The Time Traveler - LIT TIME TRAVEL

Posted on June 28, 2024August 1, 2025 by The Time Traveler — 2 Comments

International House at UC Berkeley: A Building Steeped in History

Have you heard of “International House,” aka “I-House”? I had never heard of it until 2022 when I found out that such a place existed at UC Berkeley. And after learning about its history and significance, I wish UCLA had an International House as well! Alas, it is only exclusively at Berkeley, NYC, Chicago, Paris, and Tokyo.

Here’s a post dedicated to International House and its incredible story!

The International House Movement

From *International House Berkeley: An Extraordinary History* (2022).
Available online HERE.

According to official sources, International House, Berkeley was founded by Harry E. Edmonds with the financial support of John D. Rockefeller Jr. It was the second International House to be built after the first one was founded in NYC in 1924 (also funded by Rockefeller Jr.). Harry Edmonds felt the need to create these “multi-cultural residence and program” centers after discovering the lack of community and support foreign students faced in the U.S.

Here is Edmonds’s chance encounter with a Chinese student that sparked the I-House movement:

“One frosty morning I was going up the steps of the Columbia library when I met a Chinese student coming down. I said, ‘Good morning.’ As I passed on, I noticed he stopped. I went back.

“He said, ‘Thank you for speaking to me. I’ve been in New York three weeks and you are the first person who has spoken to me.’

“With my wife’s insistence, I agreed I had to do something.”
Harry E. Edmonds from The New York Times¹

When the second I-House opened its doors in Berkeley on August 18, 1930, it was the “largest student housing complex in the Bay Area and the first coeducational residence west of New York” (International House at UC Berkeley). Even UC Berkeley didn’t have coed housing yet!

As part of the progressive I-House movement amidst the political and social climate of the time, it was met with much resistance in Berkeley. According to the official I-House history book, there was much resistance to men and women as well as foreigners, people of color, and whites living under one roof. And so, it’s all the more incredible that Harry Edmonds chose Piedmont Avenue, “home of fraternities and sororities, which then excluded foreigners and people of color,” as the site for the second International House (International House Berkeley: An Extraordinary History, 2).

Decades of History

Drawing of International House at UC Berkeley.

Through the decades, I-House truly lived up to its mission of intercultural respect, understanding and friendship. Some major examples include:

In the 1930s, Allen Blaisdell, the first Executive Director of I-House Berkeley, protested against barbers on campus who refused to cut Black students’ hair and changed the practice.
In the 1940s, when Japanese American students faced difficulties, International House “set up a bureau to help these young people reach their homes as soon as government regulations permitted” and “helped them with their finances by locating employment opportunities” (International House Berkeley: An Extraordinary History, 3).

HERE is a really great presentation by the Executive Director Emeritus, Joe Lurie, on the role I-House played in desegregating Berkeley.

Reading the official International House history book and listening to Mr. Lurie and different I-House alumni, it sounded to me that I-House had been a place where students from around the world got to live with each other, learn from one another, and form lasting bonds across borders. I hope that, as the institution approaches its 100th year (in 2030), it continues to do so.

Tenth Decade Cake created by the I-House Dining Staff in 2023.

Architecture

George Kelham with his wife Katherine and son Bruce, 1924. Photo from Ancestry.com. *For a better photo of George Kelham, visit: The Cultural Landscape Foundation.

The man behind the iconic I-House Berkeley building is none other than George W. Kelham, the prolific American architect who also designed the Asian Art Museum (formerly the old San Francisco Public Library); the Roble Hall at Stanford University; Powell Library, Haines Hall, Kerckhoff Hall and more at UCLA; Bowles Hall, Valley Life Sciences Building, Moses Hall (now the “Philosophy Hall”), McLaughlin Hall, Davis Hall, Edwards Stadium, Haas Pavilion, and more at UC Berkeley; and countless more!

Haas Pavilion and Philosophy Hall at UC Berkeley.

And like the many other buildings Kelham designed, I-House at Berkeley is beautiful, with intricate designs and shapes evoking Spanish and Mediterranean architecture with hints of Moorish influences.

Staircase leading to the Dining Commons.

And how fitting, too, as California’s long and complex history includes the Spanish colonial period.

Inside International House at UC Berkeley.

Images from the actual blueprints of I-House Berkeley!

Notable I-House Alumni

As one would expect from a residential building created for scholars from around the world gathered in Berkeley to attend its top university, there are countless notable alumni of International House. A list can be found on the official I-House Berkeley website HERE. Among numerous pioneers, Nobel prize recipients, professors and founders, here are just a few of the brilliant men and women who lived at I-House:

Photo of Chien Shiung Wu shown in the book, *Ten Women Who Changed Science and the World,* by by Catherine Whitlock and Rohdri Evans (Diversion Books 2019).

Chien Shiung Wu Yuan – Chinese-American physicist, professor at Columbia University, and pioneer who made great contributions in experimental physics and atomic science and to the Manhattan Project. There’s a photo of J. Robert Oppenheimer and Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu having dinner at International House Berkeley shared by the Los Alamos National Laboratory HERE.

Photo of Chien Shiung Wu in her laboratory, shared in *Ten Women Who Changed Science and the World,* by Catherine Whitlock and Rohdri Evans (Diversion Books 2019).

Julian Schwinger – one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century, professor at Harvard University, and Nobel Prize winning American theoretical physicist who developed a relativistically invariant perturbation theory. He did postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley under Oppenheimer and assisted in research at the University of Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory for the Manhattan Project.

Portrait of Julian Schwinger, shared on the Nobel Prize website.

Emmett J. Rice – an American economist, bank executive, and member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors who served in the U.S. Air Force during WW II as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. A Fulbright scholar, he integrated the Berkeley Fire Department as its first African American fireman. He was also the father of Susan Rice, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former National Security Advisor.

Photo of Emmett J. Rice
from Federal Reserve History.

Eric & Wendy Schmidt: American businessman, former software engineer, CEO of Google (2001-2011), executive chairman (2011-2015) & American businesswoman and philanthropist. The two met at I-House.

Screenshots of photos of Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt (née Boyle) found in the I-House Directory for Fall 1976 and Fall 1979, respectively. More I-House directories can be found here: https://ihouse.berkeley.edu/alumni/alumni-directory-archive.

Here’s another photo of Wendy & Eric Schmidt from the I-House blog, I-House: Where UC Berkeley Meets the World.

