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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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