I have never spent much time in Chinatown here in LA, mostly because parking and driving in LA always seems more difficult than worth it to me haha. But, occasionally I find a reason to head into downtown and I never regret it when I do.
My good friend Steph works at THANKYOUCOFEE, which is a cool coffee shop that is inside a stationary store (PAPERPLEASE) - in the heart of Chinatown. Amazing. This past Monday Toshiro had the day off work so him and I headed there in the afternoon to take some pics and try some coffee!
Steph told us about a parking lot behind a big restaurant right across from THANKYOUCOFFEE that is free (for now)!
PAPER PLEASE! What a cute stationary store. The owner said that the interior is the same way it was back in the day when this was an old Chinese gift shop. The orange ceiling and green wall are the original colors that were there before - I love it!
This shop reminded me a lot of the stores in Japan. Super cute curation of high quality goods.
THANKYOUCOFFEE is a little pop up in the corner of the stationary store. Steph works there a few times a week and they have the cutest little logo of a cat!
I got the Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) Spiced Latte with homemade spice mix and oat milk… and OH MY GOSH It was AMAAAAZINGGGG!!! I’ll never be able to go back to a regular PSL.
Steph is the best barista!!
LOVE LOVE all the cards. A lot of them were made from local artist which was a cool highlight.
The gift card shop the store is in…how cute is it? Such a cool vibe.
Toshiro looking very legit with his new glidecam and wide angle lens! (check out his website HERE)
One thing I really am thankful for is that Toshiro and I share the same love for photography and videography. It is so much fun to adventure around together shooting and creating!
Lovin the colors of these buildings.
twighlight hour <3
We have a lot of camera gear between the two of us so luckily Toshiro has this cool bag from PGYTECH to carry it all in!
golden light, nothing better!
As we were walking around, I noticed almost every door in Chinatown had a very ornate and intricate design.
I especially loved this yellow door with a circular design in it!
I am thankful for another afternoon of inspiration… photographing a place that is nearby home-yet quite unfamiliar. This year has really been strange- so I’ll take all the fun, lighthearted, peaceful moments I can get! If anything, 2020 has taught me to be grateful for the simple joys of life. God is good through it all.