Eric and Wendy Schmidt seem to have revisited I-House a couple of times. Notably, Wendy Schmidt visited when she was honored as I-House’s Alumni of the Year at the 2014 I-House Gala along with another notable alumni, Dr. Ashok Gadgil, and Eric Schmidt came by very recently for the I-House Executive Director’s Lodestar Speaker Series: “The Promise and Perils of AI” event this year.

And I believe, the Dining Commons has been named after the I-House couple.

Countless More Notable Alumni

Historical photos of former I-House residents displayed in Edmonds’ Café.

This blog post would not end if I were to explore all notable I-House alumni, which includes Abdelkader Abbadi (former UN Director of Political Affairs and journalist), Choong Kun Cho (former president of Korean Air), Hans Rausing (former chairman of TetraPak)and his daughter Lisbet Rausing (senior research fellow at Imperial College, London and author), and Haakon Magnus (Crown Prince of Norway), along with Nobel Prize laureates, scientists, scholars, philanthropists, and more.

Plus, I know personally that the list shared on the official website is yet far from being comprehensive, as notable individuals such as W. Harold McClough (founder of Perth construction and Clough Limited), Walter John Jr. (distinguished aerosol physicist, research scientist, and founder), Michael J. Belton (astronomer), Gerhart Friedlander (nuclear chemist who worked on the Manhattan Project), Stewart L. Blusson (geologist and philanthropist), and so many other incredible men and women have also stayed at I-House. This fact alone is a testament to what hub of brilliant minds International House was and is!

I-House Today

Today, I-House remains sitting atop the hill overlooking Berkeley, across from the Law School. Though it retains its old silhouette, iconic dome and other features, I-House has undergone several renovations, including an addition of the ADA-complaint ramp and a complete transformation of its café (from the “I-House Café” to “Edmonds’ Café.”) Sadly, the Heller Patio has now lost the lush trees and greenery that previous residents so enjoyed and referred to as a “garden” within the busy city.

But it still houses over 600 students and scholars (both international and domestic) each year. I truly believe that the magic of the place stems from the many talented residents that bring their unique experiences and stories from around the world. I hope that International House at UC Berkeley, a remarkably unique building steeped in rich history, never loses the passion, faith, and integrity it started out with 94 years ago.

P.S. Here are some useful links related to I-House at UC Berkeley:

The official International House at UC Berkeley website
A blog by Harry Edmonds’ great-granddaughter, Alice Lewthwaite
A blog post on the first I-House (in NYC) written by a recent resident at I-House Berkeley
A fascinating, engaging book titled Perception and Deception: A Mind Opening Journey Across Cultures written by Executive Director Emeritus Joe Lurie. If you are interested in learning about cross cultural understandings and misunderstandings or just want to broaden your knowledge, I highly recommend this book!
A book titled The Golden Age of International House Berkeley: An Oral History of the Post World War II Era, written by Jeanine Castello-Lin and Tonya Staros of Berkeley Historical Society. It’s a wonderful compilation of invaluable oral history shared by residents who lived at I-House during the late 1940s and early 1950s.

P.P.S. 2024 marks the 100th anniversary for the International House in NYC! Here is everything the first ever I-House is doing this year to celebrate: https://www.ihouse-nyc.org/centennial/

Goodman, G. (1979, July 8). “Harry Edmonds, Who Established International House, Is Dead at 96.” The New York Times, p. 35. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1979/07/08/archives/harry-edmonds-who-established-international-house-is-dead-at-96-a.html.

Posted on June 21, 2024June 21, 2024 by The Time Traveler — Leave a comment

Game of Shrooms 2024: Review & Tips for Future Artists & Hunters

Game of Shrooms 2024 Review

The Game of Shrooms has, once again, come and gone. And I must say…What whirlwind of fun that was! I had a blast creating mushroom-themed art and hiding them out in the world like some secret shroom Santa. Plus, I got to find more than one shroom this year! Here are my reflections & takeaways after participating in the 2024 Game of Shrooms.

Experience as a Shroom Artist

After having participated in last year’s Game of Shrooms, I was determined to join in on the art-n-seek again. And so, I took my own advice from my previous blog post (tip #1) and started early, about two weeks before the day of the event (June 8, 2024).

My pin on the official 2024 Game of Shrooms Artist Map.

Not as early as I had wanted or planned (which was preparing months beforehand), but it was still early enough that I was able to follow my tip #2 and create more than one artwork:

The five shroom art I create for this year.

Thanks to listening to my own advice, I also had enough time to create promotional Instagram posts and reels for all my artworks:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Time Traveler (@littimetravel)

It was so fun to choose the songs to go with my promotional IG posts!

I also created this promotional video a day before June 8th to spread the word online about my shroom art:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Time Traveler (@littimetravel)

Where My Shrooms Were

As I did last year with Shroompoleon, I scattered my shrooms throughout the UC Berkeley campus. These were where I hid them:

Faith Series: “Hanging by a Thread” – under this mushroom shaped tree with lots of holes in the Faculty Glade area.
Faith Series: “Redeemed” – I hid it with “Hanging by a Thread,” as it was meant to complement the first art.

Praying for You – this was hidden along the Faculty Way (pathway between The Faculty Club and Hertz Hall), along mushroom-shaped lights.

Queen of Shrooms was hiding under a bed of yellow roses in front of Dwinelle Hall.

Can’t Take More Shiitake was under the Abraham Lincoln statue below The Campanile tower.

To my pleasant surprise, all my shrooms were found within a few hours. Thank you to all the wonderful shroom hunters! 🙌

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Time Traveler (@littimetravel)

This was a reel that I created for my hint reveal – it was shared around 9 AM on the day of.

Experience as a Shroom Hunter

I didn’t initially plan on hunting for shrooms. But when I saw that a cute shroom was going to be hidden somewhere near The Cheeseboard Collective, I decided to go for it. I thought I was sure to find and keep it, as I went out to look for it early in the morning on the day of the game. Alas, another hunter had found and claimed it a day before!

I got to the place where artist HH hid her shroom (per the hint she shared via Instagram), but the shroom had already been picked up! 😞

After which, I tried to get to other shrooms nearby, but to my utter dismay, hunters were really, really good at finding the shrooms. Just as it was last year, shroom hunters were dedicated and competitive, determined to find and keep shroom art. Realizing that at the rate at which I was searching I would be shroom-less this year (as I almost was if it weren’t for the artist Tina Banda‘s lit (literally lit, too, as it glows in the dark!) shroom art that I got to find a day after the 2023 Game of Shrooms), I deciphered the location shared by a shroom artist using her hints, lyfted myself to the restaurant/bar and started searching with the fervor of other shroom hunters.

