Valerie and I are not often in Alhambra, so we decide to try something different. We would have gone to Din Tai Fung if it was closer by and did not have an expected hour-plus long wait to get seated!
Since it is early, Valerie suggests we share a single dish. We decide to try mie keriting, a curly noodle dish topped with pork and flavored eggs and served with a broth on the side. I'd get this again.
Valerie and I are not getting into line for Ross...
Today is the opening of the Naughty Dog 30 Year Anniversary Event at Gallery Nucleus
Gallery Nucleus is located in Alhambra, California...not exactly close to Naughty Dog's office, but less than a half-mile away from where we ate
I wonder how long these fans have been waiting to go in
10 minutes before the scheduled opening, the line to enter wraps around the corner and along the parking lot
Fortunately, Sam spots me (and my camera)...so I can get in ahead of the crowd
#ND30 #NDMEMORIES
I take a picture of Valerie taking a picture of the memory wall
Since I used to work at Naughty Dog, Valerie and I are let in ahead of the crowd...giving me a chance to snap wide shots. This wall is lined with art by the team past and present and includes memorable quotes from the games.
Naughty Dog has received art from fans dating back to the Crash era, but nothing quite like the works by the featured tribute artists. These are available for purchase
Early logo realized in plushy form, current logo projected on a distant wall
The current ND logo is projected on the wall, though I am not sure of the significance of the "now serving" numbers
Familiar pieces...these one-off fan-built models of Crash have been prominently featured in the display cases of Naughty Dog's office lobby for more than a decade
Since it first appeared in those trophy cases, I have wanted this plushy of Daxter. Valerie wants it too.
First time I have seen these cute plushies of Jak and Daxter
I didn't have anything to do with the renderings for Jak II or 3, but was deeply involved with the art and tech for many aspects of the series (Photo by Valerie Iwasaki)
Upstairs I finally come across some of the images I worked on...the Crash Warped poster and the Jak and Daxter Launch poster
Andy's simple flow chart describing Jak's move set for Precursor Legacy