Exploring Pasadena's Culinary Gems, Escape Room Thrills, and 626 Area Hiking Trails
一月是個繁忙又喜慶的月份，基本上每個周末都有朋友的生日要慶祝。上個周末，按照朋友的生日心願，早上7點多就開始駛往Pasadena的一間可頌店。聽說這間店至從上了Eater LA後就人潮洶湧，如果不在開門前排隊很容易就買不到傳說中的巧克力可頌麵包。不過它們家的麵包也可以提前3-4天在官網預定，所以沒有辦法提前排隊的話，也是可以買到它們的暢銷款。
January is a busy and festive month, with birthdays to celebrate almost every weekend. Last Saturday, following a friend's birthday wish, we started driving to a croissant shop in Pasadena a little after 7 in the morning. I heard that this shop has been crowded ever since it was featured on Eater LA, and if you don't line up before they open, it's easy to miss out on their legendary chocolate croissants. However, you can also pre-order their bread on their official website 3-4 days in advance, so if you can't line up early, you can still get their best-selling items.
CAR Artisan Chocolate - Manufactory & Cafe
注：它們家的咖啡是使用Copa Vita它們家產的咖啡豆。店內也販售它們家的豆子。
Note: They use coffee beans produced by Copa Vida for their coffee. The shop also sells their beans.
週六排隊時常大約在20分鐘左右，並沒有想像中的那麼久。在出發的路上跟朋友在車上玩了點小遊戲，也因此得到了朋友請的巧克力可頌一枚。我自己又額外點了杏仁蜂蜜丹麥麵包以及檸檬藍莓丹麥麵包。
On Saturdays, the wait time is usually around 20 minutes, not as long as I imagined. While waiting, my friends and I played some games in the car on the way there, and as a result, I got a chocolate croissant as a treat from my friend. I also ordered an additional Almond Honey Danish and a Lemon Berry Danish for my boyfriend and I.
巧克力可頌 |
Chocolate Croissant
這款是它們家的人氣商品。如同Eater LA上形容的一般，有著非常薄脆的外皮以及黏糊的巧克力內餡。每一口都充滿著巧克力味，同時又擁有彈牙的嚼勁。
雖自己不是個巧克力愛好者，但這家的可頌外皮真的不是開玩笑的好吃。可惜當天店員跟我說杏仁可頌需要早上11點後才有辦法供應，要不然我其實也挺想試試它們家的其他款可頌。
This one is their popular item. As described on Eater LA, it has an extremely thin and crispy outer layer with a gooey chocolate filling. Every bite is full of chocolate flavor while also having a chewy texture.
Even though I'm not a chocolate enthusiast, the croissant's outer layer from this shop is genuinely delicious. Unfortunately, the staff informed me that the almond croissant was only available after 11 AM on that day. Otherwise, I would have liked to try some of their other croissants.
檸檬藍莓丹麥麵包 |
Lemon Berry Danish
老實說，這其實是我第一次嘗試丹麥麵包。口感和可頌非常相似，同是有著層次分明且酥脆的外皮。檸檬醬的味道並不會太酸太甜，也因如此並不會蓋住麵皮本身香甜的奶油味。整體感跟藍莓中和的很好。個人比起巧克力可頌更喜歡這款。
Honestly, this is my first time trying a Danish pastry. The texture is very similar to a croissant, with a distinct and crispy outer layer. The taste of the lemon sauce is not too sour or too sweet, allowing the sweet buttery flavor of the pastry itself to come through. The overall balance, especially with the addition of blueberries, is very good. Personally, I prefer this one over the chocolate croissant.
杏仁蜂蜜丹麥麵包 |
Almond Honey Danish
灑上杏仁片並淋上百花蜜的丹麥面包。百花蜜是經由多种花卉采集而來的蜂蜜，因此具有複雜多樣的口感。但這款丹麥麵包卻不會很甜，蜂蜜本身跟杏仁片非常的搭。我男朋友其實更喜歡這款，也因如此讓我們更好奇它們家的杏仁可頌會不會比這款還要好吃。
A Danish pastry topped with almond slices and drizzled with wildflower honey. Wildflower honey is collected from various flowers, giving it a complex and diverse flavor profile. However, this Danish pastry is not overly sweet, and the honey complements the almond slices very well. In fact, my boyfriend prefers this one, which makes us curious if their almond croissant might be even more delicious.
