Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen is a book I’ve been excited about since the moment I knew it was coming out. If you know me at all you know that I’m a big advocate for better mixed race representation in media because it’s personal to me. It’s far too often that our stories are written by someone else and our mixed identity is used as a tool for the author to make some comment about race.

To them, sometimes we are used as proof that racism no longer exists and sometimes we are said to be abominations or freaks of nature for just existing. But it’s far rarer and far more special when someone who understands that we are just people doing our best when the world pushes such contradictory expectations onto us. Someone like Lauren.

Olivia is excited and nervous to take over her grandmother’s Chinese zodiac matchmaking business. But when a competing matchmaking app launches that is also based on the Chinese zodiac, Olivia is furious at the competition. And then to find out that this app is run by LA’s most eligible bachelor, Bennett? Who believes that traditions are meant to be broken? Liv knows her business is in trouble but what she didn’t expect is that her heart is also in trouble.

This book reminded me that I’m not alone and more importantly, it reminded me that there is no right or wrong way to honor ourselves and our families. Each one of us is different and each one of us will honor ourselves and our heritage differently. We are an active part of our own heritage, not outside of it.

Through Olivia and Bennett, Jessen shows us that different meanings for some of us that may be staying true to the exact traditions that our parents taught us. For others, it may be shifting our traditions to be more modern so they can serve us better and survive over time. And for others, it may be scraping and searching to reclaim all that was lost to us. All of these experiences are different and they are all valid and Lunar Love encourages us to remember that.

Los Angeles Through Lunar Love

Taking place largely in LA’s Chinatown, Lunar Love is a story about how sometimes long-standing traditions are not exactly meant to be broken nor preserved. Traditions are meant to evolve in a way that serves us and those of us to come. Just like Chinatown and all the other diaspora pockets that make LA the beautiful city that it is.

Lauren Kung Jessen lived in Los Angeles while writing this book and it really shows in the story. The characters visit all kinds of places all over LA, from small bakeries in Chinatown to obvious tourist destinations. For your first stop on your Lunar Love tour of Los Angeles, you need to start right where the book starts: a bakery in Chinatown.

Chinatown, Los Angeles

📍 Wonder Bakery, 943 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012

There are a ton of Chinese bakeries in Chinatown, but right in the central plaza, Wonder Bakery is the one that has a place in my heart because it’s saved my life a couple of times. That is to say I’ve had to emergency stop in a handful of times to get breakfast when I had forgotten to eat. It reminds me of the bakery that I used to go to growing up, so it feels a little bit like home to me too.

There are a few tables to sit at, but the best part about Chinese bakeries is there’s a lot of options that you can take and walk away with, so number of tables doesn’t really matter. Their BBQ pork buns taste like childhood, their egg tarts are the perfect treat, and their breakfast croissants will get you over even the worst hangover.

If you need options, Long’s Family Pastry is a bit more well known and just as delicious. It just hasn’t personally saved me in the same way Wonder Bakery has. Try both!

📍 Long’s Family Pastry, 715 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Sometimes called “New Chinatown,” Chinatown is one of LA’s historic neighborhoods, housing restaurants, shops, galleries, and so much more. It settled here in 1938 after the original Chinatown of LA was destroyed to build Union Station in the late 1800s. Just like other historic diaspora pockets, at times, Chinatown can feel like stepping into a past held together through care, need, and community.

Griffith Observatory

On the complete opposite spectrum of Lunar Love locations is Griffith Observatory. Griffith is a really famous observatory that’s on the side of Mount Hollywood that lets you see the entirety of Los Angeles from above on one side and the Hollywood sign on the hill on the other.

📍 Griffith Observatory, 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Griffith is probably one of the most iconic Los Angeles destinations. Unofficially, the Griffith Observatory became an emblem of LA itself. It’s in countless photographs of the city and it’s even in La La Land. It’s actually where Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are dancing on the movie poster. You can’t see the Observatory in the poster, but they’re dancing in Griffith Park, overlooking Los Angeles.

In the same way that La La Land feels like a love letter to Los Angeles, Lunar Love does the same, especially for the Chinese American community in LA. And that says a lot, considering airlines will often play La La Land songs upon landing at LAX.

How to Get to Griffith Observatory

Getting to Griffith Observatory is the worst part about it. Since it’s on the side of Mount Hollywood, it’s a small winding, single lane road up to the observatory itself. On top of the hill, there’s a parking lot but it parks upsettingly few cars. There are some parking lots along the way that often have better parking down near the Greek Theater that are much better spots. From there, you can take the same shuttle the rest of the way (as long as there isn’t a concert happening that day).