And lo and behold, I found 2 shrooms at the location – a 🍄 magnet and a 🍄 sticker!

Special shoutout to the friendly associate at Mother’s Tongue for helping me find this cute sticker by The Inkcredibles! 🙌

More Shrooms!

I lyfted myself to another location where some shrooms were going to be dropped (per Instagram) and was so very lucky to find more shrooms and even meet the artists as they were dropping off their shroom art!

Adorable shroom pebbles by Saffuric and Francesca Sapien:

Aesthetic shroom art by Eli Wild:

I was able to find more aesthetic artworks by Eli Wild at The Compound Gallery in Emeryville. Here’s one I purchased:

Game of Shrooms 2024 Review

For the most complete experience, I think it’s best to participate as both shroom hunter and artist. As an artist, you get to experience the joy of creating and sharing your art with those around you. It’s quite an experience to have your art seen and appreciated by people you’ve never met, to have your shroom be picked up and kept by someone you don’t know. And it’s equally wonderful to go on a mushroom hunt, find beautiful, cute, aesthetic, or fun art by an artist you knew or didn’t know about and to keep the treasure of a shroom for free. And I think the whole searching and finding experience makes the shroom art really special. You get to have a fun story to the shroom art you’re keeping!

Game of Shrooms is such a unique experience celebrating creativity and community in a fun way. Not only is it an outlet for creative expression, but also it’s a way for artists to showcase their works to audiences around the world.

Plus, it’s a great way to spotlight and support local businesses, as done by The Inkcredibles. I mean, what a fantastic idea to feature local businesses while participating in an art-n-seek?

Game of Shrooms Tips: For Artists

Start Early, Make More Than 1 Shroom Art, Create Promotional Materials (Same Tips as Last Year). A year goes by more quickly than one expects! I highly suggest that you start as early as you can to create great shroom art with leisure. And as there seem to be more eager hunters than artists in most neighborhoods, it’s great for artists to create more than one artwork so that 1) they can promote their art more 2) there are more hunters who successfully find shrooms! And as this event is operated mainly via Instagram, promotional materials are key to spreading the word about your shroom to all hunters out there. And if you start early and share your promotional materials early, they might be shared by the Game of Shrooms IG account!

I was absolutely thrilled to find my reel shared by the official Game of Shrooms Instagram account! 😆

Plus, don’t forget about business cards/artist info to hide with your shroom art!

Collaborate with Local Businesses. I think it’s such a great idea to work with local businesses to promote both them and your art, as The Inkcredibles and Tina Banda had done.

Hide Early. I suggest hiding your artwork(s) at least an hour earlier than the time you tell your hunters and IG followers that you’ll hide your shroom, as you might run into hunters eager to find your art. This happens quite often!

Game of Shrooms Tips: For Hunters

Be Quick & Early. If there’s a shroom you really like, then start following the artist’s Instagram account as soon as possible and get all the hints as soon as you can! Sometimes artists start giving out hints a few days before the day of the Games. Don’t wait for the day of to look for it (like me); if they give out hints, go out there and find it! I had seen clues, yet I didn’t start looking until the day of the Games, and so I ended up losing the shroom to another hunter, who had searched for and found it a day before.

Best Chances of Finding Shrooms are in Your Own Neighborhood/Places You Know. Amidst the competition, you have the best chance of finding a shroom for yourself in your own neighborhood/places where you’re familiar enough to quickly use the hints to hunt down shrooms.

Vehicle & Comfy Shoes. It’s all about speed when it comes to shroom hunting! Walking and taking public transportation will NOT be quick enough (as I learned sadly last year). You have to have your own car/bike/electric scooters/Lyft/Uber to get to the shroom ASAP.

Let Artists Know If You’ve Found Their Shrooms. This saves everyone’s time! Plus it’s a great way to show appreciation for the artists’ works.

The Countdown Begins!

Another thing I so very much love about the Game of Shrooms is that the date of the next game is set right away. It has been announced by Attaboy that the next Game of Shrooms will take place on Saturday, June 14, 2025. So… Let the countdown begin!

P.S. Here are some local Bay Area artists who participated this year and whose shroom art I really wanted to find!

P.P.S. I’ve noticed that not all artists from the 2023 Game of Shrooms participated in this year’s game. Hopefully they come back next year! Here are their wonderful shroom arts from last year:

Posted on June 6, 2024July 12, 2025 by The Time Traveler — Leave a comment

It’s Back! 🍄Game of Shrooms 2024🍄

It seems like just a few months ago when I wrote my review for the 2023 Game of Shrooms. I can’t believe it’s been practically an entire year! And hence, in just 2 days, mushroom hiders and seekers will once again emerge to celebrate the Game of Shrooms.

If you’re new to my blog or to the “Game of Shrooms,” it’s an annual art scavenger hunt that will take place this Saturday, June 8, 2024. Created by Attaboy, this fun art event is a chance for artists around the world to create mushroom-themed artworks and hide them anywhere around the world for eager art hunters (?) to find and keep.

For FAQs and more on the Game of Shrooms, visit: https://yumfactory.com/gameofshrooms/

Or if you’d like to read my previous blog posts on the Game of Shrooms, click HERE!

🍄My Shroom Art #1

Last year, I created a mini portrait titled, Shroompoleon, of (you guessed it!) Napoleon Bonaparte. This year, I created a 2-piece artwork called the Faith series, which consists of a piece titled, “Hanging by a Thread” and another piece titled, “Redeemed.”

*Faith* series: “Hanging by a Thread,” 2024
by The Time Traveler

*Faith* series: “Redeemed,” 2024
by The Time Traveler

To whomever finds and keeps these pieces, I hope that they give you comfort and hope.

🍄My Shroom Art #2

Listening to my own advice from last year’s Game of Shrooms (again, which you can read all about HERE), I created more than one artwork to hide this year. My second shroom art for this year is: Praying for You. Voila!

*Praying for You*, 2024
by The Time Traveler

I was inspired by this image of two mushrooms on Britannica. For some reason, they reminded me of two rappers posing together and hence came to be Praying for You!

🍄My Shroom Art #3

My third shroom art is, in a way, a continuation of last year’s Shroompoleon. Ladies and gentlemen, I present you Reine des Champignons, aka Queen of Shrooms.

*Reine des Champignons*
aka *Queen of Shrooms*, 2024
by The Time Traveler

The back of *Reine des Champignons*,
aka *Queen of Shrooms*

I was inspired by this Marie Antoinette drawing by an unidentified artist from Wellesley College Library’s Special Collections, shared by this cool journal Journal18.

