Adventures in Downey: A Mid-Century Treasure Trove

This past weekend, Larry took Carrie and I to Bob’s Big Boy in Downey. Doesn’t sound like anything out of the ordinary, does it? After all, most Bob’s Big Boy restaurants are but a shadow of their former selves, looking like generic family restaurants inside and out. And Downey? Just another ho-hum middle class suburb of Los Angeles, right?

Um, no. This restaurant has been lovingly and painstakingly restored to its original glory, down to every last detail. It is an archetype of mid-century Googie architecture. Everything here is as it once was, from the green vinyl upholstery on the booths, walnut-effect laminate on the counters and tabletops, rock walls, and gorgeous bullet and sputnik light fixtures. It even features a drive-in section that is operational everyday after 4pm. You can learn all about it here at the restaurant’s website. And Downey? As it turns out, it is filled with amazing mid-century architecture everywhere, some well preserved, others not. It’s an amazing place to explore. Downey. Downey!!

All of these pics were taken with my iPhone, with suitable vintage photo effects courtesy of two apps – Hipstamatic and Camera Bag.

I had to dine on an old childhood favorite of mine, chili spaghetti. Sounds disgusting, and it sorta is, in the most gloriously delicious way.

The experience was so magical that we had to bring our friends Rebecca and Jody back the next day, meaning that we came here twice in one weekend. And yes, I did get the chili spaghetti the second time too.

Larry also took us to another Downey landmark, the oldest operating McDonald’s in the world. Opened in 1953, this location is well preserved and has its huge sign intact.

Rebecca and Jody learned that Downey was the birthplace and home of The Carpenters. Who knew? We found the house Karen Carpenter was raised in, and better yet, learned that once the Carpenters became successful, they decided to buy and manage two apartment buildings in Downey, directly across the street from each other. Random thing to do with your success, huh? And they named them too. What did they name them? What else?

We passed a Hawaiian apparel store called Exotical…filled with all kinds of vintage Hawaiian kitsch (which I don’t think was meant to be kitschy). Regretfully, they were closed as it was Sunday, but we got pictures of the patina’d sign and some creepy mannequins.

Turns out Charles Phoenix, a connoisseur of all things mid-century, has also taken an interest in Downey and did a feature with the local NPR affiliate KPCC here. Downey’s only 15 minutes from home…we’ve got some more exploring to do, and more chili spaghettis to down!

thosecoolkims Have Recruited!

Yes, it’s true – I’m happy to report that Ed & I  are going to be parents!

After many years together (and many people wondering and politely hinting trying to get us to disclose if we’d ever have kids!), we are really excited to be adding another person to our crew! I am officially 12 weeks along and rapidly approaching the end of the 1st trimester (hooray!). Our new cool Kim is due to arrive on October 30, 2010.

The story:
It was the morning after my birthday, and it was getting pretty late, so we decided to take a test.  I was kinda not thinking that those things would ever come up positive, so even though Ed was in the shower, I went ahead and took it. Almost immediately the stick talked back, and there was a big ol’ “pregnant” reading right away. I really couldn’t believe my eyes.  I stuck the stick through the shower curtain and said to Ed, “It actually says we’re pregnant!” He has sweetly described that moment very vividly: he said he immediately saw his life right in front of his eyes, quickly making a sharp turn – in the best possible way. It was pretty surreal, and then we realized we had to get to work! It’s probably not the best time to take a test that will change your whole life right before you have to go to work, but it’s our story!

Breaking the news:
Ed and I wanted to find a fun way to tell our parents, and I thought it would be kinda cute to buy a few plain white bibs and use iron-on transfer paper to break the news. We wrapped them up and gave them as “gifts”. It was definitely fun to watch the reactions after they opened their “present”!

