Blog

Guides, routes, and notes from the road.

Bernie and Cream posing between Team Rocket scarecrows and Pokémon pumpkins at the autumn habitat of Pokémon GO Tour Los Angeles at the Rose Bowl. United States

Where to Stay for GO Tour LA: Santa Monica vs Downtown vs Pasadena

Where to stay near the Rose Bowl for GO Tour LA, from two GO Tours: why we'd book Santa Monica, when Little Tokyo wins, and who Pasadena suits.
Bernie and Cream holding up Poké Balls in front of a blue Team Mystic flower wall at Pokémon GO Tour at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. United States

Pokémon GO Tour Tips: When to Raid, Catch, and Hatch

Pokémon GO Tour tips from two GO Tours in LA: raid from 5 a.m., catch and hatch on foot during event hours, then raid again until 8 p.m.
Bernie and Cream waving next to a giant Snivy on the field inside Rose Bowl Stadium at Pokémon GO Tour Los Angeles, with the stands behind them. United States

Pokémon GO Tour Los Angeles: The Complete Guide

Pokémon GO Tour Los Angeles from two in-person GO Tours: 2027 dates, tickets and add-ons, which day to pick for the park, where to stay, and a budget.
Bernie and Cream pointing up at the Santa Monica Yacht Harbor sign at the entrance to Santa Monica Pier on a sunny day. United States

Pokémon GO in Santa Monica: The Best Places to Play

Where to play Pokémon GO in Santa Monica, from a month of playing there and two GO Tours. The pier, the beach path to Venice, and how to find raids.
Bernie and Cream in Pikachu hats beside a giant inflatable Turtwig at Pokémon GO Tour Sinnoh in Pasadena, one of them holding up a phone. United States

The Best Places to Play Pokémon GO in Los Angeles

The best places to play Pokémon GO in Los Angeles on GO Tour city days, from Santa Monica to Little Tokyo and Old Pasadena, plus meetups and the Metro.
Bernie and Cream with two friends in front of a giant inflatable Origin Forme Palkia on the field inside the Rose Bowl during Pokémon GO Tour Sinnoh. United States

How to Get to the Rose Bowl for GO Tour: Parking, Shuttles, Metro, and Uber

Rose Bowl parking for Pokémon GO Tour, the Uber drop-off, and the Metro from Santa Monica or Little Tokyo, plus the mistake that cost us our raids.
Bernie and Cream standing on either side of a Pokémon GO Tour sign surrounded by giant flowers at the Rose Bowl, one of them in a Pikachu visor. United States

GO Tour Rose Bowl Rules: Clear Bag Policy and What to Bring

The Pokémon GO Tour Rose Bowl rules in plain words: clear bags, the one-battery limit, food, water, and strollers, plus our park day packing list.
Bernie and Cream posing with snowmen in knit hats at the winter habitat of Pokémon GO Tour at the Rose Bowl, next to a GO Tour Los Angeles 2025 sign. United States

GO Tour Park Day at the Rose Bowl: What to Expect

What the Pokémon GO Tour park day at the Rose Bowl is like, from two Tours: the hours, the map and habitats, the heat, food, and the research to do first.
The vitamin and energy drink shelves in a Tokyo 7-Eleven, with jelly drink pouches on top and rows of small glass bottles below. Japan

Japan Convenience Store Vitamin Drinks: What We Bought at 7-Eleven

The Japan convenience store vitamin drinks we bought at 7-Eleven in Tokyo, what's really in each one, and when to drink it, checked against the labels.
Healthy 7-Eleven food in Tokyo: two green smoothies outside a 7-Eleven, a matcha smoothie cup, smoked salad chicken, and soft-boiled eggs Japan

Healthy 7-Eleven Food in Japan: Green Smoothies, Protein, and What We Bought

The healthy food we bought at 7-Eleven in Tokyo, how to use the green smoothie machine, and the protein options on the shelf, with prices.
A Lawson convenience store lit up blue and white at night on a narrow Osaka street. Japan

7-Eleven vs Lawson vs FamilyMart: Which Japanese Convenience Store Is Best?

7-Eleven vs Lawson vs FamilyMart, head to head. Our winner for onigiri, egg sandwiches, fried chicken, coffee, and sweets after a month in Tokyo.
7-Eleven Japan ice cream we'd buy again: a Choco Monaka Jumbo, a box of BRULEE, a Seven Premium Gold waffle cone, and a Coolish pouch held over the freezer Japan

7-Eleven Japan Ice Cream: The 6 We'd Buy Again

The 7-Eleven Japan ice creams we kept buying in Tokyo, from Choco Monaka Jumbo to the viral BRULEE, with prices and what each one tastes like.