要不是之後我們要去同是位在Pasadena的Copa Vita買咖啡，我可能在買可頌的時候就已經點了咖啡配甜品了。雖說可頌跟丹麥麵包整體都不是很甜膩，但我覺得一次吃三個可能還是有點多了。如果我夠理智的話，估計也只會點一樣可頌當早餐吧。只能說可頌的誘惑無法擋。
If we weren't planning to buy coffee later at Copa Vita in Pasadena, I might have ordered coffee with pastries when buying the croissants. Although both the croissant and Danish pastry are not overly sweet, I feel that having three at once might be a bit much. If I were more sensible, I would probably only order one croissant as breakfast. I guess the allure of croissants is irresistible (laugh).
Copa Vida
Pasadena 這個城市有很多公共的立體停車場，令人訝異的是停2個小時竟然只需要美金1塊錢。如果有興趣探索這個城市，開車過來還是挺方便的。
Pasadena has many public parking structures, and it's surprising that parking for 2 hours costs only $1. If you're interested in exploring this city, coming by car is quite convenient.
#LavenderLatte
回到咖啡店本身，我當時點了一杯薰衣草拿鐵。講實話，我其實有點失望。拿鐵本身並沒有濃厚的薰衣草味。不是很清楚它們家本身使用的是哪種薰衣草糖漿又或者是哪種調料，拿鐵本身的後勁多了不是咖啡的苦味。也許我應該常識它們家一般的拿鐵，或許我嘗過之後會有不同的看法吧。如果大家有什麼推薦的咖啡店，歡迎底下留言告訴我。
Back to the coffee shop itself, I ordered a lavender latte. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. The latte itself didn't have a strong lavender flavor. I'm not sure what kind of lavender syrup or seasoning they use, but the aftertaste of the latte was more of a coffee bitterness than the distinct lavender taste. Maybe I should try their regular latte next time; perhaps my opinion will be different after that. If you have any recommendations for coffee shops, feel free to leave a comment below.
Escape Duck Escape Room
1381 E Las Tunas Dr #10, San Gabriel, CA 91776
Tues, Thurs 4:00pm-10:00pm
Fri 12:30pm-11:00pm
Sat 10:30am-11:00pm
Sun 10:30am-10:00pm
之前在芝加哥和香檳的時候，一直很喜歡跟朋友去玩密室逃脫。趁著朋友生日，我也解鎖了我在洛杉磯第一次的密室逃脫的經驗。在搬來洛杉磯前，我芝加哥的好友曾告訴我Escape Room LA的關卡設計的特別縝密。雖還沒來得及及去玩朋友推薦的那間，但還是因緣際會的來到了這間逃脫呀(鴨)。
When I was in Chicago and Champaign, I always enjoyed playing escape rooms with friends. Thanks to my friend who just had her birthday last weekend, I had the chance to experience my first escape room in Los Angeles. Before moving here, my friends in Chicago had told me about the meticulously designed challenges at Escape Room LA. Although I hadn't had the chance to play at the one recommended by my friend, I still ended up in this escape room called Espace Ya in San Gabriel (also known as Espace “Duck” through direct translation).
這間店採取預約式，店面門口就有免費的停車位。值得一提的是它們的密室逃脫劇本是可以選擇中/英文的。只能說不虧是626區，基本上只有華人居多的地方才會有辦法弄出中文版的道具以及劇本。之前在芝加哥的時候還沒有玩過中文版的密室逃脫。雖然我身邊的朋友都是ABC，所以我們當時是選擇玩英文版的。
This escape room operates on a reservation basis, and there are free parking spaces available at the storefront. It's worth mentioning that their escape room themes can be selected in either Chinese or English. It's quite impressive, and typically, only areas with a predominantly Chinese population, like the 626 area, can manage to provide props and scenarios in Chinese. When I was in Chicago before, I had never played an escape room in Chinese. Even though my friends around me are ABC (American-born Chinese), we went for the English version at that time.
