For Thanksgiving, I flew to California to see my family. It was only a short weekend for me, but my mom’s birthday coincides with Thanksgiving, and I felt it’d be a nice surprise to visit her. I’m a Mama’s Boy at heart, and I see my family so far in between.
During that short trip, I had Thanksgiving dinner with the entire Nievera family living on the West Coast. Turkey was prepared by my uncle, and my aunt made filet mignon and carrot cake. I, on the other hand, didn’t cook a single thing; for once, I had no obligation towards a Thanksgiving meal — aside from eating it.
The next day, we celebrated my mom’s birthday at a Korean barbecue in Chino Hills — “Gen,” I think the place was called. We ordered more meat than a family of four should consume, and we struck up a good conversation with our server. Apparently, he’s trying to move to Brooklyn, so I felt obliged to give him some good tips on where to live in New York.
Afterwards, we drove to Los Angeles, where I took photos of Chris Burden’s “Urban Light” exhibit at LACMA and the La Brea Tarpits. We even drove into Beverly Hills, and my parents and I walked along Rodeo Drive. My mom feigned interest in a $1500 Louis Vuitton bag, teasing the salesperson, and I bought a $5 cold brew at a nearby coffee shop. So yeah, Beverly Hills is damn expensive.
Again, the trip was incredibly short but worth it. I’m looking forward to Christmas, where I’ll return to California but have an extended vacation from work.