I really like how this piece turned out!

🍄My Shroom Art #4

Lastly but not least, here is my piece, Can’t Take More Shiitake.

*Can’t Take More Shiitake*, 2024
by The Time Traveler.

And this piece comes with a mini easel! 😁

🍄Clues to Finding My Shroom Arts

Clues to the whereabouts of the above mushroom-themed artworks will be shared via my stories on Instagram. Tune in on Saturday morning at: https://www.instagram.com/littimetravel/

Good luck and happy creating, hiding and hunting! 🍄

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Posted on January 17, 2024January 27, 2024 by The Time Traveler — Leave a comment

Gem of a French Bread: Fougasse from Fournée Bakery

One thing I’ve noticed after moving up to NorCal is that bakeries here are infinitely better than the ones in SoCal. What I mean is, bakeries in the Bay feel more authentic and artisanal, and often times they are. I think there are better options for bread here than in the south. Please correct me in the comments below if I’m mistaken, but I can’t think of SoCal equivalents to The CheeseBoard Collective Bakery, The Acme Bread Company, Arsicault Bakery, and Tartine Bakery (spots all deserving separate posts of their own!)

Anyways, this post is solely on Fournée Bakery in Berkeley, CA – and the gem of a French bread they make: fougasse.

Fournée Bakery

The Claremont Club & Spa that you see outside the bakery.

Facing the tennis courts of the historic Claremont Club & Spa, Fournée Bakery is located in the small cluster of restaurants and stores at the intersection of Claremont Ave, Russell St, Domingo Ave and Ashby Ave. Its neighbors include Peet’s Coffee, Tulipan Floral, and Rick & Ann’s.

On a busy day, the line can go all the way down almost to Rick & Ann’s! As you can see in the photo above, there are some parking spots with meters. But this area can get crowded as this area is shared by other restaurants and stores, along with guests and visitors from the Claremont hotel and its tennis courts.

Bread Galore!

Fournée Bakery offers an array of delectable baked goods, including morning buns, scones (fruit, walnut & coriander), croissants (fruit, veggie, chocolate almond, almond, traditional butter, egg & ham, ham & manchego cheese), cheese rolls, pains au chocolat, pains au raisin (says it’s “pain aux raisins” online), and this marvelous French bread called, “gougère” that I fell in love with! It’s this savory puff of a bread that tastes like cheese and egg. Simply delicious!

They also have these sandwiches that seem to be popular amongst visitors. I always see at least one person in front of me order one. I haven’t tried them still, as I’ve already developed my go-to items and always end up ordering them instead. I’ll have to try them soon!

But I did try their Farmer’s Bread and can say with confidence that it’s good!

Pastries Galore!

I sure can’t forget to mention Fournée Bakery’s excellent pastries!

The pastries behind the glass display vary from day to day, but the selection usually consists of Meyer lemon shortbreads, cookies, brownies, and quiches. Often times, they have these seasonal items – I HIGHLY recommend that you get them. I don’t remember regretting getting their seasonal items, like ever! Some seasonal items that I’ve seen include seasonal fruit scones, bûche de Noël (during Christmastime), fruit tart, and my favorite, the rhubarb tart. I fell hard for it last summer and am currently waiting for it to come out again.

The rhubarb tart that I fell for. I didn’t know how delicious a plant could taste in a tart!

Oh…How I miss the taste of the sweet, fruity, cool crunchy bite of Fournée’s rhubarb tart! 💗

The Gem of a Bread: Fougasse

Yet, the item that truly, truly shines the brightest of ’em all at Fournée is fougasse. You may ask – what is “fougasse”? Pronounced “fu-gas,” it’s a bread from Provence, France that’s shaped like a flat leaf. Per online sources, it’s related to the focaccia of Italy, hogaza of Spain, fogassa of Catalonia, fügassa of Liguria, pogača of the Balkans, and pogácsa of Hungary.

Until Fournée, I had never heard or seen of a fougasse. And even to this day, I don’t see fougasse often in other places in the Bay. So when I first laid my eyes on fougasse with its ingredients listed as in the photo below, I had to try it. I mean, it was a bread made with duck fat!

Ordering the strange bread called, “fougasse” was one of the best decisions I made last year. No joke – the first bite was heavenly: a harmonious blend of salty and savory, with just the right amount of the perfect seasoning.

Ever since that fateful day, I’ve shared fougasse with everyone around me, including my sister who also fell in love with the beautiful French bread. I became Fournée Bakery’s unofficial patron & ambassador of fougasse, visiting the bakery almost every week for it and spreading news of its exceptional taste to everyone I meet.

Conclusion

To tell the truth, I thought about gatekeeping Fournée Bakery and its gem of a bread, fougasse. But it’s too good of a spot to keep to oneself, and besides, it’s already well-loved by its frequent visitors and fans like me!

On a final note, not only is the bakery stocked with delectable bread and pastries, but also, they’ve got a nice seating area to enjoy: in front of/behind Peet’s and Tulipan Floral.

Taking a sip of Peet’s and admiring the flowers of Tulipan while taking a bite of Fournée’s gems is such bliss! 😊

P.S. Note: Fournée Bakery is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. For hours and other info, visit their website HERE or their IG account HERE.

P.P.S. FYI, the front window of Fournée is under renovation. I think I overheard someone say that a car had crashed into the store front or something. So be aware that the front of the bakery will look slightly different!

P.P.P.S. IMPORTANT UPDATE: Fougasse is currently unavailable! ☹ The bakery staff told me that they don’t have the duck fat to make them and they don’t know when they’ll have their duck fat again…

Update 1/27/24: Fougasse is back, baby! 🙌

Posted on January 3, 2024August 7, 2025 by The Time Traveler — Leave a comment

Hope (Of a Better Tomorrow), 2023

The Time Traveler

Hope (Of a Better Tomorrow), 2023

Digital Photography

Posted on December 21, 2023January 24, 2024 by The Time Traveler — Leave a comment

Christmas at PADERIA BAKEHOUSE: ‘Twas a Holly Jolly Visit 🎄

Just four more days until Christmas! It really has felt like it for the past few weeks. With the radio blasting timeless songs and Spotify recommending playlists like “Christmas Pop” and “Merry & Bright,” it feels like Christmas is already here. And such vibes are bringing back memories of my last Christmas… when I visited Paderia Bakehouse yet again!

