My two favorite places growing up were the airport and staying at a hotel. Now, as a United Airline’s flight attendant, I get to do both, A LOT. I enjoy racing through the terminal trying to make my connection home (only to find out that it’s been delayed for an hour, bummer). But when I do get the chance, the best way to spend time at the airport is to EAT (and people watch at the same time).

Yes, eating at the airport is expensive (heck, even with my crew discount, its still a bit steep). But ask any flight attendant, and we will tell you places that are definitely worth your money.

I go through some of our bases more frequently since we have more flights going in and out of there. I spend the most time in SFO (San Francisco), DEN (Denver), ORD (Chicago) and IAD (Washington D.C.).

Right now, I’m writing this in Boston, waiting for my flight to D.C. (first time in Boston..), and I’m having a not-so-great clam chowder – such a disappointment (I thought Boston was known for it!) and a total waste of money.

So, to make sure that this doesn’t happen to you, here are my favorite GOOD EATS.

DEN (Concourse B):
I enjoy being in Denver the most. I make my way upstairs to Paradise Bakery & Café. I always luck out and the soup of the day is Fire Roasted Tomato Soup (maybe its always the soup of the day). It’s piping hot, topped with garlic sour cream and tortilla strips. YUM! Their cookies are really delicious too. I’ll sneak a couple sample pieces while I’m in line.

ORD (Concourse C):
I think Chicago has the most options since it is United’s biggest hub. We have a employee cafeteria that serves a mean omlette, but if I don’t get there, my hands-down favorite food is Café Zoot!’s Italian sub. It’s humongous, but I could eat one in one sitting.

As a side note, Eli’s Cheesecake and Garrett’s popcorn is also available and always yummy. For the budget conscious, there’s a Mc Donald’s too.

IAD (C&D Gates):
When I’m in IAD, I always wish its morning time. California Tortilla makes the best breakfast burrito. I also like the sandwiches from Pot Belly. I enjoy Wendy’s and Dunkin’ Donuts too! I think all of these food joints are available outside the airport, but Dunkin’ Donuts doesn’t exist in L.A. so I always get excited when I see one.

SFO:
One word, the most expensive airport to eat at (in my experience). I go to Subway because they have a daily $5 sub special. But they also have a Boudin’s that serves good clam chowder in its famous sourdough bowl and a take-out Gordon Biersch that has really good garlic fries.

So it’s not about eating, but I must share this shopping tip: If you really have a long layover at SFO, you can walk over to the international terminal (the bridge that you go through has a great view of planes at the gate) and peek at high-end stores like Coach and Gucci. If you only have time to stay in the domestic terminal, there’s a Mango store (women’s boutique) with some cute things in front of the main food court. I also enjoy the cushy moving walkways, and you’ll know what I mean when you step onto one.

So recently, I’ve noticed that I have three favorite places to be – the airport, hotel and eating at restaurants. Wow, I think I’ve hit the jackpot with this job (Although I love being home the most).

So the only catch to this story is that these places only exist if you fly United Airlines.. and pretty soon Continental Airlines (since we are merging to become the world’s biggest airline! Impressive, huh?).

See you at an airport near you!

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Recently, I visited my boyfriend’s work in Cypress during his lunch break. He took me to this burger place called Paul’s Place. We went in, and there was a sign that said “We’re a gourmet fast food place.”

Gourmet?

As I sat in the cozy burger joint eating a fabulous hot pastrami sandwich, I had a revelation. I want to go on a burger adventure. (Why was I thinking about more food while I was eating food?)

I’ve already had my share of cheap burgers from McDonald’s to Carl’s Jr.
Check!

I’ve had slightly fancier burgers like Steve’s Burgers and restaurant burgers like Red Robin.
Check!

I’ve also had expensive Kobe burgers and even made my own trendy burger at The Counter.
Check!

Well then. Now, I will create a new genre in between Wendy’s and Denny’s burgers.. and I will name it.. Gourmet Fast Food Burgers! (Oh oh! In-and-Out totally belongs in this genre!)

Perfect. Now, after some extensive research and burger munching, here are my top three:

1. Five Guys Burger (restaurant pictured in beginning of post)
Indulge in your dream burger! It’s kind of exciting when there are 16 different sauces and toppings to choose from, and they are all free. The fries are a little salty, but you can get them regular or cajun (we tried the cajun). It’s so big one order easily feeds two.

20700 Avalon Blvd
Carson, CA, 90746
11:00am-10:00pm Daily
www.fiveguys.com

2. The Habit Burger
Onion rings are to die for.. (and I dont even like onions!) It’s perfectly seasoned and super crunchy ($1.95). Their Charburger ($2.95) tastes fresh and juicy, the fries are thick cut and yummy! I liked how they have peppers like jalapeno to crunch on, and they have malt vinegar for the fries.

3829 West Torrance Boulevard
Torrance, CA(310) 316-4048‎
Mon-Sat: 10:30am-9:00pm
Sun: 11:00am-8:00pm
www.habitburger.com

3. McCormicks and Schmicks Burger
I know, this is probably considered a restaurant burger, but I included it in this category because during happy hour, this plate of cheeseburger and fries is only $2.95! This juicy burger (one bite and you’ll know what I mean!) was the highlight of my day. The really hot wings ($3.95) were quite spicy and the zucchini fries ($1.95) were piping hot and delicious!