當天我們玩的是屍語者(Corpse Whisperer)的關卡，通關時間為60分鐘。進入遊戲場地後會提供觸控平板以及一支對講機。除了通關，這間店還在遊戲的各個角落藏了大約6-8個硬幣。遊戲結束時可以把硬幣上交兌換小獎品。就算沒有完全通關也可以得到一點小獎勵。這個劇本的整體通關難度我覺得是中下。根據店員所說，目前這個關卡最快的通關速度大約30分鐘。如果已經對密室逃脫有經驗的人，我覺得可以試試難一點的劇本。
On that day, we played the 'Corpse Whisperer' for 60 minutes. Upon entering the game, they provided a touchscreen tablet and a walkie-talkie. In addition to completing the mission, they also hid around 6-8 coins in various corners. At the end of the game, you could turn in the coins to redeem small prizes. Even if you didn't escape the room, you could still receive a small reward afterward. I found the overall difficulty of this escape room to be below moderate. According to the staff, the fastest completion time for the “'Corpse Whisperer'“ is approximately 30 minutes. For those who have experience in escape rooms, I think trying a more challenging theme could be more worthwhile.
隨後我們來到了曾獲得米其林一星的中餐廳—那家小館。這間店的用餐環境非常的整潔乾淨，裝潢風格佈滿了很多中國元素，帶有中國古代宮廷的風格。建議提前在Open Table預約，可以避免在尖峰用餐時段排隊。
注: 餐廳就位在廣場裡，停車是免費的。
Later, we arrived at a Chinese restaurant that had previously been awarded one Michelin star—Bistro Na’s. The dining environment of this restaurant is exceptionally clean, with decorations featuring numerous Chinese elements, exuding a style reminiscent of ancient Chinese imperial courts. It's recommended to make reservations in advance through Open Table to avoid waiting time during peak dining hours. FYI, this restaurant is located inside a plaza, and parking is free.
那家小館| Bistro Na's
酥皮大明蝦| Crispy Shrimp
店裡的招牌菜，看到挺多人點的。皮炸得非常酥脆可口，蝦皮可以連著蝦肉一起吃完全不會扎口。
The signature dish in the restaurant. The skin is fried to a delightful crispiness, and the shrimp shell can be eaten together with the meat without any unpleasant texture.
乾燒黑鱈魚| Dry Braised Black Cod Fish with Chili Sauce
這道料理主要由各種肉丁、冬筍丁、薑蒜丁，以及黑鱈魚淋上自製辣醬而烹飪而成。我個人完全吃不出辣味。雖然黑鱈魚本身的肉質鮮甜，但我個人對這道料理不太有什麼特別的印象。
This dish is mainly made with meat chops, winter bamboo shoots, ginger, garlic, and cod fish, all cooked with their homemade spicy sauce. Personally, I can't taste any spiciness. While the cod fish itself has a sweet and fresh texture, I don't find this dish particularly memorable.
這間店其實是我第二次再訪，雖然第二次給我的感覺並沒有比第一次驚豔。但每個店家本身都又各自的拿手菜，整體而言我覺得還是非常值得推薦的。
This time is actually my second visit. Although the second time didn't impress me as much as the first, it is understandable that each restaurant has its own specialty dishes. Overall, I still highly recommend this restaurant to everyone.
飯後和朋友去了位在Pasadena的Eaton Canyon Trail。車子可以停在Eaton Canyon Nature Center這區，按照中心的指示停到指定地點。停好車後可以步行至Trail Head並一路跟著人潮往Eaton Canyon Fall走去。
After lunch, I went to Eaton Canyon Trail in Pasadena with friends. We parked our cars in the Eaton Canyon Nature Center area, following the center's instructions to the designated spot. After parking, you can walk to the Trail Head and follow the crowd all the way to Eaton Canyon Falls.
注: 需要注意的是這個步道路線會經過多個小溪，需跨石爬到溪流的對岸。也因如此，建議穿上有防水功能的登山鞋。
Note: It is important to be aware that this trail route will pass through several streams, requiring walking over stones to reach the opposite bank of the creek. Because of this, it is recommended to wear waterproof hiking shoes.
Eaton Canyon Trail
AllTrials - Length 3.5 miles
我們大概花了1個小時又10分鐘走到盡頭，也就是瀑布所在的位子。回程的時間因為已經熟悉了大概路線以及跨溪技巧，回來相對輕鬆很多。
We spent approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes to reach the end, where the waterfall is located. The return was relatively much easier as we were already familiar with the route and the techniques for crossing the streams.
Eaton Canyon Fall
我聽說Pasadena這區有很多值得一探究竟的爬山路線，希望在之後的日子裡有機會慢慢地去解鎖各種路線。
I heard that the Pasadena area has many worthwhile hiking trails, and I hope to have the opportunity to slowly explore various routes in the coming days.
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