You may wonder, “What more could this blogger possibly have of that bakery?” I’ve got lots more to say: this time, it’s Paderia Bakehouse – the Christmas edition!

December 23, 2022

Last year, on December 23, 2022, I flew to the John Wayne Airport in Irvine, CA and stopped by Paderia. (Now, this alone should give you a hint as to how good the place is.)

I was SO excited to be back at Paderia. The feeling can only be compared to standing outside one’s close friend’s grandmother’s house, waiting to see her (and the treats she has baked for you two).

Uniquely Cute Christmas Decorations

When I entered, I was pleasantly surprised by this interesting Christmas tree:

Now, from afar, it looks like a funky pile of a tree. But close up, it’s really uniquely aesthetic:

It’s got a whole contemporary hodgepodge look!

And then at the bottom was this:

Do you see it? I mean, how cute is this little pug?

Other parts of the bakery were left as clean & modern as it usually was:

Love the touch of green here and there. 💚

The Menu (Feat. Special December Items)

The menu is on the wall next to the counter:

Or at the counter, where items are always shown inside a glass display. And the glass display was decorated with the same Christmas glam the tree had:

They had placed their ever-cute egg tart plushie (not for sale though 😕) along with little trees, cotton, reindeer and alpaca/llama plushies! The menu items were the same (delicious egg tarts, banana bread pudding, award-winning cookies, ensaymadas, and drinks) except there were some special seasonal items:

Tiramisu Cheesecake 🧀
“once-a-year seasonal favorite” White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Cookie 🍪
and a newly launched Orange Cardamom Malasada 🍊

The Food (Seasonal Items + More)

I couldn’t get the Orange Cardamom Malasada (as it was available only at the Foundation Valley store) but I did get the Tiramisu Cheesecake, White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Cookie and my usual go-tos (egg tarts and banana pudding).

The Tiramisu Cheesecake was as delicious as the photo appears. But in my opinion, it wasn’t as mind-blowingly tasty as the egg tarts, probably because I’m an egg-tart kind of person.

Look at those layers of soft bread and creamy fillings!

The White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Cookie was good, too, as just the name of it sounds. Each bite was filled with the buttery dough, fruity cranberry, and the nutty macadamia.

Look at those bits of white chocolate, cranberry, and macadamia!

But then again, as someone who already has a Paderia go-to item, the cookie was a bit too buttery for me. Nonetheless, it was richly smooth and good .

I don’t think I’ll have to review my favorite items (i.e. banana bread pudding and egg tarts) again. So here is just a short reel to make your mouths water!

🍪 To read about my first post on Paderia Bakehouse, click HERE!

P.S. Did you know that the bakery hosts giveaway contests on Instagram? They’ve offered giveaways for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Labor Day, product launches and more! Visit their IG page HERE.

P.P.S. Speaking of giveaways, I was one of the lucky winners of one of the giveaways! So I visited the Santa Monica location last week to redeem my coupon and treat myself to the ever-delicious Paderia items. And I have to say, Paderia Bakehouse in Santa Monica was looking good this Christmas!

Posted on November 2, 2023September 6, 2024 by The Time Traveler — 2 Comments

Best Coffee in Berkeley, CA

It’s been a long time coming since I decided to write this post. After being inundated with material and ideas (as well as non-blog related matters) over the past six months or so, I had to postpone sharing my go-to coffee spots in Berkeley. Well, here they are now: the best coffee shops in Berkeley!

*Disclaimer: This list is highly subjective and based mostly on drip coffee and/or Americano. Plus, the order of the list does NOT signify.

☕Edmonds’ Café at International House

Nestled within the historic student housing “International House,” Edmonds’ Café is open to its residents and the public. They serve really good iced Americano and have a beautiful view of Bancroft Way. On a clear day, you can even see the Golden Gate Bridge!

View of the Golden Gate Bridge from the café!

Fun Fact: Apparently, this café used to be called by a number of different names since 1930. But now they call it Edmonds’ Cafe to honor the founder of the I-House movement, Harry Edmonds and his wife Florence.

Historical photos displayed inside the café.

Extra Perks: free wifi, great view & lighting, buy 10 get a free drink stamp card

☕Blue Bottle Coffee

Next, we have Blue Bottle Coffee. If you live in the Bay, you would have at least heard of it.

I just searched and it looks like there are five Blue Bottle Coffee locations in the East Bay alone! No surprise considering the fact that it was founded by W. James Freeman in the Temescal District in Oakland. Now the popular chain is everywhere, including New York, Boston, Tokyo, Seoul, and Hong Kong. Too bad it’s now owned mostly by Nestlé! 😕

The Blue Bottle in Berkeley is located on University Avenue, close to where Bus 52 (the one that takes you to campus) stops.

Located on University Ave and Kala Bagai Way.

Extra Perks: Aesthetic interior & merchandise, convenient app

☕Philz Coffee

Another Bay Area native, Philz Coffee was founded by Phil Jaber and his son Jacob in 2003 and it’s still as popular as ever. I mean, their Iced Mint Mojito is a culinary masterpiece! I will have to do a separate post just on their iced drinks!

Of Philz Coffee’s “Featured Creations,” Iced Mint Mojito is, in my opinion, one of the best iced drinks I’ve ever had.

Extra Perks: Free wifi, baked goods from Starter Bakery, aesthetic interior & merchandise, convenient app, out-of-this-world Iced Mint Mojito

☕Peet’s Coffee

Peet’s Coffee is everywhere across the country but did you know that it was founded in Berkeley by Alfred H. Peet in 1966? I sure didn’t!

Peet’s Coffee at the corner of Vine and Walnut.
Here is a photo of what this exact spot looked like over 120 years ago as shared by the Berkeley Historical Plaque Project: https://berkeleyplaques.org/plaque/peets-coffee-and-tea/?cat=30

According to Peets.com, the first ever Peet’s Coffee store was in North Berkeley, “at the corner of Vine and Walnut streets.” This location even has a special “study” area which is a quiet archival space filled with historical objects and documents of Alfred Peet and his company:

There are three other Peet’s in Berkeley and you can also get Peet’s on campus at the Golden Bear Café, Goldie’s, Brown’s and more.

Extra Perks: free wifi, historical, museum-like space that’s aesthetic & informative, convenient app

☕Coffee Hut

This little station of a coffee shop, founded by Imran and Ali in 2022, serves top-notch coffee from 1951 Coffee Company. Not only is it located on Shattuck right outside the Downtown Berkeley BART station (super convenient for commuters!), but also Imran and Ali are very friendly. 😊

Extra Perks: Mochi donuts from Third Culture Bakery (which deserves a post of its own), buy 10 get a free drink stamp card

☕1951 Coffee Company

Located in the Telegraph Area – on Channing Way.