2101 Rosecrans Ave.
El Segundo, CA 90245
Prices only available during Happy Hour!
Mon-Thurs: 3:30pm 6:30pm & 9:00pm-11:00pm
Fri: 3:30pm-6:30pm & 9:30pm-11:00pm
www.mccormickandschmicks.com

Ahhhh.. With a tummy so happy, who cares if it’s pouring rain outside and your car just ran out of battery and won’t start… (btw, this really happened the day I was burger tasting)

p.s. All these burger places have other locations besides the ones I’ve listed, so peek at their website to find out if there is one near your area!

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3. Jin Patisserie

(Snap!!)

So the reason why I’m ranting and raving about Peruvian food is because our friend, Eric Nakata has been working on a project called Lomo Arigato, a mobile food truck full of delicious Japanese-inspired Peruvian food, including my long time favorite – the Lomo Saltado. With thin strips of beef, onions, french fries and tomatoes all pan-fried and tossed in red wine vinegar and soy sauce, this steamy dish is sure to make your tummy smile with happiness. AND! Let’s not forget that it includes the (drum roll) Aji sauce, a.k.a. the green sauce. He’s currently working on two kinds, so I’m excited to try them both.

This food truck will be running all throughout Los Angeles and the South Bay (our home town!) and is scheduled to start operating in mid-August.

Tune into www.lomoarigato.com to see where Lomo Arigato will be making its first appearance. They are also busily updating their facebook and twitter so that fans like me can figure out where the heck they are.

Don’t we all enjoy a little chase when we’re in love?

Also, Lomo Arigato was featured in Good Day LA so check it out here!

Keep your eyes peeled for this logo!!

i <3 lomo arigato

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My absolute, hands-down favorite is the sea salt caramel chocolate. I could not get enough of gooey caramel mixed with just the right amount of sea salt and dusted with bitter-sweet chocolate. The cakes are like art, all adorned with pieces of chocolate, fruit and edible flowers. Words cannot describe how wonderful these sweet treats are.

Hidden away in the city of Venice, this super cute garden café is located on Abbot Kinney Boulevard. If you don’t have your peepers wide open, you may just miss this place. But even if you don’t live in Venice Beach, you can order them online (no cakes, however).

I’m surprised I didn’t gain weight while I did this job. Well, maybe I did, but I sure didn’t notice because I was so darn happy there. While regular jobs get regular brewed coffee in the morning, I got freshly ground Italian coffee, steamed milk and a brown sugar cane stick. Then, I’d prance around looking for chocolate shavings and little pieces of butter cake. That’s how spoiled I was.

I will never take anything for granted. EVER!

Jin Patisserie
1202 Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Venice, CA 90291
310.399.8801
Tues–Sun 10:30am to 7:00pm
Mondays closed
www.jinpatisserie.com

Outdoor sitting area…enjoy afternoon tea!

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Nonetheless, we vow to never give up looking and trying on cute things! We’ll get bored on a random day and have an itch to go shopping. That’s when we head out to Melrose in Los Angeles to do some “eye shopping”.

Our two most favorite stores on Melrose – actually the only two that we go to – are Gossip and Paper Doll. Gossip has cute dresses and tops that are unique and trendy. When you get bored of Forever 21, this is your spot. It feels like a boutique, where you can find one-of-a-kind pieces.

Then, we head over to explore Paper Doll, just a few stores down from Gossip. This store has all your slouchy basics that you can incorporate into any wardrobe. The black cardigan is still a staple in my closet.

Most of the time, we walk out both stores empty-handed. But we’re content and happy. We also feel guilt-free that we didn’t spend a dime. We look at each other and say, “I’m so proud of you!”

Perhaps our “eye shopping” escapades are just a lame-o excuse to do just that. But to us, shopping is not just about buying things. It’s like stepping into an art gallery. We look, discuss, squeal and we walk out, excited that we just saw something super cute!

Gossip
7322 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323.939.1286
Mon-Sun 11:00am-8:00pm
http://www.myspace.com/137714001

Paper Doll
7312 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90189
323.857.6647

Secret Tip: So..the exception to this eye shopping policy is if we find something one of us absolutely needs to have.. we will only purchase it after careful consideration (is it something you will love for a long time?) and the approval of the other. Now that you know the rules, time to go “Eye Shopping!!” ☺

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Cindy talks about our mini get togethers called GNO a.k.a. Girls Night Out. It’s so much fun to round up the bunch for a night to gossip and laugh at our (sometimes) extremely stupid jokes. Add a pitcher of beer to that equation, and the stupid jokes become even funnier.

Quite a few of our GNO’s have been held at a cute restaurant called Musha in Torrance, CA. Musha is an izakaya, a Japanese version of the tapas bar. There you order various plates of food to share and its super fun because everyone can try a little bit of everything! We probably don’t even need a menu because we almost always order the same things – M.F.C a.k.a. Musha’s fried chicken, crispy chicken served with ponzu (soy sauce with a hint of citrus) and grated daikon radish; Ebi Mayo Mayo, deep fried shrimp with a creamy mayonnaise sauce (pictured above); the house salad; and the cheese risotto. Don’t get scared by the hunk of cheese that the cheese risotto comes in. (You’ll know what I mean when you order it!)

So if you ever see a group of four tipsy girls being a teeny bit too loud, giggling away and not acting their age at all…come over and say HI!

It’s probably us..

Tip: this restaurant gets packed real quick! So get there early!

Musha
1725 West Carson Street
Torrance, CA 90501
310.787.7344

Mon-Sat 6:00pm-11:30pm
Sun 6:00pm-10:30pm

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