Japanese store two-fer: Tokyo Central & Main plus the new Daiso in Kearny Mesa

I still have to get used to the new signage...

(photo from my "TORC's birthday lunch @ Purple Mint" post, September 2015)

after having been known as Marukai Daiso for awhile...

This was one of our stops when TC was gathering up items for a birthday gift basket...

Manna 3x + Mission Hills Coffee Company

Bert and I had some free time this morning...

TC was doing volunteer work so it was yet another morning date, this time in Mission Hills

"Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty" @ the JANM in LA

Our French dip sandwiches from Cole's were quite filling and proved to be the right sustenance to get through the next phase of the day..

which was visiting Little Tokyo's Japanese American National Museum

Return to Olympic Cafe & Golden Donut

Earlier today I made good on my promise to take TC here...

Bert also accompanied us quite early to beat the rush...

Armstrong Redwoods

With salt water taffy from Patrick's giving us a sugar boost, we headed off to our next destination...

where we would hang a right...

Gelateria Uli @ The Spring Arcade Building

We saw this historic building while on the way to Cole's and made a mental note to come here on the way back...

Under the beautiful and ornate archway were a series of shops, one of which served gelato...

Cold as Ice or Hotter than Hell? Salted maple lattes from Dark Horse Coffee in North Park

Coffee Stop #2 was here...

a place we've been to previously. I secretly hoped that the ginger barista who resembled GOT's Tormund Giantsbane younger gentler brother would be there...

Cole's French Dip Sandwiches

Not too far from The Last Bookstore and diagonally across the street from hipster bakery, Semi Sweet is this beacon for the food curious...

How can you pass up a sign like this?

Well I guess if you're a vegetarian, it would be easy, but we weren't, so in we went...

Return to the Last Bookstore

The $5 lot we parked in had many advantages...

One, it was cheap and two, it was close by to many places we wanted to check out in DTLA...

The Bradbury Building + the Million Dollar Theatre

Just down the block from Grand Central Market are two iconic buildings in DTLA...

The first was this Romanesque building which was a  popular during the late 1800's...

The Bradbury Building is one of the most photographed buildings in LA and has been featured in many films...

Return to Grinds and Vine

One block north up Texas was our next stop...

Coffee Stop #1...

On the weekend is the only time that I drink coffee and today I would have two...