Moving right along, we have 1951 Coffee Company. It is “a non-profit specialty coffee organization that promotes the well-being of the refugee community in the United States by providing job training and employment to refugees, asylees, and special immigrant visa holders while educating the surrounding community about refugee life and issues” (1951coffee.com). By purchasing a delicious cup of coffee from 1951 Coffee Company, you get to support their mission of supporting refugees.

Cup of iced Americano from 1951 Coffee Company.

Visit their website HERE to read all about the socially conscious coffee store.

Extra Perks: free wifi, can support a good cause, aesthetic interior & merchandise, buy 10 get a free drink stamp card

☕The Cheese Board Bakery

The Cheese Board Collective in
North Berkeley, CA.

Yes, you read that right! The Cheese Board Collective Pizzeria in North Berkeley, which serves baked goods in the daytime and pizzas in the evenings, also offers really good coffee when it’s a bakery. And the price is SO reasonable that I smile whenever I see it on the menu board. $1.75 for a small cup of coffee and $2.75 for Americano (+ 25 cents for to-go cups).

Small cup of coffee from The Cheese Board.

Drinking their coffee with their outstanding baked goods makes any mornings (except Mondays and Sundays – they’re closed those days) bearable. Rather, it makes one look forward to mornings! 😉

As you can see, the store is filled with all sorts of cheese on one side and shelves of freshly baked goods on the other.

Extra Perks: stellar baked goods and cheese

Conclusion

There you have it: my favorite coffee spots in Berkeley! But I just found out that there are over 40 coffee spots in the city, so I’ll need to do a Part 2 after trying out more places. Stay tuned!

P.S. Most of the places mentioned in this post are unique gems of places that deserve separate posts of their own. More coming soon!

P.P.S. I did a post on another coffee shop in Berkeley called “MY Coffee Roastery” – click HERE to read about the whimsical cottage of a café!

Posted on July 8, 2023June 21, 2024 by The Time Traveler — Leave a comment

Game of Shrooms 2023: Review & Tips for Future Artists & Hunters

Well, Game of Shrooms has come and gone! It was my very first time (ever!) participating. As expected, it was exhilarating and exhausting to join in as both artist and shroom hunter. For this year’s game, I created one mushroom-themed artwork titled, Shroompoleon (aka Napoleon Shroomaparte), which was claimed by a mystery hunter within a few hours.

*Shroompoleon* before and after getting wrapped.

I don’t exactly know how long it took Shroompoleon to find his forever home, as I wasn’t notified. Meanwhile, I ran around the East Bay for over 4 hours looking for shroom arts but found 0 to keep! 😭

*6/12/23 Update: I found a shroom art two days after the Game of Shrooms officially ended! Special shoutout to my colleague for notifying me of the lovely shroom art created by Tina Banda:

Beautiful shroom art by artist Tina Banda. Click HERE to view the artwork on her Instagram page.

Needless to say, I was so unprepared for this event despite hearing about it from my colleague months before. My colleague had successfully found multiple shrooms in the previous Game of Shrooms. Allow me to share what I learned from her and most importantly, from experiencing the games firsthand.

But before I share any lessons/tips, here’s a brief overview of Game of Shrooms 2023!

Game of Shrooms 2023 Review

The anticipation was quite exhilarating. As the day drew nearer and nearer, more red mushroom pins started to pop up on the Artist Map. This was what the map looked like in the evening on Friday June 9, 2023, just a few hours before the game officially began:

Screenshot of the Artist Map (global view). Note: There was a shroom pin in Antarctica! 😂

🍄 Limited to a Few

Although there were so many mushroom pins on the map, the number of shrooms you can actually look for is way fewer as you are limited to where you live and the areas around it. You also need to be lucky to be living in the same area as the talented artist(s) whose work(s) you want to find and keep. For instance, I loved the shroom arts created by Dana Paints Co., especially this artwork shown on Instagram HER E. (If I remember correctly, the official Game of Shrooms Instagram account featured this artwork!)

And these mushroom earrings by moonlightingnz!!!

Alas, the paintings were going to be hidden away in Old Town Fort Collins in Colorado while the earrings were all the way in New Zealand..

🍄 Shroom Art by Bay Area Artists

Shroom pins that showed up in the East Bay.

Luckily for me, there were several artists in the East Bay whose works I really adored and wanted to find:

Sombean – I mean, who wouldn’t want to find and keep these cute little shrooms felted by Sombean??? 😭💕💕💕
Lea Zalinskis: I adore her whimsical shrooms made of paper! Love their expressions and the way the artist described her shrooms: the purple shroom was called “Accidental Rasputin,” the orange one “Migraine Mushroom” and the blue one was referred to as the “sassy fella”! 😂
CormSlut: Oh, to display one of CormSlut’s aesthetic shrooms in my room!
craftybish: Have you seen craftybish’s cute shrooms yet?

Not to mention the gorgeous shroom paintings by Eli Wild, this locket with shroom art inside created by Stephanie Silk, unique shroom earrings by Kelly, and various shroom goodies by The Inkcredibles! And I didn’t even get started on the shroom works created by artists from the City, like these glow-in-the-dark shrooms by Arcanist Union.

🍄 Experience as a Hunter: 4 Hours of Desperate Search 👀

So the day before the hunt began, I made a list of artists whose works I wanted to find and keep (see above). Then I followed their Instagram accounts for the latest hints shared and wrote them down on my phone. I thought this was enough preparation. Boy, was I wrong!

When the day of the Game dawned, I leisurely ate breakfast and headed outside. To my utter surprise, when I opened Instagram on my phone, I saw that many of the artworks had already been found! I tried to keep my calm as I went on to look for other artworks. But as I made my way to the locations hinted at by the artists, those shrooms were being claimed as well!

I began to panic a little as I desperately tried to find remaining shrooms. But as I walked around the East Bay huffing and puffing in search of shroom art, I was notified by the artists that all their works had been claimed.

After over four hours of searching and finding nothing, I resigned and admitted my defeat.

Photo by Bacila Vlad. This was me looking out the window after coming back home. I had completely failed as a shroom hunter.

