This year, there was a superbloom in California because of all the rain we got from December to February. During spring break, three friends and I went to Anza-Borrego state park near San Diego to see the wildflowers. It's about a 2 hour drive away from Caltech, and on the…

Printed Matter recently hosted an LA Art Book Fair at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) in Little Tokyo. The fair focuses on the distribution of artists' books, and it is free to attend. Inside, there are hundreds of booths, each with its unique kind of merchandise,…

For R's birthday, we went to get brunch at Zinc Cafe & Market in the LA Arts District. We had originally planned to go to BluJam Cafe in downtown LA, but there was unexpectedly a two hour wait because of the LA Marathon the next day! Thankfully we stumbled upon…

Every year, Caltech's literary and arts magazine Totem hosts the Art of Science competition. This contest celebrates the intersection of art and science and the way in which art can be used to inform science. We accept any science-related art, from microscopy to digital art to paintings to hand-made crafts.…

The Caltech Techlab gives members of the Caltech community free access to 3D printing. It is located in the Sherman Fairchild Library, and any registered user can use it when the library is open. There are currently 4 working printers that can be used for personal projects, and additional printers…

Caltech is starting a new Visual Culture program funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and headed by the Caltech Humanities and Social Sciences Department. The program will include new courses, a postdoctoral instructor, artists-in-residence, guest lecturers, and the addition of a visual culture professor to the faculty. The first…

Every year, Page has their ski trip at the start of second term. We go to Mammoth Ski Resort, and spend Thursday or Friday night to Sunday morning there. Typically, we stay in the same few cabins every year, and since this is my 4th year on Page ski trip,…

Ever wanted to see the famous Hollywood sign up close? Well you can! There are several hikes that lead up to the Hollywood sign in the Santa Monica Mountains, ranging from 3 to 7 miles long. Some of the hikes start at Griffith Observatory, while others start in other parts…

There are a bunch of nice hikes in the San Gabriel mountains, just 15 minutes drive from Caltech. Over winter break, I hiked the Mt. Zion trail via Lower Winter Creek Trail (this one). The trail is 9.6 miles long and has an elevation gain of 2,100 ft, and it…

My favorite udon place of all time is Marugame Monzo in Little Tokyo. I found out about it in my freshman year, and I've never been disappointed! This is what the main street of Little Tokyo looks like: The yellow storefront is Daikokuya, a famous ramen place, and right next…

Each house hosts one big party during the school year, and Page is the first to host it in November. There are four interhouses during Winter Term, and then the last three are in the Spring. This year, our theme was Club Penguin. We (mostly the frosh) build a dance…

Last weekend, there was a holiday festival at Union Station. On the way there, we passed by a street full of small stores that seemed to sell Mexican items. I have a feeling I've seen it before, so I think it might always be there. Once we got to Union…

Last weekend, I went to get brunch with my friends. We went to Bird's Nest Cafe near USC, which serves pancakes, tacos, sandwiches, omelettes, and more. I got the Sunrise Tacos pictured below, and I thought they were delicious. They usually come with avocados which would probably make them super…

Over the summer, all of the Caltech undergrads in Seattle got together to go on a weekend road trip to Vancouver. With 9 people, we booked an Airbnb and set off from Seattle on a Friday evening. The first night, we arrived pretty late, around 11pm, so we got some…

Over the past year, I've been regularly dog-sitting for this cute maltese-poodle mix called Rocco. He has separation anxiety, which is why he has a diaper on in the first image. When I come visit, I take off the diaper, play with him, and take him on a walk. He's…

It's the end of Rotation, and all the frosh have rotated into their new houses! As part of our house initiation, we painted Fleming's red cannon a nice Page blue :) (with Fleming's permission, of course). During my rotation 3 years ago, we pulled pranks like stealing Lloyd's gong and…

Part 2! Here we have 5 more coffee shops located in Seattle. Cascade Coffee WorksLocation: South Lake Union. This place is really cute and aesthetically pleasing, but I honestly didn't like this one. This coffee shop is probably the only one I didn't like in Seattle, but maybe it was…

Get ready for a whirlwind review of Seattle's coffee shops! Seattle is full of coffee shops everywhere, so I've really only been to a few, but let me comment on and recommend some of the ones I've been to :) Café An'clairLocated in South Lake Union. I can't believe I…