The Facey Grandparents with their bibs, “I love Grandma” and “I love Papaw”:

Ed’s mom with her bib that says “I love Halmoni” which is “Grandma” in Korean:

Ed’s dad with his bib that says “I love Harabuji” which is “Grandpa” in Korean:

We’ve had kind of a rollercoaster ride with a few complications in the beginning. But, the end result is that our doctors have assured us we’ve got a healthy baby growing in there now, so that’s all that matters! :)

Fun Facts about Baby Kim:

  • So far, Baby Kim seems to have a real love for egg beaters & bacon! Ed (the most awesome husband in the entire world) makes us breakfast sandwiches every morning with an english muffin, egg beaters and turkey bacon after we return from our morning walk (me)/ run (Ed). If I don’t eat this in the morning – Baby Kim isn’t happy, and lets me know right away by making me extremely nauseous.
  • Baby Kim is creative already. I have lots of detailed and bizarre dreams ever since I found out I was pregnant.  I’m usually a head-hits-the-pillow-and-I’m-out-like-a-rock kind of sleeper, but sleep is a whole different story these days. Literally.
  • Baby Kim is shy. Likes to hide from things like ultrasounds and important tests!
  • Baby Kim doesn’t seem to like hummus. This makes me very sad, as I eat it almost everyday. Not anymore!
  • I am absolutely convinced Baby Kim is a boy. Of course it’s way too early to have evidence to back up my claim, but lets just say there’s not a doubt in my mind. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see!

I suppose that’s enough for now, but please check back often – we’ll be updating a lot more frequently around here!


Ed Runs the Seal Beach 10K

As some of you know, I’m going to be running the OC Half Marathon next month, so I’ve been training the last couple of months and getting into shape for it. A few weeks ago, I found out that there was a 10K (about 6.2 miles) happening just down the street in Seal Beach, so I figured it would be great practice for the half marathon. After all, I’ve never run in any organized run before!

As it turns out my dad was planning on doing it too, but walking the 5K (about 3 miles) version. So it was really fun and cool to do this with my dad!

I wish we had some pictures to share, but all I have is this picture from the staging area, about 10 minutes before the start.

It was a real rush, especially the start when you’re running amidst thousands of other runners. The energy is really overwhelming, and you just end up running hard! I ran it in 52 minutes and 13 seconds, which equates to an 8:25/mile pace over the 6.2 miles. For me, that’s fast – definitely the fastest I’ve ever run over that distance.

I saw my dad about a quarter mile before the finish as he was wrapping up his 5K, we actually finished within a few minutes of each other. It’s so cool we both got to do this event together.

So, OC Half Marathon, here I come!

The Facey Kids Go to the Symphony!

This past Christmas, our present to the Facey kids was a trip to the wonderful Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by Frank Gehry, to see Beethoven in the House, one in a series of concerts for kids put on by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. As Kendall, the oldest, is now a clarinet player in her school orchestra, we thought it would be really cool for the kids to see a renowned symphony orchestra in one of the coolest concert halls in the world. We think it’s awesome that the LA Phil has a kid-friendly concert series that exposes kids to classical music and the arts, so we were only too excited to take the kids here.

Not surprisingly, all of the kids knew the iconic opening of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, but none of them knew that it was Beethoven that had composed it. So, they were in for a treat as we piled in the Land Rover I was testing for the weekend and headed off for Downtown LA.

One cool aspect of the Symphony for Youth series is that during the hour before the concert begins, kids can participate in all kinds of creative activities to learn about music, theater, and art. We decided to make masquerade masks for an imaginary ball. Here we are making them, and wearing them:

The concert itself was great, and the kids thought it was really sad that Beethoven couldn’t even hear his final 9th symphony (which contains the famous Ode to Joy) because he had gone deaf at the early age of 32.

After the concert, it was time to leave the concert hall for the next destination!

It was recently Chinese New Year, and this is the year of the Tiger. To celebrate, the Chinese American Museum held its Lantern Festival near Chinatown. The event had live performances as well as tons of arts and crafts projects for kids.

The kids made awesome paper lanterns, fans, embossed metal plates with their own drawings, and even abacuses!

No trip to LA is complete without a stop at Sprinkles for some gourmet cupcakes. Kendall and Jordan had been here before, but this was the first time for Mikayla and Ethan.