🍄 Experience as a Participating Artist: Consolation & Gratitude 🎨

I utterly failed as a shroom hunter this year, finding not a single shroom art even after over 4 hours of searching. But I was glad to know that my shroom art, Shroompoleon, had been claimed with all its packaging and message. Knowing that Napoleon Shroomaparte had found his forever home was a consolation. If it weren’t for the art I had hidden, I don’t think I would have felt like I participated in this year’s Game of Shrooms.

Below is the reel I made for shroom hunters looking for Shroompoleon:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Time Traveler (@littimetravel)

Game of Shrooms Tips: For Artists

Here are some useful tips for artists who want to participate in the next Game of Shrooms:

Start Early. I’d say you should take ample time to create artworks that people would want to find and keep. This is an excellent opportunity to share your passion, your creativity, to the public! Make the most out of it.
Make more than one artwork. You can certainly create just one shroom art, but I’ve noticed how popular artists make more than one. I think it’s great for them to do that, as it creates more chances for those who want to find and keep their works.
Create good marketing materials. Utilize social media to build anticipation leading up to the day of the game, and prepare business cards/flyers to hide with your work. Again, this is your chance to share your art and bring joy to others via your art!
Beware that your art will be found very quickly. As I found out this year, shroom hunters are very competitive and eager to find artworks! This will be especially true if you are a talented artist. I know one artist whose shrooms were claimed minutes after they were hidden!
Understand that people might not tag or mention you. Although I’ve asked hunters to tag me if they found Shroompoleon, I wasn’t tagged/messaged that my art was found. And I’ve heard from other artists that they also didn’t get notified. Though some hunters most definitely will tag you in Instagram or send you a message to let you know and thank you, understand that not everyone will for one reason or another.

Game of Shrooms Tips: For Hunters

They say failure is the mother of success. Here are the most important things I learned this year for a more successful hunt next year:

Know thy neighborhood. You will have the most advantage in the neighborhood you are familiar with, whether that be the town you grew up in or lived the longest in. One might think this won’t matter but it does, when there are numerous hunters vying for shroom art.
Vehicle, vehicle, vehicle. You need wheels for this event! Unless you want to walk around cities on foot like me and dejectedly watch everyone find shrooms before you do. Public transit won’t get you far either. At the very least, get an electric scooter, with which you can race to shrooms before others.
The game is no joke. I had no idea people were this passionate about shroom art! The competition is fierce, especially for popular artworks. So set out early, have a plan, keep tabs on artists and follow them to get the latest hints.
If you feel comfortable, please do let the artist(s) know. Please do let the artist(s) know that you’ve found their artworks! It helps them keep count of their works yet to be found and keeps others from looking for shrooms already found. Also, it just makes the artists’ day if you let them know and show appreciation. 💜
Comfy shoes are a must!!! The reason why I survived the approximately five hours of walking and running was my tennis shoes. If it weren’t for them, my feet would have been covered with blisters. Even if you plan to drive around, I say comfortable shoes are a must – you never know when you’ll have to run to your destination!
Divide & conquer. Work as a team with friends/family members interested. With different shroom artworks hidden across an entire neighborhood/city, it’s best to divide and conquer.

Final Words

Last but not least, stay safe! As it says on the official Game of Shrooms page, it is an “at your own risk event” in which you will be participating with total strangers. Practice safety!

Equally important, watch where you’re going! Due to the excitement and fear of losing yet another art to another shroom hunter, I was impatient to cross roads and sometimes running to get to places. Beware of cars, pedestrians, and whatnot!

There you have it – tips for hunters and artists for the next game of shrooms. And guess what? Attaboy, the creator of Game of Shrooms, announced the date of the next game already! Game of Shrooms 2024 will be on June 8, 2024.

🍄 Let the countdown begin!!! 🍄

P.S. To view my post on the Game of Shrooms before the 2023 event, click HERE (feat. all the excitement & anticipation).

P.P.S. Did you know that Tina Banda’s shroom art glows in the dark? It’s stunning! 🤩

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Time Traveler (@littimetravel)

Posted on June 3, 2023January 24, 2024 by The Time Traveler — Leave a comment

Game of Shrooms: It’s Time to Hunt for Artsy Shrooms!

It’s finally June… Which means Game of Shrooms is almost here! Next week, the 2023 Game of Shrooms will commence. What is “Game of Shrooms”? It’s an annual art hide-and-seek that takes place all over the world for just one day; and this year, it’ll be on Saturday June 10, 2023. It’s a day when artists around the world hide their original art of/about/inspired by mushrooms out in the public. Participants use clues given by the artists to find their artworks, and finders get to keep the artworks! According to the official website HERE, this festive event was created by Attaboy in 2019. (For more on Attaboy, aka Daniel Seifert, visit his bio HERE.)

Until this year, I had no idea that such a thing even existed! I guess that’s because it’s only been 4 years since it began (this is only the fifth Game of Shrooms event to have ever taken place!) and because it’s an “underground holiday,” per Attaboy’s website. I only found out thanks to a colleague of mine who had participated last year.

And so here I am, joining in on this year’s Game of Shrooms!

🍄How to Participate

Want to join in on this year’s Game of Shrooms? You can do so by simply searching for a mushroom artwork hidden nearby (to view the map of all the participating mushrooms, click HERE. Scroll down and refer to the interactive map to find your nearest/favorite mushroom art!

Screenshot of the interactive Global Map featured on the official website.

Or, you can do so by hiding a mushroom! To participate as an artist, you’ll need to create an original artwork(s) featuring mushroom(s). Then, submit the form on the Game of Shrooms website HERE. *Scroll down until you see this form below to fill out:

This is the electronic form you need to fill out if you are hiding your artwork for others to find!

Some info you’ll need to fill out on the form.

After filling out the form and clicking on the “Submit” button, this page should show up:

Your pin should appear on the map sometime later (it says it’s not added instantly). The final step is to promote your mushroom art via social media and give hints to those who want to find your artwork! 🙂

*Some important guidelines for the event include…

Not hiding artworks in protected areas.
Not damaging private property.
Not leaving any trace after the event, i.e. picking up after yourself. If no one finds your art, you need to retrieve it from the hiding place.

For more guidelines and useful hints, visit the official website at: https://yumfactory.com/gameofshrooms/

🍄My Shroom Art

It took me a while to even decide what to create. As I scrolled through the official Instagram account of Game of Shrooms, I saw unique artworks that were painted, sculpted, quilted, felted, and even carved. I was tempted to craft something out, as it looks (and is) like an original souvenir. But as I know the limit of my crafting skills, I opted in to do a painting. But to keep the souvenir-like feel to it, I decided to paint on a tiny canvas. It’s harder to find, easier to take home, and cuter, I think, to keep!