📍 The Greek Theatre, 2700 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Personally, I think the best way to get to Griffith Observatory is public transportation. Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) operates a low cost shuttle called DASH Observatory/Los Feliz bus service that will take you from the Vermont/Sunset Metro Red Line station right to the observatory.

The shuttle runs from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm every day and only costs 50 cents or 35 cents with a Metro TAP card. This way, you can park your car anywhere along the Red Line or at the station itself and not have to worry about parking at the Observatory. Though I would keep an eye on the schedule of the Greek Theatre, which may cause traffic and/or delays!

Dodger Stadium

Lunar Love also takes us to Dodger Stadium. Dodgers Stadium is, obviously, home to the back-to-back world champions, the Dodgers. The stadium itself is iconic as the third oldest ballpark in the US, behind Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago. It’s also the largest baseball stadium in the world in terms of seat capacity and is famous among baseball enthusiasts for being the site of 13 no hitters, two of which were perfect games.

📍 Dodger Stadium, 1000 Vin Scully Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012

A Brief History of Dodger Stadium

While Dodger Stadium is beloved today as being home of the Dodgers and one of the oldest stadiums, it was originally built by forcefully evicting and scamming a largely Latino neighborhood out of their homes. Nearly walkable from Union Station (1.7 miles), where they did the same to Old Chinatown, the resident resistance to seized land was named the Battle of Chavez Ravine.

The Battle of Chavez Ravine lasted nearly 10 years, but ultimately resulted in the removal of the entire population to eminent domain for public housing. The public housing plan was later abandoned during the Red Scare because plans for public housing was a communist trait. So instead we have Dodger Stadium.

How to Get to Dodger Stadium

There are many options when it comes to getting to Dodger Stadium. The stadium itself has what seems like a lot of parking spots, but considering the stadium has a capacity of 50,000 people and it’s always full, the parking lots fill up quickly.

I recommend taking public transportation from any line to Union Station. Los Angeles public transportation is on a hub and spoke system, meaning almost all lines end at Union Station and go throughout the city. Park at almost any stop and ride the train to Union Station. From the front of Union Station, there’s a shuttle that will take you directly to the stadium.

Alternatively, you can take the A Line (Blue) Metro to Chinatown Station, which will leave you at the intersection of Alameda Street and College Street, which is a .7 mile walk to Dodger Stadium.

Bag Restrictions at Dodger Stadium

It’s very important that you know before you that there are strict bag restrictions at Dodger Stadium. Consider Dodger Stadium like going to a concert: clear plastic bags are your best option. Non-clear wristlets and clutches are allowed, but they cannot be larger than 5″x8″x2″, which is really small.

If you accidentally bring a bigger bag, you’ll have to pay for a locker outside of the stadium before entering. I know, because I’ve had to do it before. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Make sure to check in on the up to date Dodger Stadium Backpack/Bag/Purse policy before attending any games.

The Getty Center

The final Los Angeles destination from Lunar Love is the Getty Center located in the Brentwood neighborhood. The Getty Center is a campus of the museum and other programs run by the Getty Trust, the world’s wealthiest art institution, and sits on a hill overlooking Los Angeles.

📍 The Getty, 1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049

The Getty is known for its beautiful architecture, gardens, and the view overlooking the city. It’s also known for housing some of the most famous pieces of artwork within its walls, like my favorite, Irises by Vincent van Gogh. Side note, if you’ve been here a while, you may already know that I love Van Gogh and I’ve talked about him, another book (The Undead Truth of Us) and my trip to Amsterdam before.

Visiting the Getty Center is free, but requires an entry time reservation. You can make a reservation on the Getty’s website.

How to Get to the Getty Center

Getting to the Getty Center is easier than the Griffith or Dodger Stadium, or more difficult, depending on how you’re traveling. You can park directly in one of the center’s lots and pay for parking. The public transportation here is not as good as it is to get to other locations, so it’s easiest to take a car (or transit close by and take a taxi/Lyft/Uber).

You’ll want to map specifically to this address because the GPS doesn’t always map to the public entrance: N Sepulveda Blvd & Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049

Parking at the Getty Center costs $25 per car; $15 after 3pm; $10 after 6pm. You can also park for free on Saturdays after 6pm. All parking is cashless, but all major banking or credit cards are accepted. With your parking payment, you can also park at The Getty Villa (a secondary Getty location about 20-45 minutes away, overlooking the ocean) on the same day, without paying a secondary fee on Wednesdays to Sundays.

Visiting Los Angeles

I hope you enjoy your Lunar Love trip around LA! I’m based in the LA area, so I love being able to share about home. I’m sure I’ll be talking more about the area on here, so stick around and maybe I can convince you to take your next trip here.