day, we had dim sum. It was one of those restaurants that let you select what you want first and they will get it for you. We don't have that in Sacramento, but San Francisco has something like that. I thought the bill was pretty pricy. But, then again, my aunt overestimated the quantity of food we needed to eat.

After eating dim sum, we were able to walk around for some shopping. We ended up going to Crystal Mall, which was a plaza with a Asian Market, restaurants, and products that looked like what people in China wore. That plaza reminded me of China.

One of the interesting things I notice while at Crystal Mall was this cake.

At night, I met with my cousin Patrick and he and another relative took me and my sisters out for sightseeing of Vancouver and we also got to go the huge mall. But, we had to walk all the way back to the house, which was a 30 minute walk and a unpleasant short bus ride that was unnecessary.

The next day, I went to Tim Hurton's really early in the morning. It was one of the places I wanted to check out ever since I heard about it in "How I met your Mother". I liked it because you can get fast food, donuts, and bakery products all in the same spot and apparently it's everywhere. I wanted to order the chicken sandwich, but it wasn't ready yet, so I got a croissant. I was kinda disappointed they didn't have chocolate croissants. When I got back, I noticed that some people were already awake. Soon later, I noticed something was wrong and my grand aunt had to go the hospital for medical attention. That was when I realized she was one of the reasons why we came.

Since something happened with grand aunt, I didn't expect us to do anything else for the rest of the day, but we actually ended up doing some stuff. We were able to check out Richmond and try the ramen there. Afterwards, I tried an escape room for the first time, which was a very fun experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

We went to the snow and I was surprised that it was Emily's first time.

 Even though it wasn't the perfect trip, I still had a good time and it was good to see my relatives whom I don't see too often. I really do look forward to my next trip to Vancouver or for their next trip to California.