Despite the hour-long cross-town drive to Beverly Hills to get these cupcakes, the kids declared the trip worth it. Ethan summed it up best when he bit into his Peanut Butter Chocolate cupcake and exclaimed, “This is the best cupcake ever!!!” No argument from us; look at them!

Another awesome weekend with the Facey kids. We miss them already! Click below to see the album.

Facey Kids Weekend Feb 2010

Practical Korean Cooking for Love!

For Valentine’s Day this year, I decided that I wanted to cook something really special for Ed: A proper Korean Feast! It seems like a no-brainer, but of course Ed absolutely LOVES Korean food, and in the three years we’ve been married, I really haven’t cooked it enough for him.

A few years ago, Ed’s mom bought us “Practical Korean Cooking“, a traditional Korean cookbook written by Noh Chin-hwa. It was translated to English with the intention of helping Westerners learn how to prepare Korean cuisine. The coolest part about this cookbook? There are step-by-step photos that guide you along, which was a BIG help (seeing as how I had no idea what some of the ingredients looked like or how these dishes are supposed to look)! So I guess in the spirit of “Julie & Julia“, this project turned out to be the Korean version. Instead of trying to tackle Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking“, I took on the challenge of Practical Korean Cooking! I decided on making a 4-Course meal. I knew it was ambitious, but I am proud to report that 4 hours later  it was a huge success!

1st Course: Saengseon Jeon
(Pan-Grilled Fish Cake with Egg)


These “fish & egg pancakes” (as I called them before looking up the proper name) are an Ed staple! He LOVES them so much, often times he can’t wait until they’re completely made – he has to cut off slices of the fish cake and eat them plain! Ed’s mom helped me with this recipe and she even gave me a cute idea of making them heart-shaped! They are super simple – beat some eggs, add a pinch of salt, dip the slices of fish cake in the egg and cook them like a pancake! I even found a heart shaped frame I could use at the Korean Market!

2nd Course: Komt’ang (Beef Stock Soup)


This soup got put on the list because a) I’ve never made my own soup stock from scratch before and b) Ed loves any kind of noodles!!! Basically, this recipe was a simple soup made with beef shank, garlic, korean radish and “chinese style” noodles. This was definitely the toughest to shop for – at Zion Market they had 2 whole aisles of just noodles! How’s a girl like me supposed to figure out the right one?!? I’m pretty sure I chose the wrong noodles, but Ed said it was delicious nonetheless.

3rd Course, part 1: Twaejigogi Kimch’ibokkum
(Stir-Fry Pork with Kimchi)


You’re definitely not eating a true Korean meal if there is no kimchi involved, so I knew this dish would hit the spot. No, I didn’t make my own kimchi from scratch, but there’s always next time! Thank goodness Ed’s mom told me which red pepper paste to look out for (whew!). This dish came out so spicy and bold and delicious – and Ed said everything about it was “just right”!

3rd Course, part 2: Nakchinokkum (Fried Octopus)


My goal from the start was to knock Ed’s socks off and completely surprise him by this meal – so I knew the sure-fire way to do just that was to include octopus on the menu. Octopus is a huge favorite for Ed, and there is no way he would ever expect that I would make that for him! Even though I am not a big fan of the octopus, I did give it a shot. Ed was completely shocked that I even attempted it and very happy about how it turned out!

I took this shot of him, mid-bite:

He liked it – he really, really liked it! :)

4th course: Strawberry Ice Cream and
Rice Cracker Treats


Pretty simple, but Strawberry Ice Cream is always a hit with Ed, and paired with Rice Crackers, I knew it would be a solid finish to the meal!

In total, I spent about 4 hours preparing everything tonight – and it was worth every minute of it to see Ed’s shock and amazement! Now I want to practice a bit more so I can impress my in-laws! :) A BIG thank you goes out to my awesome mom-in-law, Kay, who helped me out a lot by sharing some invaluable tips!

Here are a few more details of the evening:

Place setting + menu


Ed devours the octopus!


I did it!


My menu!

Click here to see all the pictures!
(Sorry for bad quality of some of them – technical difficulty had us using our iPhones for the majority of the evening!)