Family Visit Trip to Los Angeles: Zhang Qiaofei Takes You on a Grand Journey to the West (Part 1)

Text and photos byZhang Qiaofei

Having studied foreign languages for five years and spent 30 days studying abroad in New York, I’m confident in my English skills. I love the warmth of Americans and the vastness of the land. This summer, I went to LA with my mom and aunt to visit my long-missed younger aunt.

Day 1
On the first night, we took a flight that departed at 11:50 PM to LAX. Since I’m used to staying up late, I didn’t sleep much on the plane. We arrived in LA around 9:00 PM local time, quickly snapped a photo in the room prepared by my aunt, and then immediately passed out.

▲Just bring your essential passport, visa-exempt documents, and U.S. arrival card, and you’re good to go out Up！

▲The room my aunt prepared for me.

Day 2

After waking up in the morning, I enjoyed a lovingly made breakfast prepared by my aunt. Then my cousin drove us all to Universal Studios, where there were many cartoon characters available for photos. The wait times weren’t too long, but if you happen to meet a currently popular character, you might have to wait about an hour.

   ▲Scenes and features inside Universal Studios. A vampire in the park suddenly blew air right before the shutter clicked, scaring me into this expression (bottom right)!

▲A set designed as Marilyn Monroe, who greets every visitor warmly when taking photos.

▲Next to the studio is a shopping area where you can leisurely eat and stroll (left); this bus is very unique, with a band performing live on top (right)!

▲This is a crashed airplane, which the studio bought back for millions of dollars to use in movie shoots.

%techstrong>This is a movie scene from Bruce Almighty.

▲In the evening, my aunt’s friend treated us to a Mexican dinner.The meal was very rich, with shrimp, meat, and a variety of vegetables.

▲ While dining, you can also enjoy a Mexican-themed performance, and the restaurant even sings happy birthday to those celebrating their birthdays that month.

Day 3

Next up is a two-day, one-night trip to San Diego Up！ It’s a city bordering Mexico, where you can find all kinds of Mexican food and performances.
After arriving in San Diego, we explored the flea market near our hotel. Entry to the flea market costs $2 per person, so there’s a “mobile” ATM nearby.

▲ Lunch was at this super-popular BBQ place. Just how popular is it? Let’s find out.

▲The line for BBQ wrapped all the way around the building (left). The young women there are very different from sun-shy Taiwanese girls—they love getting tanned and don’t try to stay skinny like paper dolls.(Right).