I initially imagined painting cute little mushrooms, but after seeing this incredibly artistic shroom portrait of King Henry VIII (click HERE for the artwork featured on Instagram) I changed my mind. As someone who loves history, I was way too inspired to go back to painting tiny mushrooms.

And hence, my art for this year’s Game of Shrooms was born. I present to you, Napoleon Shroomaparte, aka Shroompoleon!

*Napoleon Shroomaparte*, aka *Shroompoleon* (*The Time Traveler,* 2023)

Clues to Finding “Shroompoleon”

Shroompoleon will be hidden at the University of California, Berkeley – somewhere in the southern part of the campus. Here is the mushroom pin on the Global Map:

More hints will be disclosed on June 10th via Instagram. Stay Tuned… Happy hunting!

P.S. If you find Shroomaparte, please tag @littimetravel for a special shoutout. 😉

6/10/23 Update #1: Happy Game of Shrooms Day! Hints have gone live on Instagram. Here they are:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Time Traveler (@littimetravel)

6/10/23 Update #2: Shroompoleon was found and taken to his forever home by a mystery shroom hunter sometime before 12 PM. Thank you all for your interest & support! ❤

6/12/23 Update #3: I found a mushroom art to keep!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Time Traveler (@littimetravel)

Posted on May 5, 2023August 9, 2025 by The Time Traveler — 2 Comments

The Passing of Powell Cat, A True UCLA Icon

Did you know that there was a cat named “Powell Cat” at the University of California, Los Angeles?

You probably didn’t.

Because not even everyone who attended or visited UCLA knew “Powell Cat.” Only some of the hundreds of thousands of alumni and friends knew. And of those who knew that such a cat had existed, even a fewer number of people had had actual interactions with him.

I was one of the lucky few who got to know Powell Cat. And so, when I had learned back in early March that he had passed away, it hurt. Very much. It felt as if I had lost a friend that I had known from back in college.

In a way, that was what Powell Cat was to me.

Powell Cat’s Life

The Powell Library and Janss Steps at UCLA seen from Glorya Kaufman Hall.

Powell Cat appeared in my life sometime in 2018, but he was spotted by others long before that. According to Daily Bruin, he had been seen on campus since around 2015. And according to his Instagram account, he was born sometime in 2013. People said that his name was “Powell Cat” because he was spotted first near UCLA’s Powell Library. Sometime later, he moved his permanent residence from the Powell Library to Glorya Kaufman Hall (located down below the Janss Steps), but the name had stuck and he would always be referred to as “Powell Cat.”

A group of student volunteers called, “The Powell Cat Feeder Friends,” started giving food and water routinely to the cat while a campus librarian took care of his vet visits and vaccinations. He received toys and treats from students and enjoyed further popularity with his own Instagram account.

Food and water bowls placed outside the Kaufman building.

My First Encounter

Powell Cat wasn’t the only cat I had met while studying at UCLA. In fact, I’m pretty sure he wasn’t even the first. The first cat I ever spotted on campus was, I think, a black cat roaming around the Library. Maybe it was the Powell Cat. But there were several cats spotted near the library every once in a while, so I’m not 100% sure.

I don’t remember the exact date, but I met Powell Cat while going to or coming back from a class held on the northern side of campus. Looking back, he was always hanging out in front of the Glorya Kaufman Hall. He would be loafing next to the entrance or chilling by the steps. Wherever he was at the Kaufman Hall, his black and white tuxedo colors would stand out from the earthy, red building behind him.

Sometimes he would be doing his own thing, like licking himself clean or closing his eyes to fully enjoy the warm sunlight.

Other times, he would recognize me and come forward to me for me to pet him. Whatever he was doing, it was such a treat to spot him and spend a few minutes with him. He wouldn’t say a word but his company was enough to brighten my day.

My Memories

I remember this one incidence that made me appreciate Powell Cat even more. It was during our regular meet and greet session. I was stroking his head as well as his back when suddenly the cat startled and bit me. But he put just enough pressure on my hands with his teeth so that I wouldn’t bleed. I was startled, too, at his sudden change in behavior until I saw the reason why: he had a fresh scar on his back (hidden within his black fur) and I had accidentally brushed the area. He was in pain so he was telling me to stop, to not touch the area.

He could surely have bit me as I had hurt him. But he didn’t. It was as if he knew that I didn’t mean to hurt him. I was amazed at Powell Cat’s thoughtfulness. And from that experience, I am, to this day, astounded by how deeply animals can think – specifically at how considerate cats can be.

But my favorite memory of Powell Cat was when I had visited him back in 2021 with a dear friend of mine from Switzerland. Much time had passed since I had last seen my friend and Powell Cat, so it was all the more special to meet them again. My friend hadn’t known about Powell Cat; she had never seen him while studying at UCLA. So I introduced her to him and he was just as sweet and friendly as he had been since the last time I had seen him.

After spending time with Powell Cat with my friend, I tried to visit UCLA multiple times to see the cat again. But every time I went to the steps in front of Kaufman Hall (with a custom-made cat bed for him), he wasn’t there. I only saw his food and water bowls along with some of his toys. There would be traces of him, like scattered bits of cat food or a toy played with a while ago, but he wasn’t there. Each time I missed him, I thought to myself that I would see him the next time I visited.

I didn’t know that my visit back in 2021 would be the last time I would ever see him.

A UCLA Icon

Powell Cat passed away on March 9, 2023, but my memories of him will live on.

He was an important part of my UCLA experience. As a part of my daily walk to and from classes, he brightened my mood even as the small speck of black and white he was from afar. Honestly, he means more to me than the official mascot, the Bruin Bear, that adorns all UCLA swag or the unofficial mascot, the infamous squirrels, that have invaded the entire campus.

He was a true UCLA icon to the lucky students and friends who got to know him.

P.S. The Instagram account of Powell Cat can be found HERE. And here is everyone’s message to him on Kudoboard HERE. It’s incredible how many lives Powell Cat had touched during his lifetime…

P.P.S. There was a memorial ceremony held on campus in front of the Library, as detailed in the Daily Bruin HERE. And there have been petitions to build a statue in his memory. I don’t know how I feel about the statue. Because although Powell Cat was special to me and others who knew him, not everyone knew him. And I think the fund that would go to building a statue can be utilized elsewhere to help students in need.

P.P.P.S. I visited UCLA very recently (December 2023) and spotted these items made in memory of the iconic cat:

It was so nice to see the Powell Cat commemorated in the store! 💙💛