Our Car Life

2018.08.08Our Car Life

A Los Angeles Road Trip in a GLS 450: Malibu Cafe, Santa Monica, and Griffith Observatory

Japanese Summers… So Hot… Summer in Japan is hot—or, more than anything, the humidity is intense. We got back from the U.S. last weekend, my husband returned to work, and our daughter went back to kindergarten. At last, life is getting back to normal. This is the final post in my series about our trip to San Francisco and Los Angeles. So today, I’d like to share some highlights from our time sightseeing in Los...

2018.08.08Our Car Life

Our Car Life

2018.08.06Our Car Life

A Visit to the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles: Part 2

Part Two of Our PECLA Visit Yesterday, I wrote about the many facilities at the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles (PECLA). →【Related article】A Visit to the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles: Part 1 Today, it’s time for part two. The PECLA parking lot is filled with all kinds of Porsches, so just looking around is a treat. I’d guess there were around 150 cars in all, including 911s, Boxsters, Caymans, Macans, and Cayennes (though I...

2018.08.06Our Car Life

Our Car Life

2018.08.05Our Car Life

Our Visit to the Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles (Part 1)

A Long-Awaited Visit to the Porsche Experience Center LA The day before yesterday, we arrived safely at Kansai International Airport from San Francisco. I’m so glad the whole family made it home in good health. Traveling overseas with a four-year-old and a one-year-old was no easy feat, though. Actually, it was our free-spirited younger daughter, who’s just one, who made things especially challenging (laughs). I learned that when traveling long-haul to places like the US...

2018.08.05Our Car Life

Our Car Life

2018.08.04Our Car Life

Los Angeles in a Mercedes-Benz GLS 450: Ride Impressions and How It Compares to a Porsche

I Booked a Rental Car with Avis, But… After our stay in San Francisco, we headed to Los Angeles. We considered driving, but even without traffic, the trip was expected to take about five or six hours, so we decided to fly instead—a journey of around an hour and a half. The rental car we picked up in Los Angeles was a Mercedes-Benz GLS 450. I’d booked it in advance through Avis back in Japan,...

2018.08.04Our Car Life

Our Car Life

2018.08.03Our Car Life

Porsche in San Francisco: Photos of the Cars We Spotted

On a Mission to Photograph Porsches Before our trip to San Francisco, I’d already decided: “I’m going to photograph the Porsches driving around San Francisco.” Whenever I spotted one, I’d get my camera ready, snap a photo with my iPhone, or ask my husband, “A Porsche, a Porsche! Please get a picture!” But I soon learned that photographing Porsches on the road (and even parked ones) while we were moving ourselves was much harder than...

2018.08.03Our Car Life

Our Car Life

2018.08.02Our Car Life

Driving Down San Francisco’s Famous Lombard Street: Eight Hairpin Turns on a Steep Slope

A Trip to Monterey, a Beautiful Coastal City Today, a story from San Francisco. My family and I were traveling around San Francisco and Los Angeles from July 28 to August 3. The day after arriving in San Francisco, we drove to Monterey, a beautiful coastal city. Traffic was heavy, so the drive took about two and a half hours. The kids slept the whole way. San Francisco is often foggy in summer, while winter...

2018.08.02Our Car Life

Our Car Life

2018.07.31Our Car Life, Blog Announcements

Seriously Rethinking the Future of This Porsche Blog

Where This Porsche Blog Is Headed For a while now, I’ve been thinking about the direction of Welcome Home, PORSCHE. I’ve finally settled on a vision: I want to grow this blog into a useful resource for everyone researching a Porsche purchase. …That might be setting the bar a little high! But the truth is, I started this blog after my husband casually suggested, “If you love the Panamera so much, why not start a...

2018.07.31Our Car Life, Blog Announcements

Our Car Life

2018.07.30Our Car Life

A Family Trip to San Francisco: How the Car Scene Differs from Japan

Off to San Francisco with the Family We’re visiting San Francisco (and Los Angeles) from July 28 to August 3. My husband had work in San Francisco, so the plan was for me and our two daughters to join him once he’d finished. It’s been 14 or 15 years since I last visited the United States, back when I was a student. Time really does fly. Before we left, my parents were understandably worried: “Are...

2018.07.30Our Car Life

Our Car Life

2018.07.29Our Car Life

Why Porsche Excels on the Track—and Why So Many Racers Choose It

Taking a Porsche to Fuji Speedway In June this year, I drove on a racetrack for the first time at the Porsche Experience Day event at Fuji Speedway. “You don’t get many chances to take a Panamera on track,” I thought, so I joined the line before the event began, secured one of the first 70 tickets, and completed two laps of Fuji Speedway. We drove in a group of 70 cars at a relatively...

2018.07.29Our Car Life

Our Car Life

2018.07.27Our Car Life

Wait! Is Your Car Cover Really Protecting Your Porsche from Dirt and Damage?

Why You Need a Car Cover for Outdoor Parking There’s room to park two cars in the driveway at our house. You’d think that would be plenty, but life is different when you’re married to a car enthusiast. We rent an additional parking space near home for our Mercedes-Benz SL500 and Volkswagen Golf. (I think it costs ¥10,000 per car per month.) Since the cars are parked outdoors, exposed to the blazing sun, wind, and...

2018.07.27Our Car Life